CuseCubFan69

Yeah but it's much more fun IMO to be optimistic from the beginning then to jump on board once they start winning! I agree...so long as they KEEP winning. I may have trouble holding on to my pessimism until opening day. Come on and take the leap....I know it's scary but what the heck it's always an interesting ride! I took the leap last year, and my Cardinal buddy in the cubicle next to me never let me hear the end of it...I have to be at least a LITTLE more cautious this year. Yeah but with Dusty as the manager you were leaping without a parachute.

This coaching staff here works and works and works. The implication here is that Dusty and Co. weren't exactly putting their noses to the grindstone, right? Not surprising. Great to hear about the hard work of the new coaching staff, however. And hopefully it's productive do it right work. If you're doing something wrong and keep on doing it wrong all the hard work is doing is keeping you from getting better and possibly making you worse.

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone. I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

I hope you were kidding with that first sentence! I think things have a way of working out for the better player to play, especially now that Baker is gone. If Floyd is hitting 320/410 and Jones is doing really well also while Murton is struggling I have no problem with it. I think it benefits the team best if Lou can find a way to use the OF's efficiently and to try to give AB's to the top 4 guys as much as he can. I'm sure Soriano is in there pretty much every game so I'd like Murton in there against all leftys and to get some AB's against rightys too depending on the matchups.

Personally I'm amazed on how much baseball some of these guys play over the course of the year. I wonder which shoulder it was?

I talked to the Syracuse Chiefs trainer and he said that a lot of the players don't work hard or see the value of keeping in shape until they get hurt. They have this "I'm indestructible" feeling and just think they are every going to need to do the things they need to do to stay healthy and prolong their careers and for many it's too late when they finally realize this.

Every study, including one in the WSJ last week, show that lineup protection is a myth. Our challenge at #2 is interesting. With Soriano's power, his percentage of time on first base is very low. Jones and Murton are extreme groundball hitters which is normally a problem with DPs at #2. But Jones' strikeouts would make DPs even less likely. So as long as he doesn't face LHPs, Jones at #2 sounds OK. And sandwiched between Soriano and Lee might protect him from LHPs later in a game. Do you realize you just wrote that lineup protection was a myth and then said Soriano and Lee might protect Jones from LHP's? :D

Yeah but it's much more fun IMO to be optimistic from the beginning then to jump on board once they start winning! I agree...so long as they KEEP winning. I may have trouble holding on to my pessimism until opening day. Come on and take the leap....I know it's scary but what the heck it's always an interesting ride!

Bruce...you were there when Dusty first got hired. What things do you see that are different in Lou's first couple of days than Dusty's?

If Marquis can come through in the clutch in a late September game akin to Estes that helps us win the division, I'll take back some of the bad thoughts I've had about him. I'd prefer that Marquis not suck for the rest of the season like Estes did in 2003. :D Let's face it, if the Cubs had a fifth starter in 2003 worth his salt, September would have been a much easier month on Cubs fans. Yeah but imagine how fun it'll be in the bleachers when he pitches! Wear your hardhat....INCOMING!!!!

Do you think that Floyd is a part of reason why he didn't answer? No, you have to understand that Lou was surrounded by reporters and that these questions sometimes come rapid fire. At this point, nobody knows how this is going to shake out yet. Floyd's health will figure into things as well as where Soriano ends up. All Lou is doing is considering all his options, as he should be doing. I agree and that's wonderful to hear. I like Lou being able to have an open mind when Spring starts. Do you ever get to spend some time with Lou alone?

Do you think that Floyd is a part of reason why he didn't answer?

If Marquis can come through in the clutch in a late September game akin to Estes that helps us win the division, I'll take back some of the bad thoughts I've had about him. I agree. He can come into a game on of the 5 starters have struggled in and pitch 6 innings to only give way to Wood in the 9th for a clinching Cub victory!

Yeah but it's much more fun IMO to be optimistic from the beginning then to jump on board once they start winning!

Are we allowed to write tush? I thought that word was taboo. Word filter? No...just commenting on Tim's potty mouth.

Are we allowed to write tush? I thought that word was taboo.

I'm with you on Ronny. Key with him I think is he has to be handled correctly in order to establish his confidence at that level. His continued sucktitude last year was due in part, I think, to Dusty and crew continuing to tell him he was taking good cuts and to keep doing what he was doing. I think he will benefit more than anyone on the roster by the change in coaching staff if given the chance. What I've noticed is that a lot of posters think that Lou and company can help a lot of players but I never see Izturis in this equation. If Lou can help him see the light it's possible the Cubs might have a decent SS there. If he take get Izzy to be more selective it's possible he might not be the negative that many think he is going to be. I'm not saying this is going to happen but as I feel for a lot of Lou topics let's wait and see what develops.

