vance_the_cubs_fan

I wish Fukudome would get posted, but that's just wishful thinking.

I'd probably want him in CF. I think he could handle it and there are more options for 2b than there are at CF.

I think we could get by signing Schmidt and one other pitcher. If the Cubs signed Schmidt and maybe Kudora... Then the rotation is Zambrano, Schmidt, Hill, Kudora with Marshall, Mateo, Marmol, Prior, Guzman or Ryu all competing for that fifth spot. From that group, I think the Cubs could get one to produce on an adequate level for a fifth starter. I'd try for Schmidt and Soriano...and depending on where Soriano is going to play, aim for Durham or a CF.

According to the Sun Times Link

And has that model worked? I really don't see a point in following a model that hasnt worked. You dont need a superstar line-up to win. You also dont need to have a $200 million payroll to win either. Pitching comes first, then you go out and get your hitting. The. Cardinals. Didn't. Have. Great. Pitching. They didnt have great pitching, but their pitching stepped up when it matter the most. Which, in the end, gave them a World Series victory. oh. my. so when you say "pitching comes first," you're saying that teams need to focus on geting pitching that "steps up when it matters the most." I've figured out that his argument is basically the same as saying "whoever has the most runs wins". Because of course whoever wins a game has the best pitching that game, and whoever wins a series has the best pitching that series. Yes, the Cardinals won th....but this world series was not and example of good pitching beating good hitting. How can you say that, the team that pitched better won the series. Nuff said. The team that pitched better over those seven games won. I think if you look at the stats, you'll see that Detroit's pitchers performed better over the course of the season. Choose which of these four man rotations would you want to trust your team with. ERA+ for each member. Rotation #1: 111, 118, 118, 124 OR Rotation #2: 143, 107, 87, 85

No to Gaetti. Yes to Jackson. I'd be happy with Chambliss as well. My guess is Elia is in the mix too.

The Braves used the pitching model and how many World Series did they win with Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz? The fact is, there are many ways to get to the post season. The best is probably trying for balance. However, a team can win with a dominant pitching staff and mediocre hitting. A team can also win with a dominant offense and mediocre pitching. Once in the postseason, there is no formula since the things that often determine post season winners-timely hitting, a lucky break, a surprising performance by a pitcher- are not predictive. There's no way to acquire these players. Media, baseball historians, and analysts love to glorify cliches. It's not good copy to say the playoffs are a crapshoot because it's in the interests of baseball and all sports to be able to claim the champion is the best team. That's not really true in all cases, but no one wants to hear it. But in truth, you build the best team for the regular season. Since good hitters will mash mediocre to poor pitchers and many of the 4-5 starters are just that, having two good pitchers and three average pitchers along with a great offense is likely the best way to insure regular season success. There are other methods as well...but pursuing pitching at the expense of offense is no more a better route than pursuing hitting at the expense of pitching. The Yankees are proof you can make the post season with a lackluster pitching staff. The Tigers are proof you can make it with a lack luster offense. The Cardinals are proof you can make it if you are lucky enough that the rest of your division sucks. Neither of these methods are guarantees of victory within the postseason, no matter how many pundits and historians want to glorify it by saying so.

My point about both is that the playoffs are a crapshoot. Build a team to get to the playoffs and hope that your pitchers perform over the short series and that your hitters come through when needed. So, to say the Yankees lost because their pitching was suspect is wrong. The Yankees lost because in a short series, the other team outperformed them. But the Yankees offense still was good enough to get them the best record, even with suspect pitching. The Cardinals did not win because they had better pitching. They won because over a short series, they played better. Trying to say look at what happened this postseason and then trying to emulate that model is a recipe for disaster. So, looking at this World Series and then saying the Cubs should focus on pitching first is not necessarily the best idea. We could just as easily say the method is to get there, so let's follow the Yankees model, build a superstar line-up and hope for the best with the pitching.

