Outshined_One

Welcome aboard!

Depends on how their OF situation shakes out in the offseason. They don't have much in the way of good options in terms of CF options plus they have their share of contracts to unload.

Yep.

The funny thing is, I never even gave a second thought to the White Sox until I went to high school about a mile south from downtown. Since it was a Catholic high school and had a good reputation, it attracted people from all over the city and surrounding suburbs. Freshman year, 1998, the Cubs were in the Wild Card chase and eventually made the playoffs. These guys who were from Beverly, The East Side, and Bridgeport gave me so much grief over being a Cubs fan that I was almost shocked. The Cubs and White Sox played in different leagues. They weren't even in the same division. Yet, here these guys were, ripping me for being a Cubs fan. It never made much sense to me and it still doesn't. I've come across plenty more people like that up here at UW-Madison, to boot. This bitterness and hostility is aimed more towards them than anyone else. Oh, by the way, Jabroni sends his love to everyone.

I know that was not your intention in this post, but I think almost every single Cubs fan I have ever met thought that the Curse of the Billy Goat was just bunk. Most Cubs fans know that this history of losing can be attributed to cheap ownership, lack of development of an effective farm system, and sheer ineptitude of players, management, and the front office. The irony of it all is that the Cubs have had a better overall history than the White Sox. More overall wins. More World Series appearances. More playoff appearances. And so on. Yet, here we are today. And, up until recently, I have come across an incredible number of White Sox fans that hated the Cubs more than they loved the White Sox. To them, the best days in Chicago are when the Cubs lose and the White Sox win. Do you want to know how many fun IMs and voice mails I got from White Sox fans after Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS? There are four reasons I'm cheering against the White Sox. First off, AJ Eyechart is one of the more despicable people in baseball from everything I've read. Every single controversial play that he's been involved in during the postseason has made me want to vomit. Secondly, Mark Buerhle is a classless tool. Way to accuse Greg Maddux of throwing a spitter, champ. I'm sure White Sox nation will love you when you bolt for the Cardinals in free agency. Secondly, Ozzie Guillen is an incredible jerk. He's perfect for the White Sox; a guy who will happily bully umpires, make the choke sign to opposing dugouts, and just generally acts like a tool. But, most of all, it's their fanbase. You want obnoxious and classless jerks, visit the Cellblock some time wearing the gear of an opposing team. Take a gander over at White Sox Interactive, where they have an entire forum dedicated to Cubs bashing. Yes, there are people over there who are respectful, intelligent, and mature. But, from my experience, these people tend to be the exception more than the rule. Using a comparison with the Red Sox, Yankees, and their respective fans, I liked Bill Simmons' use of having the Yankees being your top rival in high school who always got the hottest women, seemed to have everything easy in life, ended up going to a top college, and pushed you around at his leisure. The comparison in Chicago is that the White Sox was the obnoxious jerk at your high school who was dumb as a box of rocks, was not particularly well-liked by most people in high school, and who made a habit of picking fights and stuffing people into lockers. After he graduated, he went into a dead end job, became an alcoholic, and now spends his days engaging in schaudenfreude, reveling in the misery of others despite being a drunken, fat loser himself. Only now he's won the lottery. That's pretty much how I feel right now. Ugh.

Law school. I'm taking the LSAT in December.

You have no idea how tempting it is for me to leap into this argument, especially considering I'm a Religious Studies & Philosophy major. But alas, I'll hold off.

If the past few years have done anything to Cubs nation, it's made us all a heck of a lot more embittered. This postseason has pushed us over the edge, to boot. I have yet to determine whether or not this is a good thing, though.

Well, if Scott Podsednik can get a walkoff...

Dus...er...Yosemite Phil had a hunch?

Pft. Gimme Delmon Young 8 days a week.

When are these usually released? Anyone care to guess who on the Cubs gets what designation?

Yep, Hill was up with the Cubs and logged some time, although Dusty sat him in favor of Rusch in September (for some odd reason). What are your thoughts on Young cubs/sox? I've seen him compared to everyone from Mike Cameron to Carlos Beltran to a healthy Ken Griffey Jr. Are people overshooting the mark a bit, or is he the real deal?

Really? I've met a bunch of people from NY who cheer for both. Although, most of them tend to put Giants & Yankees as their respective favorite teams in their sports.

Which kind of Karma are we tallking about here? The Hindu one? Buddhist? Jain? Sikh?

Welcome aboard!

Who's the top prospect in the Cards' system behind Anthony Reyes in terms of trading potential? Lambert? Hanson?

If the rumors about Giles signing a 3/30 deal with San Diego are true, things are going to get interesting for plenty of teams this offseason. Would the Cardinals be interested in trading with Oakland again, this time for Barry Zito? I'm getting the feeling Beane might be looking to revamp his team yet again this offseason.

The Baseball Gods hate the Cubs.

Until they trade for Adam Dunn. If that happens, I may very well give on baseball.

On the plus side, if this is true, the Cardinals have no real viable replacement for Larry Walker.

OutshinedOne127: I'm really not as high on the Astros' BP as most other people OutshinedOne127: Especially Lidge DuhGreat1: Lidge is money DuhGreat1: one pitch DuhGreat1: does not mean he sucks OutshinedOne127: I've seen him blow three saves against the Cubs in the past two years DuhGreat1: so OutshinedOne127: Maybe four... OutshinedOne127: Can't remember precisely DuhGreat1: Mo has blown like 7 vs. the Sox DuhGreat1: does that mean he's not good? OutshinedOne127: Yes, but before then, Mo had a history OutshinedOne127: Lidge never had much of a history against the Cubs in save/win situations DuhGreat1: Lidge had oneof the most dominant post seasons ever by a reliever last year OutshinedOne127: Correct, but I know how this guy ticks DuhGreat1: and was money all season in the roll DuhGreat1: role OutshinedOne127: He knows certain guys kill him OutshinedOne127: And he lets it get to him DuhGreat1: unreal OutshinedOne127: Was that OutshinedOne127: no *bleeping* way DuhGreat1: yup OutshinedOne127: what the crap DuhGreat1: yeah Somehow, it was destiny.

Hey Lance Berkman, does that look familiar?

They're the Padres flagship station, I'd think they'd get a signing like that right. Then again, WGN and the Chicago Tribune have had their share of screwups.

I question the source, but since this can be a matter of discussion... I kinda want the Cubs to trade for Juan Pierre despite some of my reservations for him. A couple of reasons... 1) Dusty Baker would never, ever, ever bat him anywhere other than leadoff. He'd never be tempted to lead off with Neifi, Macias, or some one equally terrible. 2) He did have a bit of a down year last season, but he has been productive in the past as a high contact kind of a guy. As long as he can post a reasonable OBP, be it through lots of BBs or a good AVG, I could live with it. 3) This gives plenty of breathing room for Felix Pie to grow, mature, and develop down in the minors. With Pierre, there won't be much pressure to rush him up to the majors. 4) The Marlins won't ask much for him, from what I can gather. Now, he is not the ideal target in my mind. I think there are plenty of better options out there who could be acquired to play CF in terms of production. However, in terms of what the Cubs would have to give up (be it in money or players), I think Pierre could be had for a reasonable price. As for Hill & Patterson? I think that's a bit too much. I could see a package of Patterson and two lesser prospects (like, say, Juan Mateo and Chris Walker) or Patterson and a decent prospect (David Aardsma, perhaps). Hill has a bit too high of an upside for me to be comfortable to ship him out in a deal like that.