Beer Kaese

Going back to dealing with Cincy for an outfielder. They have a popular first baseman who's a bit pricey. Hill, Williams and Sing for Dunn or Griffey at a reduced price? Extend Lee. That keeps Murton in reserve to deal with Cleveland for a proven pen arm. We keep Cedeno, Nolasco and E Patterson.

I'm with you. The infield has been the least of our problems this year. Our outfield, bench, and bullpen have been the death of this team. Overall, we have one of the best infields in all of baseball. Ok, how fast is Murton? Don't jump all over me for suggesting this, but what if Nomar could handle left, Murton in Center, Giles in right, Aram at 3rd, Furcal/Cedeno at short, Cedeno/Walker at 2nd, Lee at first, and Barrett behind the plate? Would you be up for that? I was reading your Blog. Do you feel stupid or do you have a mental block on spin? Murton is one of our top trade pieces.

Nomar will land on the south side.

I don't see JVB as a starter but he's a top pen option. I'd assume Rusch picks up his option. That moves him into the trade bait/long man slot. Small sample size on Williamson. I'd don't know what the team option costs but when healthy the man rocks. I meant make him the 5th reliever. As you said, Dempster, Wuertz, Ohman and Novoa have been alright. Ah. I have JVB on the 40 man but still in trips in case Novoa or Wuertz falters. He might win a spot on the 25 man out of spring but I go with what is now as a basis. JVB is one more reason why the pen is the least of our worries. Yep, agree w/ you about it being the least of the Cubs worries. Finally, the Cubs have several solid, cheap and young guys. Perhaps they can make JVB the setup man and eventually turn him into the closer. It means we can spend elsewhere! Our pen looks pretty good.

I don't see JVB as a starter but he's a top pen option. I'd assume Rusch picks up his option. That moves him into the trade bait/long man slot. Small sample size on Williamson. I'd don't know what the team option costs but when healthy the man rocks. I meant make him the 5th reliever. As you said, Dempster, Wuertz, Ohman and Novoa have been alright. Ah. I have JVB on the 40 man but still in trips in case Novoa or Wuertz falters. He might win a spot on the 25 man out of spring but I go with what is now as a basis. JVB is one more reason why the pen is the least of our worries.

I don't see JVB as a starter but he's a top pen option. I'd assume Rusch picks up his option. That moves him into the trade bait/long man slot. Small sample size on Williamson. I don't know what the team option costs but when healthy the man rocks.

I agree there will be no rebuilding. It's more like reloading. If done intelligently, we'd use what has performed and is cheap and spend on the right guys to round it out. We're built around Wood, Prior, Zambrano, Lee and Ramirez with a nod to Barrett and Blanco. Our biggest needs on offense are a top OBP guy and LH slugger and we have SS, 2B and all 3 OF positions to work with. Furcal would give us a .340+ OBP guy who plays short and can steal a base. A guy like Giles would give us a LH slugger in right with a high OBP. The numbers thrown around on this forum suggests I've just spent about 20 mil for the next three years. (Furcal @ 32 for 4 and Giles @ 32 for 3) Now comes the trade part, which may not be possible. If a deal for Dunn or Griffey can be made it will cost us pitching. (Cincy should be willing to deal, they need what we have and we need what they have. STL and HOU can be beat and MIL is rising fast.) Griffey? What's wrong with Furcal-Walker-Giles-Lee-Griffey-Ramirez-Barrett-LF? I'd rather have Dunn but a healthy Griffey covers a tougher position and I'm sure we could get Cincy to pickup some salary. We ship them Williams, Hill and something else to make a deal work. I think Griffey is something that can be done, Dunn can't. Take Griffey, that adds salary. Replace the cluster cluck that is the 5th rotation spot and look for a FA to round it out. (I think Nomar could end up on the south side, why not?) If you add Furcal, Giles, Griffey and a quality FA pitcher you've shot your wad. A pen with Dempster, Ohman, Novoa and Wuertz as a starting point with guys like Williamson and a AAAA long man might work. (Though I would take the Hendry approach and grab some garbage off the heap and see what happens -- Rusch, Dempster, Williamson ...) Also, I'd look toward the Indians and try to pry away one of their proven pen guys with my overload of cusp players.