Clutch defense? I dont think there is a such thing. I think I said "clutch hitting". For example: The Cardinals had runners on 2b with 2 outs the whole world series. Their hitters found a way to get that run in. That's clutch hitting. Clutch hitting exists, but the clutch hitter does not. Trying to get those players for your team is a futile task. Get good hitters and hope they do their job when the time comes.

Where's the proof that pitching is more important than hitting? I think the 06 Yankees are a good example. They had a really good offense, but their pitching was suspect the majority of the year. And the Yankees also had the best record in all of baseball this year with that suspect pitching. All this postseason proved is that the playoffs are a crap shoot. A GM needs to build a team to get there and hope the players do the job once they are there. Did the Cardinals outpitch the Tigers in the WS? Maybe so. But that collection of pitchers is no way better than the Tigers. They may have been better than the Tigers in that series, but if you were blindly without hindsight picking pitchers for which you would call WS caliber staff, there's no way in hell that you would pick the Cardinal staff over the Tigers. Jeff Suppan is a league average pitcher. Weaver was DFA'ed by the Angels, and underperformed for the Cardinals for most of the season. Reyes was remarkably inconsistent throughout the year. The only one of the Cardinals who had been truly dominant was Carpenter. So, if the Cubs were to follow the Cardinals model...we could have Zambrano and he equals Carpenter, we need a league average pitcher to match Suppan...so maybe we should sign him this offseason. We need a reject like Weaver, so let's pick up Jose Lima. Then Marshall equals Reyes. So, Zambrano, Suppan, Lima, and Marshall. There you have your Cubs rotation that could win a World Series. Whoopeee!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/vance_the_cubs_fan/MEANDSAMMY.jpg

Both sides are trying to work on a contract to keep Biggio in Houston, but it seems they are not close. Link

Things don't look optimistic on this front. Link

I know absolutely nothing about the NBA except I like Dirk. I'll lose for sure. That being said, I'm in! Team Name: Where's Kurt Rambis?

how about if he filed for FA, and hendry announced that we'd signed Geoff Blum? Gotta have versatile players man!

This postseason offers a stamp of validation to Billy Beane's credo that the playoffs are a crapshoot. Build a team to get there and take your chances.

Remember this deadline took the Astros out of the Beltran dealings. It also likely affected Alou's possible return to the Cubs. So that whole "If they're not signed by then, they can't be negotiated with until May 1st" thing is gone? Yes.

Sinatro was Piniella's bullpen coach for his entire stay in Seattle and Tampa. I had expected him to be here all along. I'm only surprised that he's the first base coach instead of the bullpen coach.

Exactly!!!

I still like this line about Pujols...

156, 177, 260, 231, 275 Barry's OPS+ for the past five years. Lee in his career has only had one season better than Bonds' worst on that list. Aramis Ramirez has never topped 156 OPS+. Barrett? Not even close. Jones? Don't make me laugh. Even with declining skills, Bonds likely would be better than any hitter on the Cubs. At worst, he'd be our third best hitter.

I'm not going to watch tonight.

That update doesn't look good. My guess is Kinzer wants to add 6 years to the current deal and Hendry only wants three.

Imagine if the Cubs could sign Bonds for 8 million, Schmidt for 12 million, and Soriano for 15 million. CF Soriano 2b Theriot 1b Lee LF Bonds 3b Ramirez RF Jones/Murton C Barrett SS Izturis SP Zambrano SP Schmidt SP Hill SP's 4-5: Mateo/Marshall/Guzman/Prior or low cost FA I think that team would win!

You make really good points. Maybe it would be better to spend about 5-7 million on Kuroda, 10-12 mil on a short 2-3 year contract with Schmidt and Weaver for about 7-9 mil. Then you get 3 pitchers just for the posting fee of Matsuzaka. You also have money to spend still on a slugger and the bench. I think I have changed my mind, I like this idea better. No to Weaver.