Then why was everyone soo upset when Neifi and Izturis went 1-2 in the lineup last year? If it wouldn't matter if they batting 7th 8th, or 1-2, I don't see what the uproar was all about. Because by having Neifi and Izturis at 1-2 you are giving them more ab's than what they would get if they were batting 7-8. Actually, the whole Neifi thing was a perfect example of why I don't believe the lineup doesn't matter. When Lee was having a career year, he only ended up with a little over 100 RBI. The reason is because Neifi and Macias, among others who sucked were batting in front of him. Not only does it make it worse that these guys get more AB's but the fact that don't get on base also causes the players behind them not to get RBI opportunities. It's undoubtedly true that Lee drove in fewer runs because Neifi, Macias, and Patterson frequently hit in front of him On the other hand, how many more runs did the Cubs score because Neifi, Macias, and Patterson did not hit behind him? In other words, the bottom of the Cubs order drove in more runs than Patterson/Neifi/Macias would have driven in if they hit in those spots.