CuseCubFan69

How's Chad looking? He threw a lot of pitches. Full counts on 3 batters, Hardy and Braun hit the ball hard off him. Hall's fly out was to the wall in RF. Announcers said he was leaving everything up. How was his velocity?

Well, imagine what it's like for other teams fans to listen to Ronny?

How's Chad looking?

Tell Larry Hughes to stop shooting the ball so much... He's a chucker, eh? And not quite a good of a scout as Cubs head scout Gary Hughes. I'd like to watch a game and listen to Hughes talk about the players, just to hear what he has to say and how he approaches scouting them.

Now if it went like this, Lee walks. Cintron doubles and Colvin flies out to CF we have a run. Fuld should have pulled the ball and Torres can not strike out.

If the Cubs lose ARam and a Z, Lilly or Hill, probably the Cubs as well.

The commentators said that is about as hard as Gwynn can hit it. He only has 8 homeruns in his entire professional career? Wood into pitch. Cubs going with the gritty lineup, Theriot takes over as SS, Fuld in CF, other changes to but I don't remember those. Oh well, it happens. How did Gally do after the HR? I'd like to see him shrug it off and pitch well after that. He did pitch well after the HR. Retired the next three guys pretty quickly. Seemed to be throwing strikes, just a hanger to Cameron. Thanks, that's a good sign. I like having a pitcher go after hitters after someone hits a bomb off them.

Or trashed his car.

Tell Larry Hughes to stop shooting the ball so much... He's a chucker, eh?

The commentators said that is about as hard as Gwynn can hit it. He only has 8 homeruns in his entire professional career? Wood into pitch. Cubs going with the gritty lineup, Theriot takes over as SS, Fuld in CF, other changes to but I don't remember those. Oh well, it happens. How did Gally do after the HR? I'd like to see him shrug it off and pitch well after that.

I don't why he moaned about the horses and then he goes and gets the same ones 2 years later. They're two years older now. Thus, they are now better at baseball. I didn't think like Dusty, you're probably right! This thread just makes me smile each time it's brought back up.

We have a bunch of posters from your state so maybe you picked the same name as they had.

Have you ever actually heard Mike North? Also, RBI single for Fukudome. He's 3-3, HR, 2 RBI today. No but I've read what you guys have said about him.

Guess we can all stop worrying on K-Fuk not being able to get the ball out of the infield, huh? That blowhard, Mike North, just this morning was criticizing Fuk for his 1 for 7 start to the spring...what a moron. No way...honest to God? Are you surprised? It just amazes me how some people have jobs like that and just talk out of their butt to create attention. I have to assume it's for attention because I just can't comprehend someone being that ignorant.

Guess we can all stop worrying on K-Fuk not being able to get the ball out of the infield, huh? That blowhard, Mike North, just this morning was criticizing Fuk for his 1 for 7 start to the spring...what a moron. No way...honest to God?

Welcome to the forum carolina! Sorry about the confusion and we'll look into why it took so long for you.

Butterburger Field

This guy keeps coming in here at random times and posting stuff like this as though he has some form of inside info. Does anybody know who he is? Crane Kenney.

I'm hoping that the Mariners satisfied some of their needs and they will ask for less regarding Roberts....hoping real hard.

Any way you boys can just keep the cap room clear for 2009 so you reload big time? What free agents are available in 2009?

Taste great....less filling!

And then the cream of the crop.....LENNY! oh God, lenny harris. that guy has to be up to a D-cup by now. He's on the Nats coaching staff. If he were available I don't doubt that Dusty would offer him a coaching job, or maybe even let him play. Yeah, the hitting coach - of all things. Those who can't do, teach. Those who can't teach, teach gym.

That's utterly ridiculous. If you want to argue that spring training should be cancelled, that's one thing. But players come into spring training in shape-this isn't 1934 where they're pulling a double shift at the factory in the offseason. The only thing that can be accomplished during Spring Training is for management to get a feel for the team, especially new players. Aside from that, you're taking the quote waaaaaaaaay too far. In no way, shape, or form did he state that a decision had been made. He simply stated that he MAY make a change TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. That's about as noncommital as possible. To imply that he simply made a snap decision and has completely made up his mind is dishonest. If anything, Piniella has shown a penchant to think out loud with reporters, and speculate as to some possible changes that, realistically, won't come to pass nearly as quickly as he states (see Dempster situation last season). This is a non-story. Game shape wilco, I'm not talking about guys doing laps. It's about getting pitchers arms stretched out, for starters to get ready to throw 100+ pitches, for relievers to get ready for back to back days. It's for hitters to get their timing ready. I didn't say anything about cancelling spring training. It serves a purpose. Unfortunately, some people think it's capable of serving more than it's purpose. Lou experimented with a guy hitting third and didn't like what he saw after 7 ABs, and now he wants to change things up. I'm not taking anything too far. Managers have a horribly inflated ego with regards to their ability to "get a read on guys". Lou is no different. They can't learn squat from a handful of at bats. Thankfully, in the grand scheme of things, whether Fukudome hits 3rd or 2nd probably will not make a lick of difference with how well he hits and how well the team performs, so this sort of tinkering won't hurt too bad. But it won't help either. If Fukudome is hitting second instead of Theriot you don't see that as a good thing?

I agree. He's really not who I'd like playing there but if he's struggling I'm sure the Cubs will make a move before the deadline and upgrade the position. I'm rooting for the Riot to have a career year. I'm not so sure. He was horrible last year and they didn't lift a finger in trying to replace him. I don't get why people think his horribleness would not be tolerated this year. The problem is the Cubs think Theriot isn't a problem. He would have to get signficantly worse in order to be bad enough for them to wake up to the problem. I hope you're wrong because if you're right that is no way to run a baseball team. What does worry me is that Theriot starts hot and the Cubs are fooled into believing he's the SS and he slumps like he did last year.

In the baseball world. Using 3-year splits, do you know how many 2B have put an OPS over .800 besides Roberts? Utley, Kent, Cano, and Polanco (Hudson doesn't have the 2005 to qualify, I think from injury, but he should be there). There are other young guys without 3 years that project over .800 in 2008 such as Johnson, Uggla, and Pedroia. Utley and his .900+ OPS is in a tier by himself. Then you have a 6-10 guys who might give you .800+, which should be considered plus production for that position. In the baseball world a guy that gives you plus production at a position and still close enough to age 30 to be relevant has value. Whether your personal baseball beliefs include steals or not, many in the baseball world tack a 50+ steals rider onto an .800+ OPS as additional value. Honestly, I don't get the problem, unless you've been playing too much PS3. 4 players is a lot only if you consider 'proven' MLB numbers in the package. 4 players is not a lot if all would qualify as unproven talent and none qualify as can't miss prospects, and in this case Murton, Cedeno, Gallagher, and one B prospect constitutes a package of unproven every day talent and it does not include a can't miss prospect. Take out Roberts "roid" year of 2005 which his OPS was .902 and he's not in that .800 OPS club either. In fact, if you look at the last 2 years of production and we are focusing on OPS, DeRosa's avg OPS was .802, whereas Roberts' was .783. I'm not going to argue how valuable Roberts is to ANY team, but I will argue just how much of an upgrade he is to THIS team. I realize that he's an incredible leadoff man, and can steal bases, which the Cubs do need, but not in a 2B. If he played SS, do what it takes to get him. Well that was a shot out of the dark....side of the moon. Welcome to the forum and I agree. I would be ok with the Cubs getting more quality depth to replace DeRosa.