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Renteria didn't block DeRosa in Atlanta. DeRo's last year with the Braves was 2004 and Edgar was in St. Louis at the time. When DeRosa came up, he was blocked by Walt Weiss (his first 2 years) and then Rafael Furcal at short. At second, he was blocked by Keith Lockhart, Quilvio Veras and then Giles. He was always only a good utility player for the Braves and never was considered starter material until 05 when he went to Texas. He's played 138 career major league games at short and all but 24 of those came with Atlanta. Well i was wrong with the players. Just trying to keep you in line. :wink: I really think Theriot will start the season at short, but if he struggles early (which is very likely) then Lou will ease DeRosa over there. He won't put up with Theriot if he doesn't perform. Yeah i think we should start the season with Theriot. He really didnt do anything to lose his job. I don't think we should start the year with Theriot (if we acquire Roberts), I just think Lou will. Without Roberts, though, I don't have much of a problem going with Theriot over Cedeno.

Renteria didn't block DeRosa in Atlanta. DeRo's last year with the Braves was 2004 and Edgar was in St. Louis at the time. When DeRosa came up, he was blocked by Walt Weiss (his first 2 years) and then Rafael Furcal at short. At second, he was blocked by Keith Lockhart, Quilvio Veras and then Giles. He was always only a good utility player for the Braves and never was considered starter material until 05 when he went to Texas. He's played 138 career major league games at short and all but 24 of those came with Atlanta. Well i was wrong with the players. Just trying to keep you in line. :wink: I really think Theriot will start the season at short, but if he struggles early (which is very likely) then Lou will ease DeRosa over there. He won't put up with Theriot if he doesn't perform.

give that kid a chance too...i am secretly praying he wins the job during ST...anybody but theriot... is fontenot still on the team because if he is he shouldn't be If Roberts is traded for there almost certainly won't be room for Fontenot anymore. And his ABs from last year will be DeRosa's ABs this year. :D Fontenot for Bedard. Straight up. A guy can dream, can't he? Hmm, liquor up MacPhail quite a bit and maybe, just maybe you can convince him that Ryno came back as a lefty. It's a longshot, but it may be our only hope. :wink:

You guys could have had a nice pen of former Cubs. Hawkins, Mahay, Farnsworth. This is a case of where 2 out of 3 is not only bad, but terrible. Dont forget Flush Gordon. Flash just had his worst year since 99 last year when he posted a 99 ERA+. Before that he put up ERA+s of 140, 165, 204 and 146. I've always loved Flash and would have no problem with him on the Cubs (unless last year was a sign he's now done).

give that kid a chance too...i am secretly praying he wins the job during ST...anybody but theriot... is fontenot still on the team because if he is he shouldn't be If Roberts is traded for there almost certainly won't be room for Fontenot anymore. And his ABs from last year will be DeRosa's ABs this year. :D

Renteria didn't block DeRosa in Atlanta. DeRo's last year with the Braves was 2004 and Edgar was in St. Louis at the time. When DeRosa came up, he was blocked by Walt Weiss (his first 2 years) and then Rafael Furcal at short. At second, he was blocked by Keith Lockhart, Quilvio Veras and then Giles. He was always only a good utility player for the Braves and never was considered starter material until 05 when he went to Texas. He's played 138 career major league games at short and all but 24 of those came with Atlanta.

They are talking about middle infield on Sports Central. Kaplan is saying that the Cubs have already told Theriot that he is their guy at SS on opening day. I don't think DeRosa is going to play SS. At least initially. Lou's proven that he'll play guys who are performing (see a hot Theriot over Izturis) and while Theriot will likely start the year, if DeRosa plays well and proves he can handle short, I really think Lou will ease him in.

I'd be elated if this happens. I long for the days when Baylor returns to being a decent football program. I'm not sure about his actual abilities as an OC, but he definitely brings an energy to a team. He's definitely worked his way up through the ranks and deserves a chance to show what he can do. I remember when he was a graduate assistant in charge of getting the tapes together. He's come along way baby! I'm not sure how Trooper would do as an OC either, but I do know that when he took over the running backs, they got instantly much better. The next year he took over the receivers and they got much better. He's a terrific coach and an even better recruiter, the only questions I have are about his ability to manage all facets of an offense and his game-planning ability. I would think he'd at least be decent at those, though.

David Cutcliffe is now officially the head coach at Duke. Congrats chucky on getting a terrific head coach - I expect Duke to get pretty good in the next few years. http://utsports.com/football/article.aspx?id=46386 Apparently, from what I'm hearing the offensive coordinator options for UT have been narrowed to Greg Adkins (current O-line coach), Trooper Taylor (current wide receiver coach), Kippy Brown (former UT guy and current Lions WR coach) and Doug Marrone (another former UT guy and current Saints offensive coordinator). Right now, I think I'd prefer either Trooper or Kippy (though Trooper is rumored for the Baylor O-coordinator position). OleMiss, do you know how much of the offense has been Marrone the past couple years and how much has been Payton?

