CyHawk_Cub

I think those are real...................

To be fair, it would appear he's denounced communism. :wink: oh, so he is a johnny come lately type..strike 2. Yup, nothing worse than a waffler

I think most of us agree with this sentiment... I see what Jehrico is getting at though too.. I think the general consensus here is that the Cubs need to get a solid #1b/2 type guy. If they can't get that done, no reason to trade a way pieces for yet another #4/5.

If you're equating Mike Wuertz to Rafael Betancourt, you're a fool. i agree. betancourt is a middle reliever who's 33 years old and is making $5.4M over the next two years, and has been horrendous this year. his LD% is a disturbingly-high 25.9%, and he gives up twice as many fly balls as he does ground balls, which is really a bad thing if you were to put him in a place like wrigley field. his great numbers last year were mostly a result of an unsustainable BABIP and LOB% (86.4!) along with a really abnormal home run rate - only 6 all year, or just 4.7% of his fly balls. he pounds the strike zone, but his ability to throw strikes hasn't been as good this year. meanwhile, wuertz is a pitcher who allows more ground balls than fly balls. his command is more spotty, but he has had a solid K-rate up to this year, and his velocity is still as good as it has been in previous years. he threw his fastball on 40% of his pitches in 2006 and 2007, but only 26.5% this year, while his slider rate has increased from 42.6% in 2006 to 62.1% this year. his pitching coach and catchers should probably be working with him on throwing a more even mix of pitches, rather than relying so heavily on the breaking pitch that often bends out of the strike zone. Still, given his age (29) and cheapness ($860k), combined with the profile of a ground ball pitcher at a hitter's park, he provides more value for the dollar than betancourt. i'm assuming that's what you meant when you said anyone comparing the two guys was a fool, correct? PLUS, "Betancourt" is the same surname as the guitar player from the band Extreme...so he has that going for him. Hard to apply a metric to that!

Yup...and we all know that rumor denials are definitive...so clearly the Brewers aren't interested...

I agree. Harden doesn't come with a big contract, so if you deal for him and he gets hurt, you're only out the players. If he is healthy, he's outstanding and you have him through 2009 when you can make a better decision on if you want to invest in his health or take the draft picks. If he completely falls apart, you don't even have to pay him next year(although the 7 million option isn't a terrible gamble for someone of his abilities). Not to beat a dead horse, but yes, THIS... I'm not interested in a #3 or #4 type guy... I'd prefer we get someone who could be in the post-season rotation...w/ potential to be a shut-down kind of guy. Yes, I know it's not NECESSARY to get someone like that to succeed in the post-season, but I know I'd feel more confident if we had someone like that...

Yep, funny how selective perception works, b/c I though he was a "Cub killer" too....until I looked up those same splits.

I love that spudhouse has been presumably upset 18 times so far this year.... Keep it going Woody; screw the haters.

Better from a pure analytical standpoint, or better as a TV guy? I prefer Brenley from a TV standpoint (I love his style of humor); Stoney had a sense if humor too, of course, but it was more biting sarcasm (which can be enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but it can get kinda tiresome too). But, from a purely analytical standpoint, I still prefer Stoney.

Do the Cubs really have 10 for-real prospects?

Haaaa!!! Haaa!!!! All I can do is laugh...cannot believe the Cubs won this game!!

Yep...and yet he still has a roster spot....

Soto will have a 3 day rest considering the Cubs have a day off after the all star break. The 4th day, he'll squat for 4 innings and get 2 ABs. I don't see what the big deal is. What he said. I'd hate for Soto to lose out on something that I'm sure would be an absolute thrill for him because his own fanbase was voting against him. I totally see what you guys are saying. Geo definitely deserves to be there... I'm not trying to argue otherwise, of course. My voting for McCann is done out of love, not malice. :blush: Perhaps it was misplaced..

I have been heavily voting for McCann (obviously not enough) b/c I also want Geo to have a 3 day rest... I know, pretty pointless...

how the hell do you bring soriano into this thread? and who the hell are these "professional message board posters"?

x2... Hate being so superficial, but I can hardly watch anything in SD anymore..

Nice!!! Good job Kosuke, Woody & young Mr. Gallagher

Frankly, with this offense performing the way it has been, the Cubs can afford to let Gallagher develop at the major league level. Perhaps he might benefit from a few more starts at AAA, but if keeping him in the majors for this season means he'll be a bit more developed come 2009 and 2010, then all the better. At the very least, there are some long term benefits to be had. With Marquis...we pretty much know what to expect out of him by now. Frankly, it's pretty bad. Gallagher might be equally bad now, but I'll take the potential long term benefits over that. Hmmmm :-k I've heard that rationale about another youngster....I think it was a guy actually started to show some signs of improvement, then inexplicably sat on the bench, then was tossed out w/ the dish water back to the minors..... Naaahh, I must be confusing this w/ something else...

Please get the next game thread up so we can leave the stench of the last 2 games behind us...

Call me crazy, but I think they have a very pressing need for actual baseball prospects. Yeah, I'd have to agree... Things down on the farm look pretty thin to me...

They'll probably cheer since he'll go 1-for-12 in the series and they'll realize that he's hurting their biggest rival and still helping out the Cardinals. Yeah, the Cards' fans in my office are giggling over the fact the Cubs signed him....they are the opposite of upset.

Prediction? ......Pain The bats had better be hot tonight....

Definitely NOT a "great" catch.....he didn't dive

At least the Brewers are losing. Ned Yost can't possibly have a job for much longer. Therein lies the downside. I'm hoping the Brewers can win a couple series in a row to prolong the Yost regime... Him being there for the remainder of the season (in conjunction w/ the loss of Gallardo & the inevitable Sheets injury) would pretty much guarantee that the Brewers won't be in the hunt come September.

The Sham Closer thing is beginning to take on legendary proportions. Only to be outdone by the idiocy of the individual who coined the term for all of us to mock