mhuber92211

Apparently (according to a Yahoo story) the deal is worth 750K :shock: And last season people were touting Sabean as a good GM :lol:

I don't think that pickking up Williamson was a good idea. $2 million seems a bit steep considering what else is available and what the Cubs already have available. Yes he is a talented pitcher but the numbers he put up weren't good enough to quiet the concerns from 2 TJS. I hope this gives us the 8th inning guy we despartely need but I also hope it doesn't come back around to bite us. As far as Cedeno, he is in Iowa this season until our SS gets injured. No doubt that Furcal or Nomar are in Cub blue and if that is the case then Cedeno is better served in Iowa until the injury happens. I would rather have Hairston and Fontenot on the bench then Cedeno.

well the "mighty" 1090 had Giles' agent on the air for a segment this afternoon (around 1:45pm). Lots of good info but mostly bad news overall. The agent (Vick?) stated that the $21 million published was under what was actually offered but still stated that the Padres offer wasn't what Giles was worth. The hosts specualted that it was 3/$24. The agent did state that Giles would take less to stay in SD but NOT a lot less. Basically he said that if it came down to SD or somewhere else and the money was the same, he would choose SD. He also insinuiated that SD would only go 3 years. Basically the tone was light and the agent was comfortable saying that Giles would like to stay in SD. But he also said that 12-15 teams have shown interest. Here is the nice part of the segment. After the agent got off the phone the hosts were talking about where Giles would really end up and they narrowed it down to 3 teams, the Padres, Cardinals and the Cubs. Good news for those who haven't heard about the Cubs interest. At least talking heads are speaking the obvious.

It would be a smart fit since hardly anyone even notices the Mariners. And Sosa would help the team continue to appeal to the Asian market as Sosa is a big draw in Japan.

The Pads are headed down a pretty dark road. But what is interesting is that the local sports people (print & radio) are both split evenly as to how to go. SOme say break the bank and go for it another year but others say its time to "blow it up". Most of the them all agree that Hernandez is gone and almost all of them (regardless of what Philly billy says) think that Giles, Loretta, Burroughs, Klesko (if possible), Williams, Lawrence are all available. Any of those players interest anyone? I am sure that SD would be interested in Patterson (would fit well in Petco) and I am positive that if the offer is Patterson/Hill we could get our choice of Klesko/Burroughs or Klesko/Lawrence. I would think hard about Klesko/Lawrence.

We have no need to spend 5-10 million on a SP. We have plenty we just need to stick with them. Spend the money elsewhere (through trades ala the Lee deal) and get moving!

Can we questions why a decision on Corey would even be in the top 3 right now? I doubt it is. When is the non tender deadline? Then he would be a decision. I think the emphasis right now is on Walker & Rusch and also on roster construction. Remember the Rule 5 Draft is coming and the team still needs to set its roster for that.

thanks

The guys they added to Hacksaw aren't sports guys. I guess that was what I was trying to get to. I do like the "non sports" headlines but other then that, it seems that every time i listen to the show they are making joke radio slightly above the stern type shows. I am listening to sports talk, not "entertainment" radio. At least the Big Show (on 710) mixes the 2 well.

570 is the worse especially now that they have added MORE blowhards to the Hacksaw show and have added Mancow. Crazy station and all they talk about is Lakers and Dodgers. Unreal how insanely stupid they are to listen to. Lee Klein at night isn't that bad. One good show is the "Big Show" with Mason and Ireland on 710. They are fun to listen to and aren't pretenious. The only good show on 1090 is the Coach Katera show. The others are just a whine-a-thon about SD sports.

I guess nobody read my post about the station. Oh well... People are pushing the panic button WAY too early

No One can call teh Tampa situation yet. Without a GM or manager its kinda tough to see what direction they take. Reagrdless, I don't put much stock into these rumors. The "mighty 1090" has been talking about the Giles deal for a long time (since July) and it has been a regular part of the "Werndel Wire" which is a brief segment on "insider info" from one of the talk show hosts. The fans in SD are split. They want the team to spend money but recognize that the team is in a state of disarray and will likely need to be blown up and begun all over again. They have a good foundation and solid building blocks in Peavy, Eaton (I am still high on him and can't believe he didn't throw game 2), Lawrence (who is getting pricey), Barfield and Johnson. They have too man albatross contracts (Park & Klesko) to made a big splash like Giles and he doesn't make sense for the future of the club. This station also has a weekly (on Fridays between 1 and 3) with Mark Loretta. He is a great interview and a classy guy. He is also pretty straight when it comes to talking about the team. He didn't shy away from calling Hernandez out earlier in the year and had no qualms about saying he expected a trade involving Burroughs and probably himself. He hinted around about Giles in that he wasn't sure if the ownership would be willing to spend for him. From listening to the station the majority of the year I don't get the impression that Giles is returning. When asked directly he has been evasive and non committal. Don't give up on your wishes yet.

I doubt that Hershiser works in the DePo environment. Hershiser wants more control and a more hands off GM. I would expect Terry Collins who was the front runner to get the job.

