YearofDaCubs

Boy, ARod (351/448/666/1.114), Sheff (300/381/534/915), and Jeter (354/444/522/966) sure did prove that to be true last year. Good hitters will hit no matter where they are playing. And I'm sure those good hitters would have done even better if Yankee Stadium was known as The House That Dimaggio Built: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/stadium?team=nyy BTW, Soriano had OPS of over .800 @ The House That DiMaggio Didn't Build in both '02 and '03. Those are good numbers for a speedy 2B especially when he put up much better numbers on the road. Nice link. Did you see what Wrigley's percent capacity was for 2004? 98.9% which is just unreal.

Bingo. We keep talking about "Dusty-proofing" the team, when the ideal way to Dusty-proof the team is to send him packing. There's something wrong when the main issue of concern about acquiring a player is whether the manager will use the player properly. If the current manager won't, find one that will. [/wishful thinking]I totally agree. True story..I woke up this morning and could have sworn I heard on the radio we traded Baker to LA for prospects. I figured I must be dreaming but I'll go ahead and check NSBB to make sure which I did and found out Grissom was a Cub. From bad to worst I tell ya.

What else is there more to say than this was expected and is a terrible move.

Just say NO to Soriano.

I feel like everybody in the world knows Baker is incompetent aside from Hendry and MacPhail who have the most say on the Cubs future.

I always liked Olivo. He would have been a better option than Blanco. I don't know how he got so bad offensively after he left the WSox but when he was with them he was good.

Why not Greenberg over Grissom? I doubt Grissom gives us anything at the age of 39.

wilkerson, huff and michaels aren't exactly season changers. and i've read more things questioning beane for acquiring bradley than praising him. even if bradley turns out OK, you also have to consider two things: 1) dusty met with him and something in that meeting could have raised a red flag with him; 2) colletti and dusty may not be on good terms so colletti may not have been willing to deal a player to us that could have helped. you see a lot of GMs ship guys out of the league so they're not constantly bit by that guy's production. there is obviously a reason huff is still in TB. they may be asking too much for him and hendry could be waiting until midseason when their demands lower or until next offseason when he can sign him without giving up any prospects. i just hate this notion that all this talent was available and hendry didn't get any of it. if this were two years ago when tejada was available for a $7M/yr upgrade over alex gonzalez...then yes, complain out loud about his inability to land a big time FA. but wilkerson, michaels and huff and far from big name FAs. Be that as it may all the guys I have listed would be improvements over Jones.

It's not about just FAs. Giles was pretty much the only FA available. There were several options that could possibly be made through trade. Bradley, Wilkerson, Huff, Michaels as well as others. I don't think we want a big bopper as much as having a guy that has a good OBP. Considering what we gave up for Pierre we could have traded prospects for a better RFer than Jones.

Come on, please be reasonable here. It makes no sense to over expose Grissom by having him start over Murton or platoon with him. Even Dusty knows Murton hits well against LHP (I would be concerned if Marquis was lefthanded). Logic dictates that he will split time with Jones I missed this one while I was out working in the garage. Reasonable is thinking that Grissom would play in place of Murton long before he plays in place of Jones when Dusty is the manager. Last year when Murton got called up, he got very little playing time if any. The Cubs used Hollandsworth, Dubois until that proved inadequate. They used Hairston and Gerut while Murton was available. They traded for Lawton while Murton was outproducing all of them. Only once the season was basically over for Cubs playoff chances did Murton get any significant playing time. Jones makes big money. Dusty doesn't sit the big money guys. Same thing with Cedeno. When Cedeno was the best available option while Nomar and Walker were out, Enrique Wilson was brought in and Cedeno was sent down. I watch this team daily too. I've lost a lot of faith in Dusty doing the right thing. Dusty is also the same guy who made the comment that light skinned players can't handle playing most of their games in the hot daytime sun like dark skinned players, so who sits on back to back hot days in the sun? Jones or Murton? Maybe Dusty will prove me wrong. But, until he does, I have every reason to be extremely skeptical at this point. If Murton is still on this team when the season starts (and no big name LF is acquired) I think Murton will start. I know Dusty fills out the lineup cards but I think this year his hands will be tied because Hendry has already gone on record to say that Murton will be the starting LF and his job is on the line. Whether or not Dusty wants this job is up for debate but I don't think he wants to be fired for being in opposition with his GM (who's job may also be on the line baring an extension). On the subject of Grissom, there aren't that many LHP so platooning with Jones (even a strict platoon which I don't think will happen) won't net Marquis too many starting opportunities. If the Cubs sign him it will be as a bench player. I honestly would prefer to see Greenberg on the bench over Grissom.

