Free agency going into full swing this week. I like to put myself in the position of Cubs GM. List of free agents. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/09/2011-mlb-free-agents.html (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/09/2011-mlb-free-agents.html)
I assume the Cubs are going into next season with:
Soriano, Byrd, Colvin in the outfield. (Fukudome in reserve unless Colvin moves to 1B)
Ramirez, Castro, Dewitt/Barney/Baker on the infield with Soto/Hill behind the plate.
Rotation: Dempster, Zambrano, Silva, Gorzelanny, Wells with Marshall, Cashner, Marmol in the pen.
Not a ton of spots to fill coming into the year, especially with Ricketts' statment that he wants to keep the payroll flat, but I'd expect the Cubs to pickup a veteran 1B. I'd also expect them to look at a right-handed setup man and possibly a starting pitcher.
The Cubs supposedly are interested in Brandon Webb, a former Cy Young caliber pitcher who now has Mark Prior syndrome. This would only be worth the risk if the price is very low. I expect Silva to get hurt at some point this year, so I'd like to see the Cubs go get a Padilla/Correja/Francis type at a bargain price instead of going for severely injury plagued guys like Webb, Harang, and Bonderman or overpaying for guys like Pavano and De La Rosa.
Might Kerry Wood come back to the Cubs as a setup man? He was solid in the role for the Yanks last year and things ended on good terms with the Cubs last time. I always loved Woody and would love to see him come back in this role.
That just leaves 1B. I'm expecting a Jorge Cantu, Lyle Overbay, or Adam LaRoche type player for a 1 year deal, setting us up to make a bigger splash next winter. Konerko or Pena would probably demand a longer term deal which would be stupid considering we just unloaded Lee and are still stuck underneath the Soriano, Fukudome, Ramirez, Milton Bradley, and Zambrano deals. Adrian Gonzalez would have been sweet, but it looks like he's off to Boston. Prince Fielder will be a free agent next year and I would think the Cubs might be interested in signing him next offseason when we get Silva and Fukudome's massive contracts off the books.
Does the Jayson Werth contract surpass the A. Soriano contract as the worst in MLB history?
not even close!
By far the worst contract in the MLB right now. 40 wins in 4 years.
Barry Zito, Giants, 2007
Seven years, $126 million.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Cubs are in agreement with first baseman Carlos Pena on a one-year contract, SI.com has learned.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/12/08/carlos.pena.cubs/index.html#ixzz17W3osET9
Quote from: Tom McManus on December 08, 2010, 02:49:49 AM
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Cubs are in agreement with first baseman Carlos Pena on a one-year contract, SI.com has learned.
That is cool with me. 1 year and we are free to potentially go after Prince Fielder or somebody else next offseason. I have heard alot of trade rumors involving Prince, but it sounds like his agent (Boras) is not interested in a sign and trade deal, which would mean Prince would still be on the market after next season regardless if he is traded.
Pena is a poor man's Adam Dunn. He's more injury prone, strikes out a ton, is good for 30 HR, is a good fielding 1B, and takes alot of walks. He hit .196 last year, but still had an OnBase% better than Ryan Theriot, which is more embarrassing for Theriot than it is good for Pena, but it makes the point that Pena does draw a lot of walks to help offset his embarrassingly low batting average and large number of K's.
Worst contract of all time? I would agree with Brett that the Zito deal is worse than the Soriano deal. Soriano still starts for the Cubs. The Giants just won the World Series and did not use Zito in the playoffs. That says everything. Both are really bad though. Can't judge the Werth deal until he's actually played some games, but it is certainly a strange looking deal. The Angels gave Garry Matthews Jr. 5 yrs 50MM before the '07 season. That was a bad one. Darren Dreifort got 5 years 55MM from the Dodgers. He started a total of 26 games in the 5 years and then retired. Mike Hampton got 8 years, 121MM before the '01 season from the Rockies. He ended up bouncing around to 4 different teams over the course of the deal and never really played after 2005. I rate that as the worst baseball deal of all time.
This one year contract makes perfect sense so we can give Pujols a HUGE contract then he'll come to Chicago and absolutely suck the rest of his career ;D .
Pujols has always said he wants to play on a team that has a chance to win Championships. Notice that's plural. He knows, as well as all Cubs fans, he wouldn't have a chance to win ANY in Chicago, unless it was with the White Sox!
He is where he will end his career at Brett. But I understand the wishful thinking ;D Ernie Banks was a looooooooong time ago. The best Cub ever!
And finally.... No matter where he plays, Pujols woulkd never suck. He is the best we will ever see, if not the best EVER!!
But back to the original topic.
Get ready for another long disappointing year Dan. The Cubs will finish with less wins than they had this year. Probably 5th again in that weak ass division.
Cardinals
Reds
Brewers
Astros
Cubs
Pirates
Obviously I'm going to disagree with that opinion, but will wait until spring to make any predictions.
I've been thinking about the Pena signing and I think I'm finally on board. I view it more of a gamble considering the contract length. I personally think we got a better deal with Pena than the Sox did with Dunn.
Quote from: philvb85 on December 10, 2010, 07:52:06 AM
I've been thinking about the Pena signing and I think I'm finally on board. I view it more of a gamble considering the contract length. I personally think we got a better deal with Pena than the Sox did with Dunn.
Not sure why so many fans are outraged by the deal. I don't care about the $ value, its Tom Ricketts money, not mine. There is no salary cap and the luxury tax isn't really an issue for the Cubs (the Yankees pay most of the luxury tax). Bottom line is its only 1 year. If we signed him for more than 1 year, I'd be pissed. Tell me who was left in free agency that would have been so much better than Pena.
is Pena a left handed batter?
if so, he wont surpass more than 20 HR's. That right field fence is further back, and outside. He played in a Dome in Tampa, where balls carry better. Yea it gets windy at Wrigley, but usually blowing in from Right field.
Honestly, who can hit over .300 on that team besides Aram? Nobody. DLee is gone. All the OF's blow. Especially Hoppyboy in left.
If the pitching staff is mediocre, then gonna be a tough year even playing .500 ball.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on December 10, 2010, 01:52:35 PM
Honestly, who can hit over .300 on that team besides Aram? Nobody.
Starlin Castro hit .300 last year at age 20. But hey, the Cardinals have Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker up the middle, so I'm sure they are much better off.
thats not why the Cardinals are better off. They are a better team, that's what makes them better off. All the way from the manager, down to the starting rotation, and position players. That's just the facts SIR!
Looks like Kerry Wood is back pending a physical.
happy to have him back!
Milwaukee with Greinke and Gallardo at the front of their rotation now. That is a powerful 1-2.
This is why the Cubs struggle as much as they do.
Matt Garza was 15-10 with a 3.91 era last year with a No Hitter
But they gave up their #1 and #2 prospects.
Hak-Ju Lee is their #1 prospect. and Archer was 15-3 last year with a 2.34 era in 28 games, and their best Minor League pitcher. Plus they gave up 3 other players.
5 for 1 does not make alot of sense. Can't wait till Dan gets on here and tells us all what a great deal this was for the Cubs ;D
Quote from: pdga#7648 on January 08, 2011, 07:52:42 AM
This is why the Cubs struggle as much as they do.
Matt Garza was 15-10 with a 3.91 era last year with a No Hitter
But they gave up their #1 and #2 prospects.
Hak-Ju Lee is their #1 prospect. and Archer was 15-3 last year with a 2.34 era in 28 games, and their best Minor League pitcher. Plus they gave up 3 other players.
5 for 1 does not make alot of sense. Can't wait till Dan gets on here and tells us all what a great deal this was for the Cubs ;D
I'm not completely confident about this trade for the Cubs either. Its the kind of trade that will have to be judged 5 years down the line before we can say Hendry did a terrible job though. Doug's analysis is, as usual, a little extreme (and a little inaccurate, the Cubs also received 2 minor leaguers from the Rays in the deal, it was not 5 for 1). If I try to see this from Hendry's perspective, here is the way I see it, and there is some logic to it:
First of all, the Cubs top ranked prospect is Brett Jackson, not Hak Ju Lee. Lee is definitely a prized SS, but is still very young and very raw. The Cubs are obviously committed long-term to Castro at SS, and Darwin Barney has the inside track on the 2B job right now. With Castro in place, a trade was likely the eventual outcome one way or another.
The trade is essentially Lee/Guyer/Archer for Garza. Guyer put up big minor league numbers in the OF last season. With Brett Jackson being much more highly touted, and with Colvin and Soriano in place for the next few years, the chances for Guyer to break into the Cubs outfield in the next season or two were very limited. So, again, a trade was the probably outcome for Guyer as well. Micah Hoffpauir and Roosevelt Brown have proven that putting up huge numbers in the minors doesn't mean a hell of a lot.
As for Chris Archer, the 2011 Baseball Prospect Book has him ranked as the Cubs 2nd best pitching prospect behind Trey McNutt. He did put up great minor league numbers last year, and who knows, maybe in 5 years this will be looking like a terrible trade. That being said, Matt Garza is a very solid proven big league starter. For every 1 pitching prospect that ends up producing at the level of a Matt Garza, there are probably 10 top prospects that never start a single game in the bigs.
This trade has the potential to look very bad in a few years. On the other hand, Lee and Guyer may very well end up like most of the other Cubs position player prospects over the past couple decades and Archer's chances of equaling Garza's career are very very low. Either way, Garza give the Cubs a much better looking rotation for next season.
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
There was a lot of talk about Wainwright's elbow last year when he missed his final start because of sorness. His violent throwing motion is similar to other pitchers who end up needing Tommy John. Its wierd though how he pitched through the soreness to get to 20 wins last season, saying the soreness was caused by sleeping on his arm funny. Then they shut him down for his last 2 starts and gave him an MRI that indicated inflammation in the elbow. If it was only inflammation at the end of last season, how can it become ligament damage over the off-season? It just seems like they could have uncovered this last October and saved themselves 6 months in the rehab process.
Either way, I'm glad this news came out before any fantasy baseball drafts. I was going to gamble that the injury talk was premature and he would have another monster season.
Carpenter is turning 36, has already had major arm surgery, and is coming off a 235 inning season. St.Louis will be fortunate if they can get another full season out of him. Garcia has letdown written all over him this year. He had elbow surgery in 2009, had a combined minor league record of 12-15 in '07-08, and then came out of nowhere last year to put up a sub 3.00 ERA. He wore down and missed his last 2 starts last year. Be prepared for a sophomore slump. After that the Cards are counting on Westbrook and Lohse, who aren't bad for bottom of the rotation guys.
Without Wainwright, the Cubs rotation looks better than the Cardinals.
Cards: Carpenter, Garcia, Westbrook, Lohse, ?
Cubs: Dempster, Zambrano, Garza, Wells, Silva
Well and Silva are certainly a crap shoot, just like Westbrook and Lohse. But the Cubs top 3 of Dempster (30+ starts 200+ innings sub 4.00 ERA each of the past 3 seasons), Zambrano (8-0 to finish the year last season, ended up with a 3.33 ERA after the abysmal first couple months that put him in the bullpen), Garza (30+ starts and a sub 4.00 ERA each of the past 3 seasons in the brutal AL East) is clearly better than the Cardinals top 3.
difference is this though. The Cardinals can rebuild the little crumbling. We all know the Cubs didn't and can't. Again Big difference Brett. And the only way the Cardinals are even close to being in the Cubs world, is they are both in the NL, and in the same division.
and with any luck, yes Carpenter goes down. That just means the seasons over earlier, which means more time to negotiate for Sir Albert.
must be something in the Chicago air that's making you guys light headed. He will not be a Cub in 2012, or any year for that matter. so keep dreaming.
didn't you watch his interview at 1st day of spring training? he said you guys were WAY off if you think he asked for 10 years or 300 million. not going to take 300 million to keep him in St. Louis. but may cost 500 million to get him to play for the Scrubs!
Quote from: CEValkyrie on February 23, 2011, 10:40:54 AM
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
Yes. A bad day for the Cards. That doesn't change anything about the competing quotes from Ken Williams and Hank Steinbrenner. Williams sees the reality that in baseball the rich teams compete and the poor teams do not. Steinbrenner is the richest so he wants the freedom to spend himself into a coma. He drives up the market for everybody else which is why Williams and all baseball GMs are frustrated. The difference in baseball is that superstars such as Pujols do not mean as much to the team as they do in basketball. Baseball is much more of a team game. A few superstars means you will be elite in basketball. Not so in baseball. This is why creative teams like the Twins and Cards are always competitive even if they are not at the top salarywise. However, its always a house of cards and that house just folded on the Cards. They are in a position where they will have to overpay for a great player. The Cubs are also in a bad position. There seems to be a lot of talk about the Cubs wanting to bargain for Pujols because its win/win as they get a player the Cardinals lose. The problem is you still put too much of your payroll into one player. The only team that can afford to do this is the Yankees. If they overpay for a player its no problem. They still make gobs of money and can afford to absorb a bad deal. Soriano and Fukadome have set the Cubs back. They are one of the richer teams but they still can't absorb a bad deal the way the Yankees can. The Whitesox are no different. They cannot afford to make a bad deal. That is why you hear Williams being honest with the press. He pays good money but not Pujols money to build a team. The Whitesox spent more than they normally do this past winter. They expect to compete and think they are better than the experts think they are. The experts still don't see the Whitesox as a top team. We will have to see who is right. However, if they don't win this year they still have young players and have contracts that are reasonable. They could dump players if things go south for them. Nobody will take Soriano or Fukadome. If the Whitesox tank there will be plenty of takers for Konerko or Dunn. Williams is smart. He doesn't want Pujols even though he is as great as everybody on this board has said he is. The problem is he is too great for anybody but Hank Stenibrenner right now. A winner can be built in a better way. A lot of teams have won the World Series other than the Cardinals i Pujols career. That will continue to happen. Who needs him at that price? For the price of Pujols Williams and a lot of other GM's will build an entire infield.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
difference is this though. The Cardinals can rebuild the little crumbling. We all know the Cubs didn't and can't. Again Big difference Brett. And the only way the Cardinals are even close to being in the Cubs world, is they are both in the NL, and in the same division.
and with any luck, yes Carpenter goes down. That just means the seasons over earlier, which means more time to negotiate for Sir Albert.
must be something in the Chicago air that's making you guys light headed. He will not be a Cub in 2012, or any year for that matter. so keep dreaming.
didn't you watch his interview at 1st day of spring training? he said you guys were WAY off if you think he asked for 10 years or 300 million. not going to take 300 million to keep him in St. Louis. but may cost 500 million to get him to play for the Scrubs!
Doug how come you aren't a Celtics or Lakers fan? You could add some spice to the Bulls thread!!!
Go *familiar laundry"!
Quote from: Tom McManus on February 23, 2011, 02:07:24 PM
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
difference is this though. The Cardinals can rebuild the little crumbling. We all know the Cubs didn't and can't. Again Big difference Brett. And the only way the Cardinals are even close to being in the Cubs world, is they are both in the NL, and in the same division.
and with any luck, yes Carpenter goes down. That just means the seasons over earlier, which means more time to negotiate for Sir Albert.
must be something in the Chicago air that's making you guys light headed. He will not be a Cub in 2012, or any year for that matter. so keep dreaming.
didn't you watch his interview at 1st day of spring training? he said you guys were WAY off if you think he asked for 10 years or 300 million. not going to take 300 million to keep him in St. Louis. but may cost 500 million to get him to play for the Scrubs!
Doug how come you aren't a Celtics or Lakers fan? You could add some spice to the Bulls thread!!!
Tom, I know Brett's post, was a jab at me, so I responded. Sorry.
