Magnetic Curses

you're saying that tampa has been wasting money on derrick brooks, too? no, in the tampa-2, the will better be fast, he better be quick, and he better be equally as proficient against the pass as against the run. the sam, on the other hand, is the position of no consequence in the tampa-2. the defense is built around the excellence of the will, and the bears have the right guy for it. The Tampa-2 isn't a defense built around the will linebacker. the will is the most important position in the scheme.

you're saying that tampa has been wasting money on derrick brooks, too? no, in the tampa-2, the will better be fast, he better be quick, and he better be equally as proficient against the pass as against the run. the sam, on the other hand, is the position of no consequence in the tampa-2, which is why they can get away with playing hillenmeyer there. the defense is built around the excellence of the will, and the bears have the right guy for it.

i don't know if this is serious or not, but velocity is not the problem. the problem is that he can't get a breaking ball across the plate and he can't locate his 2-seamer. Velocity is a problem. he's a power pitcher throwing in the 80's how is that not a problem. Wade Miller Jr. no, it's not. i remember the same flags going up last year when he came back into the big league rotation. he was throwing in the high 80's and people were freaking out. after a couple starts he was back in the low to mid 90's and people were still freaking out because he couldn't throw strikes. you're ready to anoint him wade miller jr. after 3 1/3 innings of work in cactus league action, talk about overreacting. No he wasn't. Although he would touch the 90's his velocity was mostly in the 80's. I don't see how his velocity will go from the 87s to the low 92's so easily. People who are holding out hope for Prior of 2003 to come back will unfortunately be disappointed. what are you talking about? he was throwing his four-seamer around 94-95 last season. he wasn't throwing the four-seamer a lot because he couldn't locate his 2 seamer, which he throws anywhere from 88-92. without an effective location on the 2, he shouldn't even think about throwing the straight 4. you're looking at velocity and not looking at what he was throwing. different pitches are thrown at different speeds.

Nothing personal, but I hate this type of thinking. If you are a paperboy and you are getting 40,000 and can feed your family just fine, but other paperboys are getting 100,000 for doing the same amount of work, then you are gonna want 100,000, because that's what you're worth. It's not about having "enough" money, it's about having what you deserve. Briggs is one of the top 2-3 OLBs in the game. Top players around the league have long-term guaranteed contracts, in which they are paid market value. Briggs doesn't have that. I don't blame him for being upset. neither do i. he's trapped right now because of the franchise tag, which he and rosenhaus wagered that they wouldn't use. the bears used it and now he HAS to play for them or sit out and look for an apartment. he's in a pretty bad position and he's frustrated, which he should be. however, it's not the bears fault either. i'd think you can't blame either side for the predicament, both are protecting their own interests.

i really don't see the fascination with vasher. he's good, but good players can be had in the draft. angelo has shown a fairly decent ability to get good players in the later rounds of the draft on a consistent basis. players like briggs and harris aren't just good, they are top 3 at their respective positions in the NFL--they are perrenial all-pro players. a good GM locks up his all-pro players and shuffles his good players in-and-out through the draft, letting them walk when they ask for all-pro-type money, which they clearly aren't worth. briggs is probably worth what he's asking for. it's just a matter of whether or not he'll get it from anyone. I'm not sure Briggs really is that great. In that system, everything is supposed to be funneled to the WILL, and they get inflated stats because of it. If the rest of the Colts defense had been better this season, Cato June with his statistics would have been in the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row and would also be seen as a "perennial all-pro player", but the reality is that most good outside linebackers could do a great job as a WILL in that type of system. Briggs probably will be paid by somebody, but he is replaceable and probably not worth the money. I'm not saying Briggs isn't good-he is. However, just like June, Briggs benefits from being in the system he plays in which gives his position in particular the chance to pad their stats and make plays. you're talking to me like a bears fan could have no idea how the tampa-2 works. i think i know a little about football so let's just move on from breaking down the inner-workings of the bears defensive scheme. briggs's stats aren't the reason he's an all-pro player.

i really don't see the fascination with vasher. he's good, but good players can be had in the draft. angelo has shown a fairly decent ability to get good players in the later rounds of the draft on a consistent basis. players like briggs and harris aren't just good, they are top 3 at their respective positions in the NFL--they are perrenial all-pro players. a good GM locks up his all-pro players and shuffles his good players in-and-out through the draft, letting them walk when they ask for all-pro-type money, which they clearly aren't worth. briggs is probably worth what he's asking for. it's just a matter of whether or not he'll get it from anyone. But why is Briggs an all pro? because he was an all-pro in 2005. you're telling me that i can't tell that vasher isn't a great player because i don't watch films? i can tell that he does a good job by watching the games, but i can tell that he's not physical enough because he misses a lot of tackles. i can also tell you that he lacks agility and speed to be an elite player. i also have a lot of respect for guys like hub arkush, who thinks that vasher is a pretty good player, but not irreplaceable by any standard.

