SB Nation - Login for mobile commenting

Bleed Cubbie Blue

Overflow Thread 2: Cubs vs. White Sox, Friday 6/27, 3:05 CT

If all is going according to plan... it should be just about Kerry Wood time.

0 recs  |  345 comments

Comments

Lets win this game

dag nab it!

Matt Murton should be wearing an Indians jersey

Murton for CC? wouldnt that work?

Murton might get us a half used bag of chips
in a video game world, yes
You presume that they don't get Extra Innings in Cleveland?
Murton and a few others would work...
except for the tribe already has 2 underachieving outfielders.
they can round it out with a third!
Exactly.

They might want someone else.

very nice transition
C'mon Dome you're due
Mark Mulder has been Activated from the DL

He will initially pitch from the bullpen

He'll never be the pitcher he was before.
Everyone that wants the Cubs to deal with Billy Beane

should take a peek at that trade.

bobbled... 2 on
COME WHERE ARE ALL THOSE 2 OUT HITS WE USED TO GET!!!

LETS GO EPATT!!

Fuku on...2 on for.......awwwww dang....Patterson....
He does not like

that name. It’s disrepectful. He wants to be called Dome.

Ummmm...sorry....at least he isn't reading this board...yeeeesh!
E-Patt gets on and DLee gets a shot at redemption.
Hopefully, that is
no need to hedge

Doh

You're such a friggin optimist
he's just a cock eyed optimist
as in

I have heard people rant and rave and bellow
That we’re done and we might as well be dead,
But I’m only a cockeyed optimist
And I can’t get it into my head.

Coreyesque swing there Eric
Did you know that you need 2 hitting coaches - one for power hitters and one for contact hitters?

the words of Hawk Harrelson. I am trapped in WGN hell

Last week, DJ dropped this gem:

“Derrek Lee hits a lot of home runs, but he’s not a power hitter. He hits line drives, not those big moon shots.”

What is on EPatt's chin????
his brothers mojo appearently
Key to this game

DOUBLE PLAYS

Killed us

that and bad pitching
and Mike Fontenot and Eric Patterson not catching the ball
Dammit. Awful swing from PAtterson there.
epat should be in AAA
We gotta have 3 outfielders though
with Murton
And then our outfield would be WHAT?
I meant ideally ...
Okay, well, it's not ideally.

We have two members of our outfield on the DL, and the other two are day-to-day. SOMEBODY has to be playing.

understood, just a little frustrated...

..oh for the days of Sori, Edmonds/Reed and Dome

he shouldn't be playing over Derosa thats for sure
Lou better be fuming in the press confrence after this game

Its about time we had alittle tirade

he should be pissed at himself for putting up a crap lineup and staying with Demp too long
What would that do?
He won't.

His team is a little depleated right now.

good point

on second thought it would be detrimental if he did

honestly, a lou tirade here doesn't work. with all the media attention, it would only rachet up pressure and put the players under a bigger microscope
+1
seriously, who would want to read a Jay Mariotti rant about a Lou rant?
No kidding.
oh, please, don't get the wrong idea - i wouldn't touch that.
wait for it...
TWSS
hey, i just set it up. it's up to you to knock it down.

which you did well

Does that mean that each rant would cancel each other out?
as in... "two rants make a wrong?"
isnt this about the time of last year tirade?
Except we have the best record in baseball this year...
The fact that worst case scenio still be up by 3 1/2 tonight

just is odd.

So how is Pie doing in AAA?
Has a sprsined thumb. Was starting to heat up after a really rough start
He's not there.

He’s in Mesa – hand injury.

well, aside from the bruised thumb and being in Mesa, I'd say he's doing a great job
long bus ride from Mesa to Chicago. :-(
That's why there are planes.
I just meant

that he is not coming up if he is Mesa. I was being obtuse.

It's not like he got demoted for performance...