"Do teams overstate the importance of late-inning defense, especially when compared to the cost of carrying a below-replacement level hitter for the season? Why is the ability to play six positions badly viewed as a skill?". The value is in being able to make a double switch when you bring in a new pitcher. :roll: Dusty uses him as a pinch hitter and carries an extra pitcher.

I think it's the difference between wanting an avg. pen and a great pen. Say you get Ryan and Sauerbeck, the pen likely becomes one of the top 5 in MLB. One of the things I'm looking at is the 40 man crunch. We have too many guys we control to do the off season with free agents. We need to deal off multiple cusp guys with near ready guys (Murton, Hill, ect) to make things more comfortable (Sisco?). Sure, Dempster isn't proven but he's looked very good in the closer role. Ohman, Novoa and Wuertz have settled in nicely with the closer role set. I'd like to get a short man for the 8th, if necessary, and I think we can do that while peeling off guys we can no longer protect. I'd be happy with one quality short man through trade and a AAAA long man.

What's wrong with a Pen that features Dempster as closer with Ohman, Novoa and Wuertz? We'd need two more guys. One long, one short. Maybe one of the two a lefty. Options on the current roster, off the top of my head, Rusch, Williamson, Williams, Leicester, Wellemeyer, Hill, Mitre, JVB. I'd ignore FAs but wouldn't rule out a trade. (edit to limit to one topic)

LMFAO.Thats the best sig Ive ever seen. Im dyin here. Someone get that published in a magazine or something. Better yet. Mock one up, take it to the Cubs Convention and ask Dusty to sign it.

Got to give Todd :oops: Jones his props. In the end, good guys finish ahead of jerks

I like Walker a lot. I've always had the feeling the organization doesn't value him as highly as I do. With a pair of high quality RH bats in the mix (Lee and Ram) and no LH bat a lock, it makes sense to bring him back. You could add Barrett and Patterson to the mix but you'd only be more settled on a RH bias. I figure I'm one of the few that still likes Brunitz. I think Dusty over used him. Holla should have 15 starts in right by now. How about .. SS Furcal 2B Walker 1B Lee 3B Ramirez RF Burnitz LF Murton CF Patterson C Barrett LF/RF/1B Hollandsworth SS/2B/3B Cedeno 3B/2B/OF/© Macias C Blanco Add a RH PHer to complement Holla and let kids like Fontenot and Greenberg battle for the last spot. -- This is just a suggestion. My goal here is to make the fewest changes possible and get a different look. If you find a top of the order OFer I'd gladly bring Garciaparra back or start Cedeno and bring Perez back as defensive utility guy. -- In no possible option I can think of does Dusty work.

Everything I've ever read has said Murton doesn't have the arm to play right. I could see moving CP to right to get Hairston (CF) and Murton (LF) in the lineup everyday. I'd also have CP between Barrett and Murton in the lineup.

I'm 42 and I don't think this run is any better then 68-72.

I ran across a sports writer many years ago on a messageboard. He sent me a PM to answer my question and had a couple of his own. Funny thing, I was a regular reader of his. He wanted to remain anonymous so all I can tell you is he lives on this planet. Ok, so I gave away the gender. Back in the old days a writer could go to the local watering hole and listen to what people were talking about. The celebrity culture makes writers a target for attention. (?) This forced them to turn to the net to listen in on (read) what people are talking about so they don't have to spend time answering an infinite number of questions or coming off like a donkey. In Bruce's case, he identifies himself. That's rare, that's brave and I suppose he only logs on to read when he's interested in questions or at least I assume he's got that part down. I was/am a huge fan of Mike Royko. If you've read Royko and understand the celebrity culture, you'll know why writers and personalities you admire are online. Give them space when they want it. Clearly, the mod over at Cubs.com could have used this.

