Bull

I will never be able to hate the ricketts’. I was a fan under tribune ownership.

It's not really a bounceback deal. The Blue Jays are eating his entire salary. Wherever he signs, it will be for the $500k league minimum with the Blue Jays making up the rest for the next two years. So it's more a question of what team offers him the best opportunity for him to continue playing. I think the Cubs could be reasonably high up that list. We have a lot of roster flexibility, so he only needs to play when he's feeling up to it. There's plenty of other big names on this team, so nobody would expect much of him. They could just slot him in at SS 2-3 times per week and bat him 7th or 8th and let him work his way back on his own schedule. Good clubhouse atmosphere and a team that should definitely compete. There's a lot to like. This is the perfect opportunity for the cubs and they should do it RIGHT NOW. The league minimum salary doesn't change their finances enough to give the team taking Russell off our hands any more leverage (as if they don't have enough already). Then you can shed Russell's salary and issues and free up money for Harper. Do it.

Enough Harold Baines talk! Lee Smith is a stinkin hall of famer. One of my earliest childhood memories was the day I learned the n-word. My grandfather moved over from Scotland and had a thick Scottish brogue. When the cubs would get into trouble in the 8th he would yell as only a Scotsman can “Brrrring in the big N—.” Grandpa understood high-leverage situations much better than he understood human equality. He was old-world blue collar (a tank mechanic in the British army during WW2), it was 1983 and I was 6. Grandpa loved Lee Smith. This second round draft pick meant hope for the future. He loved the Cubs. It was better than having to hear about those bloody Irish. He’d put the rabbit ears up on the tv in his garage to catch WGN (in South Bend, IN) and sit with his pipe and his beer and watch the game shirtless every afternoon after getting off from the factory at 2:30. He usually only caught the last few innings, but that was fine by him, that when his favorite player, Smitty, pitched. My mother was second generation, rejected her heritage and embraced this crazy thing we Americans call civil rights. She didn’t know grandpa shared his vocabulary and his Miller with me. Lee Smith is a legend from my childhood. I admired his raw strength, his sweaty brow, his max effort delivery, and that he was something good about a 5th place Cubs team. The next year he saved 33 games and the season. Lee Smith made me a Cubs fan. He was also instrumental in causing me ask, “mommy what does n- mean,” just before getting my mouth washed out with soap. Grandpa passed 8 years ago yesterday, but he would be happy to know that his favorite player made it to the hall.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/drillers/pro-baseball-cubs-hire-drillers-hitting-coach-terrmel-sledge/article_40143101-68ed-5e17-84fe-1e6d9730f083.html Home run records? Now those are three words I haven’t heard in very long time.

Yeah apples to oranges. Give numbers from December 10 last year. What he’s saying may be true but the numbers are disingenuous.

this post could go in basically every thread ever made here every thread except your four fastest you mean eta also this ftw

I think you mean “spoiled and undercooked.”

"content"

Unfortunately it appears the Cat has been outed https://twitter.com/hotcubstakes/status/1071861432445272066?s=21 I cant believe I googled Barry Manilow Vegas to try and verify if something named CharlestheCat was lying about being in Vegas. But, I did.. and Manilow had a return tour in Vegas through October and is back again in 2019.. so a Manilow advertisement is very lucky. So CtheCat still good, and Harper to Cubs done deal is what this means. Same here. Lol. Seems this cat has 9 lives. Although, the shows in 2019 are not at the Paris. Although, that would be a good place to advertise them. Someone help. I care way too much about this, even for a snowy Sunday afternoon.

Is the schtik here that Nightengale’s wrong or that the “vote of confidence” is the kiss of death?

