Connor McConnor

Well Bruce's report isn't the only thing talking abou it. It's on the Score, ESPN 1000, and XM Radio MLB Home Plate. Everyone is talking about it. Someone on another thread said someone who is close to Tejada said Tejada would be happy to come to the Cubs if a trade happened. Go to the Cardinals board.....4 threads about Tejada going to the Cardinals. I suspect that every message board for every team is currently chewing on why Tejada will end up with them in the near future. Dont get your hopes up.

From Rotoworld: "Tejada basically quit on the Orioles late in the season, and now he wants out just two years into a six-year deal. Saying he doesn't like the direction is ridiculous. The Orioles are willing to spend money -- they had the high offer to Paul Konerko on the table -- it's just that no one is as eager to take it as Tejada was when he made his way to the high bidder. Plus, they now have the game's best pitching coach. Anyone who would turn on his team like Tejada has looks like a bad risk to us, even if his $72 million contract seems pretty reasonable right now. Of course, he'll probably be linked to the Red Sox right away." For someone who said "he shows up everyday." He's a crybaby who is turing his back on a team after 2 years and badmouthing them in the press. We all know how things tend to go not so well around here in Cubland...what will he be saying after a few "disappointing" seasons with the Cubs? Forget him. He's trouble. Get a good RF. Cub fans are like construction workers oogling any good looking chick in a tight skirt who happens to walk by. Might be nice to look at and think about.....but you probably dont REALLY wanna be married to her.

Agreed. I have a vision of Patterson becoming great somewhere else.

Looking at his stats...he's only had one full year? Are the others years short due to injuries? His stats look decent....but....am I the only one who see's the possbility of Corey getting it together? He's (Corey) certainly had his problems...but he's also had been great at times. Last year at this time very few wanted to dump him. I picture him in that Dodger uniform....it would be our luck to have him turn into a superstar out there.

Kind of overdoing the "cubune" thing arent ya? Sound very much like a White Sox fan. "The masses" are Cub fans mostly because they were raised that way....and we'd really like to see them win the stinking world series one of these years. Not because a media company owns the team or forces us to do anything. I get very little Cub information from the Tribune anymore. I doubt that most fans do. They (Tribune) spent enough money.....the team across town just won the World Series spending a lot less. It has nothing to do with ownership or the amount spent....they spend plenty.....its how its spent.

I've often felt this was a valid point. The constant "leadoff hitter" blabbering seems silly. He's only guaranteed to lead off one inning. The batting positions in front to of your big hitters is certainly important....but the "leadoff hitter" bit seems way overdone to me.

Yea....they will love him as a football player.....hate him as a pitcher. I can see him sweating already....he will be run out of town within 2 years. Dusty abused him? By putting him into games and expecting him to get people out? Did Cox abuse him when he put him this fall and he imloded in Houston? The guy tanks in pressure situations. The Yankees are giving him 15 mil to do what? Tackle people?

Aside from the "choking dog" comments......and the he'd be great "if" (insert almost anything)...the fact is that in important spots the guy has been terrible. Yes, he has decent stats over the course of his career....but he'd be the LAST guy I would want to see with the ball with a crucial game on the line....as witnessed byt his stellar performance this fall. The Farnsworth love is really puzzling to me.....did the football tackle really endear him that much? IF the Cubs were 6 outs form the series (ouch) and there were men on base.....would you really want to see Farnsworth in a Cubs uniform taking the bump?

Yea....I sure missed Farnsworth when I was watching him pitch for Atlanta this year down in Houston. Made me really yearn for him to be back on our team (sarcasm).

I'm surprised by my own lack of passion regarding the Sox success. I though it would bother me more. It hasnt. Im just not really interested. Similar to any other postseason that the Cubs are not involved in....which is most of them. It might as well be Toronto and San Fran playing the series. If the Cubs arent in it....I just dont care that much. I hate the Sox. But....they are gonna win the series? Ho hum.

You dont "barely win" 99 games. Sure you can. 32-18 in 1 run games this season. since I didn't see a site listing 1-run numbers, I'm not about to go look at every team's record to compare that. But does anyone want to say there was a team that won more (and a higher percentage of its) close games? Id be willing to bet that ANY team that wins 99 games in a season has won a lot of 1 run games. Just as any team that has lost a lot of games has lost a lot of 1 run games. Thats the difference between winning and losing in case you havent noticed....1 run. They found a way to win the close games. I hate the Sox....but I have to give them credit for reaching the promised land. Finding ways to take away from what they have accomplished is very much something a lot of thier fans would do if we had won 99 games. They did a good job...won a lot of games and are in the World Series. I hate it....but they did it.

You dont "barely win" 99 games. And then roll through the playoffs with 1 loss so far. They are obviously doing something right.

Bravo! Baseball is unpredictable......thats what makes it exciting. Its also why middle of the road payroll teams like the White Sox and Marlins can (and do) make it to the post season and perhaps go all the way. All the hand ringing over certain games, managers, pitches, plays.....may be inevitable due to the engrossing nature of the sport (if you are into it)....but a lot of what happens is chance. By the way.....this is what is so frsustrating about the Cubs. You would think they would have made it to the Series BY ACCIDENT by now.

All I know for sure is: I hate the White Sox. Even more now. But hey..if they go all the way...we were just given a gift from heaven! We can blame it on "the call." Sweet.