:D At least I've got a little bit of good news. I'd hate to potentially stunt Vince's growth by changing coordinators on him at this point.

:cry: :cry: Both my teams may lose their offensive coordinators. I really don't understand why Cutcliffe would want to go to Duke. He's said he wants to go to a team that is ready to contend, and no offense but I just don't think Duke's close. He'd be a terrific hire for ya'll though. Very, very intelligent offensive mind and he did well at Ole Miss before they inexplicably fired him to bring in Ed Orgeron. He is a terrific hire, and I'm pumped. The talent is there at Duke, and Cutcliffe might just be the guy to nurse that talent to fruition. But that's the way college football goes...every coaching staff will be a victim of their own success. I'll definitely be rooting for Duke during Cutcliffe's tenure, hoping he can get ya'll way up there in the ACC pecking order. Now, though, I'm starting my campaign for Trooper Taylor for Tennessee offensive coordinator. I wanted him to eventually replace Coach Cut anyway, and though this is a bit earlier than I had hoped, it's time to give our best recruiter and a guy that's turned two positions around (RB and WR) the coordinator job. Unless there's a terrific veteran coordinator around - though I can't think of anybody I'd want more than Trooper at this point.

:cry: :cry: Both my teams may lose their offensive coordinators. I really don't understand why Cutcliffe would want to go to Duke. He's said he wants to go to a team that is ready to contend, and no offense but I just don't think Duke's close. He'd be a terrific hire for ya'll though. Very, very intelligent offensive mind and he did well at Ole Miss before they inexplicably fired him to bring in Ed Orgeron.

Hmm. I'm torn on this one. On one hand, Chow deserves a shot at a head coaching job, but on the other I have no desire to see him leave the Titans. Selfishly, I hope he sticks around and continues to develop Vince, but if he gets the UCLA job, good for him. It's got too much potential to pass up. You keep him, I'll take Petersen (pipe dream?) or Mendenhall. We can all be happy. Works for me. :D

Hmm. I'm torn on this one. On one hand, Chow deserves a shot at a head coaching job, but on the other I have no desire to see him leave the Titans. Selfishly, I hope he sticks around and continues to develop Vince, but if he gets the UCLA job, good for him. It's got too much potential to pass up.

I kinda wonder if the interest in Figgins is to open up Pie to go to the O's in a Roberts deal, or as an alternative to Fukudome. I also wonder what the cost would be for Figgins.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/685090,cub120607.article That's because Murton has zero trade value, thanks to this stupid administration. Good position player prospect? We have them? Patterson Colvin Kroger I would have to think that, if you rule out Murton, that player would have to be Pie or EPatt. Since Hendry seems dead set on only trading Pie in a bigger deal, I would have to think it's Patterson. I would be perfectly fine with a Gallagher + EPatt for Roberts deal. I would then hope DeRosa gets a good bit of time at short and Roberts is the everyday second baseman.

UCLA is in the process of hiring an independent search firm that will help evaluate potential hires (and do nitty gritty stuff like background checks). Until this search group is hired, any coaching candidate mentioned is more speculation than reality. Norm Chow has certainly been mentioned by LA media (along with a host of others) . The only person who will get an interview for sure is DeWayne Walker. BTW, Chris Petersen was in West LA yesterday - about 2 miles from UCLA - on a recruiting trip and once again vehemently denied his intered in the UCLA job. Interesting. How do you feel about Chow as a potential head coach? I figure you watched him some while he was at USC. I'd think he would be able to recruit very well in the area, having done it for so long with the Trojans. I think he deserves a head coaching shot, but I'd really hate to lose him as offensive coordinator. I'm in two minds about him. Quite frankly, I want someone with head coaching experience which Chow obviously lacks. There are also questions about his ability to recruit. While Chow was at USC, apparently Sarkasian and Kiffin did most of the offensive recruiting. On the flip side, the guy is obviously an offensive genius and has done wonders for many a QB. And I think he's definitely interested in the job. Thanks for the info Raisin. I had no idea Sarkasian and Kiffin did the recruiting instead of Chow while he was at USC. That likely changes things a bit, but you are correct he's an offensive genius. He's working extremely well with Vince right now too. Hopefully he stays.

