Bull

I will be checked many times on this undoubtedly, but so long as nobody was raped or murdered lets get the whole story together first. A month+ later and there's still two sides to this whole thing is at least somewhat telling. So everything is okay as long as no one gets raped or murdered? :banghead: Its all fun and games till somebody gets -- [-X [-X ...never mind

My guess is he'll olmos make the team.

you say this all the while campaigning to exile the guy with 2 BB/9 : 8.9 K/9, 3.49 FIP as a Cub amusingly, those rates were 3.1 & 6.5 before we signed him, at age 31... I'm the guy campaigning to not exile that guy. be that as it may...THE POINT REMAINS HEY! DON'T YELL AT TIM!

Not him. Face too big.

It's more of a portal to another dimension, but they definitely walk through it over the next two years.

I don't think Almora is the primary reason for not going long term on Fowler, and I'm not sure what the primary reason is, but there's seems to be enough smoke about other CF options that I think they aren't looking at Fowler long term. I think they like Almora enough that they don't mind going more flexible on this position and saving the resources for eksewhere. On the 50% or whatever chance Almora fails at AAA, they will still be able to fill the position and save big money for more elite options elsewhere on the diamond. My prostate wants to know if Almora is as meh as Fowler. This is an important consideration.

Or just bench coach.

There will be so much blue from here on out. Death to all things red or reddish.

BOOOOM

if by "sucks", you mean, "is awesome", then yes.

A lot of you know that I live just outside St. Louis (I'm originally from South Bend). I seldom post as I hold down two jobs and am raising a family, but read here daily over the past 12 years. For reference, I have two cubs flags on my truck windows, and have even flown the W behind my truck, so I've been getting a lot of reactions around town. Thumbs up from the smattering of Cubs fans, and other fingers from Cards fans. I posted this on my Facebook today and it has blown up. Dozens of Cards fans cheering for the Cubs tonight on behalf of my poor daughters...lol. Several shares, long lost friends and people I don't even know reaching out to me. Crazy. Anywho...... for your reading enjoyment. ________________________________________________________________________________ To all the Cardinals fans that have been so vicious and hateful (not to all the many who are genuinely kind and give friendly jabs). To all those who have been honking and flipping me off because I have Cubs flags on my truck: I'm glad you like your team. Keep liking them. Just don't be mad or shocked that I like my team! It would seem you have enough to celebrate over the last few years that you could focus on your successful team rather than spew hated and add insult to injury to a team whose ineptitude you seem compelled to document and revel in. I don't have to be reminded of the singular and historic impotence of the Cubs. I'm much more aware of the near misses, should-haves, ground-ball-through-the-legs, 3-and-out, record-setting, heart-breaking badness of this Cubs. I not only know exactly how long its been, I know the exact circumstances of each painful failure along the way. As a stat-geek, I personally know the depravity of certain teams over the ages and the extreme mathematical improbability of the collapse in '69, the fold in '84, the fact that the top two rookies in '89 turned into pumpkins, the 95% win expectancy in game 6 in 2003, and the historic 2008 Cubs offense being made to look like a bunch of junior college wannabes by an up and coming Dodgers pitching staff. Let me explain why I persevere. There is nothing like being a Cubs fan. There is nothing like living and dying with each pitch. There is nothing like believing when no one else does. There is nothing like living every day fighting off the gamblers fallacy that says past failure guarantees future success, because "we're due". But it will happen. Maybe not this time. Maybe not in THIS postseason. (but maybe!) Maybe there will be another goat, another Leon Durham, another Bartman-to-Gonzalez-to-Prior. But eventually it will happen. In 2003 millions of bandwagoners caught Cubbie fever. If the Cubs win tonight the bandwagon will get full again. But there are many of us that will enjoy it more. We are invested. We have believed. When that day comes I will be able to say: I never gave up, I never backed down. I've been here from the beginning. From the broken heart of a barely 8-year-old boy in 1984; from the latch-key kid who was kept company from 4th grade by Harry Caray instilling a belief in possibilities with every homer (it might be, it could be......IT IS), and Steve Stone explaining that the next pitch would be a low-outside slider (which seemed like otherworldly presage to a 10-year-old); from the college kid who skipped out on a Systematic Theology exam study group to go to a 1998 playoff game in Fulton County Stadium where more Cubs fans than Braves fans took in a Cubs win; to a father who has watched his daughters genuinely bullied for wearing a Cubs shirt to school, I've stuck with the Cubbies through thin and thin. It might not happen this year. But it will happen, and when it does...its gonna be amazing.

