XZero771679666304

It motivated Ozzie Guillen to leadoff Posednik too. I want to get away from the smart remarks here. No need for so much hostility. Thus, in all seriousness, would you say the White Sox had a good offense this year? Or that the cause of their good season was their ability to score runs (which, Scotty Po would, no doubt, impact)...? Hey, the media portrayed the Sox offense as smallball and Podsednik as a great leadoff hitter, so why let the facts get in the way?

It motivated Ozzie Guillen to leadoff Posednik too. And you could argue how much Pods and his piss poor SB percentage and average OBP actually helped his team. He didn't score a lot of runs, and he was caught stealing enough times to make his running a borderline liability. But the media loves the idea of him leading an effective smallball attack that was in reality neither smallball nor particularly effective. Teams can get by with lowish OBP, but barely, and only if their pitching is consitently lights out. There is no good reason why you would voluntarily sacrifice OBP for speed, unless the alternative was as slow as a sloth. Pierre's SB% is not good enough to sacrifice anything for, especially OBP. It just isn't. You have to be on base to score runs.

Even if a guy like Pierre distracts the pitcher, the man at the plate also has to worry about hit and runs, or taking potentially hittable pitches if the runner is given the steal sign, or protecting the runner, etc. At best, it's a wash. And the "100 years of wisdom" is the same crap that motivated Dusty to bat Corey leadoff.

Gotta have that speed at the top, dude.

And if you have a .326 OBP you better have a hell of alot better than a SB% of 77%. Hairston won't be our leadoff man, and God willing neither will Pierre.

A.J. is no more likely to be healthy than Wood, and probably less so than Prior.

What opportunity? Nobody had the opportunity to get Mazzone out of Atlanta except his lifelong friend. Quit blaming Hendry for options that aren't available. Exactly. Mazzone wasn't leaving Atlanta except to work with his friend in Baltimore. His statements now and in the past make that perfectly clear. There are plenty of things to criticize Hendry on; this isn't one of them. It's ridiculous to even make the assertions here. What they said.

I think that's a terribly flawed approach. Sure, you can get lucky and squeeze into the playoffs with that theory, see Houston. Or you can have all your pitchers pitch the best they've ever pitched and come out of nowhere with a great year. But you can also struggle to contend if all you do is prevent runs, and don't score enough. It's not a terribly flawed approach at all if you believe the games is changing (as I do). And even in the steroid era there are plenty of examples of teams making the playoffs with excellent pitching an an average offense. The game is reverting a bit, but we're never going to see the kind of smallball we saw prior to the 90's ever again. As far as the Cubs go, I think you have a better chance leaving the pitching alone and ugrading the offense than vice versa. Of course you want and need to upgrade both, but after watching the wildly inconsistent and often pititful Cubs offense, hitting (OBP namely) has to be first up on the to get list.

My prediction: It will suck, nothing good will come of it, and I will be pissed regardless of who wins. Gah. :evil:

I like Albert better. I think A-Rod was more valuable when he played SS because he was better defensively there and provided far superior production among SS than he does among 3B. A-Rod playing 3B while Jeter plays SS is one of the biggest jokes in the game. Such a waste. Pujols is better defensively when compared to the average 1B than A-Rod is compared to the average 3B as well, I think. Anyway, their numbers are similar enough that you have to look at these things, IMO. And on a personal note, I would much rather have Pujols at the plate with the game on the line than A-Rod. I also feel like Albert has a lot better presence than Rodriguez.

I'm all for getting better OBP, but I'm having a tough time understanding why that is the biggest problem on the team. The Houston Astros scored 9 fewer runs than the Cubs this year, and the White Sox, when the DH is factored in, were no better offensively than the Cubs. Yeah, and the Cardinals and Red Sox blew the Cubs away offensively last year. You can find a team to defend your position if you try hard enough. The point is, over time, great OBP gives you a great chance to score more runs, and scoring more runs is good. The Cubs need pitching to, but they can't go out and sign Clemens and Oswalt. And there's no guarantee that the Sox staff will be nearly as good next year. A small step back next season, and that team will suffer big time if that offense stays lackluster. The Cardinals and the Red Sox also had excellent pitching last year. The numbers this year also indicate that the game is moving away from the steroids induced offensive explosion of the late 90s. I'll take my chances with an outstanding pitching staff and an average offense. The problem is that the Cubs don't have even an average offense, at least in terms of consistency. The pitching needs work, but not as much as the offense.

Pitching does trump hitting, but if I had 5 great starters and a mediocre offense, I would not hesitate to trade a couple of them for a couple of good hitters. Gotta have that balance.

It is a "bargain" because I do think he's the best player in the game. However, it wasn't a "hometown discount" like McGwire's. Pujols himself said, "No hometown discounts." And arbitration is a crapshoot. Yeah, he could've been awarded $20 million (although I don't think his agent would've asked for that, but you get my point) or he could've been awarded $6 million (a figure the Cards could have offered and would still be a nice raise over his 2004 salary). Neither side wanted to take a chance. But taking an average of $14 million is not a hometown discount. Pujols said "no hometown discount" because he was in bargaining mode, at the time. What do you think he was going to say? "Anything they want to offer me is fine"? He wanted to stay in St. Louis, but he's not braindead. Maybe it wasn't a hometown discount. Maybe Edmonds' relatively cheap salary isn't, either. Maybe Carpenter's isn't. Maybe Morris' isn't. Maybe Jocketty is just a genius. Either way is fine with me. Steve Kline is on record as saying that he wishes he had taken less money to play in St. Louis this year. That didn't go over well in Baltimore, but he said it, nontheless. As far as Carp goes, he wasn't going to get any more from anyone else. Sure he has had a great season and a half, but he still has to be considered an injury risk based on the bulk of his career. 1 1/2 great seasons doesn't get you big money. He'd have been a fool to turn down any kind of long term deal.

