Bleed Cubbie Blue

They're starting Sergio Mitre against the Sox today. LOL.

Sergio Mitre was Kevin Hart, before Kevin Hart was Kevin Hart.

im actually going to the sox game tonight

when I saw the pitching matchup I cracked up laughing. 200 million and sergio mitre is starting games for them. hillarious.

On the topic of the Sox

My buddy is under the impression that Mark Buehrle is calling his own pitches/game. And, that’s how he’s able to work so fast. Anyone have thoughts on this? You think he’s really doing it?

I think it's more

He and the catcher have an intuitive understanding with each other. He knows what Pierzynski will call in certain situations and he doesn’t shrug off many calls. Mad Dog was the same way (dont hurt me, I am NOT comparing Buerhle with Maddux!).

Buerhle just doesn’t like waiting a lot. The opposite of, sayyyyy, Jamie Moyer?

i could see that

hes been around for awhile. it’s not much of a stretch to think that him and A.J are just really comfortable with each other at this point. if the catcher knows the pitcher as well as a.j knows buehrle at this point I imagine it make the process easier

AJ didn't catch his perfect game right?

BradB311 - July 31, 2009 reply

Dunno

I was just using him as an example.

Ya, it was the other catcher, whatever his name is.

yeah

first time he’d ever caught buhrle

BradB311 - July 31, 2009 reply

Castro

Itchy - July 31, 2009 reply

nope

ramon castro

I thought he was the pool boy from Seinfeld.

How pissed would you be if you were AJ?

Miss a chance to catch a perfect game. 17 or 18 catchers in the history of the game have done it, that would be tough to take.

slocs55 - July 31, 2009 reply

Name one.

Without looking.

ramon castro

:P

10 BCB smartass points to you, sir

Those are actually worth more than regular BCB points

FASTBALL! CURVEBALL!

STEP OFF AND THROW TO FIRST!

Joe Girardi

Ron Hassey.

You're not going to leave sloc55 with many choices to pick....

I know.

I took the big one out of the mix.

jeff torborg

MOCubsfan - July 31, 2009 reply

Jorge Posada?

David Wells game, just guessing.

I see your point. All I’m saying is it would be nice to know that you are apart of that elite group for yourself, not for other people to know.

slocs55 - July 31, 2009 reply

I suppose, but it had more to do with Buehrle

And who knows? Maybe AJ calls the wrong pitch once.

Todd Hundley

Jose Hernandez

Present and accounted for

hehe.

Kind of like Donald Trump dating the waitress from the local diner.

If the Bosox

get Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, they might never lose again.

tomas21 - July 31, 2009 reply

Worse than that...

… Bell might go to the Marlins. We have to hope that doesn’t happen.

Yeah, we seem to have a hard enough time with that team as it is...

Blue W - July 31, 2009 reply

I don't see that

but Victor Martinez could end up in Boston.

I could see that.

V-Mart would be ideal for Boston, but to do with Varitek? You don’t think the Sawx would bench their own Captain, would they?

Vmart is the face of the Indians.

That wouldn’t go over well with their fan base.

cubswynn - July 31, 2009 reply

Isn't Grady Sizemore more the "face of the Indians"?

Beat me to the punch Al

But you had another good point...

… that somehow, Cleveland can do this and get away with it with their fans, while the Pirates keep losing theirs.

Someone actual roots for the Pirates?

Oh I guess I can see the Yankee fans rooting for them. I mean they do develop decent players for other teams.

and us.

Devin B - July 31, 2009 reply

I wonder how many

Pirates fans have said screw it, I’m a Phillies fan. It would be so discouraging to be a Pirates fan.

slocs55 - July 31, 2009 reply

But game tickets are relatively cheap and easy to get...

and the seat locations are primo. Think Wrigley Field in the late 1970s…

Buy low, sell high!

That must actually be pretty damn fun if you can get to games regularly.

Very nice ballpark too. They did a great job on it.

