hawkeyecub

You also have to consider that Pie can play CF very well, has a different role in the lineup and will cost a fraction of the price for the next 5 years. I agree with the general point, but I don't think it makes sense to look at it that simply. Morgan Ensberg put up a better OPS than Adam Dunn last year, but I don't think I would trade Pie for him. how many consistent .900 OPS guys are there? Dunn is also younger than Ensberg. I agree and again I'm not necessarily saying I wouldn't trade Pie for Dunn. I just think that their situations are too different to be compared based solely on OPS. I guess here is what you would have to ask yourself. If you think Pie can be a consistent .800+ OPS guy playing a good CF while making a fraction of Dunn's price, is he worth more? To me he might be. By the time Pie would hit free agency and be making decent money, Dunn would be around 32-33. Obviously Dunn is the sure thing and he might be worth giving Pie up for. I don't know if I think so. Pie has a lot of upside and I think he could be a consistent .850 OPS guy while being a very good center fielder and hopefully a productive base stealer.

I'm well aware of that. Chad Tracy put up a .912 OPS, is only 25 years old and has played over 50 games in the outfield. Would you trade Pie for him?

You also have to consider that Pie can play CF very well, has a different role in the lineup and will cost a fraction of the price for the next 5 years. I agree with the general point, but I don't think it makes sense to look at it that simply. Morgan Ensberg put up a better OPS than Adam Dunn last year, but I don't think I would trade Pie for him.

This part of the article seems to imply the Cubs and Furcal will reach a deal sooner rather than later. What's interesting to me is that the only team he mentions is the Cubs. I really think Hendry and Kizner discussed Furcal while negotiating Neifi's deal and have a pretty good understandng.

Geez man, you seem a little too sensitive about this. Does it really matter what we think about those hats? Do you need everyone to tell you they're great? I thought it was pretty easy to tell that they were fake with the color flow, but it shouldn't really matter that much anyway.

pierre's doesn't look that good imo Pierre would never wear his hat straight. And I don't want Pierre. Gee guys... thanx for the "nice photoshopping" and "boy, they do look good" comments.... :roll: Fishing for compliments?

Is this deal final or still just speculation from Rosenthal? I can't find anything on Cubs.com or Espn.com.

:shock: Washburn isn't as overrated and is a LEFTY. I believe that we need at least one lefty in the rotation. Don't get me wrong, I'd love Burnett but Washburn won't demand as much and probably won't want as many years as Burnett wants. Having one lefty in the rotation is what led us to sign Estes for 2003. Washburn's recent stat line. 2005: 3.20 ERA 274 BAA 2002-2004: 4.08 ERA, 266 BAA Burnett's recent stat line. 2005: 3.44 ERA, 237 BAA 2002-2004: 3.61 ERA, 234 BAA I'll take Burnett's numbers over Washburn. I agree that I'd rather have Burnett, but those numbers don't tell the whole story. From 2002-2004 Washburn had 86 starts, Burnett had 55 starts. Washburn threw an extra 202 innings over that frame. And while there is a big gap in BAA, Washburn's OBPA is only 9 points higher due to a lot fewer walks. Burnett does have the big advantage in slugging against and strikeouts though. Obviously Burnett is much more talented and when healthy is better. Also if we're going to spend on another SP I would prefer to just go big rather than settling for someone like Washburn who will still cost you $6M or more. So I guess I don't know why I wasted my time with all of that other than to point out the obvious differences in staying healthy and that BAA isn't all that pertinent in this sense when used by itself.

Should be a good game tomorrow JonM. I've always really liked and respected Basanez and Sutton has been extremely impressive this year. For all the crap your defense gets about giving up yards (which they've improved over the last few games) they know how to force turnovers. The key will be mistakes. We were the least penalized team in the country entering the Michigan game, and lost that game due to 12 penalties. NW seemed to make many more mistakes than normal against Michigan also. One thing that gives me confidence is that Norm Parker (our D. coordinator) has always been able to handle your offense pretty well. I'm sure you remember the 2000 game when you guys came to Kinnick ranked 12th in the country and looking to lock up the Rose Bowl against a 2-7 Iowa team. We haven't faced you the last two years though, and you were a completely different team in '02 when we won 62-10 or whatever it ended up being. You'll get yardage, we just need to limit points. We have the best red zone defense in the Big Ten, giving up points only 66% of the time. Our run defense has improved dramatically and the weakness (lack of a pass rush) really doesn't matter when you face NW. If we can control the ball and eat up some clock on the ground I think we win. 31-23 Iowa.