It's got to be. In fact, I think it's a couple more than that. He's not very efficient. That's right at 72%. Isn't that the magic number? Or did they raise it? I've heard 80% or 85%. And since Pods' OBP was pretty average among leadoff men and he has no power, I think you would want at least 85% or more from him.

I'd rather sign a guy like Randy Winn (who is a FA, IIRC) who will provide a little pop and get on base than another windmill like Wilson.

Pods got caught 23 times. His percentage was not good. And Lidge has had arm trouble in the past, so that compounds his overuse.

It is a "bargain" because I do think he's the best player in the game. However, it wasn't a "hometown discount" like McGwire's. Pujols himself said, "No hometown discounts." And arbitration is a crapshoot. Yeah, he could've been awarded $20 million (although I don't think his agent would've asked for that, but you get my point) or he could've been awarded $6 million (a figure the Cards could have offered and would still be a nice raise over his 2004 salary). Neither side wanted to take a chance. But taking an average of $14 million is not a hometown discount. Not to mention the seven guaranteed years. You don't see many contracts that long.

Becasue he took four steps before he started running, after a gigantic home run? Are you serious? I hope Oswalt does it. Simply because I want to see Albert go out to the mound and snap that punk in half.

Berkman was running (in my opinion) because he hit a soft liner to left that probably felt like it should have been a long single. I imagine he was probably thinking about stretching it into a double. Pujols hit a home run. I think Berkman knew, he has hit enough wall scraping cheapies into those boxes to recognize one. I just don't like the bad ass stroll out of the box staring down the homer routine. I don't like it when ARam does it, I don't like it when Manny does it, and I don't like it when Pujols or others do it. At least jog for Pete's sake. If someone did that to me when I played ball, I'd have earholed him in his next AB.

You dont "barely win" 99 games. And then roll through the playoffs with 1 loss so far. They are obviously doing something right. They did pitching right, and very well. Saying they had an effective offensive system and calling it "smartball" is giving them far too much credit. People say they are a "smallball" team, but the stats don't reflect that. Offensively, the best thing they did was hit home runs, and even then they didn't score a lot of runs. The Sox had a pedestrian offense. Pitching is why they won. And when you win as many 1-run games as they did, you are riding the razor's edge. The could have just as easily finished 5 games back as finish they way they did.

I really liked Pujols at first, but he is really disrespectful with the way he stands and watches his homers now. He wasn't like that when he came up, but has developed that habit over time. I don't care for it any more than I cared Sosa's stupid hop. Plus, he's a Cardinal. It is every Cub fan's birthright to hate any Cardinal. Ya, he's a great player, but..... He's been disrespectful watching his homers for a while now. Do you remember when Gary Bennett confronted him about it? He's been doing that for a couple years now, and it is tacky. Yes, I do remember that. All the Cardinal fans were immediately coming to his defence and calling Bennett bush and what-not..... If I was pitching, I would put Pujols on his arse if he did that to me or one of my teammates. More than once, if needed. Really? And the Astros celebrating like they had won the pennant after Game 4, and again after the Berkman homer last night, and again with 2 outs in the 9th last night................. that's not disrespectful? What's the difference between Pujols walking trotting to first base and Berkman clapping and dancing around first base? I hate Fat Elvis, and like Albert more, but the difference is that he was running while he did it. Players who casually stroll down the line draw the whole thing out and irk the pitchers.

In 2002, Wood pitched 214 innings with 4 CG. In 2003, Wood pitched 211 innings with 4 CG. He was effective, and he went deep into games. He did so with outstanding peripheral stats. He was dominant. And don't talk about wins, the are a feeble indicator. Wood's win totals are more of a commentary on the Cubs offenseive futility than Wood's pitching ability.

i'd rather root for the cards. if the stros win, that's one more team that can rub our face in the mud. at least we can still say the stros haven't ever been to a series. and the most memorable part of that game was watching the progression of emotions that the 9 year old kid behind the backstop shows before pujols's hr. That's it. The Cards have won a WS in the recent past. They already are a perennial contender. Things won't get appreciably worse if they win. If the Astros or Sox do, we'll never hear the end of it. If the Sox win, we'll have to listen to Southside wahoos and that god forsaken Hawk Harrelson gloat and rib us until the Cubs win.

I really liked Pujols at first, but he is really disrespectful with the way he stands and watches his homers now. He wasn't like that when he came up, but has developed that habit over time. I don't care for it any more than I cared Sosa's stupid hop. Plus, he's a Cardinal. It is every Cub fan's birthright to hate any Cardinal. Ya, he's a great player, but..... He's been disrespectful watching his homers for a while now. Do you remember when Gary Bennett confronted him about it? He's been doing that for a couple years now, and it is tacky.

Technically, if the numbers hold true, then the Cards should be favored. Using home field advantage as the barometer, the Cards are right where they need to be (and exactly where they were last year). The Cards are 1-1 at home this year in the NLCS. Unless you're talking about some other numbers. I still think Pettite is the worst of the Astros' big three. The key for the Astros is to continue their strong starting pitching and they have to get the Cardinals' starter out fairly early. It's pretty evident that LaRussa has no confidence in his bullpen (other than Izzy and Marquis). I would normally agree about Pettitte, but he has undeniably been very, very good this year for some inexplicable reason. Clemens hasn't been particularly good since the beginning of September, and Oswalt is on/off. I could easily see the Cards taking the next two.