KatJ

Who pitches tomorrow - Guzman? And can anyone - paging Bruce! - get a straight answer on when ONE of our injured troika intends on making his way to a AAA or MLB mound again?

Guess who's going to be in Phoenix all this coming week? :D Do we have a happy dance icon? My hotel's hardly a half mile from Chase Field - I'd be a fool not to go, especially given that the one bright spot in the rotation will be on the mound that evening. It will be a nice break from business.

Man! I missed another brilliant Maddux performance. That settles it - from now on, I'm not missing anymore of his starts. For you jinx-minded people, I've seen two or three of his games thus far this year, so my presence or absence is not a factor.

Well, the Cubs are in AZ next week - if Jim got the deal done by then, it would make transportation easier. :-)

Dear Greg, don't talk baseball to your brother, especially while he is still an NL Central pitching coach. Thank you. :-)

Time to bring up Pie. NO. And if you want to discuss the issue further, would you bring it up in Baseball Discussions (or would Transactions be a better forum)? This topic is becoming as popular as Don't Make Corey Leadoff for the past two years.

At the risk of giving this all-too-predictable slant (SOMEONE was going to posit this spin), Marxism has its own idols as well. After Lenin died, they pickled him up pretty well and put him on public display - I think you can still go see it. Similar deal with Mao and Kim Il-sung - I don't think their actual bodies are on display, but the people do idolize them - it's drummed into their heads from grade school on. And what was one of the first things that got torn down in (was it?) the Kremlin in the fall of Communism - that huge statue of Lenin. (You can see a nice replica of Nikolai's statue across the lake from where I live, however, if so desired.) I do revere the flag - although theoretically, I support a person's right to burn it in protest - but it would bother me. And in the Monday incident, I think the people involved had a misguided sense of purpose - their chosen venue for the burning gave more publicity to the act itself than any meaning they might have had behind it. And as for Monday rescuing the flag, good for him. He was standing up for his principles, and robbing those (IMO) idiots of a chance to make themselves stand out. If you want to be snide about this kind of stuff (e.g., the "buy me a corndog next time, Monday" comment), you need to read a lot more Maureen Dowd. She's the master (mistress?) of the crass political sound bite.

Exactly. It would have been a better deal to give Burnitz another year on what they paid him last year. Hell, even $7 mil for a one-year-deal on Jeromy would have been money better spent. Not that I am a big Burnitz fan, but this Jones acquisition is positively loony. Maybe someone in JJ's circle knows where skeletons are buried in JH's closet.

Yes, and two other words: Contract Year. I disagree with the statement that Ronny Cedeno didn't hear footsteps behind him while he was struggling in ST. I heard Neifi's footsteps quite clearly, so I imagine it was deafening for Ronny, and like as not was a big reason why he was pressing so much.

Could you throw that argument Jim Hendry's way also? I still don't understand that signing. Not that I'd want Burnitz out there again, but his fielding wasn't THAT bad, and he wasn't so abysmal at the plate.

Neither one of them impress me as a player who would do well as a Cub - certainly not to justify the expense. But if Hendry had to spend too much money on a FORMER Marlin, I wish he had opened the checkbook wide for Luis Castillo. I don't think the Cubs would have needed Pierre in that case (if they do now), and for the amount Hendry overpaid for Pierre and that puzzling JJ signing, getting Castillo instead would have been well worth the extra dough. The biggest problem would be how to kick Neifury to the curb - $2 mil for 2 years was one heck of an insurance policy for a Cub middle IF. JMO. I know, no way in H-E-double hockey stix the Cubs are able to trade for him... Actually, that's one deal I might consider giving the Twinkies a second shot at Prior for.

How did you score that arrangement? Wow!

That sounds like good news. Would Barrett's finger be all right by Fri for him at least to PH?

? Yeah, Mark - Cubs are in Wrigley through the weekend and into next week. First the Brewers, then the Buccos.

Okay, I almost agree with you this time. Slap Crappy does not deserve an extension - keep Pie in the minors this year, and tell Crappy and the arbitrator (or would he be FA?) to take a hike. I don't know what the market is for 2B in the offseason, but Walker wouldn't be the worst option for that position or leadoff. Unfortunately, Luis Castillo has an option with the Twins for 2007.

Watch that language. :P

Hack with Slappy! Please launch one, JP!

"and it's up to Juan Pierre" - Pat Not what you want to hear.

Please. I still have trouble cheering for him, after all those games as a Tardinal.

He could kick the fan after K'ing yet again... Break a bat over his knee? Spend hours and hours IMing his brother? I think we have the makings of a Poll topic here. :-)

He could kick the fan after K'ing yet again... Break a bat over his knee? Spend hours and hours IMing his brother? I think we have the makings of a Poll topic here. :-)

He did work the count more than usual.

He could kick the fan after K'ing yet again... Break a bat over his knee? Now that would be funny. I know, I'm a sick and twisted person.

He could kick the fan after K'ing yet again...

7 runs by the Marlins cashed in on 6 walks issued by Cub pitching.