I have been a Bulls fan since MJ's rookie year. And unlike some people, I don't switch teams.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 02:38:21 PM
Quote from: Tom McManus on February 23, 2011, 02:07:24 PM
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
difference is this though. The Cardinals can rebuild the little crumbling. We all know the Cubs didn't and can't. Again Big difference Brett. And the only way the Cardinals are even close to being in the Cubs world, is they are both in the NL, and in the same division.
and with any luck, yes Carpenter goes down. That just means the seasons over earlier, which means more time to negotiate for Sir Albert.
must be something in the Chicago air that's making you guys light headed. He will not be a Cub in 2012, or any year for that matter. so keep dreaming.
didn't you watch his interview at 1st day of spring training? he said you guys were WAY off if you think he asked for 10 years or 300 million. not going to take 300 million to keep him in St. Louis. but may cost 500 million to get him to play for the Scrubs!
Doug how come you aren't a Celtics or Lakers fan? You could add some spice to the Bulls thread!!!
Tom, I know Brett's post, was a jab at me, so I responded. Sorry.
I have been a Bulls fan since MJ's rookie year. And unlike some people, I don't switch teams.
No need to apologize. My comment wasn't a jab at you. As much as your stuff drives me nuts, it is always entertaining to read. I appreciate your enthusiasm, as farfetched as it sometimes can be. I don't have a horse in the Cubs/Cards stuff so it is fun to read. Packers/Steelers is another story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don't know of anyone on this board who has switched teams.
I'm sorry Dave. I'm going to argue with you about the Sox GM. I'm not seeing why Kenny Williams is so smart. I agree, MLB needs a salary cap. I'm not sure why he needs to comment that $30M for Pujols is "asinine". The Sox have one of the higher payrolls in baseball. Why are you saying that Ken has spent his money so much smarter than the Cubs? Since 2002, the Sox have 2 division titles, the Cubs have 3 division titles. Both have had free agency signings that haven't worked out. Williams just tossed Dunn a bunch of money. After this season, you may not be so excited about owing him $14M per year for the next 3 years. Here is the Sox payroll.
http://www.southsidesox.com/special/White-Sox-Payroll-Info (http://www.southsidesox.com/special/White-Sox-Payroll-Info)
You've got alot of money wrapped up in Peavy, Konerko, and Rios as well. Is Peavy even going to pitch ever again? Lets see how those deals look after the season. Nobody was blasting the Cubs for signing Soriano when the deal was made. It only looks terrible in hindsight. We might very well say the same about the deals Williams gave 2 aging 1B this offseason. There might be no takers for them either.
Hendry has been terrible. But Ken Williams isn't necessarily any better.
He did win a ring though! Huge difference. division titles mean nothing when playing in a piss poor division. remember?
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 12:24:44 PM
difference is this though. The Cardinals can rebuild the little crumbling. We all know the Cubs didn't and can't. Again Big difference Brett. And the only way the Cardinals are even close to being in the Cubs world, is they are both in the NL, and in the same division.
I like your positive outlook about the future. If you lose Pujols, Carpenter, and Wainwright you can enjoy the misery for a few years because no organiztion can overcome those losses of production (well, maybe the current Phillies roster). I'm not sure the Cardinals can overcome this injury if Wainwright needs TJ surgery. It could be wait until next year for the Cards really early this year.
Carpenter is about done anyway. we have these things called prospects, 1 being Shelby Miller. espn said Wainwright was an elite pitcher. a pitcher of his magnitude usually comes back stronger. 12-15 months is the rehab time, if the surgery is needed. a stronger wainwright? are you kidding me? we can have 1 or 2 dismal years, we still have Pujols Brett. I know your hopeful, but be more realistic please.and earlier in here or somewhere, you questioned wether or not AP believed the Cardinals could win a championship? he has played in 2 and won 1 in the last 7 years in St. Louis. do you really think he would sign as a Cub, where he knows they haven't even had a sniff of a world series since the 40's? :D get real
and remember, Dave Duncan is 1 of the best coaches, at making mediocre pitchers, Stars. he knows he has a problem, and he can make Ian Snell a .500 pitcher, if Snell still has the stuff he threw in Pittsburgh. of course his lifetime average is crap (DAN) but like I said, Duncan can do it.
in all honesty, this season needs to hurry up and be over for St. Louis, the sooner the better. Signing AP is all that matters.
St. Louis still finishes ahead of the Cubs this year, with Wainwright gone, so wait until next year for both ;)
Lose Wainwright, but add Theriot!!! Look out National League!
you forgot, they lost Punto as well for 8-12 weeks. yep, they shouldn't even have a 2011 season, it's over
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 04:26:15 PM
Carpenter is about done anyway. we have these things called prospects, 1 being Shelby Miller.
The Cardinals have a grand total of 1 guy in MLB.com's top 50 prospects.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 23, 2011, 04:26:15 PM
espn said Wainwright was an elite pitcher. a pitcher of his magnitude usually comes back stronger. 12-15 months is the rehab time, if the surgery is needed. a stronger wainwright? are you kidding me?
You are arguing that Tommy John surgery is actually a
positive? Put that on the all-time highlight reel of Doug Payne posts!
Hell, Garza isn't hurt, but the Cubs should make him get Tommy John just to improve his pitching.
again, you must read the entire post, not just the funny part.
Garza is not Elite.
and you dont need a great pitcher(top 50) to win in St. Louis
and no, a surgery is never positive, but knowing it can be done, and knowing he is a work horse. he will be fine. Carpenter sucked as a Blue Jay, had TJ surgery, became a Cardinal, with Duncan, and what do ya know.
sorry, had to edit this. Carpenter just had 2 elbow surgery's and a shoulder as a Blue Jay. His TJ came in 2007 as a Cardinal, but he came back okay. still pitching strong anyway
Its time for me to fearlessly post my prediction for the 2011 season....................and for the 30th consecutive season, I am predicting a Cubs World Series victory.
Here is why this will be the year:
1. No expectations this year. I think the team felt a lot of pressure the past few seasons after getting into the post-season in '07 and '08 and getting swept out of the 1st round both times. The team is going to play much looser this year.
2. Mike Quade. Very energetic manager who all the players love. He has waited his whole life for this opportunity and is going to put everything he has into it. Team chemistry has not been good for a long time, and I think Quade is going to change that (along with the lack of a Milton Bradley type character).
3. Aramis Ramirez. Reports are Aramis has come into camp in much better shape than usual. He's healthy. He's only 32. He is in a contract year. After the All-Star break last year he slugged .526 with 15 HR and 51 RBI. I'm a little worried that his walk total dipped last year while his K rate went up, but if he can get his plate discipline back in order, there is no reason he won't put up the numbers we are used to seeing. I think he's back to a .290 25 100 guy this year.
4. Soto. He returned to form last year after suffering the sophomore slump in '09. His walk ratio skyrocketed showing he is figuring things out. He missed some time with a shoulder injury, but posted very solid numbers. His shoulder is back to full health and I look for a progression from him this year. I'm thinking he surpasses his rookie numbers and goes .290 25 90, and ends up being a staple in the heart of our order.
5. Starting Pitching. I think Dempster will put up another steady consistent season. I think Zambrano is mentally refreshed and probably happy to be under a new manager. Big Z finished last year 8-0 and I think this year could end up being his best. I'm not familiar with Garza, but from looking at his numbers he seems very steady and has good command. That will serve him well in the National League. I don't think we can match the Greinke/Gallardo 1-2 punch, but this staff is deeper, and we have a much better pen than the Brewers.
6. Bullpen. Marmol is the best closer in the NL. In his 1st full season as closer, he went 38/43, a 2.55 ERA and he struck out freakin' 138 batters in 78 innings! That is just uncalled for. It doesn't stop at Marmol. Marshall K'd 90 in 74 innings and put up a 2.65. Wood signed for next-to-nothing and is here solely because he loves playing in Chicago and realizes he underperformed on the last contract we gave him. He's still just 33. After the all-star break last season he posted a 0.69 ERA in 26 innings, holding batters to a .161 BA. He has accepted his role in middle relief and will thrive with the Cubs this season.
7. Youth. Things got stale after a while with Lee/Aram/Soriano as the heart of our team. Soto/Colvin/Castro are going to give this team the extra boost to push us over the top.
We've got a good mix on this team. They like each other. There is less pressure. This is the year. 2011. 103 years was all it took to get it done. If not, well I can always dream in March...
Rest of the division:
2. Cardinals
3. Brewers
4. Astros
5. Reds - Dusty is such a D-Bag. I can't wait to see him screw this team up.
6. Pirates
Quote from: Dan Michler on February 25, 2011, 12:09:44 PM
Its time for me to fearlessly post my prediction for the 2011 season....................and for the 30th consecutive season, I am predicting a Cubs World Series victory.
man, if anything you have to admire this guys enthusiasm and confidence in his ball club. You always know where Dan's heart is at, good team or not. but from one friend to the other, I think, no I'm positive, I owe you this one.. I do believe you can put this on the all-time highlight reel of Dan Michler posts!
your points...
1. Disagree (the fans at Wrigley wont let any team there be loose)
2. agree (saw him fielding grounders the other day and throwing like he was a player)
3. Agree (he has to carry this offense)
4. & 5. disagree(show me something early, and I might change on #5)
6. Totally agree(with everything said about Marmol, Wood on the other hand, again show me)
7. disagree(why are Cub young guys better than the Cardinals Rasmus, Freese, Garcia)
Brewers
Cardinals(even with AW out, still predicted to win 84 games, but chance at playoffs dropped from 42% to 27%)
Reds
Cubs
Astros
Pirates( I would go coach this team for $100,000 and Steelers season tickets) bet I could finish last place like they always do.
so add 1 more, make it 104 :P
We are going to suck this year but at least we have some fighting sons of bitches. Maybe we can hire Chuck Liddell to come in and teach some UFC shit so we can beat on some other teams.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on February 25, 2011, 02:42:10 PM
Pirates( I would go coach this team for $100,000 and Steelers season tickets) bet I could finish last place like they always do.
Hahahahaha. Best line of the day.
Only 9 games in, but:
I like what I've seen from Aramis. He's historically a very slow starter, so its good to see him swinging it so well in the first 2 weeks. Hopefully a sign that he's in for a big year.
I'm slightly concerned with Colvin. He didn't end last year on the highest of notes, and is having the same troubles to start this year. Hopefully he gets things turned around.
I'm not concerned about Dempster and Garza. They've had decent control, the balls have just been finding holes. They'll both be okay.
I'd like to see Quade start the runners once in a while. We have 0 SB through 9 games. We don't have a lot of team speed, but we've had plenty of opportunties to hit-and-run. Castro could certainly swipe a few if given the signal to do so.
It looks like all those innings over his career are starting to catch up with Big Z. WTF is Quade doing leaving the big fella in the so long the last 2 game? It's clear his velocity is down and he doesn't have what he did at one time.
Marmol is a freaking beast on the mound. The south side could use a guy like him.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on April 13, 2011, 09:06:04 PM
It looks like all those innings over his career are starting to catch up with Big Z. WTF is Quade doing leaving the big fella in the so long the last 2 game? It's clear his velocity is down and he doesn't have what he did at one time.
Marmol is a freaking beast on the mound. The south side could use a guy like him.
The southside needs something. Three losses with leads in the ninth is BRUTAL.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on April 13, 2011, 09:06:04 PM
It looks like all those innings over his career are starting to catch up with Big Z. WTF is Quade doing leaving the big fella in the so long the last 2 game? It's clear his velocity is down and he doesn't have what he did at one time.
Marmol is a freaking beast on the mound. The south side could use a guy like him.
Velocity isn't what it was when he was 23, but he's still very effective. 10-0 in his last 10 decisions. That 6th inning last night was freakish. He had been cruising through 5 scoreless. A pop-up that didn't get caught, a dribbler down the line than hit a dirt patch and stayed fair, nobody really hit a ball hard until that homerun. I thought Z showed he's turned over a bit of a new leaf after that. Normally he would have dropped an H Bomb on the clubhouse after an inning like that, but they showed him walking around shaking hands in a calm manner. I'll give Quade a little bit of slack before I start ripping him, but I agree he's been very unconventional in his handling of the starters.
Solid extra inning win last night. Crazy start to the season. Win one Lose one pattern. .500 could end up winning this pathetic division. Dempster is looking like a Dumpster right now. Glad I picked Marmol on my fantasy team. 8.2 IP with 13 strikouts.
it would certainly be nice for the weather to get a little stinking warmer, it's so difficult to tell what this team's going to do when it's just downright sucky weather. I also need it to improve so that I can have an enjoyable day at the game this Saturday :)
I'm thinking of spending Saturday in Burlington, KY. Don't hog all the good weather. ^_^
Quote from: Dan Michler on February 23, 2011, 12:20:40 PM
Garcia has letdown written all over him this year. He had elbow surgery in 2009, had a combined minor league record of 12-15 in '07-08, and then came out of nowhere last year to put up a sub 3.00 ERA. He wore down and missed his last 2 starts last year. Be prepared for a sophomore slump.
3-0 with a 1.44 ERA, 7 BB's to 24 K's. Cards fans will take that slump anytime! ;)
I think Lohse is 2-1 with 2.88 ERA 2 BB's to 16 K's
McClellan is 2-0 with 1.89 ERA 5 BB's to 13 K's
It's Carpenter and Westbrook that balloons the starters ERA to like 3.67
Congratulations Cardinals fans for striking gold again with Lance Berkman. I saw this one coming as soon as the Cards acquired him. I made sure to draft him in fantasy and have shredded my league as a result of his MVP caliber start.
The Cards somehow have a knack for picking up aging injury prone players and bringing themback to life better than ever.
McGwire had played 27, 47, 104, 130 games in the seasons leading up to his arrival in St.Louis. He then played 155 and 153 games and had the best 2 seasons of his career at ages 34-35.
Jim Edmonds same thing. Couldn't stay healthy for the Angels. Comes to St.Lou at age 30 and has 5 consecutive monster seasons, far beyond anything he did for the Angels during his 20's.
Matt Holliday. Traded to Oakland, hits .286 with 11 HR. Everybody thinks his career was skewed by Coors Field. Finishes out the final 60 games of the season in St.Lou after getting traded and hits .353 13 HR. Then signs a big contract, hits .312 28 HR 103 RBI and gets ripped by Cardinal fans for underperforming (take notice Pujols, this is what awaits you if you have the audacity to hit .305 after you resign for big bucks this offseason).
If the Cards had signed Soriano, he would have hit .290 40 HR last season.
I know the Cardinal fans think this all happens because they are "special". But consider for a moment that maybe you've just been extremely fortunate in recent history. Eventually this ride has got to end.
Danny Danny Danny, when you going to learn??
You forgot about Will Clark, and Larry Walker. It's not that the fans are special like you say, but the fact that Cardinals fans welcome players onto that team, not looking at what they did in the past, but what they can do now for the team. But I do think the coaching staff makes those players comfortable from the start, and puts no pressure on them to produce instantly. Thats why they succeed once they put on the Birds on The Bat uniform. And hardly ever do you hear Redbird fans BOO their own team. Chicago fans wish they were as classy. they always boo their own players.
Duncan can make a so so pitcher an All Star within 3 years. he has proven that for years. He did it in Oakland with Dave Stewart and Bob Welch, hell even Ryan Franklin made an All Star team. I really think the coaches turn players careers around alot in St. Louis. It's part of being a winning franchise! I know you wouldn't know about that being a Cubs fan. But hey, ther'es always next year! ;D
Quote from: pdga#7648 on April 29, 2011, 08:02:07 AM
And hardly ever do you hear Redbird fans BOO their own team. Chicago fans wish they were as classy. they always boo their own players.
I'll grant you that Cardinals fans boo less. But, so do Tampa Bay fans and Houston fans and Arizona fans. So what?
New York fans boo the loudest. Somehow the Yankees have eeked out 27 titles. Big cities with a blue collar mindset are going to boo louder. That is reality. I like St.Louis as a city. Wouldn't mind moving there one day. Midwestern, relaxed atmosphere with people who don't get hostile nearly as easily as in a big city like New York or Chicago. They don't boo the Rams when they go 1-15 either. I don't think less boos correlates to more wins, but hey, I could be wrong!
I would think steroids had a big part of why the productivity went up for a number of the players that were mentioned.
if that's true Tom, I'm sure they were using before they got to St. Louis. dont try to say St. Louis players use PED's, cause Pujols was tested and passed 14 times last year, Holiday had 9. Admit that some coaches can actually teach some things. Even Chicago has had some good coaches.