Nice staff too. Very pleasant (even though I was wearing all my Cubs gear). I think they were happy to have the business …

At this point, I think the Pirate fans go to the games more to see the other team

Kinda like the NBA’s Clippers a few years ago…

Yeah. After 17 years without a winning record, it'd be hard to still support the team

as they go through their 3-4 year cycle of tear it apart and bring up the prospects routine…

I might be in the minority..

But I actually think they are on a good path right now.

Time will tell, I guess.

I hope so. They certainly deserve some success after all this time...

Yeah, just what I was thinking.

It's gotta be very frustrating for former Pirates players

to see what’s become of the franchise. Too bad. They were the standard for great clubs in the NL in the 1970s…

Cleveland has

shown the ability to retool and get competitive again. Pittsburgh hasn’t.

tomas21 - July 31, 2009 reply

Wait a few years.

The new management regime is doing a nice job. The days of Aram+Lofton for garbage are over (sadly for us).

i dont really get it

if you’re a Pirates fan were you really attached to Jack Wilson, Nate McLouth, Adam LaRoche, etc?

I mean these guys were all there and the team wasn’t winning the last few years, so what is magically going to happen that makes you a winner other than blowing it up?

I think the point is...

… that the Pirates keep blowing it up every 2-3 years, promising the new group of young players will make them a contender. It never works.

that's not fair

because its a completely new front office

so just because the previous front office made bad attempts at blowing it up, this one should take the crap they have been handed and just “pray” that it works out without trying to make things better

Yes but this front office...

Has dumped every player, minus one, from the 2008 roster. Could you imagine what would happen in Chicago if the cubs did that.

The Pirates conduct a fire sale every 3-4 years but during that time they still finish near dead last every year almost.

At least Cleveland will get into the playoffs during the rebuilding or retooling period, then they sell off and start over again.

Either Cleveland has better scouts or have a better farm system than Pittsburgh. Either way the Pirates are now a shamble.

Has dumped every player, minus one, from the 2008 roster. Could you imagine what would happen in Chicago if the cubs did that.

BLou’s head would explode with delight. So, there’s upside… :P

Git R Done

Jim!

the 2008 roster?

you mean the roster that won 67 games

why would you want to keep the guys from the roster that won 67 games

comparing it to the Cubs is beyond ridiculous, we won THIRTY more games

It was used as an example

its not a relevant one

feel free to explain why the fans should want all the players from a 67 win team still on the roster?

So is your thesis that...

that none of the players were any good? Every one of them were garabage? Maybe some of them were decent and management should have built around them. I don’t know maybe like what the Cubs did? But of course that’s just my thoughts. Feel free to disagree.

i'm not sure i understand the cubs comparison...

but regardless

yes my “thesis” is that none of the players were any good. I think outside of Jason Bay this has been pretty much confirmed

and you can’t have 1 or 2 good players and bunch of crap and win

Billy Beane

Maybe they are getting advice from Billy Beane. Beane has been doing it with A’s for years and going nowhere.

wccubfan - July 31, 2009 reply

Moneyball works to a point

but you have to smart about it.

Also, you have to get a little lucky

The best team doesn’t always win come October

Exactly.

I think Beane himself talks about how the Playoffs are essentially a crapshoot, where the whims of luck dictate the result.

You can’t design your team around the playoffs, as much as people think you can.

so the cubs needed more lucky players instead of LH players?

Well...

if there was a way to know who’d be lucky, sure. :)

Having a more balanced lineup isn’t a bad thing. But Hendy’s reaction to the playoffs last year was ridiculous to those of us who look at the playoffs as a crapshoot.

It just wasn’t necessary….

Or LH pitching?

Sure

Better lucky than good . . .

I suppose you're right.

cubswynn - July 31, 2009 reply

I thought Sizemore was the face?

Plus they already had to deal with that before:

CC
Cliff Lee
Thome

The Indians have a way with it. They are able to trade their superstars for good prospects and not lose their fan base

Well, they have had winning season over the last 17 years, unlike the Pirates.

Indians fans are pretty faithful.

Looks like it is happening

IT'S HAPPENING?!

It happened

Martinez would play 1st and catcher

Gives a little more flexibility than Gonzalez

I believe they have enough 1st basemen now.