4 is more than 2. brilliant....still had the lead after the grand slam though. I love measuring the true nature of someones crappines. Lets bring Farnsworth, Alfonseca, and Fassero back. Then all will be well.

Every pitcher is going to give up runs. Also, he shouldn't have been in there in the ninth. The granny was the most damaging, so that was what I was referencing. But, if you want to paint him as a terrible pitcher because of this one outing, be my guest. You might as well include Prior and Wood in the same category for giving up leads late in playoff games in which their team lost. The granny was most damaging? More damaging than the home run that TIED the game in the 9th with 2 outs (I believe?) Granted..you need one for the other to happen...but he had a lead after the grad slam...which he STILL couldnt hold. Do you notice a trend here? Not just hits.....but HOME RUNS WITH MEN ON BASE (usually that he has walked). Also...calling him a "bad pitcher" because of 1 game....1 game? Blowing leads in crucial situations is a consistent pattern with him. Even more damaging..he hasnt had any playoff success with which you can balance it out. Can anyone point to a playoff situation where he has made the difference in a positive way? I really cannot fathom trying to defend a guy who has done nothing to deserve it. He just pitched the Braves right out of the playoffs. He had a huge lead....which he blew. He lost several games for us...including opening the floodgates when we were about an inning away from the world series.....and Cub fans want to throw stats around in his defense..as if he's really great if we would just forget the HORRIBLE results in playoff/must have situations. He throws hard and will get a lot of strike outs. He's had good moments and..overall has had effective stretches....the stats reflect that. But it also cannot be denied that he has had several implosions at the absolute worst of times. When a playoff game has been on the line....he hasnt gotten the job done.

If they somehow win the WS they can have their victory parade in Cellular field. Since only about 40,000.00 people will care. I want them to lose. And I will especially enjoy it if they lose badly. If they win I will not care. It will just make me dislike them more. Im shallow I guess. They hate us. We hate them. Certain things in life are absolute.

Geez, did you even WATCH Farnsworth with the Cubs the last six years? Sometimes he was great. Sometimes he was a gas can. There were way too many times he was the gas can to be worth sticking with him. I can think of a half-dozen times against the Cardinals alone that Farnsworth completely blew it. Couldn't throw strikes for the life of him. Then grooves a fastball that gets clubbed to death 450 feet. Next. Agreed. I guess the games that I was watching were he was the pticher walking people and giving up hits in big games didnt happen. How many times to pitchers get big moments in playoff games? Every time he has been needed to get BIG outs in playoffs games he has failed. Worse than that...he's given up a lot of runs and walks. What we saw yesterday was what we saw a lot with Farnsowrth. Or else he'd still be on the team. The stat I care about is WINS. Especially in playoff games. He failed. I could care less about the "off field" stuff. He killed us....OFTEN!

This is a great thread by all involved. Combine this with Sullivans piece here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-051003cubsrowcorner,1,525766.story?coll=chi-sportsnew-hed and the result is devastating for those making out lineup cards over at Wrigley. Im not sure how the powers that be over there look at these numbers and continue on the same course. Something is definitely wrong. Do teams watch these stats as the season progresses? Or are these things just tabulated at the end of the year? Im guessing they probably do...which begs the question......wtf? OOps....Edited to change author to Sullivan.

How "Cub-Like." I was done with baseball about a month ago. Suddenly Im interested again. Thanks White Sox. Im sure its our fault (and the medias, and the umpires, and everyone elses) but thanks nevertheless.

tee-hee

Says a lot more about Hendry than it does Macias. Cant blame Macias for taking the money. CAN blame Hendry for being dumb enought to give it to him.

Ha! :lol:

Because people dont want to admit what has become reality. Prior and Wood are not that good.....even when healthy. Last year Prior's problems were injuries (according to many). This year...injuries again. He's been healthy awhile .....and not all that good. Im not saying he's bad....but I dont think he's going to be a Clemens or a Maddux. The Cubs were banking on the rotation of Wood,Prior,Z,Maddux and whoever else to lead them to the promised land. THey firgured they could get by with mediocre offense. If the starters were great.....it might have worked. THe plan has failed. Better come up with a new idea. Banking on Wood and Prior is not going to work. Unless they admit that to themselves...we are in for a few more years of watching Wood get hurt and Prior not live up to his hype (and also probably get hurt). all i can say is, wow. Wow? Neither of them has proven to be CONSISTENTLY effective. Both are prone to control problems.....and they get hammered when it happens. Are they talented? Obviously. Prior is middle of the pack in just about everything this season.....and Wood is injured AGAIN. My point was only that to rely on these 2 guys to be supermen and take you to the series is not going to happen. "Not that good" was perhaps a bad choice of words. How about "consistently inconsistent."

Because people dont want to admit what has become reality. Prior and Wood are not that good.....even when healthy. Last year Prior's problems were injuries (according to many). This year...injuries again. He's been healthy awhile .....and not all that good. Im not saying he's bad....but I dont think he's going to be a Clemens or a Maddux. The Cubs were banking on the rotation of Wood,Prior,Z,Maddux and whoever else to lead them to the promised land. THey firgured they could get by with mediocre offense. If the starters were great.....it might have worked. THe plan has failed. Better come up with a new idea. Banking on Wood and Prior is not going to work. Unless they admit that to themselves...we are in for a few more years of watching Wood get hurt and Prior not live up to his hype (and also probably get hurt).