...he’s working out down there while he’s on the DL. As soon as his hand is healthy, he could get called up. So it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

is Mesa where Rich Hill

is working with a shrink?

Hill's in Mesa.

No idea if he has a psychiatrist down there or not.

With apologies to all the armchair geologists out there...

a Mesa is a kind of Hill. Sorta.

I'd rather see a tirade on the field
how about a parade instead of a tirade
allright screw it, someone bean AJ

I know its not the right thing to do, but damn it I’d love to see it.

That's what he wants. More attention. Don't give that prick the satisfaction.
not tonight... there are still two games left for them to bean a Cub

another injury last thing we need

Who you gonna hat if AJ goes out? Toby ?
Anyone know why DeRosa isn't playing?
Regular day off, according to Lou
I'd a saved it for a day

when the team only needed 8 non-pitchers in the lineup

Any news on Johnson?
TWSWTN
corrction...TWSWTK

thats what she wanted to Know

I got it the first time

Guess I’m an illiterate Sox fan.

Damnnit, you beat me to it!
I miss our DL'ers
Me, too, but let's not make excuses.

The White Sox just beat our ass today.

grudgingly yes they outplayed
They got the hits when they needed them
and their defense ... alas
Only down 6.....awww crap not Michael Wuertz!!!!! Anyhoo.....

as we set off on this road trip what is everyone’s best case and worst case scenario for the 10 games (3 against the Sux, 4 against the Giants, 3 against the Deadbirds)???? I will be happy with 5 and 5 myself…

worst case i would say 6-4. 1of 3 from sox, take 3 of 4 from SF, 2 of 3 from STL
I'm thinking 5-5 as well
Hope we win the next two. I get to hang out in the Cell the rest of the weekend!
I was hoping Soriano

would be In Des Moines tomorrow so I could see him play. The I-Cubs are playing a double header tomorrow so the Shark might pitch one of the games.

Thought he was going on Sunday?
Not sure since they changed

tomorrow to a double header.

that would be so great

to see him in a AAA park

Yes it would
Micah Hoffpauir says hello from Iowa and would love to see Chicago againg soon!!!
That's fascinating.

But first basemen aren’t like quarterbacks – you don’t need three of them.

Could be seeing Cleveland first
He can play OF just as good as EPatt.....maybe
At least when you make a throwing error the ball is somewhere near the infield.
No, he can't, and that's acknowledging that Patterson is not very good OF'er
Just enjoyed all those hits he got while he was up is all!
TB enjoyed all the ones he let drop in front him, too!
Okay I get it you hate the guy as much as I dislike EPatt...
We don't "hate" him.

At least, I don’t. It’s not personal – it’s just that he’s a first baseman, not a left fielder. You don’t have to hate him to realize he’s a defensive liability.

I don't hate him.

I don’t hate any Cub player. That’s what you don’t seem to get. However, I accept that certain players have certain limitations. One of Hoffpauir’s is that he can’t play the OF. It’s just a fact, not any prejudice on my part.

Good enough. Just would like to find a spot for him but I get it.
If Daryle Ward weren't around, Hoff would be up, becasue that's a role he could fill.

But with Ward and Lee around, Hoff is crowded out.

I seriously doubt that a 28-year-old first baseman...

...is what the Indians envision getting back for Sabathia.

It would take a package of multiple players for one or two in return.

We would have to trade Gallagher as one of them. Others involved could also include players currently on the 25 man roster. Some of the names: Smard, Hoff, Murton, Patterson, Blanco, Blanco, perhaps Theriot if they are sick of Jhonny P. Hendry is creative, and has carte blanche to get what the Cubs need. Don’t think for a moment that he can’t figure out a way for Heavy C. to be in Cubbie Blue by July 31st.

Okay, but Henry Blanco isn't a trading chip.

Guys like Veal and Samardzija are what we have to offer.

Maybe he meant the other Blanco
...what other Blanco?

The roster filler we have at AAA?

