Soul

Drives me crazy because we already do have 2 lefties in the rotation, and actually Marshall could be better than the inexplicably loved Marquis for the rest of the season. What we really could use is a solid replacement for Marquis, not a junky lefty to replace Marshall.

That makes the deal CC for LaPorta and riff-raff then, correct? How is that not crazy for the Indians? I know CC is just a rental, but still. If LaPorta doesn't pan out -- and there have been plenty of AA prospects who looked good yet didn't pan out -- then the Indians could very well be looking back 3 years from now in the realization that they gave away the best player in their organization for nothing.

The Cubs play 25 games in September. 9 of them are in Wrigley, for which there truly is no substitute. However, 6 more are in venues where the Cubs are extremely well represented(St. Louis, Milwaukee). And another 3 are in a nearby city(Cincinnati) that will likely be dominated by Cubs fans since they'll be in the hunt and the Reds will have nothing to play for. That leaves the Mets series and the Astros(who also will have nothing to play for) as the only true hostile environments the Cubs face that month. After the way things went down at the Cell, I can't help but think that having fans on the road or being away from Wrigley but still near by will compensate for being away from Wrigley itself. How about this weekend, when we nearly swept the Cards out of St. Louis? Or last year, where we were 10-4 in Milwaukee and St. Louis and swept at the Cell? It was a good series this weekend, blown lead on Saturday notwithstanding. Let's hope it signals a turnaround in our road play, as we're still 6 under .500 away from Wrigley. The thing about St. Louis though -- they have a rather mediocre home record this year, but are bolstered by good road play. We'll have to figure out a way to grab games from Milwaukee @ Miller Park, because the Crew are very solid at home. So beg, borrow, or steal tix to those Miller Park games -- we need to drown out the Milwaukee fans as much as possible. I'm already going to a couple. Maybe I can sneak away and attend one of the games in Cincy, I don't know -- I'll have to try to work it out.

Heck, if he'd play for the league minimum I might even go for the Cubs signing him under those conditions. Why not? He's lefty power off the bench. Can't have too much pop. He'd make a fantastic DH in the World Series in the games played in the AL park. Hmmmm.... :-k

Yeah, Jimbo respects guys like Trachsel & Wolf -- not because they're good, but because they managed to stick around for years even though they're not good.

Wow. How would that help us, Jim? Randy's got 18 starts this year, posting a 5-8 record to go with a 4.59 ERA, a 1.422 WHIP, and a stellar ERA+ of 85. He is, in a word, garbage. That would be like Trachsel all over again. I wouldn't get too worried about the speculation DeLuca tossed in there. Of course, Burnett's name is being tossed around too, and he's having a questionable season. He's obviously unhappy though, and he's only one half season removed from a 119 ERA+ performance so there's reason to believe a change in scenery would benefit him. Wolf is just junky. Is it just speculation that Jim "respects" him? I don't see why any GM would respect what he's done. His last decent year was long ago. There's no indication he will be anything but horrible.

Later. Sorry...had to be done. :mrgreen: Of course.

Wow. How would that help us, Jim? Randy's got 18 starts this year, posting a 5-8 record to go with a 4.59 ERA, a 1.422 WHIP, and a stellar ERA+ of 85. He is, in a word, garbage. That would be like Trachsel all over again.

The Cubs play 25 games in September. 9 of them are in Wrigley, for which there truly is no substitute. However, 6 more are in venues where the Cubs are extremely well represented(St. Louis, Milwaukee). And another 3 are in a nearby city(Cincinnati) that will likely be dominated by Cubs fans since they'll be in the hunt and the Reds will have nothing to play for. That leaves the Mets series and the Astros(who also will have nothing to play for) as the only true hostile environments the Cubs face that month. After the way things went down at the Cell, I can't help but think that having fans on the road or being away from Wrigley but still near by will compensate for being away from Wrigley itself. It better. I still stand by that statement though. Having the Cubs away from Wrigley for most of the stretch run is still sucky.