Born Again Cubs Fan - July 31, 2009 reply

Apparently...

the Sox are looking for a new home for LaRoche if they can get the Martinez deal done.

..that didnt take long...

1st base

youk at 3rd filling in for lowelllllllll

But wouldn't

that wreck Boston’s chance at Mauer in a few years :P

In a few years

Martinez won’t be a catcher.

I don't necessarily think

Mauer will be a catcher in a few years either. Imagine what he could do with the bat if he didn’t have to sit behind the plate 9 innings a game.

True.

But a lot of his value comes from catching. He would just be good first baseman as opposed to a great catcher.

He's one of the best hitters in the league

He’s head and shoulders above the rest of the catchers, but I can only think of one first basemen who is a definitely better hitter right now.

Yeah.

Russell Branyan is really good, isn’t he…

Adam Laroche?

WanderingWanderer - July 31, 2009 reply

Eek, you're both right

Move him down to #3

no, no I got Bell on my fantasy yeam

he cant become a set up man

DC Cubbie - July 31, 2009 reply

Yeah well I had Sherrill so that stinks too!

I can lose all my closers in one week!

yeah well I got Sherrill and Bell!

can’t get screwed twice!

Glacier - July 31, 2009 reply

TWSS?

He needs to go to a playoff team

the guy is basically Kenny Powers. The world must see him pitch.

Keith Law

gives his take on the Gorzelanny/Grabow trade.

Reddevil - July 31, 2009 reply

I agree

I can see some people complaining that they wanted a bigger deal but I really don’t understand those that said Hendry got taken. The Cubs won’t miss any of the traded pieces. If Gorzelanny can get back to where he was a few years ago, he will be much, much better than Hart ever will be.

I call it the "Sergio Mitre Effect"

A young pitcher does well in a couple of starts and everyone thinks he’s the next Greg Maddux.

Exactly.

The Cubs should have traded Mitre right after he threw those two straight shutouts. His value was never higher.

Hendry definitely sold Hart high, especially when you consider what his ERA would be with a few

timely hits against him his first few starts when he walked everyone.

You know what they say..

Wait until the league sees him a couple more times and tries to figure him out, and then decide whether or not he was worth it.

I hope Cub hitters were paying attention.

We’re likely to see him when the Pirates are in Chicago two weeks from now.

Here's the basic game plan:

Take pitches.

step two

hit ropes off (or over) ivy.

step three

avoid getting plunked hard by his very inside pitches.

step 3 is the hardest

b/c i don’t think hart even knows where the ball is going most of the time

"Hendry definitely sold Hart high"

if Hendry made this trade while on a banned substance, I am all for it. Keep up the good work Jim!

Just don’t operate heavy machinery at the same time.

Just another example of what Geo contributes to the team.

So you're saying Hendry gave the Pirates a high Hart one?

The Cubs were swindled in the Mitre deal.

tville - July 31, 2009 reply

The don't miss Mitre. Nolasco would have been nice to hang on to.

The point is, though...

… that Mitre, Nolasco and Pinto’s perceived trade value after 2005 was much higher than “Juan Pierre”.

Definitely, not arguing that. The Pierre trade was not a good choice, but not because of Mitre.

That’s all I was saying.

Actually

Pierre was a steal!

When you compare him to Sergio Meat-tray.

I think you mean, he HAD more steals.

Kinda hard to steal bases if your manager hates walks though

I'm pretty sure Dusty liked to issue lots of walks but not take many.

That way we clogged up the other teams bases but left them open for ourselves

In Dusty We Trusty!!

Don't want to clog up the bases.

californiachicagoan - July 31, 2009 reply

Pierre wasnt a fan of walks either

A match made in …

Precisely.

And how about Pinto’s LH skills in the pen?

tville - July 31, 2009 reply

Pinto's been absolutely awesome for Florida.

And, Nolasco went rightinto the Marlins rotation in 2006 and did a pretty good job. Battled injury, came back in 2008 and had a great 15 win, 3.52 season. Nolasco’s struggle=d big time this year… I suspect he’s battling more injuries.