That's the one
Blanco could be a trading chip.

His defense and experience have value. Cleveland isn’t enamored of Martinez anymore. I’m not saying Hank would start. However, with other players, he could have added value. John- I meant both Blanco’s

Well

Hank White is two months from retirement, and the other guy is a career minor leaguer. I’m no expert but I don’t think either Blanco goes in any trade except as the 6th player.

Teams are generally looking for one or two very good prospects...

...not four or five middling scrubs.

That depends on what the Indians scouts think.

and the money involved. It also depends on what they think they can get out those players.

Yeah I guess multiple scrubs

are involved more in salary dumps—I’m thinking of guys like Bo Flowers.

Hank isn't going to retire just yet.

and sure Blanco AAA is a career minor leaguer. I’m talking about packaging players.

You don't radically increase the value of mediocre ballplayers...

...by increasing the number of them.

No kidding! Really?
I must say you and DGU continue to amaze/amuse me

with how little baseball savvy you must think Mark Shapiro has. Or maybe you’re just under the impression that he’s the second coming of David Littlefield or whoever was on the receiving end of that 6-for-1 Herschel Walker deal many years ago.

Why oh why would any GM worth his salt want 4-5 middling scrubs (thanks cwyers) when he probably has 15-20 comparable players already in his system? Maybe ‘middling scrubs’ is a bit too harsh, but you guys are not looking at this from the Indians perspective at all.

Thanks for the laughs though. Keep ‘em coming.

6-3 Lee
Guess its better than 6-4-3 Lee
Well Im back now

and I see we scored 3 runs…. 6 more in two innings

ward 1b... lets go Jimmy!!!!
c'mon jimmy baseball!
jimmy k's sigh
OT: Got my Spore Creature Creator

just before this game. Can’t wait to go an geek out.

What is that for?

I’ve heard about it; is it a Wii thing?

A new concept from the creator of The Sims

for PCs take a spore and grow it into a universe.

Well....tomorrow we will get back at 'em......Sean Gallagher time baby!!!!

I would love to see him keep developing like he has been. Would be a nice shot in the arm after the last two veteran pitchers stunk it up…..

I'm glad I had to miss (most of) this game today
a bit disheartening this one
Tomorrow's another day, another game.

That’s the beauty of the 162 game schedule.

That's it, Ozzie, leave in the regulars and get all the hits out of those bats.
I bet the Sux only score 2 runs tomorrow
I just love that the Sox' regs are still in.

I hope they keep hitting.

go royals, go twins

adios

bye everyone maybe i’ll be back for game thread of st louis later on tonight

Reed Johnson back next week in SF....Z probably will start against STL next weekend...

the healing will begin and we will get back on a roll sooner rather than later….then the big boost when Sori gets back on the field…...we are fine….

and a lot of season left...
yep
I feel better already!

...and I thought it was just the handful of M&Ms.

Wuertz decides to stink some more...come on dude!!!
I think Fukudome would have

had that ball to RF. No? Was it hit too hard?

Maybe, but that ball was stung
How many wins will it take to win the NL Central this year? 92??
That's probably about right
We go 43-39 the rest of the way, and we're good.
98 should do the trick.

good thing we’re already on pace for that. but i think 93 would get the job done

I am thinking 95....

..the Cards just wont go away..

Low 90s is my guess
How many times this year have we given up 10 or more runs????
this is only the third time, IIRC
Thats what I thought...really we have been in almost every game this year...just weird to have these blowouts back to back
it happens
I'll take this over a walkoff loss any day
Today, the team stunl. Yesterday, Huff was en fuego
This is the 3rd time I believe
Enjoy this one Sux.

Tomorrow is a new day.

No...

... enjoyed all 3!

on the plus side

I-Cubs are up 6-0 already. Josh Kroeger has a 3-run HR

I wouldn't mind seeing Murton down, Kroeger up
Soto keeps hitting!
couldn't hurt, could it? you'd have to open a spot on the 40-man, though
Jake Fox is still on the 40-Man, he'd likely come off.
Or you could move Hill to the 60-day DL.