What is Milton Bradley's contract situation?

I would say that's a little excessive.

The had pretty good stats last year... .271/.340/.546 14 SB with 1 CS I hope the Cards resign him. Those are good stats for a corner outfielder? lol please keep him. Yes for his salary they're pretty good. I'm not quite sure what you're laughing about. An .886 OPS would have placed him right about 20th in the National League last year, 13th in the AL. It's better than Bobby Abreu, Cliff Floyd, Shawn Green, Luis Gonzalez, Jose Guillen, Carlos Lee, Hideki Matsui, Delluci, Mench, and many other quality corner outfielders. Elite? No. But well above average. I don't want Reggie Sanders, but it's ridiculous to suggest that those are poor stats for a corner outfielder. Old Man River can swing for the fences, i'll give you that. his SLG is nice, but OPS is overrated. counting SLG and OBP points the same is ridiculous. calculate 3*OBP + SLG and see where he ranks. doesn't look so good then, but i guess when you look at the wrong stats, anyone can look good. he's cheap? who cares. corner outfield spots are about production, not saving money. Right. I know I would rather pay $12M for an .886 OPS than $4M. Brilliant. You can think counting OBP and SLG the same is ridiculous if you want, but the OPS calculation isn't seen by most as "ridiculous." Obviously it's not perfect, but it gives you an idea that he was a pretty solid corner outfielder. When you look at the wrong stats anyone can look good? Who's to say you aren't looking at the wrong stats. The fact of the matter is he posted a stat line and said they were pretty good, which they were. You laughed at him, basically saying they were terrible for a corner outfielder, when they aren't.

The had pretty good stats last year... .271/.340/.546 14 SB with 1 CS I hope the Cards resign him. Those are good stats for a corner outfielder? lol please keep him. Yes for his salary they're pretty good. I'm not quite sure what you're laughing about. An .886 OPS would have placed him right about 20th in the National League last year, 13th in the AL. It's better than Bobby Abreu, Cliff Floyd, Shawn Green, Luis Gonzalez, Jose Guillen, Carlos Lee, Hideki Matsui, Delluci, Mench, and many other quality corner outfielders. Elite? No. But well above average. I don't want Reggie Sanders, but it's ridiculous to suggest that those are poor stats for a corner outfielder.

Yes you're right about Michigan State. But on your second question I don't see how it's even a question. Purdue is 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference. They got embarrassed by ND at home, lost by 17 at home against Iowa and lost at NW and Minnesota. Many thought they could run the table with their schedule. Iowa is 5-2 and 3-1 in the conference. They got killed by Ohio State, but lost to ISU due to 5 turnovers and Drew Tate being knocked out early. In their last 3 Big Ten games vs. Illinois, @ Purdue and vs. Indiana they've outscored their opponents 107-45. Many expected them to lose @ OSU so really the only unexpected loss was that debacle at ISU. Michigan is 4-3, 2-2 but lost close to ND, close at Wisconsin and lost close on a fluke play to Minnesota. They had big wins @ Michigan State and vs. Penn State. They've played a very difficult schedule this year. I honestly don't see how you could even put Purdue and Iowa in the same ballpark. Purdue has also been much, much more disappointing than Michigan.

With the Miami game being postponed, nearly all of the country will see Iowa/Michigan on ABC at 11. Iowa's 22 game home winning streak is on the line. Our last Big Ten home loss was in 2001 against Michigan, 32-26 on a couple of botched special teams plays. Since that time we're 13-0 against the Big Ten in Kinnick, with wins over every other conference team in that stretch. The winner of this one is still alive in the conference race, especially Iowa who is now tied for first at 3-1. If Michigan loses, they're in some trouble. The Hawks are also 22-2 in October and November from 2002-now. Kirk's teams have always gotten better as the season wears on and hopefully that's the case again this year. We have a bye week next week and finish @ NW, @ Wisconsin and vs. Minnesota. Right now I could see us running the table, but losing 2 of those games wouldn't surprise me all that much.