It's not always the "big splash" that puts a team over the top, too. Last year's big deadline splash was Teixeira... Sometimes it's the more down-to-earth move that does it for a team.

it's not hardy. trading him makes absolutely no sense for milwaukee. While I agree it makes no sense, but that quote says "likely" speaking of Taylor Green, and I read Greens agent hadnt been notified. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I think there's a good chance that the Cardinals will not have one of the three best records by the end of the year. I think there's a good chance of that, as well.

There's so many bars around Wrigley you won't have any trouble at all finding booze. Walk the 5 blocks to the Red Line, it'll be packed with Cub fans to & from the game and I find that in itself to be a bit of extra entertainment :)

I see now :)

I didn't think major leaguers could be PTBNL... Yea thats what I was thinking, but this is what Stone said. Like I said take it for what its worth. Stoney must be stoned or the Brewers are. I could see Hall going but if it's Hardy, I tip my hat to the Injuns. That makes the deal sound much better for the Indians, if true.

The Cubs play 25 games in September. 9 of them are in Wrigley, for which there truly is no substitute. However, 6 more are in venues where the Cubs are extremely well represented(St. Louis, Milwaukee). And another 3 are in a nearby city(Cincinnati) that will likely be dominated by Cubs fans since they'll be in the hunt and the Reds will have nothing to play for. That leaves the Mets series and the Astros(who also will have nothing to play for) as the only true hostile environments the Cubs face that month. I, ummm....didn't write that one TT.

And with that, Forte gives himself a much bigger advantage than Benson did when he came in late and got started off on the wrong foot.

Who does he replace though? He's not better than Quentin, Drew, Bradley, or Sizemore. Jason Varitek. Yeah, that was a dumb selection. Congrats to our boys, on a better note. The thing is, the players selected Varitek, IIRC. They blew that one then.

I see the NY Post was caught passing off guesswork as fact again. Big suprise there. Why does anyone even read that rag? It's on the same level as the National Enquirer.

Meaning that you don't want to hear it if they collapse as they had the chance to bury the division before September? I don't want to hear people saying we'll win 4 games all September because we're going on the road. I didn't see where anyone has said that in this thread. :scratch: Finishing with 16 of 22 on the road is less than ideal, that is all. I don't think anyone should have an issue with the Cubs building as big of a lead as possible before that stretch begins. I know, it's just to go-to lament when the sky starts falling. The September scheduling sucks, there is no denying that. It's going to be so much fun watching the Cubs play all their games hundreds and/or thousands of miles away from Chicago in the middle of a pennant race. Great for baseball's ratings having one of their biggest TV and in-person audiences hamstrung during the time when the craziness is at it's peak, too. Whoever made this schedule should be fired, it's really that simple.

Well, the Wild Card is so likely to come from the Central IMO, I'm not worried about the playoffs. But the division title -- this move definitely muddies the waters a bit for us. The Crew is a good ballclub. They're still in good shape prospect-wise since their minors are loaded. This is what grieves me the most. I'm full-on jealous of other clubs' minor systems, and disappointed in our own. Someone's dropping the ball with our drafting/development, and if we don't fix it we're going to find ourselves either 1) spending way too much to remain competitive, or 2) simply not competitive at all in future seasons.

How is what Mike Gonzalez does not a balk? He never, ever, ever comes set. He's swaying back and forth on the mound all the way up until he throws the ball.

If they able to acquire CC Sabathia it'll no doubt help but, apparently, its going to come at a very high price. Will such a price hinder their ability to help that bullpen? It, like the Cardinals' pen, is terrible and it will continue to cost them games. Hopefully the price is too high. Personally, I would laugh in the Crew's face if they didn't include someone decent from their current MAJOR LEAGUE roster. Not just prospects for the reigning Cy Young winner. Even without CC, the Crew are clearly one of the top NL clubs.

The Brewers are........a concern.

Cubs win the game and the series!!