McGwire was using way before he ever became a Cardinal. Don't let 1 bad apple spoil the bunch.
Quote from: Tom McManus on April 29, 2011, 08:26:06 AM
I would think steroids had a big part of why the productivity went up for a number of the players that were mentioned.
Whoa Tom! You are saying some of these players may have been using PEDs to lengthen their careers after injuries and age had started to set in? Give me 1 example of that ever happening!
and if the real truth were told, probably 30% of ball players have used, if not more? that's just what us real fans have to live with. MLB will be tarnished forever.
List of players that have tested positive for steroids or been named in the Mitchell Report, and played under Tony LaRussa:
Mark McGwire
Jose Canseco
Fernando Vina
Ryan Franklin
Jason Giambi
Rick Ankiel
Troy Glaus
I'd call that more than 1 bad apple Doug. But seriously, I think it goes on in every clubhouse, so I'm not suggesting the Cardinals are more guilty than any other team. The list of players under Dusty Baker is even worse, although a lot of that may have been due to Bonds and his trainer. It would be naive for us to assume anybody is innocent.
I miss the days when Cubs fans didn't boo their own players. I've seen it get progressively nastier at the games. I don't remember hearing that many boos during the 90's. I remember stuff like in early September 2004 (they hadn't even completely blown it for their season yet) where they lost to the Expos 6-0, and the amount of swearing and yelling at Remlinger after giving up a 3-run homer was the last thing I wanted my wife to experience while at her first Cubs game. My all time favorite game was Sept 13th, 1998 when Sosa hit #61 and #62. We were way up in the upper deck maybe 2 rows from the back fence and in a couple sections on the first base side of the press box. It was the furthest point away in the stadium from the direction Sosa hit the ball, but the noise was absolutely deafening.
I agree to a certain extent. There are a couple of factors and I think the Cubs deserve all they get in terms of boos right now.
#1--We got a taste of what it should be like here. We should be winning games. We have the money to do so.
#2--How long are they going to allow Hendry to fail this organization? When you sign guys like Pena & Bradley i'm going to boo like crazy when they don't perform. You can go down the list. Garciaparra, Jones, Burnitz, Ward, Floyd, etc...
#3--There are only a few people on this team that I like. It's hard to root for guys like Z, Soriano, Fukudome, Pena, etc...
#4--If you are going to raise ticket prices i'm going to demand more on the field.
#5--This season is worthless due to all these horrible contracts on the book. We were limited in who we could sign. It's sad because the central division is absolutely terrible. It's frustrating as hell.
Once again it's wait until next year.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on May 02, 2011, 09:59:02 AM
Once again it's wait until next year.
like this is anything new :D
I agree to a certain extent. There are a couple of factors and I think the Cubs deserve all they get in terms of boos right now.
#1--We got a taste of what it should be like here. We should be winning games. We have the money to do so. Definitely agree. Expectations went up after '98 and peaked after '03. Things looked incredibly promising with the pitching we had. Before '98 expectations and booing were not as common. Also, the attendance was much lower.
#2--How long are they going to allow Hendry to fail this organization? When you sign guys like Pena & Bradley i'm going to boo like crazy when they don't perform. You can go down the list. Garciaparra, Jones, Burnitz, Ward, Floyd, etc... No kidding! What does a guy have to do to get fired around here! Its like that episode of Seinfeld where George tries unsuccessfully to get fired from the Yankees by busting out Body Suit Man and dragging the WS trophy through the parking lot.
#3--There are only a few people on this team that I like. It's hard to root for guys like Z, Soriano, Fukudome, Pena, etc... Disagree. If the Cubs were winning you'd love them. They are losing so you hate them. BTW Soriano leads the league in HR and his defense in LF has improved. I'm not sure why anybody would hate Fukudome or Pena if they didn't suck at baseball, which proves my point.
#4--If you are going to raise ticket prices i'm going to demand more on the field. A backlash may be coming for the high ticket prices and low # of wins in the form of more and more empty seats.
#5--This season is worthless due to all these horrible contracts on the book. We were limited in who we could sign. It's sad because the central division is absolutely terrible. It's frustrating as hell.
Once again it's wait until next year. Good chance you are right, but its still May 2 and I'm not giving up. Long way to go. Giving up is no fun.
Quote from: Tom McManus on April 29, 2011, 08:26:06 AM
I would think steroids had a big part of why the productivity went up for a number of the players that were mentioned.
Mmmmmm. Steroids. I should make an appointment for some... ;D
How many times are they going to throw Russell out on the mound? What a joke.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on May 02, 2011, 08:42:17 PM
How many times are they going to throw Russell out on the mound? What a joke.
You don't like his 8.15 ERA? Looking at it from the Cubs' perspective, who do you start instead? Samardiza? You could take Marshall out of the bullpen, but then you've got no reliable lefty in the pen. We have a couple guys in the minors that we are grooming for the future, but as you said, this season is probably a lost cause so why would you hinder their development just to spot start until Wells and Cashner come off the DL? So, I can see why the Cubs keep running him out there despite the fact that he is clearly overmatched.
If I were Quade, I think I'd start Marshall next time around and let him go about 70-80 pitches. Wells and Cashner should both be back within a few weeks.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on May 02, 2011, 08:42:17 PM
How many times are they going to throw Russell out on the mound? What a joke.
It was a joke the first time they started him. Why didn't they bring up a starter from the minors instead of trying to us this guy. That is what most teams would have done. Not the Cubs. Lets start a guy during a double header that can only throw 50 pitches. Makes sense to me. Hey it goes along with the theme this year cause this team is a joke.
How about that Carlos Pena signing? Where do we play Tyler Colvin? Nice use of $10mil. They can't be hurting to bad for cash if they can waste it like that.
What happened to Byrd? He decide to stop juicing before he got caught? 0hr, lol. Nice
Quote from: Mike Clark on May 03, 2011, 07:34:05 AM
What happened to Byrd? He decide to stop juicing before he got caught? 0hr, lol. Nice
Byrd's HR totals from his last 4 seasons: 10, 10, 20, 12. A 0 HR month isn't that shocking. Pitching has dominated early this year around the league. The Cubs have played in some brutal conditions. Don't hate Marlon Byrd because Jim Hendry decided to overpay him. Hate Jim Hendry. Hate Tom Ricketts for not firing Jim Hendry. Byrd is the same player he's always been. Same with Carlos Pena. Same with Fukudome. I have no problem with these players. They didn't show anything historically to make me believe they'd be better than they are. They aren't blaming teammates and fans (like Milton Bradley). They are just victims of being hired by Jim Hendry. Focus your attacks on the right people.
This is a throw away year and should be an interesting offseason. Hopefully we'll start next year with a big stick first baseman. We should be going thru every pitcher in the minor leagues to find us a starter going into next season. We also need an outfielder that can run. 2nd to last in SB's right now. What a phucking joke. Sam Fuld has nearly doubled us up with 10.
I could see Prince Fielder in a Cubs uniform. keep your fingers crossed Brett!
Quote from: CEValkyrie on May 03, 2011, 05:19:40 PM
We should be going thru every pitcher in the minor leagues to find us a starter going into next season.
That is what the minor leagues is for.
I have been hating on Hendry for a couple years now. He has no idea how to run a team . The contracts he has locked the Cubs into are crippling.
For reference or a good laugh: http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2005/01/chicago-cubs_112114177768677294.html
I was just throwing a jab at Bradley for having that trainer who is inked to PEDs and stuck with him. I think he his dirty and hasn't been caught yet. That is all.
Fielder would look good in a Cubs uniform. Just not sure he is worth the money he is going to get. The Cubs are freeing up a ton of money this off season so lets hope they spend it wisely.
Quote from: Dan Michler on May 04, 2011, 05:40:25 AM
Quote from: CEValkyrie on May 03, 2011, 05:19:40 PM
We should be going thru every pitcher in the minor leagues to find us a starter going into next season.
That is what the minor leagues is for.
There has to be some talent that looks big league ready down there. Let's find a guy this year that can compete at that level. Instead we'll do the same bullcrap and bring a guy up next year having no clue if he can get outs at the big league level. This is a great year to test those waters.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 03, 2011, 06:05:49 PM
I could see Prince Fielder in a Cubs uniform. keep your fingers crossed Brett!
I would love Prince but AP is the #1 target for any team with money.
Your butt should be puckered up so tight that you cannot get a greased bb up it. It has to just eat your gut that your DeadBirds are possibly not going to resign the BEST ever to play the game. They way the season has started for AP I can see STL trying to justify their low balling home team discount.
deadbirds???? they are in 1st place, with Holliday and Berkman hitting over .400, Theriot hitting .307, Rasmus, .340, Freese .356, and Molina .301 it is Ap's .230 that has kept them from being 21-8
and running away with that weak ass division!
and again, not worried a bit. he will remain a Cardinal, and his piss poor season will keep him there easily. he will have to see everyone's point that he will eventually fall off his 1st 10 year output! he will get more than AROD's 27 mil a year, but it will only be about 6-8 year deal. 30 mil at 7 years is my guess. makes him the highest paid per year. that's what all you clowns think he wants.
IF, and yes, it's a HUGE IF, he leaves, I'd bet my bank account he doesn't sign with the Cubs! Yankees or Dodgers, maybe the Angels are the 3 teams that might pay the money. the Cubs never give a huge contract. maybe they are fools and pay players salaries from other teams, but they never sign a big long term deal! so keep dreaming. I know the Cubs season has put you to sleep, but dream of disc golf or something, not your fantasy of getting the best baseball player of all time. yes a Cardinal 4ever!
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 04, 2011, 01:13:18 PM
Ithe Cubs never give a huge contract. maybe they are fools and pay players salaries from other teams, but they never sign a big long term deal!
Unless your name is Alfonso Soriano 8 years/$136M (2007-14). With a full not trade clause.
They are not shy about overpaying guys for 5 years either.
Carlos Zambrano rhp
5 years/$91.5M (2008-12)
Aramis Ramirez 3b
5 years/$75M
Careful when you use the word never
I'm sure the Cubs have more long-term deals than anybody in the division. Thats our problem. We've had a top 5 payroll in baseball for the last 10 years. What are you talking about Doug?
They also signed Kerry Wood to a big 5 year deal about 8 years ago. They signed Milton Bradley as a free agent to a big 3 year deal. Fukudome and Dempster both got huge 4 year deals. The Cubs are practically giving away money! The Cubs are certainly on a short list of teams willing to massively overpay a free agent.
I still think Fielder is the most realistic target for the Cubs next year.
3-5 yrs is not long term in my eyes. 6-10 would be. OVERPAY people? yes the Cubs are in a class of their own when it comes time to that. picking up a contract that pays Soriano whatever he gets paid, is not picking him up from free agency, like Pujols and Fielder will be. guess I should have been more specific with you guys. again, sorry.
Quote from: Dan Michler on May 05, 2011, 06:20:07 AM
I still think Fielder is the most realistic target for the Cubs next year.
over the last 4 years, I think this marks a 1st. something we both agreed on? holy crap!
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 05, 2011, 06:31:22 AM
3-5 yrs is not long term in my eyes. 6-10 would be. OVERPAY people? yes the Cubs are in a class of their own when it comes time to that. picking up a contract that pays Soriano whatever he gets paid, is not picking him up from free agency, like Pujols and Fielder will be. guess I should have been more specific with you guys. again, sorry.
Soriano was a free agent signing in 2006. Not an existing contract or a trade. He was the hottest free agent, supposedly, that year and the Cubs overpaid him from the start. No one else even bid against the Cubs that year cause they overpaid so much. At the time it was the second largest contract in MLB for an outfielder. #1 was Manny Ramirez ($160 million for eight years). 5th largest MLB contract ever.
A 5 year contract is too long for a MLB contract imo. It is even worse when you give them no trade clauses like Hendry likes to do. Mainly because they are guaranteed contracts. 3 years is about right.
No need to be sorry. Rip on the Cubs all you want. I have been a fan for over 40 years now. I will be the first one to admit they suck and are run stupidly. Just be accurate. The Cubs problems are not about spending money. It is how they spend it.
I thought Sorianos deal was from a trade.
and accurate? it's hard to be when some think a long term deal is 3, 4 or 5 years.
Holliday just got a long term deal, and AP is seeking one. some say AP wants 10 years. do you guys consider that a lifetime if 3-5 years is long term? help me understand your Chicago way of thinking. ;)
and I don't mean to rip the Cubs year after year after year, but it is just soooo freaking easy! they have to be the worst franchise at handling their money.
I believe that the players are entitled to get whatever they can. Ownership has the responsibility not to overpay or sign people to ridiculous contracts. Problem is sometimes owners can not help themselves. ARod is a great example. That contract is stupid.
There might be someone dumb enough to give Pujols 10 years. Personally I think that would be stupid. The chances of him playing to the value of that contract over the last 5 years are not very good. Now for someone like the Cubs who are extremely desperate to win a World Series it might seem worth it. The Blackhawks are a good example. They overpaid Brian Campbell and Marion Hossa for a chance to win the Stanley Cup. It worked out for them for 1 year. We will have to see how it effects the team long term. I think overpaying Pujols for 5 years(maybe 5-10mil more a year than what he is asking for 10 years) would be a better gamble. Special players are worth taking a 5 year gamble and Pujols is a special player. My issue with long term contracts in baseball, more than 3 years, is that more often than not you are paying for dead weight in 2 or more years of that contract with no way out. I can live with 1 bad year in 3 but not 2 bad years in 5. Now if you have 2 bad years after year 3 when it comes time to resign I have the opportunity to ask you to take a pay cut or you can find someone else who is willing to pay you more. If you have those same 2 bad years early in a 5+ year contract I have to eat the last 2/3 years and hope you turn it around. That could end up costing me $30+million with no way of ever getting it back. None of this is including the chance of injury. A season ending injury is usually covered by insurance. I am just talking about the normal ups and downs that most MLB players have. White Sox are a great example of that this year.
I think MLB would be much better if the majority of players, especially pitchers, were on 2 year contracts. With really good players getting 3 years and exceptional players, like Pujols, getting 5 years. The NBA almost got this part right. The owners overpaying their good players elite money can not be helped I guess. Any guess as to who the highest paid NBA player was this off season. The Atlanta Hawks Joe Johnson. Ridiculous imo. There are only about 12 players in MLB that I think are worth the 5 years gamble and none of them are pitchers. I think guaranteed contract hurt baseball a lot. That is one thing I think the NFL has done correctly. Big signing bonus with no guarantee. That way if your production goes down you can renegotiate the contract or release the player. In baseball if you sign a bum you are stuck with that bum until you can find someone who will trade their bum for your bum or eat the contract.
I really think one of the biggest issues with player salaries is ego. This is all professional sports not just MLB. Players think that if they are the highest paid player that means they are the best or most respected player. Players seem to confuse the amount they get payed with respect. That should come from your peers and your fans. Not your pay check. Really why else would someone demand $25 or 30mil to play a game/sport. What are you going to do with all that money anyway? Unless you are Frank Thomas and can not live on $9mil a year. One of the most laughable sport quotes of all time.
I know this was long. Apologies for the rambling. This is a sore subject for me. Especially with what is going on in the NFL and NBA right now.
imo opinion. signing AP isn't the answer for the Cubs. is 1 guy really going to win a World Series for that team? NO he wouldn't. they have way too many holes to fill, and that pitching staff is horrible. the Cardinals are in a race year in and year out, but in AP's 10 years there, they have 1 title to show for it. even the best in MLB can't help a proven winning franchise win multiple titles. so for any Cubs fan to think, sign Pujols and we will win, is just ridiculous. They need an entire new everything. From GM to fans, to a ballpark, and to real players like they had in the 80's with Sutcliffe, Ryno, Jody Davis, Dawson.
only 3 things will keep me from watching MLB...
