Transmogrified Tiger

I don't see JVB as a starter but he's a top pen option. I'd assume Rusch picks up his option. That moves him into the trade bait/long man slot. Small sample size on Williamson. I'd don't know what the team option costs but when healthy the man rocks. I meant make him the 5th reliever. As you said, Dempster, Wuertz, Ohman and Novoa have been alright. Ah. I have JVB on the 40 man but still in trips in case Novoa or Wuertz falters. He might win a spot on the 25 man out of spring but I go with what is now as a basis. JVB is one more reason why the pen is the least of our worries. Yep, agree w/ you about it being the least of the Cubs worries. Finally, the Cubs have several solid, cheap and young guys. Perhaps they can make JVB the setup man and eventually turn him into the closer. Novoa and Wuertz are decent 7th inning guys, but I don't know if we should count on them as the mainstays in the pen. Their WHIP's are alarmingly high for someone in that position. I think at a minimum you bring back Williamson, and then possibly explore getting another reliever via FA or Trade.

Notre Dame up on UM early, 7-0. VTech and Clemson have early leads in other games featuring top 25 teams.

Wasn't he a FA after 2003?? Don't think they gave him an extension. Weren't the Mets really after him?? Yeah, I forgot. According to the ESPN article, the Mets were hard after him, and we were after him too. It says he took less money to stay in Florida.

Was there ever a real chance to get Castillo?

It was also a Friday night and a west coast game, so that probably explains some of the inactivity.

More than half the posts in this thread are wondering what Dusty was saying, with some cheap seats references thrown in. I count exactly one poster relating this quote to Dusty playing young players, which he certainly has a right to do so. Maybe your knee-jerk reaction to a Dusty quote thread so it supports your "posters go too far with Dusty hate" theory is what should be questioned. All it comes down to is semantics. Dusty doesn't like to play young players. No, he overvalues major league experience. That person is a racist/sexist. No, they overvalue being white/male. It's just a matter of degrees, and many people take it further than you personally like, because they are tired of the same nonsense for the last 2 years.

I'm pretty sure the Cubs go to Kaufmann in '06.

Seems like it happens every year. lol next, i bet you're going to tell me that mark prior is injury prone because he got hit on the elbow by a ball, right? sounds like a real good argument to me.... This is his 7th season, and he's played 110+ games in only 3 of them. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

What's your preferred method for explaining the game? There's no way to fully explain the game, that's just the point. if the game could be objectively explained fully why hasn't it been in the 150 years people have been playing it. Does the team with the best stats win very year? Only if you are correct and cite the only stat that matters: wins and losses. Stats can be helpful to try to predict how things will go. But can you explain with stats the dread I feel facing the reds lineup while i really don't fear the cards and haven't for a couple of years. Intangibles exist. If you think you can explain this game fully you've got some ego on you. You didn't answer my question. How do you know that Patterson has "sucked" more than Perez this year without looking at their stats? i watch the games. Without looking it up, what do you think the discrepancy in hits between Hairston and Walker is? Hairston only has a couple more ABs. I have little or no idea. What is the point of the question? I didn't know it was a quiz here today? "the difference between a .275 hitter and a .300 hitter is one hit every 2 weeks." It's impossible to appropriately value everything you see in your mind; there's a reason that there are statistics. BTW, Walker only has 12 more hits, less than one might think for a 40 point disparity in AVG.

What's your preferred method for explaining the game? There's no way to fully explain the game, that's just the point. if the game could be objectively explained fully why hasn't it been in the 150 years people have been playing it. Does the team with the best stats win very year? Only if you are correct and cite the only stat that matters: wins and losses. Stats can be helpful to try to predict how things will go. But can you explain with stats the dread I feel facing the reds lineup while i really don't fear the cards and haven't for a couple of years. Intangibles exist. If you think you can explain this game fully you've got some ego on you. You didn't answer my question. How do you know that Patterson has "sucked" more than Perez this year without looking at their stats? i watch the games. Without looking it up, what do you think the discrepancy in hits between Hairston and Walker is? Hairston only has a couple more ABs.

I'd remove Guzman and Bergola from that deal, then you might have something.

Neifi is 32, he's had almost 5000 PA, and he's always sucked. Corey is 26, has had less than 2500 PA, and has not always sucked. He's been terrible this year. But the fact is players usually do improve throughout their 20's. Neifi is a lost cause with no upside. However small the likelihood is for Corey, at least he has some chance to be a decent starter. Neifi's always sucked? What is it about him that drives you guys crazy? The fact that he's one of the worst hitters of his era? What is there to like about his performance over his career? Please, withoiut nerding it up too much with VORP etc, tell me how Neifi is one of the worst hitters of his era? How does he have 5000 abs if he sucks so bad. I like his chances to get 7500 abs better than Corey's to get 5000. Okay, I won't "nerd it up" with more accurate metrics. Neifi's career OBP is .301, and a third of his career ABs have been at Coors field. His career numbers away from home(his home parks have been primarily Coors and Kaufmann, the two biggest hitters parks): .246/.281/.335/.617. Humiliatingly awful.