No MRI, day to day.

this is much more fun than losing.

Schwarber...doesn't. exactly. I like Rizzo and Montero here, not sure I trust Schwarber and Coghlan. and as much as I hate to say it, I wouldn't mind lastella if Garcia throws that many fastballs and has reverse splits.

Ok. I know how to spell Greg Maddux. [expletive] autocorrect on iPad. I read the inner quote as "Bull Durham" Sorry...low hanging fruit. I approve of all of this.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/team_compare.cgi?year=2015&lg=ML&stat=OPS We've talked over the last few years about the fact that third base has no longer been a premier offensive position. This year seems to represent a shift. Assuming KB can stay at third, I think it continues.

You keep saying "replace Hammel". We still have him under contract next year. I see no reason to be in a rush to replace him at this point. Let him have another great first half and trade him at the deadline next year. Yeah, I don't get it either. Hammel xFIP by month: April: 3.20 May: 3.05 June: 3.39 July: 4.55 August: 3.47 Sept/Oct: 3.90 For all the arguing about depth, this guy might be your 6th starter after you'd sign Price. For some reason I thought he was on a one year deal. The point still stands, just remove the part about having to replace his production. Bottom line, I like what Hendricks and Hammel have done this year and see no reason to be fretting about starting pitching for next year.

I guess I should make a point before my lunch is over. I don't think there's anything wrong with adding pitching, but I don't think it's a dire need. I'd would be ecstatic adding Price. I'd also be happy adding two Hammel's. When you have a 95 win team, you find ways replace the production of guys like Fowler and Hammel. You find small ways to improve, and you find ways to supplement In case someone (aka Castro this year) falls off a cliff. If one of those Fowler or Hammel replacements can be a big step forward and stay within budget: bonus.

That's what depth is. You don't want to use him that way, but can if necessary. that's why he's 6 or 7 of 5.

Lester, Arrieta, Hammel, Hendricks, Wood, Jackson, Wada, Turner, Doubront. How is that better than the nine I listed? Jackson and Turner all had more success in starting roles than the guys you listed. Regardless, though, look where that level of depth ended this year. I guess the difference is that I feel very good with where that depth ended up this year. It ended with Wood in the bullpen and Edwin swapped out for a cheap deadline pickup. And 4 solid to great starters.

Wood is OK, but they don't seem to like him as a starter. Cahill is a flash in the pan and a reliever. Edwards is a reliever. Johnson kinda sucks. Duane Underwood was last seen striking out 5.9 per 9 in A+. Cahill has been a starter until this year. He's a perfectly reasonable number 6 or 7. If you don't think Edwards can start then sign the always available aging veteran #5 in addition to the "replace Hammel's production" guy.

Lester, Arrieta, Hammel, Hendricks, Wood, Jackson, Wada, Turner, Doubront. How is that better than the nine I listed?

maybe I'm missing something, but I feel good about the starting pitching both now and moving forward. They have elite talent in Arrieta and Lester. Hendricks and Hamel sport 3.33 and 3.53 xFIPs respectively, good for 18th and 24th among qualifiers (ahead of Wach, Lynn and Lackey). Depth is there in the form of Wood, Cahill, Carl's Jr., Johnson and Underwood. I feel if you replace Hammel's production next year or slightly improve you're doing really well. What am I missing?

Death to inter league play.