1. another strike
2. Pujols tests positive for anything illegal
3. Pujols wearing a CUB uniform
I could handle seeing him in any other uniform, but The LOSING CUBBIE BLUE! he's too good to play for that franchise. he's too good to get booed from any fan!
and no, I'm not taking a shot at any Cubs fan on here. I'm talking about the season ticket holders that are there day in and day out putting all that pressure on their own team. I think the fans want to win more than the players do. so yeah, the entire team is being pressured by all those uneasy fans. I know losing sucks, but to boo them will not make them play better.
And get rid of that queer ass song. they are not the best in that division, or good enough to go all the way to anywhere except the golf courses before most other teams.
Today is the exact reason to boo the Cubs. There is no reason to lose this game today. 2 of 12 with RISP. Bases loaded twice with no outs.
9th inning lead off walk. Barney doesn't pull the trigger on 2 stikes he's trying to bunt. Fails to move ther runner. If Fukudome goes into first base like he should in 9th he picks the first baseman and the ball goes down the line and he's standing on 2nd base. Instead it's a double play. This is stuff a division 3 baseball player is taught and can execute. It's an embarassment and bad baseball.
I still am willing to defend Hendry because it was the Tribune putting on the pressure to "win now" with whatever money and big names it takes because if you back load it they will have sold off the team and if you win now you drastically increase the value of your team. Soriano is the perfect example of that. Sign him for 8 years when the tribune only has to worry about paying for a couple of them. He was indeed considered the #1 prospect out there that year despite his struggles in left. He still had a ton of speed at that time.
I never want to see Prince in a cub's uniform. Too slow. I don't care about the home runs. He doesn't only hit home runs. Give me a guy that hits 70% of his homers but can steal 20 bags and score from 2nd on most plays instead of a huffing and puffing Prince.
I like Barney and Castro - keep them at the top of the order. I love the way Byrd hustles all of the time. He may not be the ideal player to have, but he gives it his all.
I think I'm ready to part ways with Aramis, but I don't want to see Vitters. If the Cubs really felt like something with Vitters they would have sent Aramis on his way somehow.
I'm glad this is the final year for Fukudome's contract. I'm glad a ton of other contracts that were Tribune related going away. I think this offseason will help determine whether Hendry is worth keeping around or not.
But hey, at least the Cubs payroll is less than the White Sox this year - you can see what the large payroll has done so far for the White Sox :)
looks like it might just be a 2 team race in this division.
and oh yea, the Pittsburgh Pirates are ahead of the Cubs! ;D
This division absolutely sux! The Cubs are terrible and are only 4 back. The Cubs have one of the worst batting averages with RISP. They have lost 6 one run games. It really doesn't matter anyway. AP to the Cubs 2012 baby! That is the name of my fantasy team that is absolutely dominating.
since you are 100% positive about him being a Cub next year, let's make a friendly wager Brett?
cmon you can spare a few discs!
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 08, 2011, 08:04:19 PM
looks like it might just be a 2 team race in this division.
and oh yea, the Pittsburgh Pirates are ahead of the Cubs! ;D
The Cardinals are 4 games ahead of the Cubs with 130 games left. If the situation was reversed, I would not be declaring this a 2 team race already. We are 20% of the way into the season. Lets atleast see what happens with the series this week.
We've got Zambrano/Carpenter, Garza/Westbrook, and Coleman/Garcia. 2 of 3 might give the Cubs a little momentum heading into a tough stretch of games. Zambrano is 12-6 lifetime against St.Louis.
hold on, I said it MIGHT be a 2 team race.
The Cubs seem to have the Cards # as of late, but if they can't beat other teams, not a good chance.
and the Cubs have a losing record at Home and on the road. you just said they have a tough stretch of games coming up after the Cards series. they better put a winning streak together sometime soon.
Wood's ERA was 0.00 until tonight. That's what he gets facing this offense.
Pujols breaks out(4-5) no team better to do it against!
Carpenter was terrible, but gets the W.
The Umps tried helping the Cubs(Punto tagged up at 3rd, should have been 7-4) and they still couldn't win.
And best of all was Soriano falling down ??? in left, while the ball sailed over his head!
1-0 good guys.
At least the Bulls won ;D
In the spirit of antagonizing Doug about his promise to never watch baseball again if Pujols joins the Cubs, check out this article about Hendry and Pujols hugging before the game last night....
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110511&content_id=18927194&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc (http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110511&content_id=18927194&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc)
asking how's your kids, hows the wife sort of stuff. you read the article? Hendry said it was not about business.
The announcers said it best last night. The Cubs signed Pena to a 1 yr deal, they have the finances and he would be a great fit, yes Prince Fielder. Not once did they say anything about Albert.
but a promise is a promise, but I'm not the least bit worried. Now or come October.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 11, 2011, 07:53:23 AM
asking how's your kids, hows the wife sort of stuff. you read the article? Hendry said it was not about business.
You're right. I'm sure he wasn't making small talk to get on friendly terms with a man who has the potential to triple his wealth in a few months. That would just be ridiculous.
triple his wealth? cmon Dan, smoke another one! how many times do you have to hear it?? Pujols said he wants to play for a team that can win Championships! The Cubs can not do that. Albert knows that, as well as all other baseball fans.
but it wouldn't suprise me if he was talking about next year. the Cubs are cheap and low like that. It would be against MLB rules to try to talk to a player while he is under contract with another team.
but now, I will just ignore your guys's ignorance for the summer. I will sit back and enjoy the season, then laugh after Pujols signs with the Cardinals, after the season. Then I will say told ya's so! Then you Cub fans can sit back and whine and cry about St Louis being overachievers!
Peace out!
1 last thing though.
maybe this is what has kept the Cubbies down all these years? it hasn't been the Billy Goat Curse.
Total hammer job last night. This team has hit pretty good this year. If they keep hitting with RISP who knows what could happen.
The attendance has been down and there have been a ton of empty seats. Currently #7 in attendance and i'd expect that to go down as the Cubs fall out of contention. I think the fans are starting to make a statement. I'm not attending any games this year.
Sidenote: The White Sox attendance is #25
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2011-misc.shtml
Attendance per game would be the relevant stat on that link, as some teams have played alot more home games than others. The Cubs rank #10 and the Sox #20.
They ranked #6 in attendance last year (avg 4,000 more per game than they have so far this year), largely because Wrigley doesn't hold as many as the teams ahead of them. With all the summer night games and weekend games ahead, I actually think the Cubs may rise a bit from #10. Many of those games are already sold out.
The Yankees have lost 3,500 and the Cardinals 2,000 per game from last year while they are both in 1st place, so attendance is pretty much down league wide. Texas has actually gained 10,000 per game, which shows how much making the World Series can impact your total revenue.
Hey, I would obviously love for the Cubs to make the WS. If everybody stops going to the games as you suggest, the ownership is likely to spend less money because they have less revenue. When you make less money, do you spend more?This will lessen the Cubs chances of winning. So, you not going to the game actually hurts the team. If your logic was correct, the Royals would have a huge payroll. The teams that make the most, spend the most. Boycotting games because the ticket prices are ridiculously high (which they are!!) makes a lot more sense than boycotting because you think it will make the management want to win more.
I'm going to the games win or lose because its fun and I like baseball and love the Cubs. One day, they will win.
Pujols article. Most underpaid player.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-forbes_most_underpaid_baseball_players_051111
Wow. Pujols just batting over .270 with 9 Hr's and 31 rbi, but yet the Cardinals only trail Cleveland and Philadelphia for the best overall record in baseball! and we know the Indians wont finish the way they have started.
Oh yeah. I think Marmol gave up 6 runs tonight in 1/3 of an inning to blow the win. His most runs ever out of the Cubs bullpen ;D
Quote from: pdga#7648 on May 31, 2011, 08:14:41 PM
Wow. Pujols just batting over .270 with 9 Hr's and 31 rbi, but yet the Cardinals only trail Cleveland and Philadelphia for the best overall record in baseball! and we know the Indians wont finish the way they have started.
Oh yeah. I think Marmol gave up 6 runs tonight in 1/3 of an inning to blow the win. His most runs ever out of the Cubs bullpen ;D
I managed to turn the game on just in time since I have Marmol on my fantasy team. Glad Pence was the one to do the damage. It's just bad baseball. I have no idea how you give up a double down the line in the 9th inning.
Its definitely been one of those years. Anything that can possibly go wrong pretty much has. Wells, Cashner, Garza on the DL hasn't helped. On paper our pitching should be pretty solid. But, obviously that hasn't worked out so far. Now Byrd and Soriano on the shelf also. At this point, the entire AAA Iowa club has just about had a crack on the big league team. You know its bad when Tony Campana has become the only guy fans can root for. I'm not putting any blame on Quade. There is nothing he can do. Our fielding is the worst I've ever seen.
As for 2012: Figure we've got C Soto, SS Castro, 2B Barney, LF Soriano, CF Byrd. That leaves RF, 3B, 1B completely open. I really want a top notch defensive 3B. Enough is enough with all these errors. At 1B, hopefully Prince Fielder. RF you thought would be Colvin's, but it doesn't look that way anymore. I wonder if Brett Jackson will come up later this year and get a chance to prove himself.
I actually think these injuries could end up being a great thing for the future of this club. This team wasn't a contender to make a run in the playoffs anyway. We need to find out what we have in the minor leagues and plan for the future. We are decent up the middle of the field. We should just change the landscape and pick up Pujols at 3rd and Fielder at 1st. We need some freaking power in this lineup.
LMAO
with Pujols elbow, you can't have him an everyday 3rd baseman. he is just spot starting at 3rd for the Cards. I think yesterday was his 3rd game there this year.
But yes, count on Fielder being at 1st base!
http://www.spamfriday.com/the-onion-lead-story-on-april-fools-on-the-cubs-of-course-hahahahaa/
Breaking news: WGN has opted out of the rest of the Cubs season
Good news though fellow Cubs fans, Comedy Central has picked up their contract.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on June 07, 2011, 08:00:19 PM
Breaking news: WGN has opted out of the rest of the Cubs season
Good news though fellow Cubs fans, Comedy Central has picked up their contract.
Yes, the Cubs suck. It's sad it took two 9th inning heroics for STL to take the series this weekend. For all the cheering the Cards had for Pujols this weekend I cannot wait for the crying and jersey burning this fall. Lebron James 2 is coming to STL.
he should not of had any cheers. cause any smart manager doesn't even pitch to him, slump or no slump.
Sure we've lost 8 in a row and dropped to 13 games below .500. Sure our record is the 3rd worst in baseball. And I'll admit our defense is worse than some high school teams. But all that being said, we've gotten hit by the 6th most pitches of NL teams. Not bad! Got to focus on the positive.
I love Brett's committment to unsettling Cardinal fans even when they have the best record in baseball. Milwaukee is only 2 1/2 out, I'd like to see them make a run this year. They need Greinke/Marcum/Gallardo to deliver in the 2nd half. The Cardinals can't match up with that trio of starting pitchers. They can, however, score a ton of runs with Pujols/Holliday/Berkman all swinging the bat. They may need to deal for a starting pitcher. The Reds are in the same boat with the incredible offense they have, but not a whole lot of pitching. The NL Central is shaping up to be a pretty solid race this summer.
2012 is clearly going to be the year for the Cubs ;D
Anybody see this call last night that cost the Pirates the game in the 19th inning?
http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/30908640 (http://eye-on-baseball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22297882/30908640)
Just some wierd stuff. If you are the umpire, you had to have at least had a little bit of doubt about whether that glove may have touched the runner. And if you have any doubt on a play like that where the runner was beaten so badly, you have to call him out. Just terrible.
I agree with Bob Brenly. Technology needs to be utilized a lot more in baseball to get these calls right. It wouldn't be tough or time consuming to have a replay umpire watching the camera footage and giving judgments on scoring plays, similar to college football. Also, as Brenly constantly points out during Cubs telecasts, we have the technology to get every ball/strike call correct and it wouldn't cost us any additional time. The argument against it being 'it would take away the charm of the human element' is an extremely weak one. One day these things will be implemented and we'll look back in amazement that we used to have incorrect calls change the outcome of games BY CHOICE.
I agree with instant replay.
I have watched that play about 100 times on ESPN this morning. I can't tell if he was out of safe. The ball clearly beat him and the attempt to tag him was made before he was even close to the plate. The ump made a comment that he made the call because he swept the tag and whiffed. Baseball is a crazy game.
Corey Patterson to the Cardinals. St. Louis fans...enjoy!
Just saw Santana throw a no no against CLE.
Dan, What do you think about the Cubs bringing in LaRuss if/when the Cards fire him? I'm interested in the fact that he'd bring Duncan with him as the pitching coach.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on July 27, 2011, 11:38:21 AM
Just saw Santana throw a no no against CLE.
Dan, What do you think about the Cubs bringing in LaRuss if/when the Cards fire him? I'm interested in the fact that he'd bring Duncan with him as the pitching coach.
Is that like the 25th no-hitter in the last 2 seasons?
I know you love LaRussa man, and I can't deny that he's won wherever he's been, but I would have a hard time getting onboard with him being the Cubs manager. I just don't like the guy personally. And I don't think a new pitching coach could do 1% of what a decent defense could do to help this pitching staff. The Cubs have the same problem as the Bears. They have no one who can catch the damn ball.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on July 27, 2011, 11:38:21 AM
Just saw Santana throw a no no against CLE.
Dan, What do you think about the Cubs bringing in LaRuss if/when the Cards fire him? I'm interested in the fact that he'd bring Duncan with him as the pitching coach.
what is in the water you are drinking Brett? why would the Cards fire him?
and like Dan said, the best pitching coach can't help the Cubs!
Fukudome to the Indians. So long Kosuke!
Any time you have the opportunity to pay an outfielder $47.25M to play 3 1/2 seasons and hit .262 with 37 HR and 169 RBI, you've got to do it right? At least we get 2 mediocre prospects and save on $750K of his salary. What a deal....
And Hendry still has a job.
The good thing is we get to find out how good or bad Colvin is the rest of the season. He should be thrown out there every day for the rest of the season.
Dan, what is the largest lead in a divisional race to be blown? I thought this central division race was over until STL came in and swept.
I'm not saying it's going to happen but I looked at the Crew's upcoming schedule. They are not good on the road and they play in STL for 3 more. 6 games on the road then they get the Phillies for 4. These next 10 games should be interesting for the NL race.
The Cubs have 3 in late Sept @ Wrigley w/the Crew.
The next series they are @ STL for 3.
We were gone when the Hendry announcement was made. That took way to long to get rid of this guy.
Brett, I'm pretty sure Philadelphia had a 13.5 game lead only to lose it.
nope Philly did this......
1. 1964 Philadelphia Phillies
The hard-luck franchise that went 30 years without a pennant between 1950 and 1980 should have broken that string in the middle. The Phillies led by 6.5 games over the Cardinals and Reds with 12 to go in September, then lost 10 in a row and ended up one game back in a tie for second with the Reds despite winning their last two games. Manager Gene Mauch was criticized for tinkering with the pitching rotation down the stretch. The Cardinals beat the Yankees in seven games in the World Series.
biggest ever.....
6. 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
On Aug. 11, the Dodgers held a 13.5-game lead in the National League and seemed to be cruising toward the pennant. This wasn't a true collapse: In probably any other season, a 26-22 finish would be good enough to hold on easily, but the Giants caught fire, winning a 16 in a row and an incredible 37 out of their final 44 games, tying the Dodgers on the final day. The Dodgers' real mistake was at the coin flip to determine the home field in the three-game playoff series. The Dodgers won the toss and a ticket manager (the team was in Philadelphia) chose to play the first game at home and the second and third games at the Polo Grounds. Without that fateful decision, Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round The World" would never have happened
my favorite.....
8. 1969 Chicago Cubs
Another historic moment - the 1969 Amazin' Mets - likely wouldn't have happened if the Cubs hadn't helped out. It was the first season of divisional play, and the Cubs had a 9.5-game lead on August 14 in the new National League East. But 13 days later the red-hot Mets had pulled within two, and they won the division by eight. The Cubs lost 14 of their final 20, and New York went on to win the World Series.
pretty sure this was when the Black Cat ran out onto the field in New York, during a Cubs game?