I like what Lou has said so far but I I'm waiting to see what he really does. He is the guy that played A.Gonzalez at 3rd over some pretty good prospects in TB. I don't know what was up with that. It was a team of prospects. You're begrudging him playing one semi-vet at one position? No it wasn't, and yes, it was a terrible decision. Most people don't consider players prospects anymore once they have any major league experience. I don't consider them real vets until they have experienced more success than a couple years on a terminably junky team with no hope for success. The '05 Devil Rays had experience at 1B (Lee), but Nick Green, Carl Crawford, Damon Hollins, Jonny Gomes, Jorge Cantu, as well as a good portion of their rotation (Kazmir, Waechter, Fossum) were players that were less-than-established veterans. I know they don't fit the classic definition of "prospect." AGone was the eldest man in the starting lineup on that team. He was junk, yea it was stupid to play him. That entire ballclub was going nowhere. Playing another prospect wasn't going dig them out of their hole. They were in a hole and playing a vet like Alex is foolish to me. IMO you look to the big picture at that stage and playing Alex should not have been an option at the time. Let me also add that TB was out of it and he played those guys. I'd like to see how he handles it when he has a team in contention. Please make sure you understand Soul that I'm keeping an open mind about Lou and not leaning one way or another until I actually see what he is doing and not just talking about it. Managers can talk about doing this and doing that and changing their ways but when things get a little tough it's my opinion that they go back to what they know and has worked for them in the past.

I think, at least by the way Lou put it, that if Jones bats second it would only be against rightys and DeRosa might be the guy that bats there against leftys.

I hope Lee's little girl is doing better first of all. That's the main thing for me. Second, if he has 100% ROM and is pain free I'll be thrilled and it'll be nice to have him back. I'm happy these guys are excited with this group of hitters and I look forward to seeing how they handle slumps. Will it be a group thing....they hit well at the same time or slump at the same time or will there be a couple of guys that pick up the team when they are struggling. I know a lot of people feel differently but I liked how Lofton changed the outlook of a game when he was in Chicago. He had a different approach than many guys they had on the team and I think that helped when the big guys were struggling. I realize good hitters are good hitters but I just dont want the Cubs to all struggle against the same types of pitchers. This is one reason I like the addition of Floyd to this team.

I loved it when Neifi did that last year! It just set the tone for the year for me.

My five keys to a successful Cubs season: 1) A healthy and fully recuperated Mark Prior There is nothing bigger than this that is still up in the air. Adding a 2003/2004 Mark Prior to the rotation would make this the team to beat in the NL. 2) Soriano hitting like 2006 instead of 2005 Biggest x factor on the offensive side 3) Hill is for real If Hill can show that his control gains from 2005-2006 and that his home run prevention from 2006 are sustainable...he's going to be a very, very good pitcher. Because he's going to strike a whole bunch of people out. 4) Supplanting Izturis at SS The light bulb that went on for Ronnie in the second half of the winter where his walk rate quadrupled is a very hopeful sign. He may not be the 2003 version of Izturis in the field, but neither is the 2006 version of Izturis. If Ronnie could push Cesar out of a job by the break, it could be great thing for this team. 5) Wood able to close If Kerry is healthy enough to pitch a closer's load from the pen, we don't have to be concerned with whether or not Dempster can close. If Ryan hangs onto the job through great performance, fantastic. Otherwise we have a potential dominator out there if he can go. If these five things go the Cubs way (and they all very well could), this team will be a powerhouse. Heck, if even the first few of them go the Cubs way, we'll be the team to beat in the NL. I hope Hill is for real too. I think he'll be fine and if he has figured this game out I'll be thrilled. But....he has to be able to pitch well again you're right. I wonder what his workout was over the off season?

I don't have a lot of confidence in Cedeno and I don't see him having offensive numbers that are that much better than Izturis. I need to hear another suggestion for SS that makes this better than just Cedeno.

Just give this time and we'll see what happens. I always do what Lou is doing and having people write down my every sentence to be diagnosed is really tough to do at this stage of the game. Personally, I'm glad Lou has an open mind and is willing to look at options. I wouldn't write Murton off yet but I have to admit having Floyd around makes me a tad bit nervous. But, as long as the best 8 guys are out there I won't have a problem with who plays.

I like what Lou has said so far but I I'm waiting to see what he really does. He is the guy that played A.Gonzalez at 3rd over some pretty good prospects in TB. I don't know what was up with that.