vance_the_cubs_fan

Ensberg showed nothing last season in his limited time with NY. He had a nice 3 yr run in Houston, but hasn't been very good outside that. I always felt he was a product of MMP. He's now 33 and isn't likely to get any better. If he could play SS, he might be worth the roster spot, but he can't. There's no reason to give him a chance.

Rajai Davis and Nyjer Morgan cuertainly would have to join that family. Willie Wilson fathered them all and Ced Landrum is a distant cousin.

Dotel was pretty good setting up for Wagner. He may not have been as dominant as Marmol, but he was close. And of course, in 1996 Rivera was pretty damn good setting up for John Wetteland.

Fantasy leaguers must now take notice.

That could be good to know. If he continues to struggle, the Cubs could send him to Iowa in hopes that he works it out there.

I should know the answer to this, but I don't. Does the Cubs contract with Fukudome allow them to send him to the minors if they desire?

It's very likely someone other than the Cubs best starter.

I'm going out on a limb and say that the starter that leads the Cubs in wins will, in all likelihood, not be the Cubs' best starter.

They base the price on traffic, so if a player's page gets a lot of hits, the price will go up. My guess is that we made Dunn's page rise a whole bunch over the past year.

You all really need to read these guys' take on the topic... http://www.dodgerblues.com//fanforum/nfphpbb/viewtopic.php?t=17146

Come on...somebody has to want to play.

Anyone?

My nephew and two of his friends wanted to play fantasy baseball this year, so I formed a league. We have 7 guys and are trying for ten. We definitely need one more so we can draft tonight. Other than me, it's mainly newbies. My nephew played in a league last year, but other than that it's two of his friends who've never played, my brother who is trying fantasy baseball for the first time, and two other friends that have never played. If you're interested, hit me up.

I have some Ryan Harvey autographs if anyone wants them.... #-o

I think that Guzman could be traded before the end of ST.

The problem with that bench is that it's basically a bench of That has two players, one right-handed the other left handed that are identical in Fox and Hoffpauir. Both can be put in the of, but bad defensively there. Fox might give you an option at third, and as much as I hate to quote Dusty, his "the ball will find you" quote probably would apply here. Fox might make the plays there, but it's likely he'd give up just as many as he could bring in. The only middle infielder in that group is Miles, and trusting him to back up short is risky at best. Johnson becomes the only bench outfielder with any defensive prowess at all. Let's look at it this way...if Aramis needs a day off, I don't think the Cubs would be comfortable with Fox starting at third. Miles would be there which means there would be no middle infielder on the bench those days. I can't see a team carrying two players that profile like Hoffpauir and Fox do.

As others have pointed out, there are a lot of guys like Fox who hit minor league pitching but lack a defensive position. If Fox played on a team that was in need of a first baseman, he would likely get more of a look. Sometimes guys get a shot to show they can hit at the big leagues, and if they do, it opens enough eyes for teams to carry them as a pinch hitter or even consider them as a starter. Hoffpauir came up last year due to an injury, and in his limited at bats proved that he belonged. If he can continue to produce like that, he'll be a guy that teams will feel confident using a bench spot on. If he can do it for another year or two, he may convince teams to think of him like a Darryle Ward and carve out a nice major league career. Fox had an opportunity as well. He received a call-up in 2007. True, he only got 14 AB over seven games, but he put up a paltry 143/200/286 line. Yes, we can argue sample size and whatnot, but to some, he had an opportunity and didn't prove much of anything. If he played catcher or was able to adequately play a number of defensive positions, then a second chance might come his way. My guess is it won't. I think Jake probably would adjust to major league pitching, but he isn't unseating Derrek Lee anytime soon at first, so if Jake is going to adjust, he'll have to prove he can hit in a short stint and in sporadic playing time. Combined with the fact that Jake offers little to no flexibility in his ability to play in the field and his poor showing when he got an opportunity (no matter how fair that opportunity may have been) has Fox as one of those players that the Cubs likely do not view as a viable bench option and other teams share that opinion as well. I think Sam Fuld would get a call before Jake, and I don't expect to see Sam in Wrigley any time soon either.

Yeah, I lost a few picks because I wouldn't go the extra buck or so...but then, I was able to get some that others wanted because I had a few extra bucks at the end.

Schilling's most comparable pitchers: # Kevin Brown (920) # Bob Welch (900) # Orel Hershiser (889) # Freddie Fitzsimmons (884) # John Smoltz (882) # Milt Pappas (880) # Don Drysdale (875) * # Dazzy Vance (873) * # Jim Perry (871) # Catfish Hunter (869) * Three HOFers in the bunch. All of those are good pitchers. Smoltz is a borderline case who likely gets in. He's not a definite, and his post season performance may get him in, but I'm not sure he's deserving. If Schilling belongs, then a case for Brown and Hershiser should be made as well.

I'm going to answer no to both questions.

You're right that a CB would be nice here, but they took two last year. They also need depth at safety and inside LB, but I don't like any of the players available for this spot. Cowboys select Kruger.

I'll wait and let IMB make the final call, but here are my thoughts. I could see the Cowboys taking Paul Kruger out of Utah. He's the BPA on my board. The Cowboys could look to draft Herman Johnson as well, as they could use depth on the OL. Something tells me though, that Jerry may want to make a spash with this pick and take Pat White here. IMB, what do you think?

in addition to the ones above... Ryan Dempster (though I'm not sure I'm going to renew it.) and don't forget this gem. Jim Edmonds. (I'm definitely going to let that one expire, so enjoy it while you can.)

ok...now it's over.

damnit!