Or put Chad Fox on the 60 day DL.

Or…. there are a lot of things you could do, put it that way.

Geo with a base it
na na nuh nuh na na nuh nuh GEO-BATMAN!

that is so cute
but those handcuffs, Sue! Those handcuffs!
I just look at

them as eyes but maybe I should look at them differently.

geo : handcuffs : fun!
hmmm, me likey
that's the part

she thinks is the cutest. Other than Geo’s shapely, uh, thighs.

hey now
you're right

it’s his ears

I bet he could crack walnuts....
that is so awesome.

i didnt see the handcuffs until it was pointed out

murton flies out to left
cedeno flies out to right
.500 ball

today sucks but we’re pretty banged up right now. as long as we can play .500 ball while soriano is out then everything will be fine. to date 8-7 since his injury…. let’s get ‘em tomorrow!

Yep.

Just keep our heads above water until we’re back at full strength

And at least we are dealing with this now and not at the end of August.....by then we will have all this suck outta our system
game over......
i think you have to tip your cap on that one
Tip your cap to JD
um hawk usually you dont get excited

30 seconds after the play happens..

Helluva grab by Dye there. Wow.
our right fielder is better.
He'll miss tomorrow's game...
let's hope Dye

left all his good fielding out there today. Our hits will fall in tomorrow…and Sunday.

Well, let's get 'em tomorrow.
it's a fresh start tomorrow
Tomorrow, tommorow I love ya tomorrow!!!!
well if we are gonna loose on any catch... Ill take that

Thats a web gem for sure… Well well well White Sox fans, you got 1 day to brag!

To top it off...

..Demspter’s ERA ballons to 3.26. BUMMER!

Happy Friday Everybody

See you in the threads Sunday, going to the bar for the game tomorrow

Got'em right where we want'em

we’ll take the next 2.

Interesting to contrast announcer calls of loss

between Sox and Cubs. At least L & B did so with grace unlike, um…

No grace in the Hawk?DJ booth

unless Mark is there lol

Hawk is a sad, strange little man whose idiocy

shouldn’t reflect on all Sox fans, many of whom find him as repulsive as we do.

now now now

Although we all agree, lets not start the hate on the sox fans and their less then bad announcers, Supposedly we got class

Ok, I'm done. For today ;)
It wasn't hate on Sox fans, it was just me saying

don’t chalk up Hawk’s behavior as typical of all Sox fans. I was actually kinda sticking up for Sox fans.

I was joking

I do it all the time

my problem with the Sux announcers

is that it shows the LACK OF CLASS in the Sux ownership. To have people like that broadcast your games across the country shows how you want your team conveyed to the country. Blah!

No class organization. I personally don’t understand how one can be a fan of a team that is run that way. Personally, it makes it hard for me to cheer for the Bulls (though I still do) because I can’t stand the way Reinsdorf runs the Sux.

All Part of the Mktg Strategy

as laid out by Brooks Boyer.

“We’re the outlaws in town that wear black and leave all that goody-goody stuff to the Cubbies. Class is for yuppie scum. We represent the average blue-collar guy who keeps it real!”

Nice way to justify

having low class “homers” as announcers. It still shows the class of Reinsdorf, et al.

Brooks Buyer can trash Cubs fans in the process. The jealousy drips from his words and those of Williams, Ozzie, etc… I rest my case.

So true

but DJ adds NOTHING to the broadcast. He’s a career .257 hitter who thinks he can dissect a swing. He’s so full of himself.

If you weren't a Cubs fan, you'd hate Len

He could be one of the biggest homers in all of baseball. He gets overly excited for everything.

Bob on the other hand is a very good announcer and I wish more were as knowledgeable as he.

