XZero771679666304

Calling up rookies to face only lefties is one of my pet peeves. There are just not enough starting LHP's to make it worthwhile for the team or the rookie. The Braves generally don't call up rookies unless they are prepared to let them face both lefties and righties, which IMO is the smart thing to do, unless the team believes the rookie in question will never amount to more than a part-time player. I don't think you're right about the Braves. When Johnson was brought up, he didn't face lefties, and I think Franceur didn't face righties. Anyway, going back to the days of Michael Tucker and Jermaine Dye, I know they didn't immediately face lefties and righties, respectively. Well, Francouer has been up for a nearly identical amount of time as Matt, and he has more AB's vs. RHP than LHP. Only letting Matt face lefties was all right at first, but the time has passed.

Calling up rookies to face only lefties is one of my pet peeves. There are just not enough starting LHP's to make it worthwhile for the team or the rookie. The Braves generally don't call up rookies unless they are prepared to let them face both lefties and righties, which IMO is the smart thing to do, unless the team believes the rookie in question will never amount to more than a part-time player. You are right. If the purpose of bringing a guy up is to see what he can do, then limiting him to starts agains the occaisonal lefty totally defeats that purpose. giving him his first couple starts against LHP's was all right, but the time for him to see consistent AB's has long since passed. And as for his ability to hit RHP, you can't really tell until he sees them consistently. No matter how good or bad a hitter you are, seeing one type of pitcher only in rare PH instances isn't going to accurately reflect you ability to handle them. And there is really no excuse for Matt to be stuck behind Holla in any situation at this point. Todd has sucked badly in every conceivable matchup situation this year.

Yes it is. Hap-Ki-Do is a discipline that you may actually have use for as well. Tae Kwon Do is fun, good exercise and pretty to look at, but effectively useless for practical application.

Sorry, didn't mean Patterson or Walker wouldn't be back. I just meant they wouldn't be considered a power position (though sometimes they swing like they want to be). I didn't know Nomar bought a house. In another thread, someone said he hadn't, and the prevailing thought was that he really wanted to play near where he grew up (southern California) Whether or not he bought a house, he has zero leverage on the market. As bad as they have been, Izturis and Cabrera aren't going anywhere soon, IMO. All the SoCal teams seem to be locked into their SS.

That's all good and true, but where do the Cubs make up for the power? Nomar won't be back, and you're unlikely to replace him with a power hitter. Ditto Walker. Patterson/Pie the same. And god knows who will be in RF. Too many holes w/o power. I wouldn't be so sure about Nomar. In fact, I'd be surprised if he isn't back next year. Either way, he probably isn't going to hit 30+ homers. Like I said in a previous post, I think you need three legitimate power hitters. There are Lee and Ramirez, and we need one more. On the other hand, we could get by with just two if there are 3 or 4 15-20 homer guys around them. Barrett is one, Nomar another, Patterson another, Walker probably another. Of course on the other other hand, the Cubs have hit a ton of home runs last year and this year, and what good has it done? What we have been sorely lacking is OBP guys, like Matt Murton. I'll take a guy who hits 10 homers with 35-40 doubles and an OBP of .350+ over a hacking slugger. I'm not saying Matt would do that, but power really isn't our problem.

Personally, I have never expected stardom out of any Cubs position prospect in years. But as bad as Hollandsworth has been this year, there is no legitimate reason Dubois shouldn't have played more (although he wasn't great, and I don't think he ever would have been), and there is no reason that is there are AB's available in the OF, Holla should get any of them over Murton. This isn't a matter of Murton being great, but Todd being abysmal. If the worst Matt could do is no worse than Holla, then why not play him and find out what you have? Of course with Patterson being recalled, there will be no real AB's to be had for either.

Exactly. I think a good offense should have at least three legitimate thumpers in it. What positions they play should be irrelevant as long as they are in the lineup.

Friggin' Macias and his .296 average are killing this team! Why is he even on the roster? Nevermind that he has been nothing short of atrocious in CF, and has cost us runs. But he has a .296 AVG! I hate Macias, too, but you're going way overboard. There's a reason why he's our third string CF. That's like getting mad at a 3rd string QB having a bad game. I'd compare it more to getting mad at the 3rd String QB while the 2nd string sits on the bench. Who's the second string CF? I'm glad Burnitz finally got a night off. Burnitz should have sat a game in Philly, at the least. I agree, but the guy who really needs a day or two off is Lee.

If you're trying to defend Baker, you're really grasping at straws. And you can't construct a reasonable argument for Holla playing over Matt, at least a this point. It is impossible. If Murton gets consistent AB's and is as bad as Holla has been, then things like Murton failing to move a runner might have some relevance. Unfortunately, with Dusty... ...when Hollandsworth comes up with runners on first and second in the second inning of a game in which in they trail 2-0 in the second inning with nobody out, and he proceeds to hit into a double play, it's just tough luck for the veteran. ...when Murton comes with a runner on second and nobody out (in a 6-1 game in the top of the 8th) and he flys out...well, it's proof that the kid can't execute and shouldn't be playing. While I don't like to make excuses for the younger players, at least they have an excuse. What does Todd Hollandsworth have? Exactly. Holla is a "proven veteran", who has gotten consistent AB's for large stretches otf this season. Matt Murton is a guy just out of AA who has a hard time seeing more than one AB at a time. Lumping the two together isn't right.