There has never been a fan base that complains about officiating more than Penn State fans. I guess they're just following Joe Pa's lead from the last 5 years. Take a look at their rivals.com board (after practically every loss) and you'll know what I mean. ND isn't a top 5 team right now, they just aren't. They're 4-2 with a loss at home to another two-loss team, and have three wins over losing teams. That's not saying they aren't a very good team who could run the table, but they're simply not top 5 right now and in my opinion not top 10.

Holtz is a moron? How so? Come on man. I'm sure you like Lou and that's fine, but he's just awful on TV. The fact that he's a ridiculous ND homer doesn't bother me that much. He just has no television presence, doesn't speak all that well and doesn't really add much insight. Doesn't speak that well? He has pretty bad lisp, but he is also on of the most requested motivational speakers. He is well known for his speaking abilities. I don't think a lisp takes away from what a person says. I personally enjoy watching him. I think he is hilarious, and he always has been. I have seen Holtz speak many times, and while he may not have television presence he is a very, very good speaker. And does being awful on TV make him a moron? I didn't call him a moron, just said that he's terrible on TV. He doesn't just have a lisp, he sounds like he has a gallon of water in his mouth every time he speaks. When you can't understand much of what a person is saying on TV, that usually is what detracts from them being considered a great speaker. Holtz just doesn't know what he's talking about and it's really that simple. Earlier this year he said Iowa didn't have to worry about Iowa State, but UNI (1-AA) team was their real in-state rival and the team they had to worry about. Yeah, okay Lou. Today he was arguing with Jim Donnan (who is also very bad) about how this Saturday night would be Les Miles first home night game as head coach at LSU. When Donnan told him that they played Tenn. at home during a night game Lou simply responded "No." Then later after a producer got in his ear, he backtracked. He just isn't good and that seems to be the consensus of just about every college football fan I've talked to this year. Well every college football fan who isn't a Notre Dame fan.

Holtz is a moron? How so? Come on man. I'm sure you like Lou and that's fine, but he's just awful on TV. The fact that he's a ridiculous ND homer doesn't bother me that much. He just has no television presence, doesn't speak all that well and doesn't really add much insight.

...among their own fans? And if you take it a step further, how many managers are there who are popular among their fans, and also thought of as a good manger throughout baseball? I really can't think of many. LaRussa and Torre would be as close as it gets. Possibly Gardenhire or Scoscia. By the way could we not let this turn into a thread debating Baker? It's not meant to knock or defend him, just an observation on the current state of baseball. It just seems to me that in this day and age- where everything is so closely followed and scrutinized through the internet, sports talk radio and TV- that every manager frustrates his fans over the course of a 162 game season and within a few years they lose faith in him. And if he's lucky enough not to do that, a majority of the time other fans or experts around baseball view him as a fool.

Wow I didn't think they were that close either. Whoever wins tomorrow's game instantly becomes the front runner for the Heisman. Vince Young may have something to say about that. Actually I really don't see Leinart winning the Heisman this year even if they run the table. I think Bush is much more likely to win it than Leinart.

