vance_the_cubs_fan

Thanks. Dude, where's Pujols, Rivera, and Halladay? I felt with those four, that would be all we would need.

I'll have to see what it does to Clemens's numbers, but that start tonight could sway me over to the Carpenter camp.

you dont happen to know what it was wan this thread started do you Vance. Wondering I would assume that Carp has caught up some since then but just wondering. I don't know what they were then. I should have looked, but I didn't. I definitely think Carpenter is making up some ground. My guess is that he's passed Clemens in the eyes of the majority of the BBWAA. As I just wrote in another post, Carpenter is making some strides, but I'd still go with Clemens. I might change my mind before the season is over. Hell, that change could come after Clemens goes tonight. We'll see.

Continuing to look at the stats: WS (updated thru 9/6) 1. Clemens 24 2. Willis 21 3. Oswalt 20 4. Pettite 19 5. Carpenter 19 PR (updated through 9/8) 1. Clemens 58 2. Carpenter 54 3. Willis 43 ERA+ 1. Clemens 296 2. Carpenter 206 3. Pettite 192 4. Willis 174 Carpenter is gaining. Clemens may go tonight depending on his balky hamstring. Even if he pitches, I doubt he goes more than six innings. I think in the voters minds, Carpenter has made up the difference. I'd still go with Clemens, but Carpenter continues to close the gap. It's going to take one hell of an effort from Willis to make up the differences in my mind.

Pitcher's Vorp Clemens: 80.3 Carpenter: 74.0 Willis: 64.1

I'm going with pitcher B, and it isn't even close.

For anyone who thinks the Cubs have a chance, please. Don't do this to yourself. It isn't healthy.

I particularly liked this line:

My students are staring because I'm laughing so hard.

I've had trouble finding the right mix of OFers all season.

I'm going to need Derrek Lee to get hot again to have a realistic shot.

It is VERY fancy! I may be fitting you for the Fantasy Champ sig. Your team is looking pretty stacked for the next couple weeks. But no Ben Sheets. :cry: I rode the duo of Sheets and Zambrano about as far as I could this season.

Well stated. The playoffs are a crap shoot, but there hasn't been a team that has made a run of extended excellence as the Braves have in my lifetime. I'd take one WS win and 15 division championships anyday for the Cubs.

I like my new sig lots!

That's what Todd Walker once said about Jason Dubois. :cry:

Shouldn't this poll come with pictures?

I know he's not NL, but I'll take Torii Hunter.

The Maddux contract discussion isn't a johnny-come-lately discussion. We've had it off and on since the signing as that thread above proves. Certainly, had we won the World Series in 2004 or if we were making a play-off push now, we would likely not be as bothered by the fact that the option was reached. For the record, I like Maddux. I was happy when we re-signed him. The amount of 6 million in 2004 was a good price for him as well, but it came with two steep 9 million dollar years. Maddux isn't a 9 million dollar pitcher. Would we be better off to spend that nine million elsewhere? I have no clue; the Cubs haven't always been the best allocators of resources.

Go back. It should let you make the changes except for players who were involved in the Thursday game. I hate you. (((((Hug))))))

I personally don't think Maddux is a problem either, though he is overpaid at 9 million. Stat analysis is all about evaluating performance. Has Maddux been a decent performer for the Cubs? Surely. And is his ability to consistently stay in a game valuable? Surely. But no one will convince me that wins are an appropriate way to judge a pitcher's performance. There's too many variables there (mainly run support) that have nothing to do with the pitcher. If I may, I'll share an analogy from my own profession. If I assign my eighth graders a group project. I place four in a group and give them the assignment. Two students do all the work, but do it exceptionally. The other two do minimum work, but their co-workers pick up the slack. I may assign an "A" to that group for the project, but it is a poor assessment of each student's ability. If I want to know what each student is capable for, I will need a rubric that measures the individual contribution to the work of the group. The final goal of any team is a win. Each player on the team contributes to that. Now, I will go as far to say the individual pitcher contributes more every fifth day than an individual offensive player, but judging the pitcher on the final outcome is as naive as assuming that since my group of students produced an excellent project that each did "A" level work in the process.

Thanks.

I'm going to be so angry when the Cubs don't sign them. ;)

It's not that wins don't mean anything. That's missing the point entirely. Wins are extremely important as it is the goal, but that is a team goal. What sabermetrics would assert is that wins is a poor metric to judge a pitcher's individual performance. While I put little stock in wins as a way to measure the contributions of the pitcher, I still think 300 wins is a great accomplishment. To reach such a milestone, a pitcher has to be very good for a very long period of time. Of course, as a fan all we should care about is whether the team got the win. Whip and ERA among other stats tell whether the pitcher is effectively doing his part to accomplish that goal.

Bring it on....my team will be ready. (Actually, I'm quite concerned since I lost Sheets to injury.)

Go back. It should let you make the changes except for players who were involved in the Thursday game.