Hairyducked Idiot

I'd go with Alcantara over Olt. Sending Olt out there against Wainwright is just mean.

Please win, Cubs. http://img2.timeinc.net/health/img/web/2013/01/slides/make-healthy-nachos-400x400.jpg

That's the deal with the devil small-market teams make. The Brewers had their run, then the Reds are having theirs. When the Reds peter out, maybe the Pirates will be having theirs. Thats just your doom boner talking. In your heart, you know the Pirates will never have one. This one's still looking pretty solid too :/

Unfortunately, that means Edwin Jackson makes the team.

It's not something I would pick, but it's not exactly impossible. Both the Brewers and Reds have at least some dead-cat-bounce potential, and this team still has plenty of downside.

Yet Szczur has 0 votes so far... Weird, I thought I voted for him too.

there is actually something about cricket that appeals to the baseball fan in me - the long history, the meticulous record-keeping and comparisons with players of the past, bowlers using different tactics and captains setting the field in certain ways to attack various bowlers. it can also be a fun day out; you don't have to pay that much attention so you're just getting drunk and socializing in the sun. that being said, test matches (played for 5 days, but still often end in no decision) are [expletive] boring. some of the world cup matches were pretty exciting though. Cricket is baseball except all the strategy and crap actually matters. Baseball fans hyperventilate with joy when a player intentionally hits the other way or bunts or something. The shift is considered a radical defensive deployment. In cricket, there's dozens of shots (swings) the batsmen choose from and the defensive alignments are varied and extremely important. The downside is how often everything hinges on whether or not a play was the equivalent of a foul-tip. Down to the point where you can have five-minute reviews where the umpire is trying to determine if the ball made a tiny sound as it went by the edge of the bat. I got into it when I was working the night shift at a newspaper. I would get home at 2 or 3 in the morning and pick up any live sports on the internet. Test matches for me are hit and miss. When they build to an exciting finish, it's awesome. When all of a sudden there's a flurry of action, it's awesome. But it's not something you plan to sit and watch for the entirety of the match. It's more something you keep on in the background while you work or do other things.

Crazy that the division is still doable.

Maybe let's wait until we find out if this actually produces quality MLB defensive catchers before we get too excited. It's worth trying, but maybe it can't really be taught.

That's definitely a relief. Should be fine for Opening Day.

Trade bait or to develop into a full time starter? If he's gonna hit for a little pop, and add value in the bases and CF not sure why you wouldn't want him on the bench adding MLB value. Power aside, he put up a .315 OBP in the PCL last year and .273 in the majors. In order to be useful even in a bench role, he'll have to show a whole new level of ability in more than just power. Right now, he's the 5th outfielder by default because Denorfia is hurt and Lake is just as terrible, but he needs to prove at AAA that he has what it takes to be a long-term reserve outfielder in the majors.

I voted for Szczur. He's close to the majors, he's probably going to make the team and at least have a chance to show some value, and while I wouldn't move him up the depth chart based on ST results, I'm at least curious about how he does at Iowa for the first few months now.

Isn't that 5 on the spring for Szczur? Same as Olt and Baez last year. If he's got some kind of new ability, let him show it in iowa in April and May.

The rotation stayed healthy and productive.

"Wow, _______ had a way better 2015 than anyone thought he would." You on November 15 ,2015.

It's not that simple. I'm still not entirely clear on it, but all sides involved seem to be acting as if there's either a CBA provision or a labor law that forbids teams from acting this way for the reasons the Cubs are doing it. It may be a rule that has never been enforced, but it sure seems to be there. There may be a dispute over the language and what it means. There is no labor law the prevents the authorized bargaining agent from agreeing to language itself. Are you allowed to agree to compensation via metrics, and then game the metrics? Or is that bad faith?

It's not that simple. I'm still not entirely clear on it, but all sides involved seem to be acting as if there's either a CBA provision or a labor law that forbids teams from acting this way for the reasons the Cubs are doing it. It may be a rule that has never been enforced, but it sure seems to be there.

I don't think so, no, farts. Like twice a year somebody posts a premium article from somewhere, but mostly the only thread is "ITT We Swear With Impunity." Half the posts are "Man, that that guy is a total expletive" and the other half are "Man, expletive cancer, everyone I have ever known just got it and died this afternoon."

Allowing swearing would kill the insider swearing thread, which is a fabulous russian roulette whenever there's a new post: Will it be a hilarious rant about a poster or a crushing personal tragedy?

I have already forgotten him. I think his name was like Hoffy and he once yelled "I'll do anything I damn well please" at an umpire or something.

July, setting the stage for a Castro trade in December.

Love you too, bro.

Nothing but bad vibes in this thread. Jon Lester is already having shoulder problems, Javier Baez's career is DOA. The bullpen is overrated. Motte sucks, Coke isn't good, and apparently Jackson is going to be in there. That's a critical mass of crappy pitchers even before you have to assume that one of the other guys will suck just because relievers are unreliable. Jake Arrieta is a starting pitcher who had a breakout season on the back of throwing a bunch more cutters and/or breaking balls, and you can basically get rich forever betting against those guys the next year. No matter how fun this looks on paper, it's still better than 50/50 that we will have to wait at least one more year to try to break our 9-game playoff losing streak.

It's still super weird to have a separate subforum for Cubs Discussions and Transactions.

Whichever affords me the best opportunity to show people that I am cool and witty.