Born Again Cubs Fan - July 31, 2009 reply

Not injuries...

Had some mental/mechanical issues early in the year. Marlins sent him to AAA to get straightened out and he’s been great since he returned – 10 starts, 2.71 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 9.9K/9

huh?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pintore01.shtml

what am i missing here?

Pinto’s been basically John Grabow….

i.e. very ordinary…. walks way too many guys and isn’t good at getting lefties out

But we could trade for Pierre from the Dodgers

We could get him back!

Do. Not. Want.

But he hit so well for them for two months

I say we ship Wells to them! We must get Pierre back, he solves our problem in Center and our Lead-off position. I mean we have no in CF now.

Imagine that Outfield. Sori-Pierre-Bradely, oh the errors that could be made! It would an adventure every game. Finally a reason to watch!

Where’s the sarcasism font?

CubsFanInWisconsin - July 31, 2009 reply

lol

i was reading your post thinking that you were crazy til i got to the last sentence

+1

Just what this team needs

the MLB leader in making outs.

Yabbut he's left-handed and fast.

he's "scrappy"

He also gets paid 10 mil a year.

Here's a question

who would you rather be paying $10 Mil per year . . .

Pierre or Bradley?

Pujols

Not an option

but good answer

Dammit!

Thought I could slip that one by

Bradley. We have the white Pierre. Sam Fuld :)

to throw like a girl!!!!

Somebody's been floating that idea around here

and not in the “Miles and Heilman for Joe Mauer” type of way.

Who would they take?

I suppose we could give them Miles.

But I am not interested in having Pierre back … he can make outs for someone else.

Vermont Cubs Fan - July 31, 2009 reply

Couldn't agree more

I was laughing my tail off every time I heard someone acting so surprised when the Meat Tray served up meatballs every start. The kid was AWFUL!! Why cant anyone else see that?

Sounds about right to me.

I’m grateful for any positives on Gorzelanny.

So are we getting Peavy,

Halladay, Teahen, or Aubrey Huff?

no

just a 2b from balmer

I can't wait until we Halladay and Adam Lind

in about 4 hours. ; )

IN FOUR HOURS?!!?!??!

cubswynn - July 31, 2009 reply

he/she didn't say in what time zone.

it doesn't matter which time zone...

4pm ET is 4pm ET

just play along

I Halladay, you Halladay, we all Halladay!

Are we still in the 1980's music thread?

♪ ♫ Halladay! Ain't gonna be a trade! Halladay! Ain't gonna be a trade! ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ I found out long ago It's a long way down the Halliday Road ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ Halladay Road ♪ ♫
♪ ♫ Halladay Road ♪ ♫

♪♫ So Goodbye Halladay Road ♪♫

♪♫ Where the dogs of society howl ♪♫

♪ ♫ I DON'T WANNA HALLADAY ON THE CUBS-AH

I DON’T WANNA GO WITH A NEW PITCH-AH!! ♪ ♫

♫ Halladay!.....Celebrat! ♫

♫ If we traded for Halladay……took some time to celebrate♫

♫ This is our lives on Halliday! ♪

When does the Adam Lind part come in?

HALLADAY IS COVER FOR US TO GET THE REAL PLAYER, LIND!!!!

♫ the answer, my friend, is blowin in the Lind

the answer is blowing in the Lind…. ♫

catchy tune

♪ ♫ How many Fanposts must a man scroll through, before you can call him a man? ♪ ♫

Close to 500, apparently…

Nice after-lunch treat; good job, everyone.

And for my fellow Parrotheads:

♪You need a Hallllladay . . . .take a Hallllladay . . .♫

On that "One Particular Harbor"

Mapmaker - July 31, 2009 reply

It's (semi) official Fuld Up/ Atkins down

I don’t see this mentioned but our friend Muskat reports Atkins was indeed sent down and Fuld was on the plane to Miami . The Cubs tend not announce this stuff till shortly before game time but I will assume this correct. As some might guess I am pretty happy to have Fuld back.

