RonCey

http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cub07.html With respect to Aramis loafing around the bases admiring his non-home run late in the game last night: "Everybody says he doesn't hustle. He just hustled at the wrong time and wrong situation." Uhh, I don't mean to get all Confucius on you Dusty, but if you hustled at the wrong time, that means you're not hustling at the right time.

http://www.comcast.net/sports/mlb/index.jsp?cat=BASEBALL&fn=/teams/2006/06/21/418629.html This should probably be merged with the other thread.

If Scott Skiles or Lovie Smith called any Chicago journalist a "f#cking f#g" yesterday, regardless of the context, he would already have been suspended by the team and/or the league, and possibly fired. It's as simple as that.

Yes, the author did a terrible job of explaining that very-important fact. Those of you sitting in the new bleacher boxes in the next few weeks: enlighten us with your experience and the alleged obstructed views.

36 pitches and no outs.

Be sure to give us a review of the new bleacher box seats. You'll be the first to sit in them.

I got in right at 11 and got 4 bleacher boxes in Row 3 to the Saturday game vs. Tigers. It will be nice to have seat backs.

Did you just keep refreshing the Chicago Cubs Ticket page, or keep re-clicking the link?

Good work. I think I'll try for some bleacher boxes when I'm up at 11.

What were you able to get?

Did you get selected for the 10 a.m. window?

I got in for 11 a.m. CT (the second time slot). Does anyone know how much was left after the 10 a.m. slot? I'd like to try for weekend tickets.

If Jerome Williams is traded as part of a trade for Soriano, or whomever, I wouldn't mind giving Weaver a low-base, higher incentive type deal.

Is anyone else worried about the steroid allegations against him? Didn't I see someone else post that he only had two HRs last year after he was named??

A bit Off Topic, but worth sharing. Last November, I ended up on the same cruise as Rondell and his wife. I got to know him pretty well over the week. He was a bit surprised he was recognized at first, but warmed up very quickly. Let me tell you something: this guy is the nicest, most down-to-earth professional athlete you're going to meet. He taught me some pretty good blackjack strategies, and we shared a lot of drinks. I told him I was a Cubs fan, and he said he loved playing at Wrigley and the fans were great to him. He definitely said they were some tough years because he was injured a lot but said he was seeing the ball as then as good as he ever has during his career. I asked him who is best teammate and worst teammate was. Honestly, I forget who is best teammate was (it wasn't a Cub) because he said by far the worst was Sosa. He said Sosa was always cool with him, but basically that everyone in the clubhouse put up with him because they had to. The boom box got very old, very fast, and he would throw his teammates under the bus if it would make him look better. RW also said that he thought the team didn't have enough spanish speaking players on the team and they brought in more after he left because mgmt thought they would "fit in" better (I can't remember off-hand the years that RW was on the Cubs and the latin players on the team then vs now). Anyway, don't let the RonDL nickname stick, because he's a hard worker and a great teammate. This season, he hooked me up with tickets when he's been in town and I was able to sit next to his wife a few times. Hopefully, he'll come back to the Cubs, but I doubt he's ready for a bench/platoon role, but you never know.

Last I heard its a no go, the deal broke down in negotiations (Im not kidding). Interesting -- I read it on the ticker on ESPNEWS. Even though it's aint worth a nuthin.

Living in NYC, there's been a lot of talk about getting rid of Benson, mostly due to his wife. She not only won't shut up, but apparently has a new Playboy spread coming out this spring, which would be a SLIGHT destraction for the team.

Rogers says Kearns for a Cubs pitcher or 2 still has "traction." Kaplan (?) says Kearns is Corey redux (Ks 1 out of 4 ABs). Rogers says Huff is a bad guy and can't hit with RISP.

Rogers says Cubs talking to Rays about either/or Huff or Lugo, but not both.

You can say that again.

Sold! or given, as the case may be, to cheapseats (confirmed not to be a scalper). Enjoy the last days of 2005 baseball!

I have two tickets to this Saturday's game vs. Houston, Section 438, Row 5. When I bought the tickets back in March, I thought I might come into town for this game if the Cubs were still in it. Not to be. I'd like to give them away to a NSBBer, preferably to someone who can't afford to go to a lot of games. I'll give them to the first PMer. Just give me your name and address.

Don't want to break up the Derrek Lee dreaming, but this is from Tuesday's Cleveland Plain Dealer: General Manager Mark Shapiro would not comment directly on reports in Chicago that the Indians are working on a trade that would bring infielder Todd Walker from the Cubs. The waiver deadline for trades is Wednesday. Walker, 32, is hitting .298 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in 84 games with the Cubs. He's appeared in 75 games at second base, four at first. "We have investigated every single bat available," Shapiro said, "and I can say there are not a lot out there. "I will not comment on individual players." Walker, who has previously played for Boston, Cincinnati. Colorado and Minnesota, signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Cubs in December. Link at: http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1125394390193750.xml&coll=2

In the past week, I have not heard or read a good explanation as to why Wood is making appearances when his team is down by 4+ runs. Of course, when you're team is in the middle of a historic losing streak, a manager doesn't have much of a choice. BUT, when the top levels of the organization state publicly that Wood will be shut down when the Cubs are clearly out of contention, why put him in when we're down 6?? Has anyone heard any statement from the Cubs that the injury cannot be exacerbated? Has anyone seen statement from the Cubs that he will only be worse off injury-wise if he gets rusty, so that he needs work every other day?? It is bizzare in the least for the mgmt of this team to indicate they are going to shut him down any day now only to indicate a few days later that he could be put back in the starting rotation. MacPhail and Hendry need to figure this out with some objectivity if they want to see ANY value from Wood for the remainder of his contract and come to a final decision.

I went to the doctor today and got my knee jerked too.