Bobson Dugnutt

It's simple, really. Dempster keeps the whole team loose and relaxed in the clubhouse with his funny jokes and pranks. In turn, the team is more productive. A rotation spot is the obvious reward for the crucial role Dempster plays on this team. Once Marquis starts telling jokes, he can get the same treatment as Dempster.

Hey guys, I was just wondering if you could point me in the direction of the Human Resources office. I'm really hoping to become a professional message board poster, and I want to pass along my resume.

bd811: Dayn Perry is the worst writer in baseball

Would Mike Mussina have a legitimate shot? I was trying to think if any starting pitchers hadn't been mentioned, and he's about the best name I could come up with. ERA+ of 122 for his career.

wut?

We've got some decent hate going with the Pads - I don't see it as a problem. We can still hate him as much just not as often. Meh. We won the battle for Kosuke, so I don't really have too much to hate them for. Their fans probably have more reason to dislike the Cubs than we do to dislike the Padres. I guess Towers' involvement with Prior was kind of shady, but I'm really not sure what kind of impact that had on the outcome of the situation. Besides, I'm still grateful to them for knocking the Brewers out of the playoffs. That said, my hatred for Edmonds will not change. :) And as long as Tony LaRussa is the Cardinals manager, there will always be someone to hate.

I like the idea of Lofton for the outfield. He likely continue to be productive next year, and shouldn't cost a whole lot. Would he accept a bench role? Assuming we keep Pie, Lofton would be a nice left-handed bench option. If Pie ends up going in some sort of trade, Murton/Lofton would make for a very nice platoon. More importantly, though, I think shortstop needs to be upgraded. I've seen Greene's name tossed out countless times recently, but his availability seems to be based largely on speculation. Other than Greene, is anyone available? We need to upgrade, and I don't see the Cubs giving Cedeno much of a shot. Unfortunately, I don't see them actively pursuing a shortstop from outside the organization either. But, if they decided to, are there any other names out there besides Greene?

literally hundreds. oh, wait, he had like a .230 slugging %? probably not very many then. my bad. 1) already been said....scroll up 2) he proably had nothing to do with the Cubs winning the division or going to the playoffs considering he was 3rd in runs on the team (80), was one of six Cubs players who had over 100 hits (143) 3) remember when Alfonso was a 40/40 guy and this year he had 19 SB's in 135 games when Theriot had 28 in 148.. oh we paid Soriano 10,000,000 in 2007 to be our "leadoff man", tell me that theriot isn't worth that cost 4) this guy shouldnt be given a chance because hes a utility player, yeah right thats what Ronny Cedeno and the guy we just traded away Omar Infante is LOL at this thread. Regarding the first bolded part, please tell me that is not supposed to mean that you believe Theriot is worth $10 million. Regarding the second bolded part, I won't disagree with you about Omar Infante being a utility player. But that begs the question: does that put the dividing line between utility player and the next Omar Vizquel somewhere between a .662 OPS (Infante's last year) and a .672 OPS (Theriot's)?

I can't see it being anyone but the White Sox. As others have already said in the other thread, they must have money left over after failing to land Hunter and Cabrera. Williams is on the hot seat, and Sox players and fans are not happy with the outcome of their offseason, thus far. Outside of Rowand, Fukudome is probably their last chance to make an impact this offseason, and they seemingly are reluctant to give Rowand the 5-year deal he wants. Plus, Sox fans would probably wet their pants over the idea of swooping in and stealing the Cubs top target, which would be a perfect way for Kenny Williams to get back in their good graces. It makes too much sense to not be the Sox. The only question I still have, obviously, is how much are they offering? Would they be able to outbid the Cubs? They already have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures for Williams.

Aaron bleeping Boone?! (Sorry, I realize he wasn't signed, but it's the first thing that came to my mind when I read the title.)

Oh no! :x

HAHA. Ramirez turned down more money from the Angels just last off-season, took a hometown discount with the Cubs, and received a full no-trade clause. Of course he would agree to a trade to Anaheim!

He sure did. I made the picture from Chicagosports.com my desktop background as soon as I saw it. It must be exciting for the players to have him in attendance on occasion. I was impressed by the Illini last night, and if that game was any indication, they should be able to hang with the top of the Big Ten this season. It was ASU, though, so I want to see how we fare against Duke and, hopefully, Marquette.

Where does this perception (that is constantly repeated by several users) that we can get Erik Bedard for peanuts come from? Yeah, there was a rumor of Tejada and Bedard for Prior four years ago. It's going to take a lot more than that to get him now. Even then, wasn't it Baltimore's refusal to include Bedard the reason the Prior deal fell apart? Bedard has an extraordinary amount of trade value. As dumb as MacPhail is, that package is not even close to what it would take too net Bedard and Tejada.

Tyrus Thomas' athleticism still amazes me. He got way up there on that blocked shot in the fourth quarter. Has anyone else noticed some improvement in his ball handling ability? It also seems like he has developed his shot a little bit more. I felt like last year all you could rely on him for offensively was catching the ball near the basket and slamming it in. It seems like he is starting to become a more multi-dimensional offensive player. Until further notice, he and Smith should be getting the majority of the playing time at 4 and 5. That said, I would still include him in a deal for Kobe, albeit reluctantly.