Are you kidding me? I find this interesting in that he may be hinting that he may be interested in either bringing somebody in to compete with Theriot or let DeRosa slide over there once a 2B is acquired. I've been thinking about this super sub role and realized, DeRosa could be a super sub of sorts and still play regularly at at short. For instance, if the Cubs play 6 games in a week, DeRosa could play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at short, Thursday in right, Friday at first and Saturday at second - those final three days, Theriot is the starter at short. Other weeks, he could play every game at short. If we acquire Brian Roberts (or someone similar) that would free up DeRosa to do exactly that scenario. Now, whether that's what Hendry has in mind, I have no real idea. I just think Lou is too smart to sit DeRosa on the bench and start Theriot.

UCLA is in the process of hiring an independent search firm that will help evaluate potential hires (and do nitty gritty stuff like background checks). Until this search group is hired, any coaching candidate mentioned is more speculation than reality. Norm Chow has certainly been mentioned by LA media (along with a host of others) . The only person who will get an interview for sure is DeWayne Walker. BTW, Chris Petersen was in West LA yesterday - about 2 miles from UCLA - on a recruiting trip and once again vehemently denied his intered in the UCLA job. Interesting. How do you feel about Chow as a potential head coach? I figure you watched him some while he was at USC. I'd think he would be able to recruit very well in the area, having done it for so long with the Trojans. I think he deserves a head coaching shot, but I'd really hate to lose him as offensive coordinator.

Raisin, I heard on the radio earlier today that there were reports UCLA is interested in Norm Chow for head coach. Have you heard anything at all on this? Mike Keith, the Titans play-by-play guy, confirmed he had heard they were interested in Chow but didn't know how seriously. I'd hate to lose Chow since he's been working so closely with Vince the past couple of years. But I think he'd make a very good head coach for the Bruins.

I'm looking forward to the Wisconsin-Tenn matchup. Wisconsin's D isn't anything special but they have played pretty well since the Illinois loss. And I wouldn't expect a heavy dose of PJ Hill. PJ was hurt down the stretch this year, which gave Zach Brown and Lance Smith a lot of opportunities. They both made great use of that time, so I fully expect a balanced load between all three backs. Yeah, I actually heard about PJ Hill's injury a little after I wrote my post - just didn't have a chance to edit it. I think the teams are pretty evenly matched and I'm interested to see how the Vols do against a heavy running team. We shut down Arkansas which has a better running game than Wisconsin, but Tyler Donovan is much, much better than Casey Dick so we'll have to respect the passing game. How are your receivers? I'm not real familiar with the Badger passing game outside of Donovan.

The timeout did turn out to be a bad idea, but Billick made a good point in the press conference that he'd be roasted had he not called a timeout even though the Ravens had the wrong personnel for what they thought the Pats were going to run. They got lucky on the stop, but the timeout (which was probably the smart thing to do) canceled out that luck. It still doesn't excuse the horrific "holding" penalty the refs handed to the Pats.

Have to agree on this one. I was not in any way even surprised that the refs decided Baltimore "committed" a penalty on that final fourth down. I've been saying for a while the Pats were beatable and I definitely think the Steelers are the best bet to do it. If they play well next week (which they better), they are tenfold better than the Ravens and Eagles and might be as good as the Colts. Plus, they play exactly the style of play you need to beat the Pats. Run the ball, control the clock, beat up their linebackers. Keep Brady off the field and the Steelers are experts at that. The Pats will lose in the regular season. I have no doubt. I don't think they're going to lose in the regular season. I'd like to think the Steelers can beat them, but I'm certain that Belichick is going to have a great gameplan and that they will probably play one of their best games of the year. I do think they'll lose in the playoffs, though. They're simply not that much better than the Steelers. They're a great team, but they should have lost to a 4 win Baltimore team with a horrifically bad offense. It's going to take a great game from the Steelers obviously, but they are built perfectly to beat the Pats. The game could go either way, I just think the Pats will have trouble winning their third straight difficult game in a row, against the best team of the trio. What I wonder is how the Patriot offense - built 100% on speed - will handle the horrible conditions this winter. Everybody made a big deal about the Colts struggling to win in the snow because they were built on speed (and rightly so), but I hear none of the same questions asked about the Pats now that they're basically the Colts from a few years ago. I still think the Ravens got royally screwed tonight.

Have to agree on this one. I was not in any way even surprised that the refs decided Baltimore "committed" a penalty on that final fourth down. I've been saying for a while the Pats were beatable and I definitely think the Steelers are the best bet to do it. If they play well next week (which they better), they are tenfold better than the Ravens and Eagles and might be as good as the Colts. Plus, they play exactly the style of play you need to beat the Pats. Run the ball, control the clock, beat up their linebackers. Keep Brady off the field and the Steelers are experts at that. The Pats will lose in the regular season. I have no doubt.

They don't unless their school is playing in them. Another problem a playoff would solve. A lot of these meaningless bowls that only serve to boost the ego of programs and their fans would become early to mid round playoff games and many people would then have interest in them. But oh well. We're stuck with this crappy system because a playoff would "take kids away from their schoolwork."