It would sound much cooler

if you used the words, “traded” or “accquired” or “shipped” or “get/got” preceded by “breaking news”

like,

breaking news, mitch atkins traded for guy who can be convenient backup catcher/centerfield option. also plays shortstop better than theriot. in a pinch, can be loogy out of pen. has club option remaining for 3 years at cheap rate. has almost as many superpowers as ted lilly. may take over at manager when lou retires. will help new management in a financial co-signer to facilitate deal getting done. has 800+ OPS. doesn’t get picked off, and has great speed.

did i forget anything?

YOU MEAN ADAM LIND?

Cubs face nothing but righties this series and the first game with the Reds.

I wonder how much Lou will give Fuld? I hope we see a lot of him.

Blue W - July 31, 2009 reply

probably not

Pinch runner, defensive replacement is probably going to be his gig

So he'll be spending a lot of time with Fox.

Yeah, That’s kind of what I figured too.

Blue W - July 31, 2009 reply

It depends on how Bradley does against the righties. Dome has been doing well leading off and Soriano

is hot right now. Bradley appears to be coming around as well.

Said in the paper

That they are waiting to announce until after the deadline…

Fuld might be moving!

Worf - July 31, 2009 reply

No, that's not it.

They’re waiting to see if they can make another deal. If not, Fuld will be activated.

Welll he gets a free trip to Miami

Though if they don’t activate him they will A. Face the wrath of Doggie Stallker. B be a player short as it is hard to imagine
a deadline deal making it in time unless we trade with the Marlins

No one should face your wrath, Jessica.

I know... I was giving Jessica some grief

About Fuld maybe being traded to Kansas City

Worf - July 31, 2009 reply

thank goodness Jessica!

If Fuld wasn’t brought up, you would have to rewrite your “controversial” blog—before sundown of course. :-)

well

the i cubs shipped ascanio away so who’s gunna start?

I love trade deadline day

Always a few brilliantly bad rumors. Twitter will only make that worse, and by worse I mean more fun.

Twitter reminds me of...

in the old movies you would see a copy boy or newpaper report or radio reporter running with a little notepad and scribbling notes so they could get the “BIG NEWS BREAK!!” and the rumors of the day.

"Getting Soto back will be like making a trade"

not a very good trade if he plays like he has been this season

I'm just waiting for Hendry to say it

Because he seems to say it about everyone that lands on the DL.

"we just need to stay in contention until prior and wood come back"

yep

But he does mellow the team out.

with the weed, you mean?

n/t

ScottT - July 31, 2009 reply

No with the Twinkies and Ho-Ho's

he was hitting very well the three or four weeks before he got hurt

he was still

5th in the league in OPS at his position

granted he’s been disappointing, but a HUGE upgrade over Koyie Hill

thinking.......

seems we have enough lefties now…………BJ Ryan, Grabow, Marshall, Gorzellanny. Anyone think maybe Marshall goes somewhere for a bat today? Or…..if not today sometime prior to Aug 31st?

plenz - July 31, 2009 reply

Please . . . no

Marshall is ticketed for the starting rotation.

he's not getting traded but i don't think he will end up in the rotation.

Who then?

I'm guessing Gorz gets a shot until Lilly returns.

samardzija?

I'm thinking

Zambrano, Dempster, Wells, Harden, and Gorz. Marshall stays in the pen cause he is hella effective in that role. I think he has a era under two or just a bit over two in the pen.

Wasn't Gorz going to Iowa?

Yeah i thought so too. However, he told Kaplan yesterday that he's headed to Miami.

They said on WGN

That Gorzelanny could get called up before Tuesday, or else Marshall will get penciled in.

If he's going to start on Tuesday, why would he even go to Iowa?

he's not.

Al's original post said he was heded for Iowa. If he hasn't

been pithing in the bigs, is it a bit of a risk to throw him out there without geting a start or two in AAA?

i think the Cubs just said that because they need fresh pitchers in the pen

and couldn’t really put him in the 25 man roster yet. If I’m not mistaken, I think he has pitched two days ago for the Pirates Triple A team.

Makes sense then.