I never thought I'd say this ever...but...Go Irish :-\ I hate ND more than USC, but I'm so tired of hearing about them, and I want a new Champion this year...so...Go Irish... I'll be at the game too. Do you know where Gameday is setting up? The last time they were there it was infront of the Library (touchdown Jesus). You going up for the Pep Rally on Friday night? Montana is the speaker, and it will be aired on ESPNEWS. Charlie has been wearing a USC OWNS ND hat all week, and is expected to wear it at the pep rally as well. I really can't wait for this weekend. I also like ND being 13 point dogs. I really don't know what to think of Charlie. At times he seems like a really good guy, a very smart coach and has traits of that Belichick mold. But then at times he just seems like a totally arrogant jerk who goes against that mold. I kind of feel the same way. I love the guy as a coach, and is really is a wonderful person from everything I hear. However at times he does seem arrogant. There have been some quotes he has made where I had to do a double take to make sure I heard/read it correctly. I think he is very, very confident, and at times it can come across as arrogance. Yep. Saying that he could "out X and O any college coach in America" comes to mind. If you're confident and believe that, more power to you. But I don't really see any reason to say that to the press. It's not something I could ever see Belichick saying and it's definitely not something Ferentz would ever say. By the way honest question for you and any other ND fans here. Do you guys worry about him leaving to be a head coach in the NFL? I know there have been some rumblings about the new Vikings owner possibly opening up the wallet to try to lure him to the NFL. I'm sure money wouldn't be an issue as ND alumni/boosters would probably make him the highest paid college coach if he's successful. He just seems like much more of an NFL guy and the offers will almost certainly be there. I know he has strong loyalties to ND and I could certainly see him wanting to stick around for a long time to return them to sustained prominence and become a legend there. And believe me as an Iowa fan I know how frustrating it is when people continue to throw out unfounded NFL speculation. Just wondering if it's something that comes up in Notre Dame circles.

I never thought I'd say this ever...but...Go Irish :-\ I hate ND more than USC, but I'm so tired of hearing about them, and I want a new Champion this year...so...Go Irish... I'll be at the game too. Do you know where Gameday is setting up? The last time they were there it was infront of the Library (touchdown Jesus). You going up for the Pep Rally on Friday night? Montana is the speaker, and it will be aired on ESPNEWS. Charlie has been wearing a USC OWNS ND hat all week, and is expected to wear it at the pep rally as well. I really can't wait for this weekend. I also like ND being 13 point dogs. I really don't know what to think of Charlie. At times he seems like a really good guy, a very smart coach and has traits of that Belichick mold. But then at times he just seems like a totally arrogant jerk who goes against that mold.

So you think Iowa can keep themselves in the game? Are you just trying to flame or do you really think Indiana is that good? I think Indiana is very much improved and they can keep the game close. But I really have a hard time seeing them end Iowa's 21 game home winning streak. We haven't lost a Big Ten home game since Michigan in 2001. Especially after Iowa really put together a solid game last week, and showed solid improvement two weeks ago against Illinois. Also keep in mind that Iowa is 21-2 in October and November over the last 3 years. Since he arrived in '99, Kirk's teams have always gotten much better as the season goes along and they're showing signs of that again this year.

After having that big error in game 2, hitting .133 with 0 RBI this series and grounding into that double play in the 9th last night, all of the A-Rod bashing is back in full force in NY. "He's horrible in the clutch, he's not a true Yankee..." and so on. If I understand this correctly, the Yankees are paying him: $15M in '06 $16M in '07 $16M in '08 $17M in '09 $18M in '10 I'm sure if he were involved in a deal, the Yankees would eat a few million on the back end of that deal taking it down to around $15M per year. So the question is, what would we have to give up and what would you be willing to give up? I'm pretty confident they would be willing to give him up if we put the right deal together, and we could probably land him at a price lower than we should.

Adjusting for opportunity, the difference between Lee and Choi this season works out to be about 55 runs, or 5-6 wins. In your proposed scenario, I'd say that a Cubs team with Choi+$8 million worth of produciton elsewhere would finish 3-4 games behind the Cubs with Lee manning first. Worse, but not radically so. Sub in Tracy for Choi, and difference dwindles down to a game or less... I just have an incredibly hard time buying that. Downgrading at 1st base from the most productive player in baseball this year, to a much poorer defensive first baseman who has a sub-.800 OPS would only cost us 5-6 games? Wouldn't that be comprable to saying that if we had Vlad or Manny in LF this year, we would only have been 3-4 games better? It's only a .230 differential in OPS as opposed to roughly 300 points in the case of Lee/Choi. I guess I just have a difficult time believing that if Vlad or Manny were our everyday LF and no other changes to the lineup were made, we would only have been able to win roughly 4 additional games. Things like that are just seem incredibly difficult to measure in my opinion.