Nope. Especially as it's become more and more clear how early players' peaks are, especially when it comes to offensive output. I've seen some of the articles on peaks coming earlier, but I feel like they're missing something. I think the biggest reason for this is that "decent major leaguers" don't last as long as they used to. Once the "marginal" major leaguer hit arbitration, he's DFA'd. Ten years ago he still received a contract. Once the "decent" major leaguer hits free agency, he's now offerred a minor league deal, when you used to get a multi-year ML contract, because now the GM's realize they can get nearly the same production out of a rookie. And that rookie is getting a shot earlier, making his peak even earlier (simply becasue there is data for earlier). This is all based on my assumption that lack of data for a 34 year old (fewer 34 year olds getting ML free agent contracts) counts as a negative in these models. If removing these marginal players doesn't "count against" their age range, and just eliminates poorer performances, then I'm more wrong than you think I am. I would love to see reaserach on the aging curve of 10-year vets. I would imagine they are not much different that they were 10 years ago. Bumping because new page. Sofa, I’d genuinely like to hear your take on this, especially if I’m way off base.

Are the other teams not aging as well. Other teams are bringing in better players to make themselves better and offset internal declines. Nah. The players they bring in will just decline.

Tim did say he was talking about decline based on age. I read it that Zobrist is the only guy who is so old you have to expect decline. He also specified offense. I can't speak for Tim, but I'm sure he'd agree that Baez is also likely to regress, but thats a matter of regression to the mean, not way-past-peak age. I have to say I agree with what he wrote, and think you would too if he expounded. Nope. Especially as it's become more and more clear how early players' peaks are, especially when it comes to offensive output. I've seen some of the articles on peaks coming earlier, but I feel like they're missing something. I think the biggest reason for this is that "decent major leaguers" don't last as long as they used to. Once the "marginal" major leaguer hit arbitration, he's DFA'd. Ten years ago he still received a contract. Once the "decent" major leaguer hits free agency, he's now offerred a minor league deal, when you used to get a multi-year ML contract, because now the GM's realize they can get nearly the same production out of a rookie. And that rookie is getting a shot earlier, making his peak even earlier (simply becasue there is data for earlier). This is all based on my assumption that lack of data for a 34 year old (fewer 34 year olds getting ML free agent contracts) counts as a negative in these models. If removing these marginal players doesn't "count against" their age range, and just eliminates poorer performances, then I'm more wrong than you think I am. I would love to see reaserach on the aging curve of 10-year vets. I would imagine they are not much different that they were 10 years ago.

Tim did say he was talking about decline based on age. I read it that Zobrist is the only guy who is so old you have to expect decline. He also specified offense. I can't speak for Tim, but I'm sure he'd agree that Baez is also likely to regress, but thats a matter of regression to the mean, not way-past-peak age. I have to say I agree with what he wrote, and think you would too if he expounded.

I can foresee a volleyball like set of rules where you have to be “in position” as the ball is served. Shortstop has to be on the left side of 2B as the ball is thrown and can shuffle to his left immediately after it’s released. I don’t like it but I could see it being thrown out there.

disinformation is the new market inefficiency.

I don't believe him. I believe the Cubs will have an aggressive pitch for Harper You should become a twitter personality with that kind of story breaking acuity.

That did it for me. Edit: posts gone, account locked. That was fast. Joe's days are numbered.

Is this actually Maddon's son? This man-child is Billy Madison level crazy rich 40-year-old kid.

I can’t remember how it resolved, but I know at one point there was talk of selling the Cubs and Wrigley separately. Is that how it went down?

Oooof. If only he could throw strikes..

I think that’s what this is about. In the upcoming moves, it gives the cubs the option of walking away(or at least the ability to bluff that they’ll walk away) from a variety of tables both when getting rid of Russell and when seeking someone to replace him.

I'm sure the Phillies will be glad to take on our bad contracts to assist us in signing Harper. If they want to help us collude they will. Otherwise, we should go over the top luxury tax threshold.

I can recommend someone.

I am uncomfortable with the silence. Not particularly on this issue, just in general. Don't worry, I'm seeing someone about it. The fact that I am now longing for pizza talk was my final clue. Any chance anything happens at the winter meetings?