Bob Brenly is a terrible announcer.

He’s biased and calls the game with an agenda. I can’t wait until he takes managerial gig. Maybe for you guys, when Yost is finally shown the door.

That's Where Harry Was Great

He gave it to everybody, save maybe Stan Musial who was his favorite all-time player.

One time he said (and I paraphrase) “If a guy is horseshit, then I’m gonna say so!”

Never heard him say a bad word about Ryno either.
True True

Stan and Ryno are probably tied at the top.

Derek Lee

is turning into an anchor and needs to be moved in the batting order. I wanted to trade him for pitching in the offseason, but then again, I don’t work for the Cubs.

you must be joking.

who was going to be our starting first baseman? Ward? HOFFPAUER?

Lee is a gold-glove all-star.

I think some people post stuff like that

just to get a reaction.

Anybody who says they want to trade Lee now, or last offseason, is a prima-facie idiot who knows nothing about baseball. I guess that’s a little harsh, but the truth hurts.

Yep. We wouldn't have 49 wins this year without Lee
Lee is just in a funk.

I assume you (Matt) would prefer lots of strike outs where he is not even making contact?

Lee will snap out of it.

Yeah, those 15 HR are really dragging this lineup down.

All players go through slumps. Let it ride.

You wanted to trade lee

you must be crazy

Time To...

move him down in order for a bit, until he gets going again?

He's hitting .255

since April 30th. Batting him 3rd is ridiculous. He’s on pace to break the MLB record for GIDP. He’s 32. First basemen decline rapidly after age 30. He should have been traded for pitching this past off-season.

I say again

you’re joking. You must be.

The trolls left here and went to WGN radio.

E-Pat sucks, Ward sucks, Lee sucks, yada, yada, yada…

And the host went right along with them until the guy called in saying Ronny should

get more time at SS. That guy got ripped a new one. Unbelievable.

One of the many things I dislike about this series

...is it brings out the worst in fans from both sides of town. There should just be 3 games a year and alternate home sites.

I would much rater be playing three more against the Cards at some point (maybe not right now with the DL issues)

There's nothing wrong with dropping

Lee in the order until he gets going again. Your best hitter should be third and that is Ramirez, right now. I wish Lou would put a better defensive team out there. Epat can’t play left. I don’t blame Epat. The manager needs to put the players in a position to succeed. I’d like to see DeRo in left in Saturday’s game. And Cedeno is head and shoulders above Theriot defensively at short. I think Gallagher will have a good game if he attacks the strike zone. Let’s win the next two!

Derrek Lee is an embarrasing right now

just pathetic. double play after double play. he leads the league in double plays (20). His average is dipping and is just annoying to watch. omg. enough of derrek lee, he’s getting to be a little overbearing.

I assume

You’re just advocating dropping him in the order; not benching him altogether.

Lou said in his post game

that E.Pat won’t be playing left anymore. When asked about DLee’s wasted opportunities with bases loaded he commented baseball is a lot of “what ifs”.

That now leaves open the question who WILL be playing left.
And the possible answers

Are scary.

The Cubs could do worse than to just drop Murton into the lineup for a week...

...and see what he can do. The guy was solid if not spectacular for two seasons – do they think he just forgot how?

I would assume Murton or..

...DeRo in LF and the sneaky power hampster or Ronny at 2b

Or you try and make your defense stronger by putting Ronny at SS and Theriot at 2B.
+1

Good idea. Ronny really looked good today, but I’d be very surprised if Lou did it.

Not sure about tomorrow...

But I imagine Murton will be there Sunday when Buehrle pitches.

He had better be there tomorrow

Or DeRosa in LF and Cedeno at 2B if Dome can play RF.
I would prefer no more starts for E-Pat in LF

cwyers/varsho/anyone else - thoughts on swaping Lee and ARam in the batting order?

..I think its a bunch of sports radio overreaction personally.

At that point, it all plays into the personalities of the players.

