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How is it for the best? So we can pick Chase Budinger next June? Yay? at least we have a shot at getting somebody good. it worked out pretty well last year. what is the upside of winning at this point? what chance is there of something good coming out of it? sneaking in the playoffs and getting embarrassed by boston/cleveland/orlando? sounds fun.

fyp ? huet is having a good year He won't help as much in the playoffs as the second-line center we could have bought with that money. hindsight is 20/20 khabibulin was coming off 3 straight crappy years. they thought they needed a goalie and they went out and got a good one. what if they don't sign huet and then khabi plays like he hadthe previous 3 years?

fyp ? huet is having a good year

i still don't understand why huet was pulled

oh well, it's for the best

can the players just refuse to come out for the 3rd period and forfeit like the mighty ducks?

Well it's possible that the back issues caused the change in mechanics....and once you mess with mechanics it can be game over really quick I don't think that's it though. I think he just went back to his horrible control that he had most of his life

somebody tell VDN that you don't get free points by calling timeouts

good thing they pulled huet for no reason whatsoever

is huet hurt or something? if not, that's really dumb. not one of those goals was his fault.

the new del negro face. that was awesome

lol you might want to not leave a guy wide open over there with a 3 point lead

how many open nets does ladd plan on whiffing on this game?

glad i was looking forward to this garbage all day

good game boys

nice dive

First off, you know the NL Central was a really really good division last year, right? Also, the reason why those guys (Braun, Wright, etc) hit there is because they've proven they're successful at it. Soriano has not. In fact, Soriano has shown time and time again that he significantly worse while batting in the middle of the order.... and this is backed up with huge sample sizes and full seasons. I don't know why you ignore it. Why else was was he significantly worse in those 2 seasons with Texas? The 2 years before that and the 3 years after that he was basically the same hitter....but the 2 years with Texas sandwhiched in between, he was a completely different hitter. If it's not because he was in the middle of the order and not leading off, then what was it? A 2 year slump? You have a point with Lou being stupid about the late inning defensive replacement stuff, but that's a completely different argument. He hits him leadoff because that is where he performs the best. Isn't that what you want a manager to do? Make the players perform the best? Even though it didn't last long and it was probably pointless since Lou didn't give it a real shot, at least he's tried to move him out of the leadoff spot... which shows it's not just him coddling him. He wants him to hit... and he hits when he's batting leadoff. Would you really be more happy batting him 3rd even if it means losing like 70 OPS points? I wouldn't. Also the media/scout stuff is a big time copout/excuse and it's hurting your argument anyways. You keeo harping on it and it makes it sound like you can't defend your arugment well enough on your own. It's no surprise that either of those groups are saying it anyways. The media is the media (c'mon, are we really even talking about the media?) and scouts are all old fashioned guys who think anything SABR related is pure evil. Of course they're saying this stuff. Too bad it's 2009. Scouts should stick to what they do...scouting and evaluating talent. Since when are they in charge of things like managing players and in game strategies anyways? Shouldn't they be in coaching if they want to do that?

In the context it was raised...yes. Soriano leading off is an issue because so many bring it up all the time. I hear it constantly in the media & by analysts...so yes. Finishing first in runs is here nor there as you are not playing your watered down division in the playoffs. Let's flip it around. The Cubs have been dead last in runs scored the last two years in the playoffs. How's that? I still don't understand how the media bringing it up constantly means it's actually a problem. Like I said, if the media is harping about something, there's a good chance it's [expletive]. It's the media. That'swhat they do. The same media that keeps talking about Aaron Miles leading off. As for "analysts" (I'm assuming you're talking about jokers like Steve Phillips, Buster Olney, etc.)..... it's not a surprise some of those guys say that. Most of them are old guys and old-fashioned baseball guys. They still think things like that are important, when really they're not. This is 2009. It's okay to accept the fact that things like leadoff aren't really important. I don't know why you refuse to accept it when it's been explained/proven over and over. You have to open your mind and accept it. Stop being so stubborn. As for the playoffs.... like I said.... unless the rules are different in the playoffs, I don't see your point. So they were a powerhouse offense in the regular season against EVERYBODY, but as soon as the playoffs start, their fatal flaw of Soriano leading off is exposed? That's really what you want to argue? If nobody in your lineup hits, you aren't going to score runs, period. Nobody hit. I don't know why you're acting like we would have scored runs if we had a leadoff hitter. Would a leadoff hitter have made everyone else in the lineup rake for some reason?

Do you really think you should be using baseball "analysts" and the media to back your argument? I think that would be a better backing argument for someone arguing the opposite. Either way, first in the NL in runs last year with Soriano leading off. Unless the rules change in the playoffs, I don't think this should even be an issue anymore. Last year should have squashed that.

Well the Giants are in on him

When they are statues with gloves in left and make 20+ million, yes. Are we talking about Manny or Dunn here? Manny.

When they are statues with gloves in left and make 20+ million, yes. Thank you

Did I say that? I'm saying I wouldn't want to pay 3/75 or 4/100 for a .900 OPS corner outfielder was terrible defense. With that money you're paying for 1.050 OPS Manny and I don't know if you're going to get that from him once he gets paid.

How do you miss that badly on a first overall pick?

Manny >>>>>>>>>>> Dunn, and I like Dunn yeah, you can definitely go get dunn instead of manny if you want, but signing a lesser player is hardly giving manny the finger. Preach it. People need to realize just how good Manny is and has been. The team picture of the most dangerous hitters of the last twenty years unquestionably includes him. If he gets paid how do they know he's not going to turn back into the .900 OPS hitter he was for the 1 and 2/3 seasons he was in Boston when he stopped caring? Plus he's 36. If he gets like a 3 year deal or the 4 year deal he's holding out for, that's probably the last significant (to him) contract he'll get for his career, so what is going to keep Manny from being Manny as soon as he gets paid?