Maybe he is going to Miami

That's phenomenal!

that makes 3 lefties in the pen

assuming Ryan comes up…………I just don’t see it. I’m not advocating a Marshall trade but I’m thinking he’s got value and the numbers aren’t adding up

plenz - July 31, 2009 reply

Somebody has to go into the rotation to replace Hart. Lilly won't be back for

another month.

I don't think you can trade Marshall because you don't know if Ryan is going to be effective.

BJ Ryan is crap

Gorzy to the rotation makes sense. Marshall and Grabow in the pen provides a distinctive strength.

That would make the most sense if Gorzy is ready to go. Marshall is not

streched out. I really think they like him in the pen.

Marshall is valuable in the pen

Don’t mess with a strength. Gorzy was a nice pickup. Not only can he fill the gap in the rotation until Lilly gets back but I like his upside for the future. He is a quality candidate to fill a rotation slot next season, especially if Harden leaves via free agency.

I think Lou really likes the fact that he is a lefty and

he throw strikes. He seems to be able to come in and get a big out. Managers tend to like that in a reliever.

Gorzelanny is going to Iowa, per Jim Hendry.

For now, yes.

That does not preclude him being recalled by Tuesday.

Do you think that's the plan?

Yes, I do.

If he's going to start on Tuesday

Let’s hope his performance in Great American Ballpark is better than his first two starts there:

In 2 games (both starts), he’s lasted 4.1 innings, allowing 11 hits, 9 runs (all earned), walking 4 and striking out 5.

You know what – I’d rather see Marshall get this start.

Me too.

I’m having a really hard time getting the image of Gorzelanny throwing Soriano first-pitch BP fastballs and Bob Brenly saying, “You have to be either stupid or stubborn to throw Alfonso Soriano a first-pitch fastball.”

(At least I’m pretty sure that was Gorzelanny.)

That was him, alright.

Now, Tom’s been much better this year (being in shape helps), but I think I’d rather see him go to the bullpen first, just to get a feel for being back in the Major Leagues.

If Marshall struggles on Tuesday (or can only go 3-4 innings based on arm strength), it would be easy to piggyback his start with Gorzelanny serving as a long man.

+1

Let Gorz and Marshall piggyback for a while until we see what we’ve got with both.

DGU - July 31, 2009 reply

Can we put Marshall on Gorz?

Is it legal to have one pitcher actual sit on another player? If so I feel bad for the Brewer that has to carry Fielder.

Marshall on Gorz

would be VERY tall. So much for lowering the mound!

There's an interesting image.

Nevermind - saw your post in the other thread!

I'd slow your roll

on the BJ Ryan front a little bit. There’s no guarantee that he’s even going to pitch well enough to make it up here.

I believe Marshalls Pen ERA is 1.25

thanks

I was way wrong. But damn, that is really good.

plus great stranded/inherited runners #'s

I beleive Marshall has the best % in the NL for inherited runners stranded.

Why not leave him in the bullpen…just stop using him as a LOOGY, but give him an inning or two once in a while, now that we have another lefty in the pen. I always thought Marshall was a great two inning arm after Harden threw 6+ innings of his stuff. A great contrast to keep the other team off balance.

I hope not...

I think our SP is fine. If you need to fill Lilly’s spot for a start or two… bring someone up, or use someone else.

Leave him in the BP.. .he’s been so effective there…

digitalbenjamin - July 31, 2009 reply

I could go for that

if Lou learns to use him as a long reliever when its called for.

he’s wasted as a loogy…

First we needed...

More Left handed bats, now Lou/Hendry has a thing for Left Handed pitchers?

I think Hendry is doing what the GM for the Mets was accused of doing. Instead of turning the team to into a complete Hispanic team like Miyana was accused of, Hendry is trying to make a complete Left Handed team.

Next thing you know will get Beddard & Moyer to team up with Lilly and Marshall. Then a line-up of:

Fukudome (CF)
Fuld (LF)
Zambrano (1B)
Bradely (RF)
Fotenot (2B)
Hoff (3B)
Blanco (SS)
Hill ©

Mark Teahan or Cody Ross, I would be very happy if the Cubs got either.