How would Lee react to being moved in the lineup? How would Ramirez? I really don’t think it would matter from a run scoring perspective, so at that point it’s a matter of sports psychology. I defer to Lou on the question.

I'm not sure it matters, but I don't really have reason for thinking that.

Nevertheless, here’s Derrek’s career splits, by slot in the order:

3rd, 1745 PA: .309/.388/.546
4th, 552 PA: .251/.353/.454
5th, 856 PA: .278/.368/.485
6th, 2002 PA: .278/.359/.511

Conversely, here’s Rammy’s splits:

3rd, 492 PA: .309/.354/.549
4th, 2624 PA: .287/.351/.501
5th, 1180 PA: .287/.332/.533
6th, 423 PA: .298/.352/.549

Now there are factors probably not taken into account here, i.e. who was in the lineup with Lee at a given time, but the numbers seem to suggest that the best thing to do with Lee is leave where he’s at, while it doesn’t seem to matter where Ramirez hits, because he’s remarkably consistent.

Derrek Lee DOES need to be moved in the batting order

He’s been playing like Fred McGriff this season. Looks like a 40 year old man out there. I like and respect Lee a great deal, but it is time to move him behind Aramis Ramirez on the lineup card. Put Kosuke in the # 3 hole.

Murton, Hoffpauier, Patterson...CAN'T play the field

Hence the dilemma for all three of them to stick in the majors. Hoffpauier can at least play a decent 1st base, but then again he is 28 years old.

Murton

is terrible. have u noticed that on every ab that he had the last 3 days he hit the first pitch. i mean come on work the count a little or just take a pitch

Agreed

It’s ridiculous he keeps getting major league opportunities. He brings nothing to the table. If you need to call somebody up then mix it up and call upon another one of the journeyman types hanging out at Iowa. Say Josh Kroeger.

i say trade him

the red sox have interest i’ve read. get what u could get for him. it’s not like he’s gonna help out the big club anytime soon.

Why would the Red Sox be interested in a player they already had?
However, Murton is

our best defensive left fielder.

reed johnson has made great plays
Reed Johnson is on the DL.

So, with the talent currently available, Murton is probably the best defensive left fielder we have that isn’t our starting center or right fielder.

true

i forgot he was on the dl

Cubs really miss Reed Johnson

In his absence I’d like to see the strategy be to play Mark DeRosa in left field, with Ronny Cedeno starting at 2nd. I’m not quite sure I understand either Lou’s fascination with Joe Dirt Fontenot. He is a terrible 2nd baseman.

yikes!! scary but true
?

why did my comment get deleted

Here's Tomorrow Lineup

1 . Fukudome
2. Theriot
3. Edmonds
4. Ramirez
5. Lee
6. Ward (DH)
7. Soto
8. DeRosa (in LF)
9. Fontenout

I like it a lot
and with Corey Jr's mental errors

this week, I would not be surprised if he is replaced in the AM. Lou has little patience for mental errors time after time.

I don't want Fontenot manning a defensive position anymore.

He’s awful. Put Theriot at 2B and Ronny at SS until Sori gets back.

Aramis Ramirez has been the best and most important hitter on this team ever since he was acquired

Baseball convention says your best hitter hits # 3.

4th

should be edmonds cause d-lee is just bad at the plate right now

Definitely should be third.

No question.

I’d like to see this until Soriano returns:

Fukudome RF
Theriot 2B
ARam 3B
Soto C
Lee 1B
Edmonds CF
DeRosa LF
Cedeno SS
P or Ward DH

Good lineup
Why would you have Ward bat ninth?
whoops,

yeah, when there’s a DH, that same lineup but Ward ahead of DeRosa.

our bench

is so thin right now. It showed on tuesday when we needed a right hand bat and we bring up…. henry blanco. That would have been a good to have a reed johnson.