This lead is definitely blowable, especially by the Brewers who always seem to find a way to mess up. I would like to know what the largest ever disparity between home record and road record is? The Brewers are currently 50-19 at home despite just getting swept in Milwaukee by the Cardinals and they are 31-38 on the road. They have an even 12/12 home/road in their 24 remaining games. St. Louis' remaining schedule appears a bit tougher.
If they go 12-12, St.Louis would need to go 20-5 to catch them, which is certainly unlikely. But this is the Brewers, so anything is possible. The series next week in St. Louis will be big.
I think the most memorable comeback in my lifetime is the 2007 Colorado Rockies winning 14 of their final 15 games to win the Wild Card in a tiebreaking 163rd game that went into extra innings.
The wildest finish to a season ever would have to be the 1908 NL Pennant race. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkle%27s_Boner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkle%27s_Boner)
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201109/black-slime-takes-cubs-fans-stomachs
the food is just as bad as the team, gotta love it! ;D
Hey Doug, your team has the same October plans as the Cubs. Enjoy! Way to waste a fantastic season by Lance Berkman. Unlikely he'll be resigned by the Cardinals next year since they'll have to commit most of their payroll to signing Pujols.
Go buy yourself some taco's at Busch stadium, Doug.
Quote
Busch Stadium is not the place to get a taco. The St. Louis Cardinals ballpark had 29 major food safety violations in 2010. Taco meat was improperly heated in such a manner that would welcome rapid bacterial growth. Another plate of taco meat was being stored at 68 degrees. Chicken Salad was kept between 63 and 67 degrees.
Source: http://benmaller.com/2011/04/roaches-vermin-fruit-flies-red-slime-found-at-mlb-ballparks/ (http://benmaller.com/2011/04/roaches-vermin-fruit-flies-red-slime-found-at-mlb-ballparks/)
I don't know what to make of this article that I was reading about today in the Sun Times... the conspiracy theory is for the Cubs to hire Walt Jocketty (current Reds GM in a contract year, former St. Louis GM) as their own GM. He would then in turn hire Tony LaRussa as the manager (contract year), and that would then in turn help bring Pujols to the Cubs. What a crazy turn of events THAT would be. I don't know if I want that much Redbird blood in the Cubs clubhouse lol.
The article: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/7645317-419/walt-jocketty-as-cubs-gm-could-start-whirlwind-that-brings-pujols.html (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/7645317-419/walt-jocketty-as-cubs-gm-could-start-whirlwind-that-brings-pujols.html)
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 05:50:48 AM
Hey Doug, your team has the same October plans as the Cubs. Enjoy! Way to waste a fantastic season by Lance Berkman. Unlikely he'll be resigned by the Cardinals next year since they'll have to commit most of their payroll to signing Pujols.
not yet we dont. 4 1/2 games behind the wildcard, and just 6.5 back of the division title. stranger things have happened. And the Cards still play the Cubs 3 more times, so theres at least 2 wins(8-4 H2H on the year)
The translation: The magic number is 10 until the Cardinals are eliminated with 14 games to play, and 4 of those are against the Phillies. Odds are October will be filled watching the Steelers getting pounded by the Ravens again (ok, so it's Nov. 6th for the rematch).
...at least I'm a packers fan that occasionally has something to root for near the close of a season...
Your right Doug, stranger things have definitely happened...but not very often. ESPN calculates the %chance of each team making the playoffs. Right now the Cards are at 4.5%. Good luck with that.
Quote from: stpitner on September 14, 2011, 10:41:10 AM
The translation: The magic number is 10 until the Cardinals are eliminated with 14 games to play, and 4 of those are against the Phillies. Odds are October will be filled watching the Steelers getting pounded by the Ravens again (ok, so it's Nov. 6th for the rematch).
...at least I'm a packers fan that occasionally has something to root for near the close of a season...
I'm glad you said occasionally Scott. 1 year doesn't make the team!
and 1 football game doesn't make the season. Pittsburgh will be in the playoffs at years end.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 11:03:11 AM
Your right Doug, stranger things have definitely happened...but not very often. ESPN calculates the %chance of each team making the playoffs. Right now the Cards are at 4.5%. Good luck with that.
4.5% is always better than the Cubs 0%!! ;D
Quote from: JerrySeinfeld link=http://www.seinology.com/scripts/script-98.shtml
Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify. Because the players are always changing, the team can move to another city, you're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You know what I mean, you are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city. Fans will be so in love with a player but if he goes to another team, they boo him. This is the same human being in a different shirt, they *hate* him now. Boo! different shirt!! Boo.
once again, you are wrong Bruce.
I root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the individuals name on the back! Pujols could leave St. Louis, I wont cheer for him, but would continue rooting for the Cardinals!
So you're saying Seinfeld is wrong about you just rooting for the clothes because if Pujols leaves and someone else wears that jersey, you'll still be rooting for the clothes? ??? ::) I think you made Seinfeld's point just as humorously as he did. ;D
Go clothes with Cardinals on them!
Seinfeld's bit was pretty funny, but he is a huge Mets fan. So he roots for the clothes. Obviously it is more than just the jersey, it is the history of the team and your relationship with the team. I think in this day and age people are less attached to the team and may be more attached to the players. Not in all instances, but in some cases. I think fantasy sports has something to do with this. I will play pickem, but no fantasy for me, because I don't want to root for any of those other jerseys, only green and gold, or white and gold depending on the weekend.
And Doug did call out Bruce, but then agreed with him 100%. Oh well.
Being a fan and putting an emotional investment into a pro sports team makes no logical sense, but neither does most other forms of entertainment when you break it down into the simplest of terms. For whatever reason, some of us just find it fun to follow your team and go through the ups and downs.
and I didnt agree with Bruce at all about his quote. I was replying to this part....
"Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify."
I was showing my loyalty to 1 team no matter who is on it. The clothes bit by Jerry is about as funny as his stand up gigs, NOT VERY.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 15, 2011, 06:54:45 AM
and I didnt agree with Bruce at all about his quote. I was replying to this part....
"Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify."
I was showing my loyalty to 1 team no matter who is on it. The clothes bit by Jerry is about as funny as his stand up gigs, NOT VERY.
Its a head/heart thing. Loyalty...as riffed on by Jerry is hard to justify. We justify with our heads. We root with our hearts. Is it logical to continue to root for [insert your team here] regardless of the decisions their management makes, the players actions on and off the field, the crappy food they serve at the ballpark, the increasing ticket prices? Heck no. However, we love our teams whether they growl, eat cheese or perch on a bat. I remember working for a guy who mistakenly bet with his heart and would lose money on the Cubs all the time. Betting is logical. We know our team sucks and we make money when we are clear headed enough to bet against them or at least abstain. Rooting? We love our teams with our heart and soul. Passion is what makes teams successful and makes a city feel better and bigger on certain Monday mornings. Passion is what drives message board discussion. Passion makes both Michler and Airspuds feel like little kids every Spring training because, "next year is here." and hope is in the air. Loyalty, as Jerry said, is a little like marriage. You may have been rooting for your team for your entire life. You may have been a season ticket holder or have been married for 27 years and still see the beautiful girl in the wedding pictures regardless of what ESPN says in its power rankings.
Quote from: Chainmeister on September 15, 2011, 10:25:13 AM
You may have been a season ticket holder or have been married for 27 years and still see the beautiful girl in the wedding pictures regardless of what ESPN says in its power rankings.
Ha, I enjoyed this analogy Dave. I think you are implying that when I've been married for 27 years, the "ESPN Power Rankings" will not be so kind to my wife...I hope for your sake that your wife never stumbles onto this forum.
So what do the Sox fans on here want to happen this offseason? Ozzie gone, Kenny gone, both gone, or nobody gone? I keep hearing on the sports talk shows that somebody will be gone. It sounds like Ozzie might have a job lined up with the Marlins if the Sox let him go, which makes perfect sense as they:
A: have no manager for next season
B: have a large Hispanic fan base they are trying to attract
C: Ozzie was a bench coach for them before coming to the Sox
D: they are opening a new ballpark next year and need to make a splash
The Cubs finally jacked Hendry. Reinsdorf has got to be feeling pressure to do the same to Kenny. I mean, the guy has employed a 'go for broke' philosphy the last few years and he's pretty much gone broke. He's wasted millions of Jerry's money on guys like Manny Ramirez, Alex Rios, Adam Dunn, etc...and he also sent Daniel Hudson packing to Arizona where he immediately became one of the best young pitchers in baseball. He has quickly gotten the Sox into a such a bad position that it rivals what Hendry accomplished. The difference is the Cubs still sold 90% of their seats this year where the Sox attendance has now dipped down around 60% of capacity because of the poor play. This is costing Reinsdorf in more ways than one. I think Kenny Williams has to be gone.
Thanks Dan. I have been married 27 years and as far as I am concerned its still the same beautiful girl in the wedding pictures. I have no problem with her seeing this. The reality is we are both a little older and...well you get it.
You posed the big Sox fan question. I have always been a big fan of both Ozzie and Kenny even though I really ought to only like one of them. Either way, I hate to say its time for both to go. I think both have done many great things for the Sox. The reality is this was an underperforming team that can equally be attributed to having the wrong guys and not getting those guys to play their best. I would keep a core of young players including good talent up the middle which means Flowers at catcher, Beckham at 2b, Ramierz at SS and De Aza in Center. I would keep Vicceado (I know I butchered his name but am not bothering to look it up) and Sale. Beyond that everybody else including Konerrko as at risk They need to start over. I am not saying dump everybody but I am saying no sacred cows. I will miss Ozzie but its time to try something new. They have some salaries that will hold them back as do the Cubs. However, there is enough of a foundation that they can be exciting (meaning win about the same number of games with lesser expectations and a younger lineup) for a year or two and then have a chance to be competitive at the top.
I'm surprised you want to keep Beckham. The guy very solid in the field which is commendable, but hasn't he proven that he just flatout can't hit? I mean, he's slugging .330, he strikes out a ton, he doesn't have speed, he's a total offensive liability. It doesn't get much worst offensively among AL 2B. That being said I think I'd be willing to swap Barney for Beckham straight up. He came crashing back to earth after his hot start this year. He's not a highly touted prospect, he has no power, his glove has been a liability at 2B, I'm willing to give up on him.
I think Kenny will be gone but Ozzie will be back. Adam Dunn? Can you really blame that on anyone other than Adam Dunn? Has the worst batting slump of his life for the entire year?
Quote from: Jon Brakel on September 16, 2011, 08:46:03 AM
I think Kenny will be gone but Ozzie will be back. Adam Dunn? Can you really blame that on anyone other than Adam Dunn? Has the worst batting slump of his life for the entire year?
I don't think there were alot of teams clamoring for Adam Dunn last offseason. Ken Williams clearly valued him much higher than other teams, and he was wrong. I totally agree Adam Dunn should obviously be held responsible for his own performance, and that nobody would have predicted the level of futility that Dunn experienced in 2011.
Quote from: stpitner on September 14, 2011, 10:41:10 AM
The translation: The magic number is 10 until the Cardinals are eliminated with 14 games to play, and 4 of those are against the Phillies.
good thing, those Phillies are easy to beat 3 of 4.
and I think the wildcard is only 2.5 games away!! Braves lost again. And they play Philly 3 more games. To where the Cards have Mets, Cubs, and worst team in baseball Houston.
Watch out for San Francisco right behind you now after winning 8 straight, only 3.5 out of the wild card.
2011 regular season just about in the books. Gotta love Philly's chances to win the whole thing. Nobody else can come close to matching Halladay/Lee/Hamels for a playoff rotation, and we all know the playoffs is all about pitching. The Yankees should come out of the AL with Sabathia and Ivan Nova both pitching really well right now and they obviously have a ridiculous offense. Nobody is going to pick Boston with their pitching in total shambles. It reminds me of the '04 Cardinals and the '05 White Sox who both limped into the playoffs, but ended up winning it all. Anything can happen in the playoffs. I'm going to be rooting hard for Milwaukee. I visit their stadium at least twice a year and I'd like to see them win it all.
AL MVP had better be Jose Bautista. #1 in slugging% and #1 in on base%. By far the best offensive player in baseball this year.
NL MVP is a tough call this year. You've got Ryan Braun (.331 31 104 31SB) and Matt Kemp (.321 34 113 40SB) who put up similar numbers and are both incredibly poor fielding outfielders. Between those two I'd take Kemp as he put up those numbers in a pitcher friendly park, but I'm sure Braun would win as the voters always choose the guy who happens to be on a winning team (stupid). I think the best all round player in the NL this year was Tulowitzki (.303 30 105) who is one of the best fielders in the game at the toughest defensive position. I think Braun wins the award, but I'd vote for Tulowitzki if I had a vote.
AL Cy Young...Verlander in a landslide. Best pitcher in baseball this year. Probably the best season anybody has put up since Pedro's 1999 and 2000 seasons.
NL Cy Young...Another tough call. The candidates:
Kershaw 20-5 2.27 ERA 0.99WHIP 242 K's
Cliff Lee 16-8 2.38 1.03 232 K's
Halladay 18-6 2.41 1.05 217 K's
Ian Kennedy 20-4 2.88 1.08 194 K's
I think you can immediately eliminate Kennedy. He doesn't have the reputation or the overwhelming stuff that the other 3 have. 20-4 is impressive, but the fact that he trails statistically in the other categories will definitely leave him short. Between Halladay and Lee its tough to choose. Halladay completed 8 games to Lee's 6, but Lee had an unreal 6 shutouts! (Halladay 1). At the end of the day, the vote will get split between these 2 Phillies similar to what happened with Carpenter/Wainwright in the past. This will leave Kershaw as the deserving winner. He's the most overpowering pitcher in the NL, although he is helped by Dodger Stadium.
What is going to happen this offseason?
C.J. Wilson is the best free agent pitching prospect out there (assuming Sabathia is staying in NY). He just threw up his best season yet at age 30 with a 2.97 ERA 16-7 in one of the most hitter friendly parks in baseball down in Texas. Before 2010 he was a reliever so he doesn't have a ton of innings on his arm. Obviously it'd be a huge score for any team to land him.
Heath Bell and Papelbon will be free agent closers.
Then you have Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder. All ended up with monster seasons, even though for Pujols it was considered sub-standard (he'll still finish top 10 MVP).
Aramis Ramirez is also likely to be a free agent (he basically stated today he would decline if the Cubs did pick up his 2012 option), and by far the best 3B available. A ton of teams need help at 3B, so I'm guessing Aramis is going to get overpaid by somebody other than the Cubs.
Should be a very interesting offseason.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 21, 2011, 12:29:02 PM
2011 regular season just about in the books. Gotta love Philly's chances to win the whole thing. Nobody else can come close to matching Halladay/Lee/Hamels for a playoff rotation, and we all know the playoffs is all about pitching. The Yankees should come out of the AL with Sabathia and Ivan Nova both pitching really well right now and they obviously have a ridiculous offense. Nobody is going to pick Boston with their pitching in total shambles. It reminds me of the '04 Cardinals and the '05 White Sox who both limped into the playoffs, but ended up winning it all. Anything can happen in the playoffs. I'm going to be rooting hard for Milwaukee. I visit their stadium at least twice a year and I'd like to see them win it all.
AL MVP had better be Jose Bautista. #1 in slugging% and #1 in on base%. By far the best offensive player in baseball this year.
NL MVP is a tough call this year. You've got Ryan Braun (.331 31 104 31SB) and Matt Kemp (.321 34 113 40SB) who put up similar numbers and are both incredibly poor fielding outfielders. Between those two I'd take Kemp as he put up those numbers in a pitcher friendly park, but I'm sure Braun would win as the voters always choose the guy who happens to be on a winning team (stupid). I think the best all round player in the NL this year was Tulowitzki (.303 30 105) who is one of the best fielders in the game at the toughest defensive position. I think Braun wins the award, but I'd vote for Tulowitzki if I had a vote.