Teahan would be an outstanding get

I’d really like to see Hendry convince Samardizija to waive his no-trade and move the massively overrated Notre Damer to Kansas City for Teahan.

Spellcheck and Fontenot to Kansas City for Teahan and maybe a spare part.

yep, i would do that deal in a heartbeat.

but why

would Kansas City?

because they're the Royals?

it's not like

they’re Pittsburgh.

At least Pittsburgh has gotten pretty decent value and and a lot of depth in their trades.

Kansas City trades for the likes of Mike Jacobs and Willie Bloomquist. And then signs Kyle Farnsworth and pays him like he’s Mariano Rivera.

hey!

no dissing captain tight-pants!

Well, alright. Go ahead and diss him.

the royals dealt for

yunel betancourt

Why would the Marlins trade Cody Ross?

because they can get some prospects for a guy that has basically reached his ceiling.

Not when you're 3 games out of the wild card lead...

true, maybe Jeremy Hermida is the better option.

If the Marlins are indeed seeking a trade....

…it’s for an “impact” player, not minor league talent. I think that excludes us as trading partners.

Agreed

The Marlins aren’t conceding a thing and in fact might land Nick Johnson, who if he can EVER stay healthy is a player who can flat out hit while being a great defensive 1st baseman.

Hendry made a quality trade for Grabow and Gorzy

And if he can pull off a trade for a rent-an-outfielder then he will have done good work.

IT'S HAPPENING!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

unpossible.

SHHHH

I don’t think he realizes what he is saying.

What?!?

vonde6 - July 31, 2009 reply

Thanks Chris DeLuca

what is the point of this tweet?

Cubs fans should learn to embrace Alfonso Soriano, $136 million and all

idk why he sent it

but its true

I have no idea why he says that. The Cub fans embrace him as long as he is playing well.

I heard the Cubs were thinking of NOT embracing Soriano and his $136 million.

In which case, DeLuca’s advice is very timely and wise…

digitalbenjamin - July 31, 2009 reply

Rumors yesterday were flying around that we "WERE" thinking of embracing him.

Funny, I just got this tweet from Worf:

I LIKE CAKE!

Tell him

The cake is a lie.

Cake or Death?

Um…Cake please.

Soto just Re-Tweeted...

digitalbenjamin - July 31, 2009 reply

I'd embrace Soriano...BUT I CAN'T SEE HIM!

Do you have one where...

Stick firgure flips a bat and trots around the bases while point at “his family” behind the visiting team’s dugout?

I doubt it, but Daver may have one where he points to

“his mistress.”

Nah, I'll let a Cardinals fan post that.

I think the file size of that one would crash BCB.

Is this mistress that big?

I think Gorz is a really good pickup.

Hart had pretty good starts with the Cubs. But what happens when hitters start to make adjustments. At least, Gorz has faced success and failure. You don’t really know how Hart will respond.

Hmmm....

Looks like Boston is poised to land Adrian Gonzalez. My goodness. That would be an absolutely huge addition . Gonzo is one of the best players in baseball and an outstanding defensive 1st baseman that allows them to move Kevin Youklis to 3rd base.

Meanwhile the Yankees seem like they are going to land Bruce Bannister to take a spot in their rotation. Bannister is a pretty darrn good pitcher who might reallly thrive with a great team.

If the Sawx get Gonzalez

First SD will be set aflame by the fanbase and second, it would be a tough series agaisnt either AL East teams that make it out of there (Sawx/Yankees/Rays). Those line-ups would be monsterous!

I hate to be a pessimist

but I don’t think the cubs could be any of those teams in a 7 game set. of course if they are playing them it means we are in the W.S and im too excited to give a damn who we are playing.

any team

can beat any other team.

+1

in a 7 (and especially a 5) game series, any team can win.

And the team that scores the most runs usually wins - Joe Morgan

haha oh come on now

i thought I was Joe Morgan-free until Sunday!

ARGH!

Never mention that name again! It is anathema to everything Cubdom is!

I don't have anathema, I can breathe just fine.

Anna Thema! Great gal!