Full Article Am I reading too much into this? I suppose I am but it fits the theme around here for the better part of the past month+.

Hendry should have canned Bakker a month ago. Instead he put a noose around his neck and tied it to Bakker's wagon.

Eric Patterson.

How would you know what the kids on the farm can do? I think it's a legit point especially given the situation that the Cubs have been in throughout the year. Whether you're tired of hearing about Baker's shortcomings, or not. It's hard to defend the guy when he continued to trot out Neifi to SS and let Cedeno sit on the bench. When Corey went down and Murton was batting over .400, Macias (that's right MACIAS) started in CF. Not only is that frustrating, but it's especially frustrating going into the offseason. How do you fill needs when you don't know what your needs are? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe the problem isn't that the Cubs haven't developed the talent.................just that they didn't give the young player the opportunity to showcase that talent? No one on this board or the Cubs front office can tell if Cedeno or Murton can fill a need for this team on a daily basis because they were not played when the opportunity to showcase them was available. How do you evaluate and size-up talent on the big league level if the players don't play? How do you not put the youth out there when the opportunity presents itself? Every team has injuries every year. Look at the Cards and Braves for examples. The Cardinals have had Rolen out most of the year, Walker's been out a great deal of the second half, Sanders has been out for a great deal of time as well. That's 2/3 of your starting OF and a gold-glove/power hitting 3B.................yet they're still 900 games over .500 and uncatchable in the Central Division. Think about it. Derrick Lee, while he's struggling now, for the majority of the first half and into the second half was leading in all triple crown categories. He's still in the top 5 in all of them even with his recent struggles (I believe). Quietly, A-Ram is right there with DLee in almost all of the triple crown categories, minus the batting average (he's still over .300 though). Had the Cubs played Cedeno and Murton and they had both been successful (we don't know if they would have been our not.) where would the Cubs be now? Who knows because it didn't happen. Maybe we don't lose 8 straight. So not only do you waste valuable time to see where these guys are at and what they can do at the ML level. How do you address your needs as a ballclub after the season? I don't know how Hendry can have fully grasp of what he needs and what he doesn't need. And that in itself is a shame. I didn't have a problem with Macias getting those starts in center. If Burnitz was the only other option, it would have been a mistake forcing the tired man into a more demanding position. Aside from that, I'm 100% with you. If Hendry doesn't make Baker go away, Hendry needs to go away.

The problem with Burnitz, I believe, is over use. Early in the year he was hitting about .290 then he hit the wall and his average dropped to .260 so Dusty gave him a game off and he came back with his bat. He was burnt to a crisp in July. July when Murton should have had half of the starts in left and Hollandsworth should have gotten a couple starts in right to give Burnitz time off. Playing in 90+ degree temps in the sunshine in July takes more out of a 36 y/o then playing in 80+ degree temps under the lights. I'm not handing the keys to Murton. I'm giving him lefties and some righties. I'm giving Holla time in right. I'm giving Burns some time off. Dusty's plan of only giving kids the opposite pitcher means we need to trade every RH hitter on the farm and stock up on LH hitters so they get an opportunity to play enough so they can be properly evaluated. There is no way you can justify playing Perez for two months when he posts sub .300 OBP's. He's our utility infielder. A guy with a roster spot because of his glove. If you bring up a plus .400 OBP kid (because your starter goes down for an extended period) and don't play him you're an idiot in my book.

