Wheelimus

Give me that 1998 salary for the last 10 years and I'd be the happiest person on earth. You think you would, but if you are like most people, you really wouldn't. Hmm, make 35 right now. You know, I'm pretty sure I could say that if I made his 98 salary for 10 years, i'd be pretty high up there in happiest people on earth. :D

Ha, from the same town as me and sarcastic as hell. We'd get along well! :lol:

What size? Yes, I AM that sadistic. :lol:

Cubbie Swagger? truth talking Running your mouth after DLee saved your hiney with a GG double play? All of the above?

Well, his '05 pre-All Star line was .275/.322, so he had an ISOD of 47 at that point. I suppose one of 60 isn't out of the question if (big word there) he has progressed as a hitter. I'm not saying he's going to put up a great line, but even a bad line is much better than I expected. I was really thinking we'd get .240/.270/.300/.570 out of him. I hope he can keep it up, just watching him swing the bat I feel like he has more of an idea of what he's doing than I ever did in the past.

Hell no. Barrett is a premier offensive catcher. His defense is not that bad. Yes, he's made a few bad plays you can blow out of proportion this year, but overall he's about average behind the plate, below average in throwing guys out. Seriously look at last years NL catchers fielding stats and tell me what is so atrocious that we should give up Michael's bat. Little bit below average in errors actually, too high in passed balls (not that he's alone there). And he had far less in '05, so it could have been an aberration. Too many stolen bases, but it isn't like he's the only guy teams run on. The Mets somehow had a great year with Lo Duca behind the plate. Yes, Yadier Molina plays steller defense, but he also hits like a little girl. Give me Barrett's bat and his defensive flaws anyday of the week over Yadier. Forget trading him, I want a 3 year deal.

I'm certainly not convinced on Cesar yet, and his .300/.333/.500 line is only going to stay awesome if that slugging stayed there, which we know it won't, but still, I was expecting numbers so bad I'd long for Neifi. And he still may do that, but so far I haven't felt like he was just lucky, he's swinging the bat well.

I'll admit, if he keeps it up I'm going to have to eat some serious crow, but mmm mmm good crow it is... Would have to be one of the most remarkable turnarounds of a career in history. I don't know what the hitting coach of the Rangers did to him, but damn it, I want to steal the guy away from them. Because right now DeRosa is swinging the bat as good as anyone in the league. Having said that, there must be something to **our** hitting coach because not only is DeRosa playing well above what I expected, but Cesar has left me in need of a jaw lift...

Rich Hill will not only win the Cy Young, he will also win the MVP award, along with the MVP of every round of the playoffs, as The Cubs win The World Series. Then, America will transfer their Rich Hill love to the next level, and make him the next President Of The United States. It will be agreed that he can work from his Chicago office once every five days. :D There, I said it!

Little too patient there Izzy...

ugh, no more walks please

Damn you Jacque. He's not showing us much in the early going. Mixed with his iffy spring and I'm a bit worried.

Way to hit 'em with the boomstick Aram!

Nice walk for Matt. Drive him in Derrek!

Just following it on Gameday, but so far so good. 48 pitches, 30 strikes, 18 balls, through 4 innings. Would prefer more strikes but I'm not going to complain.

Now lets get that run back cubbies...

These will be the type of innings which determine what kind of season Marquis is going to have. We know he'll get himself into jams, but can he ever get out of them?

The last part of him giving that single mom a grand and getting her permission from her boss to go home made it into a feel good story. :D

In other news, I arrived this morning at 8 AM, as scheduled. I also arrived back from lunch at 1 PM, as scheduled. Luckily, I appear to still have a job despite not showing up early to make a good impression...

Hope I'm not too late! 1. Number of Cubs wins, 2007 85 97 +0 2. Number of Cubs wins, Cardinals season series (16 games) 10 11 +100 3. Number of runs scored, 2007 752 850 +25 4. Number of runs allowed, 2007 690 695 +300 5. Final Placement in the NL Central Division 1st 1st +200 Player Stats & Scoring 1. Number of DLee Home Runs 22 42 +0 2. Number of Soriano Stolen Bases 19 45 +0 3. Murton's Batting Average .281 .312 +0 4. Aramis' RBIs 101 115 +20 5. Carlos Zambrano's Wins 18 20 +30 6. Jason Marquis' ERA 4.43 4.25 +40 7. Rich Hill's Ks 183 215 +30 8. Ted Lilly's Innings Pitched 207 170 +20 Bonus Questions I (30 points each) 1. Which will be higher: Z's batting average or Z's batting average against? Z's batting average +30 2. Which will be higher: Aramis' HRs or Marquis' HRs allowed? Aram's HR +30 3. Which will be higher: Cesar's OBP or DLee's batting average? Cesar's OBP +0 4. Who will have more HRs: Barrett or Murton? Barrett +30 5. Who will have more wins: Hill or Lilly? Hill +0 6. Who will have a higher K/BB: Zambrano or Hill? Zambrano +0 Bonus II Questions (30 points each) 1. Most HRs: Derrek Lee +0 2. Highest OBP (min. 350 ABs): Matt Murton +0 3. Lowest ERA (min. 150 IPs): Rich Hill +0 4. Most saves: Ryan Dempster +30 ------------------------ Team Stats +625 Player Stats +140 Bonus I: +90 Bonus II: +30 Total: 885

Boooo!!!!!!!!!! Actually, I'm glad. I want us to get into the playoffs after actually being the best team, because that will be the team that's war tested enough to fight to the World Series. And I'd never wish injury on someone. When your team is already allegedly cursed, you don't want to invite bad karma... I believe in this team and this manager and feel they can beat The Cardinals of 2007, with or without Carpenter. :wink:

Yeah, but he wasn't clubbing baby seals. He was kicking puppies in their junk. He's just THAT mean...

I'm not. I'd also accept Angel Guzman forcing the issue as an alternative option! :D

This is why I would kill to have the 2003 Mark Prior back, though. Imagine a four game series where you face Z, Lilly, Prior, and Hill, in that order. Get through that without your brain fried and you deserve a medal.

I hope this is the real Ted Lilly. The bits and pieces I'd seen of him prior to this year led me to believe he was better than his number indicated. The league switch just might do him wonders. Going to be a fun year.