CuseCubFan69

Seeing some potential out these players helps me with the loss of Nolesco. Not a lot but some. The pitcher I think will have the longest career out of that list is Hill.

And I thought Vance just wrote on here and Playboy. Nice job Vance.

He must have made someone very angry because he doesn't seem to get any attention from the Cubs brass. if the cubs do go with izzy & cedeno @ ss & 2b next year, why not back them up with theriot & fontenot on the bench? they both seem like good glove guys who can run a little and know how to get on base. i think mike can play 3b too so he can back up aram. maybe one or both of those guys can end up being the cubs version of freel. If they can move Perez AND Baker. I'd like to see it and a power hitting 4th OF because I doubt Hendry is going to upgrade the starting OF.

I am getting that sense too, though I would still platoon Murton with Jones in RF, sign Dave Roberts to play CF and get a big bat for LF. It does seem that Hendry will use his $25-30M to address starting pitching, but that's just a guess at this point. what about with playing murton every day & platooning restovich with jones in rf? Restovich is the best clutch hitter on the team at 333. You'd think the Hendry/Baker tandum would love those numbers. Are those his major league numbers? His minor league splits show the opposite - overall AVG .281, RISP .265, Close & Late .207. I'm not much of a believer in clutch, but those AAA numbers are the opposite of clutch. Those are his 1 for 3 MLB numbers and he put those gaudy numbers right in front of Baker.

You mean God save the Queen?

So if MLB was like a college conference the Cubs would have a shot to go to the dance?

You just can't make up names like that up so it has to be true.

What bugs me a little more about this move is that is gives Theriot even less playing time. I'd hate to see a guy in the 2 spot with a 360 OBP.

Jim Hendry, with glazed eyes and a Homer Simpson voice: "mmm high RISP ... mmm but can he catch the ball ... mmm high RISP but can he catch the ball ..." I was wondering why there were fuzzy dice in the dugout. I hope the Cubs can move Nevin and put Restovich at 1st/RF with Mabry/Jones. Nevin seems like an ok dude but I'd rather see what Restovich can do or one of the young guys at first.

BP doesn't have a stance on Izturis. Christina Karhl does. She writes for BP. Gee, thanks for the clarification. So what makes the author of the article an authority on who should and should not be an everyday SS? Her unqualified stance makes her opinion look myopic. BP still put her article on their website so it reflects poorly on them, too. The points I made still stand. Whether it is BP or Christina Karhl doesn't matter. Defense at the SS position still went unquantified and Karhl's claim that Izturis "shouldn't be an everyday player" is inaccurate which you agree with in your quoted statement below. Then why bother making the claim that Izturis is not an everyday SS? Also, how do you or Ms. Karhl know exactly what the line-up of the Chicago Cubs will be while Cesar Izturis is on the team? Your response doesn't make any sense. If what this uproarious 80-page thread is all about is that neither Izturis nor Cedeno are great offensive middle infielders, I readily agree. They, by themselves, will not score a lot of runs. I was simply pointing out that there are many different writers at BP, and they don't always agree. And you ought to read the entire thread. Izturis may have value, but he won't contribute much to the Cubs. Believe it or not, the Cubs already have one of the better defenses in baseball. They're currently ranked #6 in defensive efficiency, and they've been as high as #4 in the recent past. They don't need more players who can catch the ball. They need more players who can get on base and drive in runs. Izturis fixes a problem that doesn't exist. For somebody that values defense as Henry does, this does allow him the flexibility to go out and sign somebody like Soriano to play 2b. Izturis and Lee will make up the defensive shortcomings of a player like Soriano, and Soriano would help the offense tremendously-this move by itself cannot be judged very well because it is really hard to tell what the rest of the team will be like. If by this they determine the defense is fine and are free to sign some great offensive players, then it is a very good move. I don't know if they are thinking this, but it is reasonable that something like this could be their plan. I'm curious to see if Soriano wants to stay in LF.

I am getting that sense too, though I would still platoon Murton with Jones in RF, sign Dave Roberts to play CF and get a big bat for LF. It does seem that Hendry will use his $25-30M to address starting pitching, but that's just a guess at this point. what about with playing murton every day & platooning restovich with jones in rf? Restovich is the best clutch hitter on the team at 333. You'd think the Hendry/Baker tandum would love those numbers.

Our LF OPS is 18th in MLB. Our CF OPS is 22nd in MLB. Our RF OPS is 14th in MLB. Our middle infield next year will likely be the worst offensive double play combo in baseball. Aramis might opt out of his contract and leave the team. Barrett is unlikely to put up the numbers he's put up this year. Since our OF has not been very good this year, and the infield won't make up for deficiencies next year, I wouldn't say our OF is set. Was he saying set, as in, (a) already occupied by perfectly acceptable producers, or was it set, as in, (b) the GM is going to just go with the same crap that's already there? It's clearly not set (a), but most likely set (b). i'm not making a judgement either way but according to this article the cubs are hot and heavy trying to resign juan: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-060806cubsbrite,1,141655.story?coll=cs-cubs-headlines I'm not one to use emoticons, but :shock: please demand that much Juan. that seems about the only thing that may make Hendry shy away. the way I see it, if they resign him, all is lost anyway, so signing him for that much wouldn't be a big deal. What scares me is that Hendry might go to 9 and say that was the big free agent signing. "We had to solidify the leadoff spot and Juan was the guy we wanted. Now, I have to go find a four leaf clover to stop those injuries and bad hops from happening."