If by superstar you mean 30 points etc no he wont be. Deng can and will average 20-25 points 5-7 boards which is pretty damn good. You put Kobe on this team with Deng, and I think the 2 of them would work beautifully together. Dengs ability to slash to the basket would finally be used how it should. right. Kobe would be his "jordan" which would allow Deng to be fantastic in the "pippen" role. but we saw what pippen did with the team when jordan wasn't around (hint: nothing) I was with you up untill the bolded. Pippen led the Bulls to the Eastern Confernce Finals in the 1st year without MJ, and then got bent over on a call that kept him from leading that team to the NBA Finals. He actually led them to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Knicks. The Knicks went on to play the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. He did, however, lead them to a 55-win season and within one game of the Eastern Conference finals, a game which, as you noted, was decided by a bad call. I don't think that this team, as constructed and with Deng as its leader, will ever be capable of a 55-win season like that Pippen-led team was. Maybe they'll find their way into the Eastern Conference Finals because of the lack of a really dominant team in the East, but until they get someone who can score consistently rather than the frustratingly inconsistent scoring patterns of Hinrich and Gordon, they won't reach that elite level.

Not too soon!!! It would be great not having to face Griffey or Dunn that last series. Facing the Reds without Dunn and Griffey definitely makes things easier. On the other hand, it'll make it that much harder to swallow if the Cubs pull a choke job. :?

what's the story with that? i always hear he was "run out of chicago," but i've never known why. (besides the fact that he's a terrible reporter.)

FWIW, Kenny Williams is denying reports that a deal is close, and says that they will not be making any more moves before they leave the Winter Meetings.

I wonder how much truth there is to this rumor. Google news search of Jon Garland brought nothing but the Rosenthal article, and Rosenthal isn't the most reliable source. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Garland has a no-trade clause.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I am not using the we don't have room excuse to try and get a guy like Rusch in the rotation. I would rather see Hill than Rusch. I would also rather see him pitch than Maddux, so the sooner Greg is gone, the better. I actually would like to see Guzman and Hill somehow both worked into the rotation, because obviously Hill knows how to get guys out in the minors and needs some more innings in the majors. I just think that Gooz is just as deserving of a chance as Hill, and his stuff looked like it could be dominant. However, I actually do not have stats in front of me and cannot tell you what Guzman has done since being demoted, or if he is stretched out enough to sart for the Cubs. Hypothetical situation: Prior is on the DL for an extended period of time (or Maddux gets dealt). Hill starts 6-7 games and has no more success than he has in his past major league stints. Guzman is down in the minors pitching well. Do you go to Guzman, who through the years has been considered to have the higher ceiling, or do you stick with Hill? In this case, I don't think you would be going by the there's no room theory.

No Keep sending him back out there. Better not, there's no point. He should have started pretty much the entire second half of 2005. He should have been in the rotation for most of this season. He should be the rotation for the rest of this season. I would like to see him get 20-25 consecutive starts, but because of poor planning by the Cubs, that can't happen this year. In place of who, though? Marshall and Marmol have been more successful, Zambrano isn't losing any starts to Hill, Maddux is still here until further notice, and Prior's injury doesn't sound like it is going to be much more than two starts on the DL or so.

What more does Rich Hill have to prove at AAA? Let's see if he can make adjustments at the big league level. Also, Guzman is still getting his arm strengthened after getting an 18-day vacation to the end of the big league bullpen. I'm fine with giving him another shot, but the guy just baffles me. He dominates in AAA but then gets shelled outing after outing in the majors. How many more chances do we give this guy to prove himself? ugh, i know. what's it been, 150 starts? enough already, you know? Uh huh, because he deserves every bit of five seasons to prove himself. The fact is, Prior is probably only going to miss two or three starts, so its really not a big deal. I'm fine with going to Hill this time, but are these 2 starts going to be enough to get a read on him? If he comes up and gets knocked around again, what's the next step for him? Does he get sent back down to the minors to dominate again and then run out there for a fourth stint in the majors? Not being rude or sarcastic, just curious...how many chances to Rich Hill supporters think he should get? If he gets hit in back to back starts, is he nearing the end of his rope?

Comparing Rich Hill (26-year old rookie) to Felix Hernandez (a 19-year old rookie) is hardly fair. Besides, after Hernandez's first 44 innings he had a 1.84 ERA and a .176 BAA so the comparison really doesn't work. My concern is that Guzman, who has been more productive than Hill at the major league level (yes I know it is a small sample size) is losing starts to this guy who batters have just teed off of nearly every time he has started.

What more does Rich Hill have to prove at AAA? Let's see if he can make adjustments at the big league level. Also, Guzman is still getting his arm strengthened after getting an 18-day vacation to the end of the big league bullpen. I'm fine with giving him another shot, but the guy just baffles me. He dominates in AAA but then gets shelled outing after outing in the majors. How many more chances do we give this guy to prove himself?