Transmogrified Tiger

This is a very bad situation for the Cubs. Lee breaking out the year before his contract year puts them in a no-win situation. Trading him you won't get full value unless there's an extension signed before, and signing him to an extension before he can repeat those numbers is equally bad.

Your team looks like mine. Very good offensive infield, fewer sure things in the outfield. Good, deep SP. You have a top flight closer that I don't though. I'm terrible at judging based on the depth of the league, but you should be alright in my uneducated opinion.

I think so too, and posted what I thought. Being civil is okay.

Has Prior had any prolonged stretch (like more than a month) where he pitched like he did in 03? Prior before he got hurt(aka, hit with a line drive) at the end of May last year: 9 GS, 58.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 9.57 K/9, 3.44 K/BB

Pop Quiz, when was the last time the Brewers had a record OVER .500. Not .500 but OVER! Oh, while your checking...get a life! Cmon, that's uncalled for. You have got to be kidding me... Get a life? Is that necessary at all? Or somehow not attacking the poster?

Pop Quiz, when was the last time the Brewers had a record OVER .500. Not .500 but OVER! Oh, while your checking...get a life! Cmon, that's uncalled for.

What does it mean to "come back to the back"? Does he mean pack?

Really craned your neck to see over that two game advantage, eh? I don't quite see the logic in getting upset over what Cubs fans think of Wisconsinites, especially when a Brewers fan started the thread in a similar vein. I started it with a serious question. I wasn't trying to start anything, until the insults came. You started a thread about FIB(P)s and you're surprised when people from Illinois react? And when those reactions come you stoop to "Illanoy"?

There are probably a dozen things that Dusty has said that are worse than that. It's not particularly wrong, really.

Really craned your neck to see over that two game advantage, eh? I don't quite see the logic in getting upset over what Cubs fans think of Wisconsinites, especially when a Brewers fan started the thread in a similar vein.

I think the Cubs could put together a package that would satisfy Florida, but I'm not sure they'd even try. A lot would depend on how guys play early this year. If Pie gets off to a rocking start his value will increase. If Guzman looks good, he would be of value as well. Pie isn't even a top 25 prospect. If a club wanted to beat out a Cubs offer of Pie, Pawelek, and Hill, they could do it. I'm pretty sure the bidding on Cabrera would be insane in terms of prospects. Guzman is a health concern despite whatever numbers he puts up this year. That seriously hurts his trade value. BA rated Pie 27th, Pawelek 85. Those two plus Hill is a very attractive package. Could it be beat? Undoubtedly, especially by either LA team or Arizona. That said, to eliminate us from putting together the best package is premature, especially since we have another full season of prospect development/regression before this supposed deal.

Agreed. Huff would have to return to previous offensive levels that he hasn't shown he can get back to in order for him to be an upgrade over Jones. I'll agree that Huff's numbers were bad last season, but he is 1 year removed from a 297/.360/.493 line with 29 HR's and 104 RBI's. In 2003 he went .311/.367/.555 with 34 HR's and 107 RBI's. In 2002 (113 games) he went .313/.364/.520 with 23 HR's and 59 RBI's. Why do you think he "hasn't shown he can get back to" those numbers? He had 1 down season, where he opened the season playing through an injury, bounced between 4 poisitions, and voiced frustration (multiple times) about still being a Devil Ray. I think with a stable position and a change of scenery he can absolutly get back to those numbers. Jones hasn't hit above .254 in the last 2 years, never has had a .350 obp, hasn't slugged .500 since 2002, and despite his speed he has 67 steals while being caught 40 times in his career. He is clearly the better defensive player, but this club needs more offense. It's not just that he had a down year, but it's how it happened. He hit for a much lower average(which isn't particularly worrying), and on top of that his IsoP dropped as well. Whether that's due to the scarlet S, or injuries, or whatever, he's not certain to return to that former production.

Agreed. Huff would have to return to previous offensive levels that he hasn't shown he can get back to in order for him to be an upgrade over Jones.

I don't think they would outproduce Giles(quick, dirty calculation using 3 year splits puts a Jones/Mench platoon at .350 OBP/.865 OPS using 2/3 RHP faced). In fact, I'd rather just have Mench to play full time than Jones. His numbers v. RHP are only marginally worse than Jones, plus he has age on his side to improve.

Speaking of baseball books people have heard of, has anyone heard of "The Graphical Pitcher" by John Burnson? Amazon recommended it to me so I ordered it with the two prospect books. Here's the description:

Why in the world isn't Burrell on the roster? Berkman? Edmonds? Giles?

Can someone compile or link me too the projected lineup and rotations for some of the better teams? I've got to run to class, and it's really hard to tell from the ginormous rosters. I will say that the US probably has the best pitching depth, which may be underrated in this tourney.

The US

Van Ben > Prior

The bubble? That's madness.

.247/.370/.617? That looks fantastic. Wait, what three stats are you comparing in that line? Usually it's AVG/OBP/SLG Jones v. LHP 2005: .201/.247/.370/.617 3 year: .238/.295/.363/.658

I read that as, "I don't pay attention to stats." That's what I thought too. He also repeated the Dusty-speak we've heard almost verbatim.

In an offensive vacuum, maybe. But add in positional scarcity, the running game, and defensive differences, A-Rod comes on top for me.

We've grown accustomed to players doing this. GM's should be above it all. Remember when Grudzielanek cried collusion or Moises was upset at how Hendry handled not re-signing him. Players whining like this happens all the time, but you didn't see Hendry calling these guys idiots. I distinctly remember Wagner calling out Hunsicker in Houston. You didn't see Hunsicker call Wagner an uneducated hick. GM's have to be above this. It's called professionalism. And I agree. But for how long should the Sox remain mum while Thomas bad-mouths them to anyone he can find? He has been doing this since the parade ended - its not like this was the first time. By my count, he has made incindiary statements on no less than 3 occassions, and I am probably missing something. Wouldn't you agree that the Sox have the right to stand up for themselves? Or should they just crawl into the fetal position? I see what you're saying, but there's definitely a point somewhere between simply taking abuse and "He's an idiot. He's selfish. That's why we don't miss him,"

Holds are counted too, so relievers are probably more important than in a normal roto league.