AL Cy Young...Verlander in a landslide. Best pitcher in baseball this year. Probably the best season anybody has put up since Pedro's 1999 and 2000 seasons.
NL Cy Young...Another tough call. The candidates:
Kershaw 20-5 2.27 ERA 0.99WHIP 242 K's
Cliff Lee 16-8 2.38 1.03 232 K's
Halladay 18-6 2.41 1.05 217 K's
Ian Kennedy 20-4 2.88 1.08 194 K's
I think you can immediately eliminate Kennedy. He doesn't have the reputation or the overwhelming stuff that the other 3 have. 20-4 is impressive, but the fact that he trails statistically in the other categories will definitely leave him short. Between Halladay and Lee its tough to choose. Halladay completed 8 games to Lee's 6, but Lee had an unreal 6 shutouts! (Halladay 1). At the end of the day, the vote will get split between these 2 Phillies similar to what happened with Carpenter/Wainwright in the past. This will leave Kershaw as the deserving winner. He's the most overpowering pitcher in the NL, although he is helped by Dodger Stadium.
Why not Verlander for the MVP?
I agree with Tom. Verlander should win the MVP. how long has it been since a American League pitcher won 24 games in a single season? Randy Johnson did it in 2002, but I think he was in Arizona?
Player W-L ERA GS CG SHO IP H BB SO WHIP
Clemens '86 24-4 2.48 33 10 1 254 179 67 238 0.97
Verlander '11 24-5 2.29 33 4 2 244 166 56 244 0.91
Clemens won the MVP in 86. Verlander's numbers are just as good if not better in most stats.
Justin Verlander beat the A's in Oakland on Sunday to improve his record to 24-5, making him the first Tigers pitcher to win 24 games in a season since Mickey Lolich won 25 in 1971, and the majors' first 24-game winner since Randy Johnson in 2002. Verlander is the first pitcher in Tigers history to win 12 consecutive starts and the first in the big leagues since Johan Santana in 2004. Verlander is just the seventh American League pitcher since World War II to record 24 wins and 240 strikeouts in a season and the first since Ron Guidry in 1978. He threw a no-hitter May 7 at Toronto. He's a cinch for the AL Cy Young Award. He should also be the AL MVP
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 11:03:11 AM
Your right Doug, stranger things have definitely happened...but not very often. ESPN calculates the %chance of each team making the playoffs. Right now the Cards are at 4.5%. Good luck with that.
Hey Dan? what's that % for the Cardinals now? just wondering?
I'm of the opinion that the Cy Young is for pitchers and the MVP is for everyday players, otherwise you could certainly make a case for Verlander as MVP.
Doug, you are now at 34.6%.
The Cardinals have 1 with the Mets tonight, then 3 games with the Cubs and 3 with the Astros.
Braves have 3 with the Nats and 3 with the Phils.
The Phillies will be setting up their rotation for the playoffs and will not be playing any of the regulars that last game. I'd say the schedules are pretty even, we'll see what happens. The Cubs are definitely going to try their best to knock out the Cards this weekend. I'd love to see it happen.
I think the Cubs will be playing the series against the Cardinals as if it was their own playoffs - so yeah, it's going to be a good series to watch!
Poor Pirates fans - they started out so well, now the Cubs and Pirates are tied for the same record. I'd like to at least see the Cubs get one more to get at least 70 wins. It's bad enough to finish under .500 but even worse when you can't even get to 70. And then there's Houston with 102 losses already... for them it's almost like why do I even show up? I'll take millions of dollars to suck at my profession, sure.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 05:50:48 AM
Hey Doug, your team has the same October plans as the Cubs. Enjoy! Way to waste a fantastic season by Lance Berkman. Unlikely he'll be resigned by the Cardinals next year since they'll have to commit most of their payroll to signing Pujols.
LOL. Berkman is resigned thru 2012. wrong again! ;D
from 4.5% to 34.6% in 7 days. pretty good chances.
Braves will face Strasburgh tomorrow, and I disagree with the Philly part. After losing 3 of 4 to the Cardinals, and now 3 straight to Washington, Manuel will be playing to get back on track. And that means playing his starters.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 22, 2011, 08:06:30 AM
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 05:50:48 AM
Hey Doug, your team has the same October plans as the Cubs. Enjoy! Way to waste a fantastic season by Lance Berkman. Unlikely he'll be resigned by the Cardinals next year since they'll have to commit most of their payroll to signing Pujols.
LOL. Berkman is resigned thru 2012. wrong again! ;D
Aren't you a little worried about why they decided to dish out money to extend Berkman, who is a better fit as a 1B than on OF at this point in his career? It sounds like insurance for Pujols deciding to leave St.Louis.
Unless the Cardinals ownership is deciding to make a significant increase to the payroll for a team whose attendance dropped by 7% this year, something has got to give. You've got Pujols looking for a massive increase in pay. You've got Chris Carpenter with a club option for $15M next year, then he's a free agent. You've got Wainwright coming off surgery, after next year he'll be entering the final year of his contract, a club option for $12M.
This is the heart of the team and I don't see how the Cards can keep them all, along with Matt Holliday who is signed through 2017 making over $17M per year. Most likely you are going to have to say goodbye to Chris Carpenter, either by way of a trade this offseason or to free agency the next offseason. Assuming Wainwright is healthy next year, they've got to extend his contract with some big bucks. The question is, can they pay Pujols $25M per year on top of all that and still afford to keep the team competitive? I'm sure there are a few teams out there that will hit Pujols with some big offers.
Which would wind up more epic? LeBron to anywhere except Cleveland or Pujols to the Cubs?
The Cubs answer to third base worries me more than what they are going to do at first base. I'm sure they could resign Pena if they needed to.
No, I am not worried by the Berkman extension. Pujols will be back. He already said he wasn't wanting 30M per year, thats the media being idiots as usuall. He wants to end his career a Redbird and that he will do. He will get the George Brett offer= finish his career there, then part ownership after retirering.
They will be able to keep them all by paying the Delscalso's, Jay, Craig, Schumacher, and all the bullpen duds the minimum salary. You act like the Cardinals ownership is like the Cubs and White Sox, which is not even comparable. The Cards know what it takes to win, and they will resign the BEST EVER!
Quote from: stpitner on September 22, 2011, 10:41:04 AM
Which would wind up more epic? LeBron to anywhere except Cleveland or Pujols to the Cubs?
The Cubs answer to third base worries me more than what they are going to do at first base. I'm sure they could resign Pena if they needed to.
The Cubs will have a new 1st baseman next year. But it will be the fat dude in Milwaukee, Prince Fielder!
And here is my thoughts on Berkmans extension. Paying him 12MIL next year.
I think its a great signing at whatever the cost. Also, Its a great move getting as many guys locked up as possible, and it is certainly not a detriment to the Pujols negotiations. Its actually a really good move for both sides. Once the lineup is mostly secured for next season, Moz will know for certain exactly how much money he can offer Albert. Albert reportedly turned down $19MIL a year for 9 years in the off season, so now Moz (Who I am not a fan of) is trying to lock up his team early so that he has a good idea of what he can spend. Trust me, if they can afford what Albert wants, they will give it to him. They know that for the last 10 years they have had him at a BARGAIN. And when you do the comps to other players who are being paid 23-25MIL a year, there is no comparison. The Cardinals would stand to lose WAY more money if Albert leaves, than they would spend on a huge contract to keep him. Think about ticket sales, merchandise, advertising, fan draw...it all adds up when those people are coming to the ballpark to see their star player play ball.
Probably going to have to wait until after October is over now, but you guys will see the Cardinals organization is not a bunch of fools!
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 22, 2011, 10:28:40 AM
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 22, 2011, 08:06:30 AM
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 14, 2011, 05:50:48 AM
Hey Doug, your team has the same October plans as the Cubs. Enjoy! Way to waste a fantastic season by Lance Berkman. Unlikely he'll be resigned by the Cardinals next year since they'll have to commit most of their payroll to signing Pujols.
LOL. Berkman is resigned thru 2012. wrong again! ;D
Aren't you a little worried about why they decided to dish out money to extend Berkman, who is a better fit as a 1B than on OF at this point in his career? It sounds like insurance for Pujols deciding to leave St.Louis.
Unless the Cardinals ownership is deciding to make a significant increase to the payroll for a team whose attendance dropped by 7% this year, something has got to give. You've got Pujols looking for a massive increase in pay. You've got Chris Carpenter with a club option for $15M next year, then he's a free agent. You've got Wainwright coming off surgery, after next year he'll be entering the final year of his contract, a club option for $12M.
This is the heart of the team and I don't see how the Cards can keep them all, along with Matt Holliday who is signed through 2017 making over $17M per year. Most likely you are going to have to say goodbye to Chris Carpenter, either by way of a trade this offseason or to free agency the next offseason. Assuming Wainwright is healthy next year, they've got to extend his contract with some big bucks. The question is, can they pay Pujols $25M per year on top of all that and still afford to keep the team competitive? I'm sure there are a few teams out there that will hit Pujols with some big offers.
and you must not read any sports other than Chicago's?
Declaring his desire to finish his career with the organization, Chris Carpenter joined general manager John Mozeliak at a news conference at PNC Park on Tuesday afternoon to announce that he has signed a new two-year deal to remain a Cardinal.
The deal, worth $21 million, supersedes the $15 million option that the club had held on Carpenter for 2012 and guarantees he will be with St. Louis through the '13 season. Aside from the bonus clauses in Carpenter's current deal, the new contract includes no incentive clauses and does not have a player or club option beyond the two-year duration.
21M over 2 years is 10.5 MIL instead of the 15MIL. Things just keep getting better!
Did things keep getting better when the Cards blew the lead by giving up 6 in the 9th today?
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 22, 2011, 04:48:07 PM
Did things keep getting better when the Cards blew the lead by giving up 6 in the 9th today?
Where's the like button when you need one ;)
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 22, 2011, 04:48:07 PM
Did things keep getting better when the Cards blew the lead by giving up 6 in the 9th today?
still 6 huge games to play. and I think the pressure is on the struggling Braves, not the surging Cardinals. Although, that might have taken away all the momentum they had going. Will have to see what happens? still like the chances of sneaking in. A chance Chicago let go in June. ;)
If they are both sitting on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in October, it doesn't matter if it was lost in June or September.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on February 23, 2011, 10:40:54 AM
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
go look at Cardinals wins. Wainwright being gone, didn't really hurt the regular season. No crumbling in the Lou!
Quote from: stpitner on September 23, 2011, 08:27:30 AM
If they are both sitting on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in October, it doesn't matter if it was lost in June or September.
and I beg to differ Scott. go back to page 1 or 2 of this thread and look how excited fans were for the Cubs, and that great Pena signing, and that great starting rotation! LMAO ;D All the excitement was gone before the All-Star break. The Cardinals still have a great chance of making the playoffs. and we all know what happened in 2006 when the Cards got the wildcard!
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 23, 2011, 08:54:43 AM
Quote from: CEValkyrie on February 23, 2011, 10:40:54 AM
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
go look at Cardinals wins. Wainwright being gone, didn't really hurt the regular season. No crumbling in the Lou!
I would disagree with that. This team is going to miss the playoffs 2 years in a row. This division is absoluetely terrible. with 3 of the worst team in the league in it. You haven't resigned the best player in baseball and I think he's going to sign elsewhere. The manager is on the hot seat. There is no way Berkman comes back next year and puts up the same numbers he did this year. I don't think it's looking good down there. Lebron James 2 is coming to ST. LOU!
no more needs to be said to that last response, than LMMFAO!!!
Quote from: CEValkyrie on September 23, 2011, 09:01:05 AM
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 23, 2011, 08:54:43 AM
Quote from: CEValkyrie on February 23, 2011, 10:40:54 AM
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
go look at Cardinals wins. Wainwright being gone, didn't really hurt the regular season. No crumbling in the Lou!
I would disagree with that. This team is going to miss the playoffs 2 years in a row. This division is absoluetely terrible. with 3 of the worst team in the league in it. You haven't resigned the best player in baseball and I think he's going to sign elsewhere. The manager is on the hot seat. There is no way Berkman comes back next year and puts up the same numbers he did this year. I don't think it's looking good down there. Lebron James 2 is coming to ST. LOU!
just like everyone said Berkman was done before the season started?? I'm telling you, St. Louis rejuvinates alot of players careers, cause the best fans in baseball will do that for players! Berkman is proof yet again!
Believing that the cheering of St.Louis fans has a an ability to suddenly improve a player's performance because the cheering of the Astros fan's wasn't good enough....is ridiculous to say the least Doug. Honestly that wouldn't be saying much for Lance as a professional if it were true.
Good talent evaluation, coaching and player development, and possibly getting back into a winning environment are more realistic reasons why St.Louis may have been historically successful with veteran free agent signings like Berkman, Holliday, and Edmonds....or maybe its cuz them saint louis fans just cheer so darn hard.
Quote from: stpitner on September 23, 2011, 08:27:30 AM
If they are both sitting on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in October, it doesn't matter if it was lost in June or September.
Scott I can't possibly disagree any more with this statement. I would gladly take 3 more months of competitive baseball that ends without a playoff berth rather than a .440 team that was double digit games out before the All-Star break. I enjoy watching baseball in general, but its alot more exciting when you have a dog in the fight. At least Doug does get to have the hope that his team can still do something this year for the next few days, even if those hopes are about to be squashed miserably.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 23, 2011, 11:55:25 AM
Believing that the cheering of St.Louis fans has a an ability to suddenly improve a player's performance because the cheering of the Astros fan's wasn't good enough....is ridiculous to say the least Doug. Honestly that wouldn't be saying much for Lance as a professional if it were true.
Good talent evaluation, coaching and player development, and possibly getting back into a winning environment are more realistic reasons why St.Louis may have been historically successful with veteran free agent signings like Berkman, Holliday, and Edmonds....or maybe its cuz them saint louis fans just cheer so darn hard.
didn't Berkman play for the Yankees last year? isnt that a winning environment?
The St.Louis fans cheer whether you are 4-4 or 0-5. Can you Cub fans say the same about if your players go 0-5? didn't think so. Huge boost of confidence knowing the 50,000 fans have your back regardless. Takes the pressure away. Just my opinion. maybe not correct, but numbers don't lie.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 23, 2011, 12:05:47 PM
Quote from: stpitner on September 23, 2011, 08:27:30 AM
If they are both sitting on the couch watching the playoffs on TV in October, it doesn't matter if it was lost in June or September.
Scott I can't possibly disagree any more with this statement. I would gladly take 3 more months of competitive baseball that ends without a playoff berth rather than a .440 team that was double digit games out before the All-Star break. I enjoy watching baseball in general, but its alot more exciting when you have a dog in the fight. At least Doug does get to have the hope that his team can still do something this year for the next few days, even if those hopes are about to be squashed miserably.
I'm just at the point where if I can spend my time enjoying doing other things other than watching a team lose their chance to get into the playoffs during the final week, I enjoy taking advantage of that time. To me it feels worse to get all the way to the end and then get knocked out instead of knowing that it's not worth bothering for the rest of the year. Now if they were going to be fighting and actually make it INTO the playoffs, then sweet! I'm all in. Even when they got swept those 2 years in the playoffs I was still happy because they at least made it to the playoffs and weren't watching from the sidelines (yet again).
3 run jack Soriano! Feels so good!
Blown save wild pitch by Marmol feels great! Washington up 4-1 on Braves in 8th feels even better!!
Would have felt even better if you could have beaten the lowly Cubs yesterday.
wouldn't have made up any ground considering Atlanta won. we really needed the Mets let down on Thursday. would only be 1 back right now.
its okay though. if Cards can win tomorrow and Atlanta takes a loss, were 1 back with 3 to play. And Atlanta faces, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels. If Cards and Atlanta tie, I think the 1 game will be at St. Louis
THATS A WINNER!! Thanks for the 10 wins Cubbies.
1 game back, Thanks Wahington. Let's go Philly!
Son of a B. That sums up the Cubs season. Marmol with his 10th blown save and then we lose another 1 run game today. Come on Houston, its pretty obvious the Braves have nothing left, so we need a miracle.
