WrigleyField 22

I don't agree with AJ being in the all star game, but I can't blame the fans for making a push for it. Didn't we have a thread asking people to pledge their votes as soon as all star voting began. So many people were throwing 25 votes or more a day at players who they hadn't had time to evaluate whether or not their season was all star worthy.

You left out the fourth, and most important group, and that's the team. They have to accept responsibility for their own performance and demand effort from their teammates. This isn't meant to defend Dusty, but a new manager won't have success if the team doesn't change. I personally think every individual teammate needs to take responsibility for their own actions. Once players point fingers it all goes to hell. Now the occassional figurative smack in the face(or sometimes literal) to get the message across is okay from a teammate whos an established leader. But theres a way to go about it and blaming one whole group of players and just saying they suck isn't it. I can't exactly how to explain how thats done but there should be some more motivation and support there. Players play, coaches get on players cases.

Well with all that i certainly doesn't look quite so bad, but I would much rather have the Lee approach. There are 3 people who, IMO, can place resonsibility on someone: The fans, the media, and the coaches. The fans and media opinion mean little. The coach needs to let which players know who aren't doing their job and at the same time take some responsibility for it. Dusty doesn't do this, obviously.

Dude can't be fast, he's white. (Really I could imagine Baker/Hendry using this philosophy)

If he did it to push blame off himself and onto the pitchers it is certainly not okay. It is very possible he was led into that question or he meant it in a we all stink type of way. He can say whatever he wants. If he wants to say that I don't want him on my team.

I thought the play on the field was a good enough message?

We know where all our 2nd 3rd and 4th round money went.

I guess I just don't trust the guy spending the money. With his extension our first offseason without Hendry would be before 2009... If we suck a little less next year, are wild-card contendors in 2008 then we can get a GM who knows what hes doing before 2009 to spend some money on the right kind of players that can put us over the top. Ideally I would just want Hendry gone this offseason, but I don't see that happening. Briefy looking at next year (with a whole new coaching staff) Zambrano Marshall Marmol Guzman Hill (Prior) Dempster Howry Eyre Wuertz/Aardsma/etc Barrett Lee Walker Cedeno Aramis Murton/Jones platoon? stopgap CF-till Pie is ready stopgap RF Bench(no Niefi,Bynum etc) young prospects=good Soto/Theriot/etc That would be a pretty cheap team, but still with enough big names to keep the casual fans happy so the Trib would go for it. In 2008 you could start to look for a FA RF or maybe you will have traded for one by then, also Pie should be ready to step in at CF and Patterson at 2B. By that time Cedeno/Murt/Bench guys have exp so you are breaking in only 2 rooks. You have an idea of who will stick in the rotation so you can start to look for FA pitchers long term. Then 2009 is just a matter of putting the final pieces in. Hendry would be gone so there would be hope that a GM who values OBP and other stats can put the final pieces in, such as the rotation, bullpen, LF? I just don't want to see Hendry compromising our future with huge FA spending on the wrong players. I just am hopng we can sit tight and find out who will be a piece to the puzzle when we win.

This kinda deals with transactions, but could go in baseball dicussions too I guess. Feel free to move. After the game there was a poll on the postgame show on which young starter would be in the rotation next year- Marshall, Marmol, Guzman, Hill, or the final answer all of them! The way I see it next year Zambrano is the only lock. Maddux likely goes, Priors health is questionable, and if Wood isn't let go his health too is questionable. So there are 4 spots to fill and what do you know we have 4 "ready" arms. We won't be in a position to win next year. The best we could hope for is to be bad to maybe below average but know we are setting ourelves up for the future. Some people might want a high priced FA like Zito, but he wouldn't push us over the edge to win. Lets see who out of the 4 we can count on to be a mainstay in our rotation when we are in a positon to win('09?'10?). If we can find two starters from the group then we would only have two other starting spots which could be filled from the next group of young pitchers- Gallagher,Pawalek, Veal, etc, a FA, and/or ideally a healthy Prior. Next years rotation Zambrano Marshall Marmol Guzman Hill -If Prior is healthy you can rotate the last 3 guys Marmol,Guzman,Hill from the two starter spots and long relief. That is just one small part of the whole plan I would like to see going into next year, the rest of which I will do sometime closer to the offseason. I can deal with sucking next year, but I dont wanna suck with expensive old guys. Anyone else in favor of the all-young rotation next year?

Cincinnati Dunns?

Fixed^2

Derrek really said that? I love you Derrek.

Whosever playing the Cardinals. Usually my other favorite team would be whosever the worst cuz I like underdogs. The Cubs have basically secured that spot though. Go Royals?

I have all of those as well as tons of newspaper clippings from that postseason run. After they lost I decided I'd hang on to them until they did win a WS and then burn them. At this point they might deteriorate first.

He actually used to look like [gasp] an athlete.

Wow you got yourself a Kennedy-Lincoln type conspiracy theory here. Better look into the names of the pitchers they each faced, count the letters in their name, jersey number, drive yourself crazy etc. :)

Jeffress

Scherzer Thats 5

If he works at it he could certainly gain the capability to have an ideal OBP for leadoff he also has the raw ability that may allow him to hit for power making him a great 3-5... With this current group of idiots around tho hes automatically a 1-2 because of speed.

Who the toolsiest free swinger they have listed? Just wondering who the Cubs will draft.

Reynolds

Kershaw to Dodgers

Didn't the current Pirates owner make Littlefield pass on Upton and take Bullington because he preferred college players? I was unaware of that. I have really just been voting for players who sound appealing.

Uh oh. You know they'll go after Pods. Pods .271 .272 .395 line would improve our leadoff spot quite a bit. Even if he settles to last years level of .290 .351 .349 it would be an improvement.

A .317 OBP is absolutely terrible. A .500 SLG and 30 homers is better than average though. It balances out to be a solid season for what he his being paid. We'll see. First he'd have to put up that SLG, which would be the 2nd highest in his career. Remember, he's got a history of hot starts, and he routinely fades as the season goes along. And OBP should be weighed more heavily than SLG. Depends on where in the lineup that guy is hitting. The top 5 should definately be able to get on base, with 3-5 also being able to hit for power. If the number six hitter can simply provide good power thats not neccassarily terrible. Ideally you want a more rounded guy, but that wont always happen. It should happen, but thats sadly more than we can hope for with this team. I think the best possible solution would be to trade for a real RF and platoon Murton and Jones in LF.