you, at least, can call it even. illinois is the big loser on every big-time prospect. there is never any good news for the illini, never.

i don't know if this is serious or not, but velocity is not the problem. the problem is that he can't get a breaking ball across the plate and he can't locate his 2-seamer. I disagree. More velocity gives pitchers more margin for error. If we want Prior to return to his previous level of performance, he's going to have to regain that speed. There are very, very few pitchers who can dominate like he did without better than average velocity. There just aren't many Greg Maddux pitchers out there. And even he combined better than average velocity with pinpoint control and great movement when he was at his peak. Since he lost those mph, he's become an innings eater instead of a great pitcher. we don't know if he's lost velocity or not. he hasn't thrown to live hitters in a very long time and it's still very early in the spring. when april 1st hits, we'll know if he's lost velocity or not. I never said anything about that. You made the statement that velocity is not the problem. That implies that if he never got the velocity back, he'd be fine. I disagree with that sentiment wholeheartedly. that makes no sense, and is actually the opposite of what i'm trying to say. i'm assuming that he WILL get his velocity back (because it's not the problem), but that if he can't locate his pitches effectively, he'll suffer greatly. so, you're agreeing with what i was trying to say.

While I think Illinois is not very good, I think it's very possible they win two games. They match-up pretty well with Va Tech (a very inconsistent team) as well they would So. Illinois. Nothing from this year's Illini team makes me feel like they can win two games in a row against two solid teams. Heck, they've had trouble winning just one game in a row against a solid team. I saw our game against VT, way back in November. They are obviously beatable, but Illinois' guards better guard Dowdell and their other guard, or else they're going to be in for a long night. The key for Illinois to winning that game will be for Pruitt to stay out of foul trouble. I do have Illinois winning that game (I'll admit, more of a heart pick than a head pick), but it's not going to be an easy game, by any stretch. Trust me when I tell you my bias isn't for Illinois -- my allegiance is easily discernible by looking at my location. However, Va Tech is not a very good shooting or rebounding team. Nor are they terribly big. Illinois will almost certainly ugly this game up, giving them a chance to win. If they move on, they'll likely play another halfcourt, defensive team in SIU. Illinois will again have a size advantage. I'm not saying I expect to watch the Illini in the sweet sixteen, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me. i agree. i think illinois has a very favorable path to the sweet 16. they don't match up very well with KU. though, they would if two KU players were actually playing for the team they should be playing for. but i guess losing early in the tourney is a great way to attract recruits.

i don't know if this is serious or not, but velocity is not the problem. the problem is that he can't get a breaking ball across the plate and he can't locate his 2-seamer. I disagree. More velocity gives pitchers more margin for error. If we want Prior to return to his previous level of performance, he's going to have to regain that speed. There are very, very few pitchers who can dominate like he did without better than average velocity. There just aren't many Greg Maddux pitchers out there. And even he combined better than average velocity with pinpoint control and great movement when he was at his peak. Since he lost those mph, he's become an innings eater instead of a great pitcher. we don't know if he's lost velocity or not. he hasn't thrown to live hitters in a very long time and it's still very early in the spring. when april 1st hits, we'll know if he's lost velocity or not.

i don't know if this is serious or not, but velocity is not the problem. the problem is that he can't get a breaking ball across the plate and he can't locate his 2-seamer. Velocity is a problem. he's a power pitcher throwing in the 80's how is that not a problem. Wade Miller Jr. no, it's not. i remember the same flags going up last year when he came back into the big league rotation. he was throwing in the high 80's and people were freaking out. after a couple starts he was back in the low to mid 90's and people were still freaking out because he couldn't throw strikes. you're ready to anoint him wade miller jr. after 3 1/3 innings of work in cactus league action, talk about overreacting.

i really don't see the fascination with vasher. he's good, but good players can be had in the draft. angelo has shown a fairly decent ability to get good players in the later rounds of the draft on a consistent basis. players like briggs and harris aren't just good, they are top 3 at their respective positions in the NFL--they are perrenial all-pro players. a good GM locks up his all-pro players and shuffles his good players in-and-out through the draft, letting them walk when they ask for all-pro-type money, which they clearly aren't worth. briggs is probably worth what he's asking for. it's just a matter of whether or not he'll get it from anyone.

