Soul

Are you suggesting that Ankiel didn't seek HGH out, but instead the doctor gave it to him? That's the gist I'm getting from this post. Is it way off-base? I don't really know what you're trying to get at (I'm dense). I'm saying that there is a reason that drugs are prescribed by doctors, cannot be bought by just anyone. Doctors are trained to diagnose health issues, and prescribe medicine for those issues. Patients are NOT expected to have that level of knowledge of the drug. That is why we have doctors. Yes Ankiel knew that he was getting HGH. But if the doctor is the one who is accountable, why do we have doctors? I think the legal issue starts there. I think you're wrong, and I'm pretty sure it would be a tough sell legally to suggest that responsibility for one's body is effectively turned over to an outside party by accepting a prescription slip.

This one's going to be brutal. Well.....in all likelihood.

I have none to offer. But it doesn't excuse Ankiel (I know you aren't trying to).

How many times this year have we actually had a comfortable lead going into the 9th anyway (say......5 run lead)? I watch other teams polishing off blowout wins all the time. Seems like we always need to bite our fingernails off because we can't pull away from anyone. There's more to this than just Dempster blowing a save. This team is just not playing good baseball in several areas.

you're right...mlb should step in and disqualify the cardinals from the 2007 season because he got hgh shipments in 2005 and some guy on a message board says ankiel allegedly used coke like eight years ago (and because they don't "deserve" it). let's just see if mlb can mandate a division title for the cubs while we're at it. the whining in this thread would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. Whatever. More of your ultra-sarcastic B.S. I couldn't care less. There are plenty of other things that could be done. How about a suspension, or at least an actual investigation of Ankiel? But hey, don't let that stop you from acting like a dick. come on, a suspension? you're asking for a guy to be suspended now because there's a rumor that he received hgh, which wasn't illegal, three years ago? give a me break. that's ridiculous. if this was a cub player and cardinal message boards were calling for his suspension, we'd all be quoting them here and having a great laugh. Fine, can we at least get someone to actually look into it at a minimum? I'm looking at the history of this guy. He's a former drug addict. Now there's reports he pumped HGH too. If it turns out a year from now that this guy was cheating, every last person in the country is going to go, "HELLO?? EVER HEARD OF A RED FLAG? Why was nothing even looked at??" Show me the Cub who has this kind of sordid history and the suspicion and I will gladly ask for the same.

His ERA is over 4 in one of those seasons. I don't think he's worth 5.3. But he's here already and is the best candidate to close. Just watched the highlights of the 9th this morning. It's hard to get pissed at Dempster. The first guy hit an outside pitch the other way. The 2nd at bat should have been a double play, and at the very least, a fielders choice. The homerun was a pop-up that floated into the basket. There's really no reason for people to get all pissy about Dempster. He's far from great, but he's been fine this year, and he's been fine throughout the majority of his time on the Cubs. It's just frustration goony. At least that's how I read it. 2 1/2 game lead, poof. That tends to raise the blood pressure a bit.

That would be something at least. Right now every red flag in the universe is waving on this guy.

you're right...mlb should step in and disqualify the cardinals from the 2007 season because he got hgh shipments in 2005 and some guy on a message board says ankiel allegedly used coke like eight years ago (and because they don't "deserve" it). let's just see if mlb can mandate a division title for the cubs while we're at it. the whining in this thread would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. Whatever. More of your ultra-sarcastic B.S. I couldn't care less. There are plenty of other things that could be done. How about a suspension, or at least an actual investigation of Ankiel? But hey, don't let that stop you from acting like a dick.

So let me get this straight: this guy is a coke addict, now a drug cheat, and the league is going to just sit by and watch while he carries a team that doesn't deserve a playoff berth to a division title? I better never hear that MLB now cares about drug use, that's for freaking sure. What a load of crap. Oh yea, poor Cards being picked on by the media. Is that the excuse this time? Give me a freaking break.

True, although Marquis has been pretty good at the sinker this year (1.59 G/F ratio, 26th out of 152 NL pitchers with 80 innings)-sorry about the strange cutoff, I was just trying to get most of the relievers out quickly. He's certainly not a complete sinkerballer like Lowe is though. I'm hoping Marquis can break his pattern today. He has been alternating good and bad outings since the All Star Break, and he's due for a bad one. Let's hope he can break that string. Marquis's sinker was good the first few months but it's been attrocious lately (just ask Ping Hitter who'll complain about its location). Let's hope Lowe isn't the next in a long line of pitchers who suddenly find their groove by playing the Cubs.

They've been using him more judiciously lately, I'm guessing they've seen the same thing. He looked almost bad last night.....got the out by virtue of a swing on a bad pitch. His slider was doing little more than spinning in the zone.

Theriot's been good. Happy having him on the ballclub.

Their offense more than makes up for the pitching difference, IMO. They've been losing games on the road because that's what young teams do. Once they figure out how to win on the road, they're a 95 win ballclub despite pitching issues, which will likely mitigate themselves as Sheets comes back and a few of their younger guys get more experience. The difference in offense is so completely overwhelming it's ridiculous. That difference in offense has translated into 48 runs over the course of the season. The Brewers are 5th in the NL in runs while the Cubs are 8th. The Brewers are an easily better offensive team, but they are no juggernaut on offense. They've had their stretches where they have struggled offensively as well (for example, in August the Cubs as well documented were 15th in the NL in runs/game. The Brewers were 14th. In July, the Cubs were 8th in runs/game while the Brewers were 12th.) So basically, while the Cubs have been being called out for their lack of offense the last couple months especially (which is completely justified), the Brewers have scored a total of 13 more runs since July 1st. They've hit a lot more home runs, but they haven't scored a lot more than the Cubs. As far as pure talent, the Cubs have better talent on offense then they've shown, and the Brewers have better talent in their pitching staff then they've shown. I think the Cubs have a slight edge thanks to their bullpen and defense, but the difference is not very large. It's closer offensively than I would expect, but there's still a clear edge for the Crew, and I'm guessing the margin will widen in September. I still give the edge to the Crew. Maybe the grass just looks greener to me, I don't know. I view them as a better ballclub, and we're hanging in there which is good......but questionable whether it will continue. Hope I'm wrong.

Their offense more than makes up for the pitching difference, IMO. They've been losing games on the road because that's what young teams do. Once they figure out how to win on the road, they're a 95 win ballclub despite pitching issues, which will likely mitigate themselves as Sheets comes back and a few of their younger guys get more experience. The difference in offense is so completely overwhelming it's ridiculous.

No. If I do, my head might explode.

Brewers have the edge, IMO.

It makes me want to rip my ears off. Your avatar always gives me a chuckle. No Chicago, that's not the next Bozo the Clown. It's our first round draft pick.

It'll be tough.

Cubs win.

Someone get some pictures of Lou walking back into the dugout making that "aww to heck with it" gesture. Classic stuff.

haha, i just thought the same thing.

It's only a 6 run lead.

Lou has made so many switches nobody can keep it straight anymore.

Only 9 times all year we've taken a lead of 6 or more to the 9th, eh?

There seems to be little question that he did.