vance_the_cubs_fan

I'm all for saying ND just isn't that good. Our opponents sure seem to want people to think that based on the crapfests that GT and USC are submitting. Maybe it's just true. ND barely beat a horrible Michigan State. They've been beated by the only good opponents. I just don't see anything to justify ND being all that good. Georgia Tech is the only decent team they've played, and GT is no great shakes. I'm not even going to dignify Michigan State. You and everyone else know the Spartans played better in the first 3 quarters of that game than most teams have played all year. It's not our fault JLS can't coach a team with a big lead, nor can he recover from a tough loss. GT I'll give you, that was a rough performance for ND, but everyone else was playing I-AA teams that week so it's hard to hate on them too much for it. Maybe Michigan State looked so well is because ND just isn't that good. Maybe, but I seriously doubt it. Moo did this in 2005 too, remember - play out of their heads against ND and crap out the rest of the season. The man makes a good point. MSU did play one of their two best games (or parts of games) of the year against ND - the other was the NW comeback. If I had to guess, I would say it was a little bit of both MSU playing better against ND and ND not being as good as expected. Michigan State was a bad football team. They had the ability to move the ball on offense but rarely did. Their defense was terrible. And it took Michigan State to go out of their way to turn the ball over for ND to win it. Right. If MSU wasn't such a terrible team, they beat ND and ND has three loses and aren't even in the BCS picture. ND isn't a great team. They may not be a terrible team, but they aren't the 12th best team in the country either.

Arizona (+6.5) over St LOUIS NEW ENGLAND (-13.5) over Detroit San Diego (-6) over BUFFALO NEW ORLEANS (-7) over San Francisco Minnesota (+9) over CHICAGO Kansas City (-5) over CLEVELAND WASHINGTON (-2) OVER Atlanta NY Jets (-1.5) over GREEN BAY Indianapolis (-7.5) over TENNESSEE Houston (+3) over OAKLAND Jacksonville (+1.5) over MIAMI Dallas (-3.5) over NY GIANTS PITTSBURGH (-7) over Tampa Bay DENVER (-3) OVER Seattle Carolina (-3) over PHILADELPHIA

I'm all for saying ND just isn't that good. Our opponents sure seem to want people to think that based on the crapfests that GT and USC are submitting. Maybe it's just true. ND barely beat a horrible Michigan State. They've been beated by the only good opponents. I just don't see anything to justify ND being all that good. Georgia Tech is the only decent team they've played, and GT is no great shakes. I'm not even going to dignify Michigan State. You and everyone else know the Spartans played better in the first 3 quarters of that game than most teams have played all year. It's not our fault JLS can't coach a team with a big lead, nor can he recover from a tough loss. GT I'll give you, that was a rough performance for ND, but everyone else was playing I-AA teams that week so it's hard to hate on them too much for it. Maybe Michigan State looked so well is because ND just isn't that good.

From SI.com: Link. Rotoworld estimates his salary at 10-12 million. Go get him, Jimbo!

I'm all for saying ND just isn't that good. Our opponents sure seem to want people to think that based on the crapfests that GT and USC are submitting. Maybe it's just true. ND barely beat a horrible Michigan State. They've been beated by the only good opponents. I just don't see anything to justify ND being all that good. Georgia Tech is the only decent team they've played, and GT is no great shakes.

i agree... i would love this... but DEFENSE??? :shock: Not much worse than Murton in LF. Bonds was once a Gold Glove OF, something Murton will never be. I'd trade Murton for a pitcher. I don't think the pitcher you'd get would be equal to the value Murton provides. Bonds also is going to miss 60-70 games, so it would be nice to have Murton to play in those games.

I'm all for saying ND just isn't that good.

Rumor has it that Bonds is drawing little interest even from the Giants. I still believe he could be had for a 10 million dollar deal. With Bonds in the line-up, we could trade Jones and sign Lofton for CF. Imagine this line-up: RF Soriano CF Lofton 1b Lee LF Bonds 3b Ramirez C Barrett 2b DeRosa SS Izturis Amazing! Bonds would only be a one year, so Murton could be the fourth OF for one year and then take over in left again in 2008.

The Astros not offering Pettitte arbitration makes perfect sense. He made 17 million last season and had they offered him arbitration, he could only have a 20% pay cut. If the Astros offered Pettite arbitration, they would have had to pay him a minimum of 13.8 million.

I've been driving this wagon for some time now.

I prefer Bonds to Nixon.

Isn't there something in the guidelines about resurrecting old threads?

What if we got Zito and Schmidt. :pigfly:

How about moving Soriano to CF and signing both C. Wilson and Trot Nixon to form a RF platoon?

I doubt Schmidt will get an offer in the 60-70 million range. Carlos Lee got 17M a year after putting up an average of under 120 OPS+ over the last 4 years, Schmidt has put up an average of over 130 ERA+ over the same period. While Schmidt is older, Lee dresses up like the State Puff Marshmallow man for Halloween and every other day of the year and signed to a longer term contract than Schmidt is rumor to be signed for. The way this market is going with such low depth at all positions, I wouldn't doubt he would recieve an offer in that range. I just hope Hendry is smart enough to not offer him a contract that exceeds 45 million. So are you saying the Cubs won't offer Schmidt 60-70 million or that he won't get that much. In your first post, it appears that you are saying he won't get that much. Now, it appears you're contradicting yourself saying he will get that offer, but you hope it's not from the Cubs. So which is it? I'm certain he could get 60 million. I'm just not sure it will be from the Cubs.

I doubt Schmidt will get an offer in the 60-70 million range. How much do you want to bet?

I could see someone grabbing Wells.

If USC and Flordia lose, would that guarantee a Michigan-OSU rematch in the NC?

Ronnie Lane has no sources. I'm sure he's just pulled that out of his ass.

The Cubs have released the stops for the 2007 Cubs Caravan. Link.

He's better than Gil Meche. Ted Lilly is not a good pitcher. And how is he a better option than Gil Meche? Lilly ERA+ 2006-2003: 109. 80, 120, 98. Meche ERA + 2006-2003: 97, 85, 88, 97 Meche hasn't even been average in one season of the last four. While Lilly is inconsistent, he's much better than Meche. At least he has performed above average.

Let me just reiterate that I would love for Cuban to buy the Cubs!

If the LH bat we sign is Bonds, I think I could live with a line-up of RF Soriano CF Lugo 1b Lee LF Bonds/Murton 3b Ramirez C Barrett 2b DeRosa SS Izturis

This means Hudson is likely staying put.

I'm finding nothing to confirm the rumor we've signed him. In fact articles posted as recently as thirty minutes ago speak of Lilly as a FA. I'm going to have to think the rumor is a bit premature if not completely inaccurate.