KatJ

That wouldn't be the only reason. Big factor for me would be our own rotation. If we had three guaranteed aces (or, in Maddux's case, past aces) without Prior, or Hendry would have bothered to score another inning-eater (it's a shame Jon Lieber signed last year for so much money), or both, I think I would have made that trade. Miggy is not, and never has been, worth it, folks. Too expensive for the itchy trigger at bat. The Cubs need another impatient hitter as much as they need Dusty Baker as manager.

Huh? I thought the Penguin lived still.

I think Don Baylor may have an even bigger memory problem than Dusty Baker. They have similar MO's here: take a really talented player, jerk him around, and not admit your role in the debacle his career has become. There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason to when Baylor would play Patterson or have him sit. When Patterson did play, it was anyone's guess where he would be in the lineup. And Baylor, like Baker, was so enamored of Corey's speed that they all but ignored his power. You look at just about any article on either manager when they speak at length about Corey, and they say "Oh, he's so fast. We want him at the top of the lineup - need to use his speed." Well, guess what geniuses? Speed isn't going to get you anywhere if you don't get on base to begin with. How's the aphorism go - success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.

If you've listened to any Cub radiocasts, Pat and Ron do a feature called the Old Style Challenge, where listeners fax or e-mail what kinds of sacrifices they would make, crazy stunts they would pull, etc. if the Cubs won the World Series. Lately I'm not too keen on the WS fantasy - I'm sure a lot of that has to do with me feeling almost certain that it's out of the 2006 team's grasp already. Whether that's a fair assessment or not, the mathematical odds alone are pretty steep - at best, a team has a 1 in 30 shot. What I'm thinking of instead is a type of Old Style Challenge if the 2006 team were to win 90 or more games during the regular season. To me, and a lot of other people who know baseball, a 90 + win season is the sign of a good team - the type of team who plays good baseball consistently among all challengers and challenges (such as different stripes of injuries, personnel changes, and personality conflicts). That's the kind of team I feel I can be proud of, whether they make or excel in the playoffs or not. (Recall that the 2003 team won 88 - or was it 87? -games during the regular season.) For me, these are some of the bets I've considered making to challenge the team to make it to 90: -If they win 90+ by the end of the 2006 season, I'll drop 73 pounds by Opening Day 2007. (Note the symbolism.) If they don't, they send me on a four-star, all-expense paid trip to Maui the week(s) the '06 World Series is played (Halloween in Maui would be great fun.) -If they win 90+, I'll shave my head and get my legs waxed. If they don't, it's the Maui trip. -If they win 90+, I'll finish my Open Water Diver certification before Opening Day 2007. Bear in mind that when I last tried to do it in Maui last month, I practically hyperventilated and quickly aborted the certification process. I like diving, but the thought of my b/f being my dive buddy scares the bejesus out of me - and if I stay at Scuba Diver level, I have to dive with an instructor-level diver who I would trust far more underwater. Want to add some of your own challenges, or think up better ones for me?

If there was one thing that I would like to change about this site, it would be to have links to the threads that you're responding to. It sure would come in handy when you're in the middle of a 30-page thread, and someone on page 18 took a quote from a post on page 4!

Save the prayers for a good starting pitcher. Check my reasoning in the locked version of this thread in "Baseball Discussions". Miguel Tejada

Tempting, but the last thing we need is to have a lot of bucks tied up, and/or a lot of talent dealt (which we don't have, thanks to the Pierre signing, and regardless of that, this is a Pie-sized deal anyway) for a free-swinging SS. I'd rather see Dunn, Kearns, Wilkerson, or Freel... yes, even more than a Dusty-proof SS.

Aw, rats - the link doesn't work - infamous 404 error here. :-(

What's the fine for beaning a manager?

No Trax - been there, done that. He's an SP version of Farnsworth - picture of him under "streaky" in the dictionary. And yes, you may get a whole year of good streaky, but do you really want to pay millions for a crapshoot? As for the 200 inning guy, his name is Greg Maddux. He's not what he once was, but he can still get it done. Shame we don't have a crystal ball on stuff like this - offering the second year to Jon Lieber wouldn't have been a bad idea after all. Maybe I should dust off my beads and say a novena that the Cubs get Zito. ;-)

I also think that in the long run this will have proven to be a good non-signing, but it pains my gut to wonder if the Cubs spent 2 mil on Perez to babysit the guy. Regardless, Mariotti doesn't know good sports commentary from a bag of baseballs. OTOH, perhaps "good sports commentary" is a contradiction in terms to begin with. But we keep complaining, and it's Marotti that's laughing all the way to the bank, his mock-sanctimonious diatribes against the Tribune aside. It's a cult of personality in reverse, but it still keeps him popular and well-off.

That was news to me as well, until a google search led me to an StL newspaper article. Mabry gets guaranteed deal from Cubs The first of the Cardinals' handful of free agents left the flock as utilityman John Mabry agreed in principle to a one-year guaranteed deal with the Chicago Cubs. The deal, confirmed by Mabry's agent on Monday afternoon, is contingent on a physical scheduled for later this week. I'm not a big on Mabry one way or another, but if Mabry means goodbye Macias, I'm all for it.

I hear ya. *Points to the new sig*

The Bartman Saga changed that forever. Stop with the Bartman. It's Agony that I want to burn in effigy.

I was thinking he looked better than he normally does from the angle in that pic. There's a fair amount of shadow in the picture, plus he looks taller.

They need a tough guy on that team. Farns is like an enforcer in hockey. Farns should realize his true calling: WWE. Or perhaps a backup tackle on the Seahawks - so far the team is doing all right, but you never know when that injury bug is going to bite.

*Clicking on the "Ignore" button* :P

I haven't been keeping up religiously with the hot stove league this offseason, but I think I'm up to date as far as trades and signings (thanks to ESPN). We've kept Perez, which I can live with IF we have a reliable everyday shortstop that Dusty actually plays everyday. But I don't want to see Macias - I'm hoping Jim isn't bringing him back?

Farnsworth a Yankee - got a bad feeling on this one, for him. I just don't think half a season with Mazzone is going to be enough for him to deal well in that arena. If I were him, I would have begged Leo to take me to Baltimore, even if it meant I had to ride in the cargo part of the moving truck. But there's just too much ego in Farns, the way I take it, for him to be interested in becoming a truly great pitcher. Makes me crazy to see so much natural talent... with a two-cent brain running the show.

Oh for crying out loud - the Kingdome was in at least as tight a space. They imploded it with no problems whatsoever. Silly people.

I thought Sabermetrics was more about the offense. Under sabermetrics, a player is more trouble than he's worth if dazzling defense is outweighed by lack of execution at the plate.

Come on, people, it could be worse - remember that Rich Aurilia is a FA. Now there's a Hobson's Choice for you!

I haven't read the zillion other responses, but here's mine anyway. I think Cammy is a GREAT guy and a terrific fielder, and if you want another feast-or-famine whiff king, by all means he should be a Cub this year. My opinion is the Cubs are better off saving $4 mil and keeping Patterson. Even if he isn't re-tooled swing-wise, he'll give you Cammy's range on offense and defense while being scads cheaper. That said, as of this writing, I'd rather see Murton in CF than either of them.

It's a shame that all can't fit on a sig line. EDIT: Happily, US Soccer has proven me wrong. To me, the Sox are baseball's version of the Raiders. A good chunk of both fan bases don't know jack about history or the games - they're just a bunch of losers who like the "gansta" look, and the colors suit that purpose.

I thought Billy Crystal liked the Mutts? Granted, I'm going off his "City Slickers" ballcap.