He's a free agent after this year though and you would probably be building him up for someone else. Is he on the 40 man? If he is then that would be fine to have him in the pen then.

.238/.273/.286 Are those really his numbers or Ohio States top football players SAT scores? It's what espn.com lists his numbers as a Cub, but sometimes they are late to include the previous days' stats into the current total. In fact, now it says .250/.298/.343 when you dig a little deeper. Ya see, things are already looking up for Izturis! :wink: But can he bunt like Neifi? That's what will make him go from a below average hitter to the Perez type of career. I could live with a 48 Isod but with this lineup Hendry has to beef up the OF quite a bit.

Holy crap my HS kids know to do this. Sometimes it just amazes me how little these guys know about their craft. it's easy to know what to do and another thing to do it. it's like telling hill to just throw strikes or jones not to swing at pitches out of the zone. I don't think it's the same. When you go to the mound and talk to the pitcher he KNOWS he's not throwing strikes but if you find a flaw it may change the result. Knowing to face the pitcher with both eyes is hitting 101. Looking at the pitcher with both eyes is what you're suppose to do to give yourself the best chance to be a successful hitter. Everyone wants to throw strikes or hit pitches in the zone but you have to give yourself the best chance to do that by doing it the right way. Sometimes, players can get by on natural talent, and succeed. Managers and coaches can be hesitant to tinker with a successful technique. If it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of approach. Then, when a player hits a wall, the flaw(s) are exposed and tinkering becomes necessary. You either adjust or fail. Vlad is a good example - the guy hits everything. Tremendous natural talent. Under control, he could be even better, but then again, maybe not. You don't know until you try, but the player may sacrifice overall production by trying to minimize K's or something. I think the key is know when to tinker with a player's approach, and when to leave it be. JMO Oh I agree and it's really really hard to change a players aprroach after they have had success. But, it's like breathing, you have to do X amount of things to be able to hit at all and two eyes on the pitcher is one of them. This, IMO, is a basic you have to do it thing and a simple thing that should be taught to all players. A lot of players have bad habits and hit like Vlad but to make yourself the best you can be you have to be able to see the pitcher with both eyes. Instructors disagree on many things that can make you a better hitter but very few if any would suggest not using both eyes to see the pitcher.

.238/.273/.286 Are those really his numbers or Ohio States top football players SAT scores?

Holy crap my HS kids know to do this. Sometimes it just amazes me how little these guys know about their craft. it's easy to know what to do and another thing to do it. it's like telling hill to just throw strikes or jones not to swing at pitches out of the zone. I don't think it's the same. When you go to the mound and talk to the pitcher he KNOWS he's not throwing strikes but if you find a flaw it may change the result. Knowing to face the pitcher with both eyes is hitting 101. Looking at the pitcher with both eyes is what you're suppose to do to give yourself the best chance to be a successful hitter. Everyone wants to throw strikes or hit pitches in the zone but you have to give yourself the best chance to do that by doing it the right way.

Joe is new, but has also done some nice things with the Marlins, that Jim might see him as less of a long shot now. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. This thread is a tease. I'll tell myself that too and yes, it is a tease. Sadly, not just for Joe but the thought Baker won't be in the Cub dugout in 2007. I'm not that excited about Joe. I'll never forget the time he said he noticed something wrong with a pitcher's delivery (Lieber?), but he didn't say or do anything about it at the time. The guy who it was went under the knife short after. I haven't watched much of Joe's new team, but I feel he's probably one of those old school bunt and run, give up outs and play the established mediocre vet kind of guys. It's hard to judge him on a team where his only choice is to play kids. But his team does have the 2nd most cost stealings and one of the lower SB% in the league, indicating they run a lot despite not being good at it (sign of a manager that doesn't mind running into outs). I really don't know what Joe's beliefs are, but I'm skeptical. My dislike for Dusty's ways might just mean anybody would be an improvement. But I'm not going to long for Joe just because he's not Dusty. What do we know about any young manager or guy that's been a coach the whole time once they are in charge. It is hard to get a gauge on him but I have this thing for ex-catchers for managers. Not a blind any catcher will do thing but a thing just the same.

Yankees/Cubs....apples/oranges. :drunken:

Maybe he has some kind of weird fetish. While I was in London, I found out that there are people who are irresistably attracted to amputees. Perhaps Hendry envisions himself as the Florence Nightingale of GM's? I have a fetish for teams that stink.

Holy crap my HS kids know to do this. Sometimes it just amazes me how little these guys know about their craft. Not surprising to me. Some people just have natural ability and can be very successful while knowing very little about their craft. I think Vlad Guerrero may be the best at this. True. I understand if you are successful like Vlad but with all the coaching these guys get I'm just shocked that something this simple has taken him so long to do. I'm curious if Bazzaro Vlad with good plate disipline would be a better hitter.

Bakers a stubburn man and will never admit to doing anything wrong. Cruz shouldn't have even been on the playoff roster if he can't hold a 12-0 lead for a few innings.

Too bad baseball doesn't give you additional points on style and grace. He corrected himself well on the bobble though and that's an important thing IMO.

Please don't mention Arby's. It's another 45min till my lunch, and I'm starving... :P See, if you lived on the correct side of the US you would be eating lunch right now.

Joe is new, but has also done some nice things with the Marlins, that Jim might see him as less of a long shot now. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. This thread is a tease. I'll tell myself that too and yes, it is a tease. Sadly, not just for Joe but the thought Baker won't be in the Cub dugout in 2007.