ToupeeOnFire

I don't think it's a good idea to be shutting pitchers down if their health is in tact. Ultimately, these pitchers are going to have to be relied on over the course of a full season and I think it is in the club's long term interest to not baby them now. That's not to say you throw them to the wolves (and I certainly don't approve of Dusty's reckless disregard for pitch counts), but by getting them the experience of pitching over the course of a full season now, you are better preparing them for the future. The only way you are going to build up strength is to pitch.

And down go the White Sox! Two and a half and counting... Go Tribe!

You clearly have yet to visit White Sox Interactive. :D I was cracking up after I checked out WSI the other day. Here the White Sox are playing for their play-off lives and what are the two lead stories on the front page? Cubune cries over Sox Success! MacPhail and the Big Lie! LOL! Go Indians!

Cubs Clinch!!! Cubs Clinch!!! Cubs Clinch!!! (the season series with the Cards)

They probably exceeded their bandwith limit of 10 listeners at once.

Direct link: http://ccri.eonstreams.com/ccri_fl_jacksonville_wfxj_am.asf

Yeah, fun game. Made me totally forget about the NFL opener.

Serious question. Assuming Kerry Wood is going to start next year, do you bring Dempster back to be the closer, or do you spend mucho dinero for a free agent (like Billy Wagner)? Discuss.

I was going to say that I thought that it was a pretty good idea to pinch run with Corey at this stage of the game. ...of course, then he get's picked off. :roll:

Wow, these last two innings are the best Z has looked all game. Now take him out, Dusty.

I say give him another year as well. Sign him to a low base salary with plenty of incentives. If he gets hurt or fizzles out, you have Cedeno ready to take over. Unfortunately, I feel like the Cubs will let Nomar walk and instead go with a Neifi/Cedeno arrangement...and you know what that means, expect Neifi to get at least 80% of the playing time.

Of course not. He's "only" thrown 108 pitches thus far. He's good for a few more innings in a meaningless game...right?!? I'm cool with taking him out - I just think he is probably a better hitter than the guy who would probably have pinch hit for him. Not according to Dustylogic™, nobody is better than the Mighty Macias. BTW, Nomahhh~!

Of course not. He's "only" thrown 108 pitches thus far. He's good for a few more innings in a meaningless game...right?!?

Ok, that catch was awesome. Z owes Hairston a beer.

She's a pretty good softball player, too. Hairston always makes it interesting out there .... he's been able to make most of those catches, though. To be fair, his jump wasn't really late. He just isn't as fast and graceful as, say, Corey Patterson. For Patterson, it would have been an over-the-shoulder grab.

Hairston with an Edmonds special! (get a late jump, make a diving catch)

Yep, he had this downcast "rookie making an out at third confirms my preconceived notions" expression to him.

Nice play on D for Cedeno in the 1st and a base hit to lead off T3rd. I was very skeptical about Cedeno and his batting average fueled production in AAA, but the kid looks like he belongs.

Dude, it's the drive for .500! Am I the only one hoping the Cubs finish above .500? Yes, I know it hurts their draft position; and, yes, it gives Dusty an accomplishment to hang his hat on (thus increasing the likelihood of a contract extension); but I can't help it, I think it'd be an important accomplishment for this franchise to finish .500 or above for three consecutive seasons. Call me crazy, call me kooky, call me an idiot for hoping for some ultimately insignificant accomplishment which could possibly have some undesirous long term consequences...but, damnit, I can't help myself.

KEEP CARLOS OFF OF THE SOCCER FIELD (err, football pitch)!

I'd take a gamble on a talented headcase or a stand-up reclamation project, but I wouldn't take a gamble on a headcase reclamation project. And you've got to be joking about DUIs. No, he didn't blow a .30 on the breath test because he refused to take a breathalyzer. Besides the DUI, he spent 11 days in Aruba for punching a judge and has left the dugout during games to hang out with friends in a suite in the stadium.

It would be a huge mistake to get rid of Walker. As others have pointed out, he provides a good bat for a relatively cheap price. But more importantly, next year the Cubs -- depending on what direction they decide to take -- could be looking at holes to fill at all three OF positions along with SS (not to mention the potential retirement of Greg Maddux). Why create another uncertainty when you already have a perfectly good in-house option? Given the fact that the Cubs will have a limited amount to spend, I would prefer that they have fewer holes to fill, thus using the available money on a few higher caliber players rather than having to spread it around amongst lower priced detritus. The Cubs haven't actually grasped the concept of low cost replacement talent.

No way in hell would I give Derrek Lee a $100 mil deal. Even the 6/$75 you outline above seems excessive. By the time you get to year 6, he'll be 36 years old and while it's possible he still may be a quality player at that age, I can guarantee you he won't be worth $15 mil. A three year deal with a team option would seem like a good deal. Of course, I suppose a lot depends on what he does next year. Oh yeah, Mariotti is a complete idiot.

The problem is, even if they were in the thick of the pennant race, it wouldn't have been wise to leave Mark Prior out there to wither on the vine like he did. He not only is risking Prior's long term health, he's risking his short-term health and effectiveness. Plus, by leaving him in there, the Braves managed to score a crucial insurance run. But I agree with your point in general, though.

I'm reviving this thread, because once again, Dusty leaves his pitcher in for far too long. Mark Prior was at a 122 pitches when he surrenders an infield hit to Rafeal Furcal (which inexplicably score 2 runs -- only the Cubs). Prior had battled his heart out, striking out the next two hitters after finding himself in a runners on the corners jam with nobody out. Alas, he couldn't get Furcal and the Braves took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 7th inning. So of course it's time to take him out right? 122 pitches is a lot and there is no need to keep him out there. No, not when your Dusty Baker. You leave him in there to throw another 10 pitches and watch him give up another run to put the game seemingly out of reach. I am not one to legalistically harp on pitch-counts, but Dusty is clueless when it comes to taking out the starters. If he's not leaving in a pitcher to throw a huge number of pitches unnecessarily (except for Maddux), he usually waits one batter too late when taking them out of the game. Dusty never has the bullpen warming up in the latter innings "just in case" when the starter's pitch count is starting to pile up, it's always after the starter has created a jam for himself, or has given up the tying or go-ahead runs. BTW, final line for Prior? 132 pitches in 6.2 IP. If Prior finds himself on an operating table facing elbow surgery, I don't want to hear the excuses.