If you're trying to defend Baker, you're really grasping at straws. And you can't construct a reasonable argument for Holla playing over Matt, at least a this point. It is impossible. If Murton gets consistent AB's and is as bad as Holla has been, then things like Murton failing to move a runner might have some relevance. Please. What I said had nothing to do with Dusty Baker. Bad play is bad play. I just love how folks who despise Baker's love of veterans are the same ones who will overlook poor plays by young kids. Bad play is bad play. By the way, I believe Murton will be a good player, but right now I do think he's best suited against lefties. From what I've seen, he hasn't hit too many balls hard against right handers. I'm fine if you make outs, as long as they're hard hit outs. But I'm being critical of Murton just as I would Holla, Macias or all the other whipping boys. Sorry, but I just believe a guy should get consistent AB's before passing judgement. Holla and Perez are whipping boys because they have gotten long stretches of consistent play and showed that they consistently stink. When Dubois got a month of consistent AB's and didn't do much, I wa ssatified that he got his shot, and wasn't as good as some made him out to be. But Holla and Perez just deserve more criticism than Murton at this point. And I don't think too many people in this thread are taking the time to point out fundamental mistakes by anyone at this point. This is just an unmitigated disaster.

Williamson has been filthy his whole career, and looks pretty good for a guy just off the DL. He will be a nice piece for the 2006 Cubs.

Friggin' Macias and his .296 average are killing this team! Why is he even on the roster? Nevermind that he has been nothing short of atrocious in CF, and has cost us runs. But he has a .296 AVG!

If you're trying to defend Baker, you're really grasping at straws. And you can't construct a reasonable argument for Holla playing over Matt, at least a this point. It is impossible. If Murton gets consistent AB's and is as bad as Holla has been, then things like Murton failing to move a runner might have some relevance.

Yeah, even when the Cubs had no talent and lost 90+, I would watch every minute of televised Cubs baseball I could. Why, I don't know. I guess I just love the team too much for my own good. I think that's mine and most peoples problem on here. We do love the cubs to much to turn away. When they had no talent and lost 90+, it wasn't as painful to watch. Because of the expectations on how this team should be playing. Yeah, the lean years were easier to stomach. Having so much talent wasted through mismanagement is far more painful.

That's the same thing I said during the 8 game losing streak. The worst thing the Cubs could do would be to just hang around the WC race. If they're not going to the postseason, the Cubs need to tank in prolific fashion to get some changes made.

Yeah, even when the Cubs had no talent and lost 90+, I would watch every minute of televised Cubs baseball I could. Why, I don't know. I guess I just love the team too much for my own good.

i'll be rooting for the Bears. At least you have a distraction. I don't really care about football, so I'm on this ship until it sinks.

What are they saying? I don't have the radio on. They said that our entire offense was slumping together. And that we couldnt even score runs against below avg pitchers. They also mentioned that our defense has been horrible and if we have another losing streak like this one "That will be the end of the 2005 Chicago Cubs" (Pat). "another" streak? I would argue this is the end of the 2005 Chicago Cubs. I thought the 8 games streak was nearly the end, but then they won quite a few. This looks almost worse than that streak, IMO. We are losing to worse teams, The offense is gone, the defense is gone, Dusty's managing is worse than ever, the fundamentals are as bad as I've ever seen, Derrek is hurting....it's a complete mess. Come on, did you guys actually think we would get swept by the Mets? I sure as heck didn't. THings are that bad right now. Isn't that pretty much what I said?

What are they saying? I don't have the radio on. They said that our entire offense was slumping together. And that we couldnt even score runs against below avg pitchers. They also mentioned that our defense has been horrible and if we have another losing streak like this one "That will be the end of the 2005 Chicago Cubs" (Pat). "another" streak? I would argue this is the end of the 2005 Chicago Cubs. I thought the 8 games streak was nearly the end, but then they won quite a few. This looks almost worse than that streak, IMO. We are losing to worse teams, The offense is gone, the defense is gone, Dusty's managing is worse than ever, the fundamentals are as bad as I've ever seen, Derrek is hurting....it's a complete mess.

I think hisshoulder is still bothering him, plus he just looks gassed. He needs a couple days off, it's not like it's going to hurt much at this point.

Happy? This is the kind of this a guy gets shipped out of town for... You win and lose as a team. Bush league Now Dusty's making excuses for Zambrano (now I know he left on his own). "His back is hurting him." BS!!! Actually, Dusty's apologizing for his players has come back to bite him in the arse. Sometimes players have to be accountable. Well, I'm sure he'll address it after the game. Do you really expect the manager to bust the guy out on TV after he's left the game? I wouldn't... I can see a manager pulling someone out of agame to make a not so silent point but saying Zambrano quit on the team infront of a national audience doesn't make much sense. What should Dusty have done? I think under the circumstances he handled it well. To be honest, ESPN tried to bait Baker by asking that question... Did you notice the ackward silence after Dusty's answer? They were sure if they should challenge him. Thankfully, they left it alone. I don't think that anyone should be called out on TV, but he doesn't need to be so apologetic and make excuses. Sometimes the guys should have to answer for their actions.

I think it was pretty obvious. He averted his eyes, and had no conviction in his voice. Plus I just don't but the "bad back" thing. His back may hurt, but I sincerely doubt that is why Carlos came out.

Happy? This is the kind of this a guy gets shipped out of town for... You win and lose as a team. Bush league Now Dusty's making excuses for Zambrano (now I know he left on his own). "His back is hurting him." BS!!! Actually, Dusty's apologizing for his players has come back to bite him in the arse. Sometimes players have to be accountable.

I don't hate Z. He's just a baby IMO. You're right in that he has been better this year. Every team has a baby or two. *cough* Jim Edmonds *cough*

Dusty is lying. And he really looks like hell.