Err...your conclusions baffle me at times. While it might be fun to try to find the "6 degrees of Dusty's idiocy" I don't think that every situation can be traced back to him. How good was Perez with the bat in June and July? Not good, actually pretty bad. Why didn't Cedeno get a look? Dusty? Garciaparra was out long enough and Perez was bad enough that we should have some idea if Cedeno can play at the major league level. Can we count on Cedeno as a SS or even a utility IFer? Yes? No? The answer is maybe because he still hasn't had an opportunity. If I am the GM of this club I'm frustrated. Can I pencil in Cedeno on the 25 man next year or do I need to bring Perez back? Can Cedeno take over for Garciaparra so I can use that money for a quality LH outfielder? Can Murton play? Can I consider him my Leftfielder for next year or do I need to bring in someone else? Can I use Garciaparra money or is that money spent? The reason I have these questions is simple. These young kids had an opportunity to play but my manager didn't play them. He instead stuck with guys with sub .300 OBP's. Quality bench guys but not starters. A week or two is fine, months on end is different. Did you know Burnitz has an OPS of .587 since the break? Hollandsworth has a .490 OPS since the break. Murton doesn't play. Why? Give me an answer to that question that makes Dusty appear to be intelligent. They're lefties, they're vets, they're paid the big bucks ... the best way to learn how to play at the major league level is to watch ... (if that were true, wouldn't it make sense to start season ticket holders?) Our most productive outfielder since the break plays the least. He's a young kid. We don't know if he's going to make it at the major league level. We have a manager who seems intent on keeping it that way. Yea, it seems like the cool thing to do, fire Dusty. Well, I'm close to calling for Hendry's head as well. He as allowed his manager to mismanage for too long. At some point, I think we're already there I'm just reluctant, it's Hendry's fault.

While I agree that Dusty should be fired, I think we should pick and chose when we argue against him and JH. The fact that Fontenot is hitting 272 at AAA and is blocked by Walker (who is hitting 300 plus in the bigs) is a really silly point and only makes those of us who really want Dusty gone for valid reasons loook as though we would complain about anyone there. When you complain about everything under the sun even if some of it is valid the message gets watered down. It looks as though you are whining and people don't like whiners. See also Democrats complaining about GW. They complained about silly stuff (such as what he wore) to the point where everyone just ignored everything even the valid points. The point I make is simple, Dusty had a chance to see what Cedeno could do. Since he failed to use him we have no idea if he can play at the major league level. Because of this it's likely we bring Nomar back at SS. Much less expensive but still a real cost. Given that LH hitting in the lineup is important and we spend to bring Walker back. While I like Walker and like him enough to consider him my second sacker for next year right now we have a problem. Can Cedeno play at the major league level? If not, we have to bring back Perez and if we can't trust Cedeno (let alone Fonenot) shouldn't we bring back Macias as well? Dusty kept Murton in a platoon and batted him 8th until Hendry traded for Lawton. Now Murton bats leadoff (not often enough) but all the freaking sudden. The bottom line is that Dusty is an idiot that makes everything more expensive.

It's the nature of the system that you over pay for some (Maddux) and get others at a bargin (Zambrano). A GM finds the right mix for the market. If I was Greg I'd come back and take the money. As a Cubs fan I'd like him to retire and wave the money. Personally, I think Greg only comes back for a ring. Anything less and he walks. Bank on Maddux in the rotation next year.

This is almost like a rant but it's a response to a post. We know Lee, Ram and Barrett. That means we need a quality LH bat. Walker, Patterson and Burnitz are all we have now. The Dusty never let Cedeno play so we may bring Nomar back. That almost means we need to bring back Walker which blocks the middle of the infield for Cedeno and Fontenot. Who's responsible? I want heads to roll!!! (Cedeno @ Trips = .371/.416/.554, Fontenot @ AAA = .272/.386/.423) After the trade deadline we see Murton batting leadoff. He wasn't good enough to start in front of Hollandsworth (.197/.260/.348 for July) but got promoted from hitting 8th to 1st. The manager of my team needs to be fired!!! I have no beef with the players. Not Perez, not Hollandsworth, not Macias. My beef is with Hendry. Specifically, why haven't you canned the Dusty? Seriously, don't be dragged down by the bone (head). (ripped from Floyd's Dogs)