Here's hoping for some good news :)

I find it amusing that some people are so pessimistic about everything (even signings that have yet to occur). I disagree that the team isn't improved over last year. Also, it's speculation to say that people will be "disappointed when the season goes down the drain." The way some people are talking, there's no reason to watch the games because the outcome has already been determined. I tend to be neither overly critical nor overly optimistic but I will say that my inital post in this thread was not well received. It's one thing to disagree (this is a messageboard afterall) it's another thing to imply that a poster doesn't know what she/he is talking about (or more accurately that they haven't been paying attention) when, in fact, I haven't missed one Cubs game in over 5 years. If you haven't missed a Cubs game in oer 5 years then you surely know how much of a dissapointment 2004 and 2005 was. Since last year our team has not improved by much. I believe our inconsistent offense was our biggest problem last year and truthfully speaking I don't see an improvement in offense. We lost Nomar and gained Pierre. That's basically what I see. Our bullpen should improve with the moves Hendry has made and we definitely can't count on our starting rotation to be 100% healthy. I will say there is more things to be pessimistic about than there are is optimistic. Let's be honest. Replacing Nomar with Pierre is a net gain. Nomar gave us next to nothing due to his injuries, and what he did give he gave in garbage time. I think it is hard to overstate just how much someone with a respectable OBP at the top of the order will improve the team. Also, Murton playing from the get go will have to be a marked improvement over the Holla/Dubois/Lawton crapfest we watched for most of 2005. And Cedeno will be a large offensive improvement over Neifi. Let's look at it this way: Pierre >> Patterson Cedeno >>> Neifi Lee = Lee (expecting a slight decline) ARam = ARam (if he stays healthy, even better) Jones = Burnitz Murton >> Holla/Dubois/Gerut/Lawton Barrett = Barrett Second base is TBD I still don't see it as a big improvement considering Pierre had a down year last year and we are counting on two rookies whom we don't know what we will get from them start for us. I would have liked a better option in RF for us than JJones and I would have been a much happier person to be honest. Using the money that was given to Rusch and Perez go towards another starting pitcher would have been nice too. I'm not going to read too much into Pierre's 2005. If he had 2 seasons of decline I'd be concerned. And there is no way Murton and Cedeno could be as bad or worse than their 2005 counterparts. I will agree with you that Pierre should go back to his normal numbers and I'm hoping he does at the same time he will be playing for a new team and new ball park that could affect his numbers either way. I really hope Murton and Cedeno start and I'm really high on them but there is no guarantee on the numbers they get. They could also slump we just don't know. Getting a good Rfer should have been the priority going into this offseason.

I find it amusing that some people are so pessimistic about everything (even signings that have yet to occur). I disagree that the team isn't improved over last year. Also, it's speculation to say that people will be "disappointed when the season goes down the drain." The way some people are talking, there's no reason to watch the games because the outcome has already been determined. I tend to be neither overly critical nor overly optimistic but I will say that my inital post in this thread was not well received. It's one thing to disagree (this is a messageboard afterall) it's another thing to imply that a poster doesn't know what she/he is talking about (or more accurately that they haven't been paying attention) when, in fact, I haven't missed one Cubs game in over 5 years. If you haven't missed a Cubs game in oer 5 years then you surely know how much of a dissapointment 2004 and 2005 was. Since last year our team has not improved by much. I believe our inconsistent offense was our biggest problem last year and truthfully speaking I don't see an improvement in offense. We lost Nomar and gained Pierre. That's basically what I see. Our bullpen should improve with the moves Hendry has made and we definitely can't count on our starting rotation to be 100% healthy. I will say there is more things to be pessimistic about than there are is optimistic. Let's be honest. Replacing Nomar with Pierre is a net gain. Nomar gave us next to nothing due to his injuries, and what he did give he gave in garbage time. I think it is hard to overstate just how much someone with a respectable OBP at the top of the order will improve the team. Also, Murton playing from the get go will have to be a marked improvement over the Holla/Dubois/Lawton crapfest we watched for most of 2005. And Cedeno will be a large offensive improvement over Neifi. Let's look at it this way: Pierre >> Patterson Cedeno >>> Neifi Lee = Lee (expecting a slight decline) ARam = ARam (if he stays healthy, even better) Jones = Burnitz Murton >> Holla/Dubois/Gerut/Lawton Barrett = Barrett Second base is TBD I still don't see it as a big improvement considering Pierre had a down year last year and we are counting on two rookies whom we don't know what we will get from them start for us. I would have liked a better option in RF for us than JJones and I would have been a much happier person to be honest. Using the money that was given to Rusch and Perez go towards another starting pitcher would have been nice too.