If the Cubs hire you as GM, are you keeping Quade for the last year of his contract? I'd hire Sandberg. He may at least sell a few tickets and get fans excited, which is something the team's performance can't accomplish.
My other moves: Sign Prince Fielder to a long-term deal. I think he's about as safe a bet as you can get in free agency. He's 27 and he's never been injured. He plays every day. In 6 seasons he's only slugged less than .500 one time. He's good for over 100 walks per year and he's never hit less than 32 HR. He doesn't strike out nearly as much as you might think. His K% of 15.5% is actually better than the major league average, and less than guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Joey Votto, Matt Holliday, and Josh Hamilton. I think you can build an offense long-term around Fielder and Castro.
We're going to have to do everything we can to develop some players from our own farm system moving forward. We're stuck with Byrd and Soriano in the OF for 1 more year, but after than I'd be open to a change at every other position besides SS and 1B. This LeHair kid has looked good in September. If Soto can't hit or catch, I'm not sure why I need him behind the plate. Barney is serviceable at best.
I'm also going to see if I can get anything for Marmol at this point. If somebody wants to take his contract and give a little something back, I'm taking it. Closers are a dime-a-dozen and Marmol can't be trusted long-term. Give Marshall a shot next year.
I'm not sure what you can do with Zambrano. We might have to let him go for nothing. For next year I'd roll with a rotation of Dempster Garza Cashner for the top 3 spots. Those last 2 would be open heading into spring training. If Ricketts has more money to burn, I'd love to go get C.J. Wilson, who I think could be a monster in the NL.
There's still going to be plenty of holes in 2012, but if you fill 1 or 2 per year, eventually we'll start winning ballgames.
Welcome to St, Louis Theriot. way to break it open with another 2 out hit.
It's ALL TIED UP. I like our chances with Carpenter pitching tomorrow. Even if Atlanta wins(Philly playing their B squad. Manuel already said he would rather face Atlanta in the playoffs. Understandable though. Braves are playing like the Cubs, while St. Louis is playing like, well St. Louis!) if Cards win, the 1 game playoff is in St. Louis. I really don't think Atlanta beats Philly's scrubs though. They are totally deflated.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 22, 2011, 05:36:04 AM
Doug, you are now at 34.6%.
Dan, just for shits & giggles, what's that % at now? In 14 days it went from 4.5% to??
In 2005, at that time it looked like the White Sox were going to give away the largest September lead. They went through a long losing streak but ended up winning the division by 6 games. I think that helped them in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two races. And how those teams fare that do get into the playoffs after the ending to the regular season.
stupid braves. even if they did make it to the playoffs, their home playoff games wouldn't have sold out anyway. one last hoorah for pujols before he goes and finds another team :P
This kind of ball will only make him want to stay. 90 wins without Wainwright at all? WOW!
Will there be a game 163? If so, it's at the beautiful Busch Stadium. ;D
Nope. The Wildcard Champion Cardinals will travel to Philly on Saturday. But being the Cardinals, they are used to being in October! ;)
Wow. Can't believe that both of those historic collapses happened simultaneously. The Rays and Cards were the benefactors, but this was all about Atlanta and Boston just completely falling apart, and more specifically their pitching imploding.
Atlanta is more understandable. They never had that great an offense this year. It was all Hanson, Jurrjens, Hudson in the rotation and Venters and Kimbrel dominating the late innings. Hanson and Jurrjens went on the DL and they were in trouble immediately. Then Venters and Kimbrel hit the wall (I think they were overused at such a young age) and couldn't get anybody out down the stretch. Had the Braves made the playoffs, they would have been swept anyways.
Boston had some injuries as well but many of their main pitchers just fell apart. I'm not sure how they could have won anything in the playoffs with the way they were going, so I think its fortunate for their fans that they managed to blow the regular season. Now the Boston fans can have another "feel sorry for me" story, which they love up in Boston. I don't think they felt comfortable being the 2 time WS champs and becoming the new evil empire after signing Crawford and Gonzalez last year. Now Boston can do what it does best, cry like babies and find people to blame. I've already heard they are ripping the Yankees for not sending Mariano out there in the 9th against Baltimore. Ha! Give me a break.
I wonder if Boston's GM Theo Epstein will be looking for a fresh start in Chicago. I didn't take that talk seriously before, but after this it seems slightly more plausible.
Quote from: Dan Michler on September 29, 2011, 04:42:27 AM
Wow. Can't believe that both of those historic collapses happened simultaneously. The Rays and Cards were the benefactors, but this was all about Atlanta and Boston just completely falling apart, and more specifically their pitching imploding.
I wouldn't say all was their falling apart. St.Louis had to go 18-8 in September to get it done. yea Atlanta wore down, but that just shows the young guys slow down in September, especially if never in a situation as big as they were after getting swept by the Cardinals, which shortened their lead to like 6.5 with 2 weeks to play. Mentally and physically they were drained.
Last night was super exciting. I stayed up watching all the action. The finish to the Sox/Rays game was great.
Plain and simple. Quade should be fired! How do you pitch to Pujols in back to back games and give up walk off HR's to lose both. The Cubs lost four 1 run games to the Cardinals this year. 5-10 vs the Birds. What a pathetic bunch.
I'm looking forward to the offseason. It will be interesting to see who they hire to replace Hendry and if they keep Quade or not. They have to sign Pujols or Fielder and a starting pitcher. I thnk we've seen the last of Big Z in Chitown. It's time to burn the barn down and get rid of the rats. We need veteran leaders that know how to work. It's obvious the leadership of Zambrano, Ramirez, and Soriona sucks!
Attendance #'s. Cubs still drew 3 million. First time in a while that I did not get to a game at Wrigley.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2011-misc.shtml
I know the umpire who ejected quade (his first ejection ) this year
did not get to wrigley this year
11-3 at the cell for me this year
Ill go with my NL allegiance Phils
go phils !
Quote from: CEValkyrie on September 29, 2011, 08:31:03 AM
I thnk we've seen the last of Big Z in Chitown.
There was some news story I noticed on Yahoo saying Zambrano is short selling his River Forest home. Not sure if that means anything, but who knows. I feel like 75% sure Quade is gone.
Did you see Soriano's comments about batting 7th all year? Does he think his .240 average and 25 HR were lighting the league on fire? Its hardly worth the time to comment on how clueless that guy is.
I did see Z was selling that home. i thought I read that it was his 2nd home but I could be wrong. I just don't see him playing for the Cubs next year.
I read that about Soriano. What a D-Bag. We are who we are because of these guys. He should bat 7th next year too. He's a pretty good 7th hitter.
The sad part is Marmol blew 10 games this year. The lack of leadership and work ethic is clearly visible. I'm not going back and looking but the last count I had was 16 one run losses. As bad as this team was they were in ball games and had some chances to be semi respectable. Intead they are just pathetic!
;D
Quote from: pdga#7648 on September 30, 2011, 08:45:13 AM
;D
I'm interested in seeing who the GM and how he handles this offseason. If leadership and production is a priority Pujols has got to be the #1 target. That guy is a machine and produces year after year. He also has the best work ethic in the game. Something the Cubs lack and need badly. Castro needs that around him. Not D Bags like Z, Soriano, and Ramirez. Bring on AP. Welcome to the windy city!!
I love the consistency Brett, but your hopes will be squashed miserably (Ha Ha Dan) if you seriously think he will wear Cubbie blue. Dan has it correct for once. They will sign Fielder!
And remember, AP's production dropped considerably this year. didn't hit .300, didn't get 100 RBI's. was hurt a few times. and hit into an ungodly amount of double plays(he never runs out a grounder) His best years are behind him.
So would you rather have Terry Francona as manager or Theo Epstein as GM? It sounds like the two of them are not getting along, so they wouldn't go to the same team. Theo to the Cubs, Terry to the White Sox? I could see it. After all, Tom Ricketts seems to be trying to do everything the Red Sox did to get the world series championship pig off their back.
I'd take Soriano hitting 7th with those numbers. Castro/Barney for 1/2 could be pretty sweet, but you really need a pesky #3 that is clutch. Aramis lost a lot of his clutch hitting, but I don't think he's coming back anyway. You don't need a power hitter as much as a contact hitter that doesn't strike out often. You don't need the home run if your table setters are already on base. Then you'll take the power in #4 and #5. I really don't want to see Prince Fielder on the Cubs because of his defense - Starlin has enough errors as it is. Carlos Pena was ok, but his average was still only around .225 (at least it wasn't .196 again!) If the Cubs can somehow find a replacement for Aramis Ramirez and a good right fielder than can fill the 3, 4, or 5 spot, then you're looking better. I don't like the free agent list for where the Cubs need to go shopping though. Andre Ethier is a 2013 free agent, maybe he would be a trade candidate and play right field? It's going to be a rough offseason!
Terry can't manage the White Sox, Sandberg already landed that job. I don't think either of them will leave Boston though. Boston had not won a Series in like 96 years, but have 2 in a 4 year span. You can't get rid of either of them in my eyes. It's the players, not the management in this town.
Check the latest news - the report out of Boston is that Francona told some of his staff that he will not be returning to Boston in 2012. I was watching some of the report during lunch. It's not official from the team yet, but ESPN was reporting it as a done deal.
lol about Sandberg and the White Sox. He's too white. (it's a joke people)
just announced. Francona is gone! doesn't make any sense. Do they think because they did win 2 in 3 or 4 years, that now they have to be the Yankees and play every October? If LaRussa leaves, the Cardinals would take him.
Red Sox mull over Cubs' request to interview Theo Epstein.
This is the smartest move I have heard in 39 years for the Cubs. You may have hope after all Cubbie fans?
Quote from: pdga#7648 on October 05, 2011, 03:06:09 PM
Red Sox mull over Cubs' request to interview Theo Epstein.
This is the smartest move I have heard in 39 years for the Cubs. You may have hope after all Cubbie fans?
I can do without hearing that I have hope from a St. Louis fan that lives in Illinois. Please spare me Doug.
Scott, I like Terry Francona as a manager, but there are a lot of managers out there who can do a similar job if they have good talent.
You've got to be more excited about getting Theo as your GM who has the ability to impact your entire organization. He took over in Boston in 2003 and completely overhauled how that team is perceived. He drafted 2007 ROY and 2008 MVP Dustin Pedroia in 2004. He drafted possible 2011 MVP Jacoby Ellsbury in 2005. He also drafted Clay Buchholz. If you get Theo, the hope is he can overhaul the player development system and churn out 1 or 2 guys like this in the next 5 years. The Cubs haven't produced a position player like Pedroia or Ellsbury from our own farm system since......before my lifetime?
Theo has handed out some bad contracts in free agency, although not quite as bad as some of Hendry's. The same can be said for Brian Cashman and any other GM who has the luxury of spending big bucks.
I don't believe Theo Epstein is some sort of immediate savior for the Cubs, but it would be better than some unknown without the proven track record. It will be interesting to see what happens. Its hard to imagine why he'd want to leave the Red Sox job unless Rickett's just blows him away with an offer.
There was an interview with the Red Sox owner today. He wouldn't say if he had granted permission for the Cubs to make an offer to Epstein, which seems a little strange. However, he did say 'there is a certain protocol, if they are asking about a position that is not lateral, you allow it'. The Cubs are rumored to be offereing Epstein a role as GM/Club President, which would make it a promotion. I believe the Cubs have already spoken with Epstein and my bet would be that we'll know the outcome within days.
This doesn't really have anything to do with the Cubs but I went and saw Moneyball last night. If you are a baseball fan this is a pretty good movie. If not you'll probably hate it.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on October 07, 2011, 08:24:55 AM
This doesn't really have anything to do with the Cubs but I went and saw Moneyball last night. If you are a baseball fan this is a pretty good movie. If not you'll probably hate it.
I'll definitely have to check it out then. Maybe the Cubs will hire Billy Beane as their new GM. Or maybe they'll hire Brad Pitt, either way we're better off than where we were under Hendry.
It was a good book. Seems like a tough book to base a movie on, but most of the reviews were positive.
Quote from: Tom McManus on October 07, 2011, 11:37:50 AM
It was a good book. Seems like a tough book to base a movie on, but most of the reviews were positive.
Thanks for letting us know that you read books Tom. We're all very impressed. ;D
Quote from: Dan Michler on October 07, 2011, 12:41:58 PM
Quote from: Tom McManus on October 07, 2011, 11:37:50 AM
It was a good book. Seems like a tough book to base a movie on, but most of the reviews were positive.
Thanks for letting us know that you read books Tom. We're all very impressed. ;D
I can walk and talk too. I also great taste in football teams, unfortunately, I am not much of a disc golfer.
I still haven't heard any news on the Cubs GM front. To me the silence strongly indicates Theo Epstein is about to be announced as the Cubs new GM. Why would everybody have waited this long to make any public statement if he WASN'T going to take the Cubs job? If Theo was going back to Boston, he'd have calmed the Red Sox nation days ago. I think they are hammering out the details and waiting for the right time to make this public.
Tough times for Boston. 1 bad month and they lose both halves of a GM/Manager combo that broke an 80 year drought with 2 titles in 6 years.
I'd love to have Theo Epstein as GM - let's hope they hire him.
Starlin Castro wasn't homegrown by the Cubs system?
Quote from: Dan Michler on October 11, 2011, 02:45:39 PM
I still haven't heard any news on the Cubs GM front. To me the silence strongly indicates Theo Epstein is about to be announced as the Cubs new GM. Why would everybody have waited this long to make any public statement if he WASN'T going to take the Cubs job? If Theo was going back to Boston, he'd have calmed the Red Sox nation days ago. I think they are hammering out the details and waiting for the right time to make this public.
Tough times for Boston. 1 bad month and they lose both halves of a GM/Manager combo that broke an 80 year drought with 2 titles in 6 years.
at exactly 8pm I was watching ESPN and Theo is 99% gonna be a CUB GM and apparently gonna get alot more money and power then the Red Sox,
Quote from: stpitner on October 11, 2011, 05:46:56 PM
I'd love to have Theo Epstein as GM - let's hope they hire him.
Starlin Castro wasn't homegrown by the Cubs system?
I said the Cubs haven't produced a Pedroia or Ellsbury level position player. Pedroia has an MVP award already to his credit and Ellsbury might win the AL MVP this year. Scott, I love Castro, but he isn't even close to an MVP yet. Hopefully one day he'll get there.
Theo Epstein and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a five-year, nearly $20 million deal for him to join the team, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney Wednesday.
There's the hope all you Chicago fans have begged for over the years! If he can't bring home a World Series, that town is hopeless!!
I don't really know anything about this Epstein guy, so I decided to do a little research.
-Grew up a Red Sox fan and dreamed of being part of their organization.
-He never played baseball, not even in high school.
-He went to Yale and got a degree in American Studies.
-1st job in baseball was in the PR department for the Padres
-Was quickly hired as Padres Director of Baseball Operations by Padres President Larry Lucchino.
-Lucchino was hired as Red Sox CEO in 2002 and took Epstein with him.
-Epstein became GM of the Red Sox at Age 28.
-After the Sox won the World Series in 2004, there was apparently some friction between Lucchino and Epstein. Epstein resigned from the Sox, only to return 85 days later with basically the same deal, but elevated from the title of senior VP to executive VP.
-His head guy for player development and scouting is a guy named Craig Shipley. Shipley resigned the same day Epstein did in 2004, and then returned with Epstein later, so I'd assume they are tight and that Epstein would try to take Shipley with him to the Cubs.
http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/10/12/the-cubs/?sct=hp_wr_a4&eref=sihp
There will be some changes at Wrigley. It will be interesting to see what happens, I don't think it is going to happen overnight or anytime soon. They are a mess right now.
I do hope they change it around and win the World Series.
I agree it will be very interesting to see how the new regime handles the current situaton (who will be the manager? what to do with some of the bad contracts?).