I think he'll play for the Bears. He's done the Bears no favors as far as helping with trade value, so I think the Bears will call his bluff. I think he'll sign a longterm deal. The Bears have made offers in the past. They can afford him. Barring some white knight team coming in and knocking his socks off, and giving something to the Bears, I think Briggs will be signed longterm by the deadline. He sounds pretty desperate with all his ranting and ravings, but the fact is he hasn't much a ton of money as a pro athlete yet, and I'm guessing he's itching to sign something with high guarantees. which is why i'm not afraid of him holding out. the bears really have him over a barrel here. he's probably wondering if he can get the deal that the bears offered him last offseason. next season, however, he can afford to hold out. they need to get a deal done before the season starts, but angelo seems disinterested. I would be disinterested too if I was him. Briggs wants crazy money and he's not going to get it here. I would let him rot and not get a penny. the problem being is that he's probably entering his prime years while being viewed as the second coming of d. brooks.

i don't know if this is serious or not, but velocity is not the problem. the problem is that he can't get a breaking ball across the plate and he can't locate his 2-seamer.

I think he'll play for the Bears. He's done the Bears no favors as far as helping with trade value, so I think the Bears will call his bluff. I think he'll sign a longterm deal. The Bears have made offers in the past. They can afford him. Barring some white knight team coming in and knocking his socks off, and giving something to the Bears, I think Briggs will be signed longterm by the deadline. He sounds pretty desperate with all his ranting and ravings, but the fact is he hasn't much a ton of money as a pro athlete yet, and I'm guessing he's itching to sign something with high guarantees. which is why i'm not afraid of him holding out. the bears really have him over a barrel here. he's probably wondering if he can get the deal that the bears offered him last offseason. next season, however, he can afford to hold out. they need to get a deal done before the season starts, but angelo seems disinterested.

your last paragraph doesn't make any sense. if murton plays everyday, we'll win more ballgames, imo.

I will be on my honeymoon the next 2 weeks so that way I dont want to know how bad I will do this year! Last year was brutal... Stupid George Mason! i had the same thing happen to me in 2002. i was in tahiti for IU/Maryland. from what i understand, i didn't miss much.

Let me say that I think the Illini are going to lose in the first round. :cry: i think it's more than a winnable game for them. with the defense that the illini play, VT is not unbeatable. however, with the offense that they play, it's not super-likely that they'll make it out of the first round.

let me say that i love the illini's draw and think that a sweet sixteen run is not out of the realm of possibilities.

i noticed this as well...what a jagbag You have never misspoke before? Be a little more critical why don't ya? sure i have...but speaking on national television isn't my job. also, i'll be as critical as i want to be...who are you? his brother? So because he's on national television he's not allowed to make any mistakes? That makes sense. of course he's allowed to make mistakes, and we're allowed to call him a rectal plunger for them criticizing people for being critical is, in itself, critical, right? so you should be less critical of people exercising their God-given right to call hubert davis a douche, because that's what he is.

Are you wanting Jones packaged because you feel Pie should be in CF on opening day? no, because i want murton to play everyday. So you're willing to make the season much harder to do that? If you trade Jones now, you either have Pie in CF (where the offense almost certainly suffers) or you have Murton in RF and Floyd in LF everyday, which is a disaster waiting to happen-if it be from terrible defense or Floyd breaking down. depriving murton of playing time now is a disaster waiting to happen. the guy looks like he could be on the verge of a breakout season. if he's not getting plate appearances, that doesn't bode so well for the team. i can live with below average defense in the outfield if it means that murton continues his progression. if floyd is healthy enough by opening day, i doubt murton gets many PA's. Murton will get 400 PA regardless-he'll get all the AB's against left-handers, some of the right-handers, and pinch-hitting appearances-besides, now that he's Lou's number 1 option for a number 2 hitter he's going to get a good amount of playing time. i don't think that getting him more plate appearances by pinch hitting him more is going to make me feel any better.

Are you wanting Jones packaged because you feel Pie should be in CF on opening day? no, because i want murton to play everyday. So you're willing to make the season much harder to do that? If you trade Jones now, you either have Pie in CF (where the offense almost certainly suffers) or you have Murton in RF and Floyd in LF everyday, which is a disaster waiting to happen-if it be from terrible defense or Floyd breaking down. depriving murton of playing time now is a disaster waiting to happen. the guy looks like he could be on the verge of a breakout season. if he's not getting plate appearances, that doesn't bode so well for the team. i can live with below average defense in the outfield if it means that murton continues his progression. if floyd is healthy enough by opening day, i doubt murton gets many PA's.

That's all that's guaranteed. Link. this is why the pats are always there. what a great deal for them.

Are you wanting Jones packaged because you feel Pie should be in CF on opening day? no, because i want murton to play everyday.

i think that marshall should be actively shopped, if he hasn't been already. sending him to the minors might decrease his perceived value. then again, other clubs should know that he won't make the big club anyway so it might not have a huge effect. but i don't see marshall having much of any part in the cubs' future. I definitely agree with this-Marshall's value comes in that he could be a decent major league pitcher very soon. He can't really increase his value in the minors (I can't see him raising his ceiling very much), and so each year he stays in the minors it will only decrease his value-with the Cubs having plenty of top-end pitching prospects, I'd trade Marshall now. he could be packaged with jones and/or miller. for what, i don't know.