Portland would be my first choice! (Not that my avatar is from the Portland Baseball Group or anything.) The Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area is the largest market in the US without a MLB team. Also, Portland has less rainfall during the baseball season than 16 other MLB cities, including Chicago. However, I am thinking more relocation than expansion. It doesn't make sense to revenue share with teams that don't always put that money back onto the field. Rob Neyer did a great article a couple of years back when the Expos were moving. The Portland area is such a perfect place for baseball to grow with the population. This is part of the key to relocation. The area has to be growing in order to maintain a fan base. Portland is still one of the fastest growing areas in all of the US and it is a bigger market then several places that already has a team. Besides, they would build the most beautiful park along the Columbia river imaginable. Or imagine a Columbia River Gorge stadium! How would that Pujols shot look if it was heading into a gorge?

I would expect this to happen since they sent him to the AFL. Otherwise why make him so public?

I forgot! (Don't know how!) I worked in Palm Springs one year and my hotel sponsered a celeb golf tourney (during the Bob Hope Classic) and Ernie Banks was playing in the tourney. As the hotel I worked at sat right on the course we all sat on a patio while the Celebs drove by. THe girls I was with were interested in the other "hotties" but I had this sign in my office ("Cub Fan Parking Only) so I brought it down to see if Ernie would be kind and sign. Well once he came around, I got really shy. My boss ended up grabbing the sign and going down to Ernie. She apparently told him that I was a huge fan and had my office adorned with Cubs gear but that I was too shy to come and talk to him. He yelled at me to come to the cart and who could resist? I went down, got my sign signed and he was very genuine and hassled me about being shy. Nice guy.

YEAH! Another Fave of mine is writing a journal, like Harris before him. Lets hope he takes emails.

4.5 million for Burnitz in a market like last offseason and only have to commit to 1 season is actually a bargin in retrospect. Really he filled a position of need for the Cubs at the time. He was a LH power bat who played solid defense and had good character attributes. Yes his production was not one of a Beltran's (potentially) and a Drew (arguably not but that's a different debate). In all reality Burnitz should be marked under the "good acquisition" for Hendry not a bad one. Out of curiosity, how did Burnitz fair against other NL (& ML) OF stats wise?

Larry Walker is a HOF. Of course I also think Dale Murphy is one too and for some reason (not really stats) I always likened the 2 similar.

If expansion happens then the number of games would have to revert back to 154 which wouldn't be that bad. Also, the area of choice for expansion HAS to include Portland, OR

Does the team have a "roving" hitting instructor that might provide a different voice then the las 2 seasons? Despite the bleak season with Corey, I think all would agree that he has talent and that offering him 1 more season wouldn't hurt, especially since it allows Pie another developmental year.

The thread on meeting Todd Walker got me wondering who else has met other ball players? Since I work in the hotel business I have had the pleasure of meeting several players. I used to work at a Marriott hotel in LA where the visiting NBA (and WBNA) teams who were playing the Lakers would stay (the old Jazz teams were always the best). Also before the draft, Michael Olowandkandi stayed with us for nearly 3 weeks (never had any money!) While working at Caesar's Tahoe we sponsored the 4th of July celeb golf tournament and all the Celebs stayed at the hotel. After the golf was over Pete Rose had a limo going to the Reno airport. He come down to the lobby an hour early and I got to chat with him for awhile. Great baseball conversation. Just 2 days ago I had a fun experience. I now work at an Indian Casino (Pechanga, look us up!) and Mike Gallego happened to pull into Valet. I talked to him for a little bit. He was surprised I knew who he was and I told him that back in the day I had a long conversation with my friends on how he would have made a great player for the Cubs but instead he went to the hated Yankees. He laughed and said that he would have rather played in Chicago. Nice guy. So who have you all met?

How can it be said that Hendry "undervalues" marquee FA names? First of all we have no idea what really was offered to Beltran and Thome and others. Second, he was right wasn't he? I mean when the OF that signed last offseason got their deals, the concenus was that each of them was overpaid and we were glad we weren't stuck with Maggs or Drew at that kind of salary. Same went with Beltran getting over 100 million. Hendry is cautious enough to not put the Cubs in a situation similar to the Sosa contract. Bravo to him for that.

What rumors would you expect to hear before players can even file for FA? We have no staff openings (which can be argued about and has been) and what else do we have? Beat writer's speculation. No other team that has a staff under contract have any specualtion. They are enjoying October baseball and wishing they were part of it. It is absolutely ridiculous to critize Hendry for not speaking with Mazzone. For all we kno whe did during Rothschild's courtship but regardless, if this is the reaction towards every transaction of personell that some desired on the team (or would make the team better) it will be a long offseason.

I am completely against any trade involving Milton Bradley. Why would we be interested in a player like that? Are we just the type of fans that look directly at numbers and forget about what kind of person this player is? This guy self destructs at least 1 time a season which results in a slump/DL time for him and the team who is forced to go through a media blitz. Bradley assulated his pregnant wife. He threw things back into the stands and constantly yells back at them during games. Imagine that in CF for the Cubs and all the bleacher bums. It just doesn't make sense when you look at the overall player Bradley is. I doubt that Hendry would look anywhere near Bradley after his moves towards "chemistry". There are plenty of better options then Bradley. I would classify acquiring Bradley to being the acquiring team of Sosa loast season. Plently of ideas that he could return to some sort of glory and that any trouble can be left behind but we all know in the back of our minds that its hard to change people.