KC 3 Stl – 0 , Twins 1 Brewers 2

The Brewers will be in second

in less than a week. They’re the ones we have always had to worry about. The Cardinals are a joke, and LaRussa is running out of rabbits to pull out of his hat. I was kinda hoping to string them along a little longer though, to lengthen the misery for their “moran”ic fans.

is it just me but...

how have we scored our runs except for some runs on wedns. HRs three solo today, on tuesday it was 3 runs by edmonds. its just a little worrisome that we can’t manufacture runs on the road. its obvious that we aren’t the same offensive team on the road as we are at home. something needs to be done cause they are polar opposites.

Trade

Wouldn’t surprise me to see a trade soon guys.

what position would you go after with these injuries
Well, I'd be going for a pitcher

which from what I hear could happen any day, and some type of 4th outfielder in the mold of Johnson.

Why trade for a fourth OF'er,

when they have Murton, Kroeger, or Andres Torres. Heck, Once Pie’s healthy, bring him back up. Adding another 4th OF’er would seem to fixing a problem they don’t have.

Well

I want someone that know’s what he’s doing out there, and has his head in the game like Reed. Nothing against Patterson, but he isn’t really an outfielder.

BTW, I really hope Lou looks to play Ronny a bit more. His range saves hits which could have been runs. No way Theriot makes those plays.

Strongly agreed

Murton and Patterson are useless. Today Patterson killed the Cubs. You can’t have that defensively.

talk about 4th outfielder

Fred Lewis of the Giants is out there. Here’s what i would do: trade for Fred Lewis, Keep him in left until soriano comes back, use edmonds in center until reed comes back, and keep fukudome in right. Then when the big boys come back, you can use Soriano in left for the most part, use Lewis when you really need him in (maybe a blow), johnson/edmonds platoon in center, and fukudome in right like always.

Instead of trading, why don't we just try out some of the guys

we already have. It costs nothing to bring up Kroeger or Torres.

I really see nothing to suggest that either of them...

...upgrades our bench currently.

Bench dilemma

Matt Murton, Eric Patterson and Mike Fontenot all suck defensively and lack versatility. It’s a problem. Surely there has got to be some stiff available on the open market that is upgrade to these bench options.

where the hell

did mike fontenot go? he was so good last year and he’s hitting .240 or something that’s is extremely bad.

Everybody goes through hot and cold streaks.

If you buried Fontenot’s hot streak in the middle of his major league “career” instead of right at the front… well, he probably wouldn’t HAVE a major league career. He’s never been any good, really.

Strongly agreed

He’s over-stayed his major league welcome at this point. He’s a bad 2nd baseman who can’t help you anywhere else on the diamond. The only reason he sticks as far as I can tell is his lefty bat.

I'm worried about the pitching right now

Hence why I have my fingers crossed that Jim Hendry engineers a trade for a frontline starting pitcher very soon. I know it is going to be difficult to do given the paucity of quality talent in the Cub minor league system. All I know is that we can’t survive for too much linger with a pitching staff outside of Carlos Zambrano that is not comprised of innings eaters. Ryan Dempster has been lights out, but I think we all wonder if he’s been pitching over his head for a few months. Ted Lilly is a 6 inning pitcher. Jason Marquis is a 5 to 6 inning pitcher at best. I like Sean Gallagher’s upside, but right now he is just a rookie who is finding his way. Sean Marshall SUCKS no matter what his fans want to say on the subject.

Maybe IT is time to come around to liking A.J. Burnett.

Harden

I wan’t Harden too. Some people are so fixed on Prior and Wood and they think somethings gonna happen. Role the friggin dice. This is why we haven’t won in 100 years.

With Harden, he’s under control. CC could go anywhere.

Why would Harden be availble?

As you note, he’s under club control for several years, and the As are in serious contention right now.