Neifi is 32, he's had almost 5000 PA, and he's always sucked. Corey is 26, has had less than 2500 PA, and has not always sucked. He's been terrible this year. But the fact is players usually do improve throughout their 20's. Neifi is a lost cause with no upside. However small the likelihood is for Corey, at least he has some chance to be a decent starter. Neifi's always sucked? What is it about him that drives you guys crazy? The fact that he's one of the worst hitters of his era? What is there to like about his performance over his career?

Must you ruin my winter before it begins? Not my intention sir. But we know Hendry likes this guy, and he's a free agent, so we have to consider the possibility that Hendry will look at him. And, as I said in another thread, if Wilson accepted a 2 year deal in the $10-12M range AND Hendry addressed corner outfield with a guy like Giles, Dunn, Mench, etc..., I think it would work out fine. Just my opinion. There is plenty of money to sign Wilson and pay for a stud corner OF. Especially in light of the fact that it seems that Cedeno is going to be starting at either 2B or SS next year. If you look at it objectively, Wilson, even though he's not very good, would give us a production increase over what Corey would give us, and if he came at about 6-7m/year, it's not that much more than Corey would cost us. Given the lack of CF available, it might not be as bad of a move as it would have been in June... Not that much more? It'd likely be twice as much.

I'd disagree with that. Everything he's shown so far is that he could end up being another Tony Gwynn or Kirby Puckett type hitter. He'll never put up Vladesque power numbers, but the guy is simply a pure hitter. I love watching his approach at the plate. He's doesn't have the power to be a prototypical all-star corner OFer, but that never stopped Gwynn or Puckett from being all-stars. Good to see you back in the states Jehrico. Happy birthday as well!

Absolutely not. You do not avoid getting a quality CF by putting your faith in Patterson yet AGAIN, that would be gross malfeasance on the part of Jim Hendry. Baker and Hendry both need to call Patterson in their office and give him the Fredo treatment: "You are nothing to me now." I'm torn on whether to try and sign Damon, but Giles is a must-get. And, he can play CF for a year or so until Pie is hopefully ready. So the Cubs don't really NEED to specifically get a CF this offseason, IMO, if they do get Giles. They need to get another OF in general, via trade or FA. And that makes the job easier. For example... Milton Bradley will be available. Can Dusty calm him down? He's got talent. He would actually be a CF for us, at least until Pie. Tampa and Cincinnati have too many OF-ers, and both might finally be ready to move one of them in a trade. They know they need pitching, that's one thing we have. Jonny Gomes or Aubrey Huff? Adam Dunn or Austin Kearns or maybe Ryan Freel? Ryan Klesko is the kind of short-term solution Hendry might like, he's a better version of Burnitz. San Diego might be ready to turn over their OF if they lose Giles. The Mets also have an extra OF. It seems likely they'd stick with Victor Diaz given his youth. But Mike Cameron or Cliff Floyd? With Jeremy Hermida finally here, Florida has no room for Juan Encarnacion. Cleveland doesn't have room for Franklin Gutierrez, Coco Crisp, and Grady Sizemore all at once, do they? So there are options. You don't sit on Patterson and ignore better choices. He gone. Isn't that what USS said? He said not to just dump Patterson, but if you can get a serviceable CF, then do it. Personally I'd rather not have Giles in CF, because then you're half obligated to make sure to have decent to good defenders at the corners. That makes it tougher to find that extra corner OF you were referring to.

The big question then is will the old race card be played as an excuse when carpenter wins the Cy Young? Pitching isn't as athletic??? usually the best pitchers were the better athletes at there respective HS and colleges, they just chose to concentrate on pitching. Yeah, in youth leagues the best athletes/players are almost always tried out at pitcher.

Didn't Castillo take an illegal substance for some other purpose than physical enhancement? Like rehabbing an injury with something doctor prescribed?

Why Ensberg over Lowell?

Don't forget to repeat that process as many times as necessary to cost the Cubs a game/series.

I was thinking the same thing. They can't seem to win it. Maybe if they filled their stadium... :roll: Those capacity crowds that come to every Marlin and Blue Jay game sure do inspire them don't they? 8-[ I was talking about the playoffs. I do believe Fla and Toronto had packed houses in the playoffs, no? Either way, Atlanta is notorious for not selling out playoff seats. I don't think I have to mention 2003. I know, I was just pulling your leg, wrong emoticon I guess.

I was thinking the same thing. They can't seem to win it. Maybe if they filled their stadium... :roll: Those capacity crowds that come to every Marlin and Blue Jay game sure do inspire them don't they? 8-[

Probably. The option vesting was discussed at the time of the signing, and then even during last season. Ah, I wasn't here then. It just kinda seemed like some "ARGH IM FRUSTRATED AND WE SUCK" venting, which is completely ok and natural.. especially when we are frustrasted and do suck. Just curious. Well, if you're feeling ambitious(or bored)....The Granddaddy of Maddux threads

Probably. The option vesting was discussed at the time of the signing, and then even during last season.

I said Santo was a homer. My point was that he doesn't try to pretend he isn't. I think Santo is a terrible analyst. Buck is not one of the best. Only a STL fan could think so. He's an arrogant preppy popped collar kind of guy. Unbiased? He is so completely biased it's almost obscene. Only a St. Louis fan could think so? St. Louis didn't give him 4 Emmy's. Doesn't Joe Morgan have an emmy?