Hopefully Cubs fans don't expect this team to suddenly be the Red Sox next year. I doubt Ricketts is looking to massively increase the already large payroll. Its going to take time for the new system to take effect. We will still have some pretty large holes on the team in 2012.
I'm glad Ricketts has finally done something to excite the fans and give us a reason to be optimistic about the future. We certainly needed it. The previous ownership would never have made a bold move like this. Hopefully it works out.
I find it funny how much coverage this is getting - which is fine, it's pretty big news. However, I'm hearing more of the news getting covered as from the Red Sox angle as in what are they going to do they are losing Epstein instead of the Cubs angle of woohoo, another big name for cubs fans to have bent out of shape expectations to start demanding a firing by the end of April 2012 lol.
stupid east coast bias.
Quote from: stpitner on October 13, 2011, 07:09:46 AM
I find it funny how much coverage this is getting - which is fine, it's pretty big news. However, I'm hearing more of the news getting covered as from the Red Sox angle as in what are they going to do they are losing Epstein instead of the Cubs angle of woohoo, another big name for cubs fans to have bent out of shape expectations to start demanding a firing by the end of April 2012 lol.
stupid east coast bias.
Right on Scott! Can someone tell me why were are all supposed to care so damn much about Boston sports? Just went in Wikipedia to check...Boston is the 22nd largest city in the US, with 617,000 people. Memphis, Indianapolis, San Jose, Columbus, and El Paso, TX all have more people living in the city than Boston. Houston has 4x more people, and I don't hear 1% as much about the Astros, Texans, or Rockets in the sports news as I do about Boston. I've been to Boston and its a really nice town, but screw Boston sports fans.
ESPN HQ is located between NY and Boston, which could be a contributing factor. If you go on ESPN.com, there are subsections called ESPN Los Angeles, ESPN New York, ESPN Chicago, ESPN Dallas, and ESPN Boston. 4 of those are among the largest markets in the United States, but Boston? Why do they get their own special news section? Somebody please enlighten me, because I don't get it.
I'll try.
I would guess that all the great teams Boston has produced over the years in all their sports, Celtics, Bruins, Sox, and the Patirots. alot of championships have been won from them teams, with all of them have winning their respective titles within the last 10 years! Championships speaks volumes! Not saying I agree that they should have their own, just my opinion to why they do?
Quote from: pdga#7648 on October 13, 2011, 09:01:18 AM
I'll try.
I would guess that all the great teams Boston has produced over the years in all their sports, Celtics, Bruins, Sox, and the Patirots. alot of championships have been won from them teams, with all of them have winning their respective titles within the last 10 years! Championships speaks volumes! Not saying I agree that they should have their own, just my opinion to why they do?
Its certainly a very old and historic town, which I'm sure is part of the reason for the attention. However I agree with Scott that there is a bias toward the East Coast within the media, Boston and New York in particular, that accounts for some as well. I get tired of seeing the Red Sox constantly being on ESPN Wednesday and Sunday night baseball. All the attention has clearly paid off, as the Red Sox now have enormous revenue that allows them the 2nd largest payroll in baseball.
Its got to be embarrassing for Jim Hendry to hear all about how Epstein is taking over a frachise that was left in total shambles.
Quote from: Dan Michler on October 13, 2011, 09:53:22 AM
Its got to be embarrassing for Jim Hendry to hear all about how Epstein is taking over a frachise that was left in total shambles.
I would be more embarrassed by the product that I put on the field than what anybody had to say about the product.
Choke City ... erm, I mean Boston, is in pretty bad shape too, and that was in no small part due to Epstein, so hopefully in the long run it will just be a breath of fresh air to get rid of the cob webs from the Tribune owning the team.
If going by Championships why is there no EspnPittsburgh mr. my-steelers-win-more-super-bowls-than-anybody-else? The Penguins are usually pretty good, the Pirates... well, the Pirates are like the Bears, at least they had the 80's. I'm sure eventually they will branch out more for more specific towns. (and for the record, they DO have an ESPN Pittsburgh radio station and site just like they also have an ESPN Milwaukee that I spend more time listening to that than ESPN Chicago)
The guys on ESPN - I've even heard them talk about how they know they have an east coast bias and then proceed to spend a ton of time talking about more east coast stuff. I don't visit the site often enough, but I set up a profile on ESPN that is sort of like ESPN a-la-carte. That way I can get articles on the Cubs Packers, Bulls, and ignore most of the other teams that I don't care about.
Quote from: stpitner on October 13, 2011, 12:22:46 PM
Choke City ... erm, I mean Boston, is in pretty bad shape too, and that was in no small part due to Epstein, so hopefully in the long run it will just be a breath of fresh air to get rid of the cob webs from the Tribune owning the team.
eh. Not sure I agree the Red Sox are actually in such terrible shape. They still have Pedroia, Ellsbury, Youkilis, and Adrian Gonzalez. Carl Crawford is likely to return to form over the next 6 years. They still have the best offense in baseball. Plus their pitching staff still has Lester who had a solid season despite his woeful final month, and Clay Bucholz who is a budding star. Its not all bad. Under Theo their worst season was 86 wins. I'm pretty sure Cubs fans would happily take 9 consecutive 86+ win seasons.
maybe it was the bias guys talking again because they were non stop complaining about Crawford, Lackey, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Quote from: stpitner on October 13, 2011, 12:22:46 PM
Choke City ... erm, I mean Boston, is in pretty bad shape too, and that was in no small part due to Epstein, so hopefully in the long run it will just be a breath of fresh air to get rid of the cob webs from the Tribune owning the team.
If going by Championships why is there no EspnPittsburgh mr. my-steelers-win-more-super-bowls-than-anybody-else? The Penguins are usually pretty good, the Pirates... well, the Pirates are like the Bears, at least they had the 80's. I'm sure eventually they will branch out more for more specific towns. (and for the record, they DO have an ESPN Pittsburgh radio station and site just like they also have an ESPN Milwaukee that I spend more time listening to that than ESPN Chicago)
Choke City? that would be Chicago more than Boston. The Bartman year(don't blame him) and the 2 years under Lou not to long ago, when they were the best in the N.L. only to get swept 1st round. Twice! oh, and must I remind you, Cubs have not won a World Series in 104 years?
and again, if you would actually read my posts, you would see I said Bostons teams have ALL won titles in the last 10 years. the 80's were more than 10 years ago last I checked.
and don't be mad or jealous that I state the facts about Pittsburgh's 6 Rings. It is more than the 49ers and Cowboys 5. unless you have to dig real deep and count NFL Championships, when the league had 6-8 teams. LOL! Hell, even one of the Packers all time greats, Jerry Kramer said it best last year before the NFC Championship game... numbers don't lie, 3 is always more than 1! ;D
Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer expected to be Cubs' 1-2 punch.
Heard on the radio on way home tonight. Theo will be VP of Baseball Operations, while Jed Hoyer(S.D. GM) will take over as GM.
So I guess, don't get your hopes too high. I don't recall the Padres playing in a World Series, or deep into the playoffs, since..1984, when the beat the Cubs in the NLCS!
Got to be alot better than what they had though. Good luck to all Cubbie fans, sincerely!
oh Im sorry, Padres did lose to the Yankees in the late 1990's or early 2000's in the World Series.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on October 20, 2011, 02:26:51 PM
Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer expected to be Cubs' 1-2 punch.
Heard on the radio on way home tonight. Theo will be VP of Baseball Operations, while Jed Hoyer(S.D. GM) will take over as GM.
So I guess, don't get your hopes too high. I don't recall the Padres playing in a World Series, or deep into the playoffs, since..1984, when the beat the Cubs in the NLCS!
Got to be alot better than what they had though. Good luck to all Cubbie fans, sincerely!
Doug, I don't think you are comprehending this situation correctly. Epstein will be the Cubs President. Underneath him will be former Padres GM Jed Hoyer and asst GM Jason McLeod. First of all, understand that Epstein is the one running the show, so I'm not sure why Cubs fans would be any less optimistic about this. Second of all, Hoyer was Epstein's former assistant. Hoyer was only Padres GM for 1 year, 2010. Jason McLeod worked for the Red Sox under Epstein for 7 years in the scouting department. Hoyer and McLeod are part of why Epstein became successful. As a Cubs fans, this is what you want. I don't just want Theo, I want the whole team of people that have enabled him to scout and develop players successfully. Expect more of his former colleagues to be joining the Cubs in due time. We need to build this thing from the ground up. This is only the beginning.
ok. the radio didn't break it down like that, and you know I wont go looking into the Cubs complete details, while the Cardinals are still playing.Now me on the other hand, I knew I could count on you to help me understand the situation better, and that you did.
So from the gtound up means we can expect to see the Cubs competing for the Central Title in how many years? 4-5?
Quote from: pdga#7648 on October 20, 2011, 03:27:00 PM
So from the gtound up means we can expect to see the Cubs competing for the Central Title in how many years? 4-5?
We'll win a World Series title before 2030. I'll guarantee it. Actually, make that 2050. 100% positive.
The Cubs finally seem to be doing something right, which they really needed. Unless we get lucky I think it will still be a couple years before some playoff action.
Went to my car at lunch today to listen to the Epstein press conference. He talks a good game! I've got to admit, the guy got me pumped up for Cubs baseball, and we just lost 90 games! Big kudos to Tom Ricketts. Going out and prying Theo from the Sox was a ballsy move. He's got to be feeling proud of himself today.
My gut feeling after listening to his speech was that the bulk of our resources will go towards overhauling the scouting and player development system from top to bottom this offseason, and not toward any high-priced free agents. Don't be surprised if the Cubs are not in the Fielder or Pujols sweepstakes.
He also seemed really hesitant when asked about Quade. He said he needs to sit down with Quade and talk about the details of what happened over the past year and get a feel for his vision of the future. I'm feeling like a change at manager is definitely being considered. However, they'd have to pay Quade to not manage next season, which could factor into the equation.
Quote from: CEValkyrie on February 23, 2011, 10:40:54 AM
Looks like the Cardinals had some of Cubs luck today. Take away 20 wins from an 86 win team and it's not looking good. Cubs add Pujols in 2012 and it's really starting to look brutal. Maybe Ken Williams needs to shut his pie hole because Pujols stock just went up if Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery. Hopefully Carpenter goes down and the Cardinals can feel Cubs fans pain from Wood/Prior. Welcome to our world Cardinals. It's starting to crumble all around you.
how about add 4 wins to that 86 of last year, and winning the World Series! never doubt the Great Carinals in St. Louis Brett!
and only thing crumbling is the Cubs stadium.
I don't get having Verlander win the MVP. Thats why there is a Cy Young award. Pitchers should not be eligible for MVP. Their role is too drastically different from that of an everyday position player.
it had not happened since 1986. Verlander deserved it. Take him away, and Detroit doesn't make the playoffs. Take Bautista away from Toronto, and yep, they still miss the playoffs.
Verlanders numbers speak for themselves. Those are better or as good as Clemens when he won it in 86. Bob Gibson like numbers. Hardly ever seen anymore.
Quote from: pdga#7648 on November 21, 2011, 04:41:13 PM
it had not happened since 1986. Verlander deserved it. Take him away, and Detroit doesn't make the playoffs. Take Bautista away from Toronto, and yep, they still miss the playoffs.
Verlanders numbers speak for themselves. Those are better or as good as Clemens when he won it in 86. Bob Gibson like numbers. Hardly ever seen anymore.
Yeah, Doug, and if you put Verlander on Toronto and take away Bautista, guess what? Toronto doesn't make the playoffs! So explain to me again how you just proved that Verlander is more valuable than Bautista?
I'm not arguing that Verlander didn't have one of the greatest seasons by a starting pitcher of alltime. He did. I'm saying no pitcher should ever win the MVP award. The Cy Young award is essentially the same award, but for pitchers. The MVP award should be for everybody else. That is my opinion.
Trying to guess at how many wins Verlander is worth and how many wins Bautista/Ellsbury are worth is a stupid argument. I'd much rather compare hitters versus other hitters. I feel that Bautista was the best hitter in the AL this year by far. Ellsbury had a great year too, but it didn't compare to the year Bautista put up. Both guys play in hitters parks and are in the same division, so I'll take that out of the equation. Ellsbury certainly had an advantage with the best lineup in baseball around him, which helped him put up some gawdy RBI and Runs scored totals. However, Bautista had a slugging% 56 points higher than Ellsbury and an OnBase% 71 points higher!! Bautista hit 43 jacks to Ellsbury's 32. This shouldn't have been close between Bautista and Ellsbury. This just proves that it pays to play all your games on national TV in Boston instead of being stuck up in Canada. If Bautista played in Boston he would have finished ahead of Ellsbury in the voting, no question.
By the way Doug, if you are going to bring up trancendent seasons by pitchers, you should be talking about Pedro Martinez 1999 and 2000. Those are the 2 best seasons by a pitcher, ever (and he didn't win the MVP either year, which shows how stupid this voting process is).
1999 2.07 ERA 23-4 313 K 0.923 WHIP
2000 1.74 ERA 18-6 284 K 0.737 WHIP (0.737 is just incomprehendable)
Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA isn't what you think. Hitting that year bottomed out with the huge strike zone, higher mound, and dead ball. Pitchers all over the league were setting marks. Denny McClain won 31 games. Luis Tiant led the AL with a 1.60. The leagues collective batting average of .231 is the alltime lowest. It was a great year by Gibson, but you have to put it in perspective.
Pedro put up those 2 seasons in the middle of the juiced ball, steroid era, in a hitters park when guys were hitting 60HR. Offense was booming.
Look at those 2 seasons and then look again at Verlander's 24-5 2.40 ERA 250 K 0.920 WHIP, and consider Verlander pitches in one of the best pitchers parks in baseball in a division with the White Sox, Royals, Twins, and Indians, who ranked 6th, 9th, 12th and 13th out of 14 teams in the AL. And Clemen's '86 season wasn't even close to being his best season (although it was his only MVP) at 24-4 2.48 ERA 238 K 0.969 WHIP.
Why they occasionaly decide to give the MVP to a pitcher is beyond me. And don't even get me started on Eckersley winning in 1992 when he pitched a grand total of 80 damn innings. C'mon MAN! Awards voting is incredibly flawed and they need to simplify the process by taking pitchers completely out of the equation for MVP voting. They messed it up this year again.
I guess this is why we all have our own opinions. yea we could argue back and forth all day, but who is really right?
Quote from: pdga#7648 on November 22, 2011, 08:39:26 AM
I guess this is why we all have our own opinions. yea we could argue back and forth all day, but who is really right?
So far, its been me.
so far?? you mean always? ;)
Eckersley did it in 1992 as a relief pitcher. That to me is crazier than Verlander. The last starting pitcher to do it was in 1986.
If you're going to call it the MVP, then I say it has to include all players and doesn't matter if it's pitcher or position player.
Since you have a pitching award called the Cy Young, why not have a position player award called something like the Mickey Mantle award or the Willie Mays award? Or rename the MVP to that so that it gets more defined to be position players only.
Predictably, Ryan Braun is the NL MVP. This was a 2 horse race with Kemp, although I don't get why Verlander should be the AL MVP but Kershaw isn't even remotely considered after winning the Triple Crown in the NL.
Anyways here is Kemp versus Braun
Kemp .586 slug .399 OB .324 BA 39 HR 40 for 51 in SB.
Braun .597 slug .397 OB .332 BA 33 HR 33 for 39 in SB.
Very close race statistically. Neither is great defensively. Braun wins easily because he had the good fortune of playing for a team that went to the playoffs. Something tells me he won't be quite so valuable without Prince hitting behind him. The fact that Kemp plays in one of the better pitchers parks in baseball at Dodger Stadium while Braun plays in a bigtime hitters park in Miller Park makes me think Kemp was the better player in 2011. I would have voted Kemp, but its not a travesty that Braun won. This is very similar to the Pujols versus Votto debate in 2010, where Votto won in a landslide because Cincy won the division.
I read Bautista was as low as 9th and outside the top 5 on numerous AL voter's ballots. They need to seriously reconsider who votes for these things. My Mom could do a better job of identifying the MVP than half of these writers.