I still would like to know more about Tim Hudson

Frank Wren and the Braves are on the cusp of a full blown rebuilding program. They stand zero chance of hanging onto Mark Texiera. Given the impending retirement of Glavine, Smoltz and Hampton? Given the black hole they have in center field? Well then how about a trade of Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal and Felix Pie for Hudson?!?

The Braves also seem to think that they're contending this season.

While I might disagree with them, they seem to be looking to acquire a solid bat for left field, not dealing.

I don’t see Hudson being available.

Also, not to many GM's

come out on the winning end of deals with Schuerholz

Frank Wren is the GM
Schuerholz runs the shop.

Even if he is the Prez.

Well...

Atlanta has been in payroll shedding mode for two years, the blockbuster acquisition of Mark Texeira last year notwithstanding. The reality of their situation is stark….they ARE going to lose Texiera to free agency and Glavine, Smoltz and Hampton are a virtual lock to all retire.

Tim Hudson’s market value will never be higher. Again, I’m not sure the Cubs have what it will take to get him. But it will be less than either CC Sabathia (who is unattainable by the Cubs in my estimation) or Rich Harden.

Teams rarely like to run up the white flag...

...because it’s a sign to casual fans to stop showing up to games. It has to be pretty obvious that a team is out of it before they really consider selling.

You know what team is obviously out of it? The Mariners. I’d like to kick the tires on a Bedard deal myself.

Atlanta's attendance has been mediocre at best
Not exactly.

As you can see here, Atlanta’s averaging 30,000 and change per game, and they’ve already drawn 1.2 million fans.

You know he can't

deal with facts.

Worries, worries, worries

Reading these threads, sometimes it’s hard to believe this is the team with the best record in baseball and a 4.5-game lead.

Hey, all is not rosy right this minute, but did you expect this team to win 105 games? It won’t. This, too, shall pass.

If this funk continues for two more weeks, then there’s reason to be concerned. All things considered, I don’t think it will. And then a lot of people are going to look foolish for going overboard today and not realizing the yins and yangs of a 162-game season.

The worry is the pitching...

Nobody has their underwear up in a bunch over a “funk.” This is too good of a ballclub for that. The mounting worry is the strength and depth of the pitching staff. Pitching is king in baseball.

You could have had me fooled

You know the Cubs aren’t going to be getting any more starting pitching until we get closer to the trade deadline. And you know they’ll get somebody decent.

I am enjoying the heck out of this season, and I’m not going to let that get doused by the constant carping I see here from some people. If that makes me a Pollyanna, so be it. But I’m not.

From what I'm hearing...

...the Indians are looking for a solid bat at the corners with high upside; that doesn’t describe anyone in the Cubs farm system. The Brewers, on the other hand, have buckets of prospects like that. Other teams have guys like that as well.

But it does describe Matt LaPorta...or even Prince Fielder

I’m telling you do not discount the Milwaukee Brewers becoming significant players in the CC Sabathia derby. You can laugh at that all you want but right now they have a billionaire owner in Mark Attanasio that is sending clear signals he WILL spend to retain key talent and IS prepared to up the payroll in a big way.

I see no way the Brewers resign Sabathia.

I figure they trade for him, and then have one of the biggest drafts ever next year – with Sheets, Sabathia and others leaving for free agency, they would have an amazing bumper crop of first round picks.

For a small market team like them

that would be a very shrewd strategy.

It is my opinion that Ben Sheets will definitely be re-signed by Milwaukee
Does Vitters fit that critera? Or is he still to unproven?
The Indians aren't looking for a guy on Vitters' timeline.

They want someone who can start for them in ‘09.

Moot point

Josh Vitters is too fresh of a draft pick to be traded via the rules.

He could be a PTBNL in a deal.
Exactly.

They thought they had that young corner stud when they got Andy Marte from Boston in the Crisp deal I believe, but he never got it together.

on the plus side twins just took a 3-2 lead over the brewers in the 5th
royals are up 5-0

You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Bleed Cubbie Blue to post a comment.