Here's our first bet. ;) Alright I'm out. We'll talk about a couple of bets. happy New Years. :)

How do you know Murton is greater than Cedeno when either player hasn't played much in the majors? Both were tearing it up in the minors. Why bring it up in the first place when Cedeno plays SS and Murton plays LF? Here's one for you...Cedeno >>> Perez yet Baker still played Perez over him.

I find it amusing that some people are so pessimistic about everything (even signings that have yet to occur). I disagree that the team isn't improved over last year. Also, it's speculation to say that people will be "disappointed when the season goes down the drain." The way some people are talking, there's no reason to watch the games because the outcome has already been determined. I tend to be neither overly critical nor overly optimistic but I will say that my inital post in this thread was not well received. It's one thing to disagree (this is a messageboard afterall) it's another thing to imply that a poster doesn't know what she/he is talking about (or more accurately that they haven't been paying attention) when, in fact, I haven't missed one Cubs game in over 5 years. If you haven't missed a Cubs game in oer 5 years then you surely know how much of a dissapointment 2004 and 2005 was. Since last year our team has not improved by much. I believe our inconsistent offense was our biggest problem last year and truthfully speaking I don't see an improvement in offense. We lost Nomar and gained Pierre. That's basically what I see. Our bullpen should improve with the moves Hendry has made and we definitely can't count on our starting rotation to be 100% healthy. I will say there is more things to be pessimistic about than there are optimistic.

Now we're talking..

Um I think Juan Le Pierre is more in jeopardy than Murton. Jeopardy of what? Losing his job? He's been the centerpiece of their offsesaon. He's their ideal candidate for the much coveted speedy leadoff man. Dusty is on record stating that he will play the guy with the bigger contract because that is why the guy got the contract. Couple that with his history of favoring older players, and all the positive things he has to say about older players, and that Murton was one of the few guys who Dusty openly criticized by name in the press, and it's pretty safe to assume that Murton will be the odd man out of the current OF. Playing time. Gotta love the obsessing over Hendry gutting the team by dealing Prior & the speculation over Grissom in LF. Can't wait to see what's next. Can't you maintain a freaking discussion without using crap like "paranoia" and "obsessing"? What is this compulsion to constantly backhandedly run down other posters and their opinions? Jesus Christ its annoying. You make some interesting arguments, but I never take them seriously because you seem more interested in engaging people like me or Goony and simply being contrary than really staying on the merits of the discussion. LOL @ me being contrary. The argument that Grissom will play over Murton is contrary to common sense and basically hyperbole. As much hyperbole as Neifi Perez playing over Cedeno or as much hyperbole as Hollandsworth playing over Dubois or Murton. Yeah right man anything is possible with Baker at the helm.

I have learned with Hendry and Baker anything is believable.

I wasn't optimistic about Nomar, Patterson & Wood being the keys to the season, and give me til February to make judgement on the offseason. I'm just not one to jump to negative conclusions. Pierre, Howry & Eyre are nice pickups, but the ballclub needs more. Obviously. Obviously it does but maybe it's not so obvious to the GM. Considering the past failures I will have a grim outlook on the season until I feel Hendry has done enough to put us over the top and at this point in time I feel that he has not.

I find it amusing how so many of you are so optimistic about this upcoming season when in reality Hendry hasn't done much to improve this team. This offseason has been a huge dissapointment and just like last year when most of you were so optimistic about 2005 you will be sorely dissapointed when the season goes down the drain again under Baker's and Hendry's tenure.

I wouldn't be surprised if we were in a similar situation as last year trying to make the wildcard and then faultering. This was not the offseason I was expecting. I expected Hendry to do a better job of using the surplus money available to improve this ball club and he did a poor job of it. I think going forward it might be best to cut ties with Hendry and most definitely Baker.

I hope this is the last year of Dusty Baker and possibly Jim Hendry. I don't know how much longer I can bare having them around.

I believe it. Beane got rid of Hudson and Mulder before even thinking of trading Zito. They probably want him as the face of this org. Who knows. Could be. But they aren't gonna have him in 07, either way. They watched Damon, Giambi, and Tejada walk in consecutive seasons, then the next time they got a chance, they traded Mulder and Hudson. I think they will trade Zito, but only if they get a good package in return. I think they'd "settle" for 2 high draft picks, trusting their scouting rather than trading for crap. Good point.

I believe it. Beane got rid of Hudson and Mulder before even thinking of trading Zito. They probably want him as the face of this org. Who knows.