radarluv1

has jim, lou, or muskat even mentioned guzman? maybe the lack of respect will tick him off, light a fire under him, whatever and he'll do what marshall did last ST. then its tougher to leave him in iowa. i'm just trying to make sense of this. everything looks better with marquis not in the picture. he's a sore thumb here, cant trade him, cant send him down. 3/21? WTG Jim.

Its not bad even before you consider the fair amount of injury protection in that deal for the red sox.

Should be more fun for spectators than dusty was, at the very least.

I'll make myself available.

That would cause him to slip or your just curious? Chris doesnt know about shrinkage?

some article (Daily Herald?) said Prior was ahead of Miller, who is in the long-toss phase of his rehab. didnt say where prior was, though.

what would it take for kerry to start in the playoffs? just thinking ahead.

looks friggin huge in the pix. :( its going to look more and more like busch 3.

yeah, thats just wishful thinking from radarluv. its contagious!

is dice-K the #2 starter? i'm looking at getting royals tix, and thats their first series.

z could go for 3/57-60 and still get a big payday when hes 28 (or 29?), something like furcal is trying to do. if healthy, he could be a bargain at $17 M in 2013 at the age of 32 the way salaries are escalating. thats if my age/year calculations are correct.

why does lou hate america?

5/19 vs Sox.

anybody else get excited when they heard the cubs had a trade with the D-Rays? followed by the usual cub disappointment

The trouble with waiting is that the Cubs are unlikely to be out of it come July. It will be impossible from a PR perspective to deal Z in July if you're within 4 games of 1st. You deal him now, you can weather the storm of criticism if you end up contending. Call Bill Stoneman. Ask for Weaver, Kendrick and Adenhart. Call the Yankees and ask for Hughes, Sanchez + Tabata. Let them know the Angels are considering the other package. I don't think either team would bite, but if I didn't get the packages I'd simply hang on to Z and take my chances. Define "take my chances" 1. Go to arby and let him walk after 2007 or 2. Take my chances that I can get him to sign a long term near Zito deal Let me be more precise... I'd be working two separate paths at the current time. 1a) I would be working aggressively to get him signed to a hometown discount contract in the range of 5 years, $80M 1b) I would be working the phones with the teams that had a set of three premier prospects to get a trade that I was convinced improved the overall talent level of the organization If neither of those paths bore fruit, I would complete the season with Z on the staff. If, in the unlikely event that the Cubs are completely out of it in July, I'd look to trade Z. I don't think that's going to happen, though. So next October I would: 2) work aggressively to get Z signed to a hometown discount deal 3) If that didn't work, I would offer him arbitration and take the draft picks when he signs elsewhere That just about sums it up in a nutshell. that sounds good, i just dont want to end up with option 3

I don't think panic about losing your best pitcher in over a decade is over-reaction, especially seeing as this demand is coming after some really questionable spending has been made. Had this demand come in November, he'd be locked up by now. But with the stupid contracts given to Lilly, Marquis, DeRosa, etc with almost no thought about locking up Z long term I think this is a perfect time to panic. It really is. If you look at the budget crunch that looms in 2009 it's hard not to attach some major urgency to keeping Z. This is a team that has to do whatever is necessary to win now. At last! A valid point. (valid, but not germane) Given the current budget 2009 could be a rough year to plug holes. With big commitments and a thin farm system assuming the budget doesn't increase significantly again, Hendry may have crippled the future. A Z extention to big bucks could be the final nail in the 2009 coffin (again assuming no SIGNIFICANT increase in budget) That doesn't mean Hendry will let Z walk after this year. No way no how. He'll extend him, and we better start praying now for 2009. but in 2009 we'll be nursing a hangover from back-to-back WS championships! we wont even care! /chugs kool-aid

how much contact has lou actually had with the players? i'm imagining a strongly worded memo: attn fat players, dusty's not here anymore, show up to camp in shape.

isnt the 2007 salary actually under budget? if thats the case, give him more $ this year and more in 2010 and after. there's some scary commitments in 2008 and 2009. and cross your fingers for a healthy Z.

jim thought ahead and got a replacement for Z. his name is jason marquis.

lets give them guzman, marshall, itzuris and any pitcher not named z or prior for tejada. i dont see how benson getting hurt can net us bedard, but throw enough quantity at them and see if they bite.

where's marquis in 2010?

Izturis/Blanco/Ward/Pagan would be pretty bad. Extremely rare should be the day where ARam, Lee, Soriano, Barrett and Murton all don't start. forgot about pagan. i'm optimistic about ward, though

is bud's salary tied to MLB's profits? it seems obvious that MLB is taking a quick payout that would likely have detrimental long-term effect.

You can download games onto your computer? How? and for a flat fee?

i'm hoping our 25 man roster doesnt really allow a "forfeit" lineup. blanco days will give a weak 7/8/9 with itzuris in there. i guess if cedeno/itzuris/blano are around at once that would be prett brutal, but i cant think of a good reason to ever have cedeno play 2b.