Gezundheit!

sucks to your anathema, Morgy!

No problem

Hey, did you know the basket around the outfield wall used to be known as “Banks Basket” because Ernie Banks used to hit most of his homeruns into the basket. j/k.

adam316 - July 31, 2009 reply

That's true.

He also said that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation.

Vermont Cubs Fan - July 31, 2009 reply

oh i know

im just saying on paper the matchup doesn’t really look favorable.

bruce bannister?

somehow I get the feeling that he meant bruce banner and then the yanks would go HULK SMASH!!!!

you wouldn't like Steinbrenner when he's angry.

I think Bradley's going to turn it around soon . . .

I hope Hendry keeps the cell phone in his pocket . . . no need to give up any more prospects for a marginal OF

Well you know we've only played 100 games

I think it will start clicking for him around 125-130. It takes a little bit for him to heat up.

Maybe he'll be warm for games in October, then we'll all forget his struggles now.

I get that he's not producing up to his ability . . .

I also think that he’s not killing us anymore. His power numbers aren’t there but he’s still getting on base, playing serviceable defense (when he knows how many outs there are) and I just don’t think a guy like Mark Teahan is really going to produce much more than Bradley for the rest of the year. At least enough to justify giving up a top 10 prospect . . . Just one man’s opinion

Make that 2, I agree.

I mean, Soriano was awful for the 1st 100 games and he seems to be turning it around . ..

So there’s precedent

he was really awful that first month

it wasn’t like he was the best player on the team

You're right . . .

Soriano got off to a good start . . . but he did go into a slump that lasted over two months. My point is it’s not unheard of for guys to turn things around after long slumps. And at least while Bradley’s “slumping” he’s still getting on base and contributing that way

Both were great about 25% of the time in the first half

Soriano for all of April, Bradley versus lefties.

Wreckard - July 31, 2009 reply

April

.284/7/14

May 1 - All-Star Break

.215/7/19 . . .that’s over a span of 59 games. Since then, he’s turned it on. I’m just saying, I think we should let the Bradley thing play out and if he continues to struggle, just have Fox play RF against righties (he can hit anybody). That wouldn’t be much worse than a Mark Teahan and we’re not giving up prospects

with veteran players that have proven track records

you just let them play. Soriano, Bradley, Aramis just leave them alone and they will hit what they hit every year give or take a little.

I think we're arguing the same point then . . .

we are

He's just not used to playing so many games!

For Now...

I am very pleased with the way Soriano and Bradley are playing. Its easy to say that after your team has scored 24 runs in the last 2 games though, right? I think all of us would love to see both Bradley and Soriano play well. Its when they are making bone headed plays that they drive us crazy.

As for Gorz, he could be a decent fifth starter and nice to have another lefty. But the fact that he wasn’t good enough to be in the Pirates starting rotation concerns me?

they didn't want to pay him so they sent him down to Triple A.

The guy had an ERA in the 2s in AAA this year, they should have brought him up but they knew they were trading everyone anyways.

It's arguable. Gorzelanny blew his favor with the front office last year

In 2008, he showed up to Spring Training fat and out of shape and got sent to Indianapolis midway through the year. This year, he seems to have gotten his act together and is learning how to pitch, rather than relying on pure talent.

I would give him a start or two in Triple-A as long as Marshall is stretched out, too. With the PCL being more of a hitter’s league, I’d like to see how Gorzelanny fares there versus in Indianapolis, which is a pitcher’s park.

Now all Jim has to do is get rid of Miles

he should take anything… a single A player, some cash, a bicycle tire, a half eaten bag of potato chips, etc.

DC Cubbie - July 31, 2009 reply

And a can of Spam.

i'll take the bike tire.

the twins...

could be interested in Miles if Jim called them. They are trying to get Cabrera, but Miles would be a MUCH cheaper option.

The twins are interested in overpriced garbage!? awesome!

The Twins are to smart to take Miles.

Sweet!

We’ll take Liriano off their hands in exchange for Miles!

;-)

Lirano is actually terrible now. Shell of his old self.

I was joking anyway

No way the Twinkies pull the trigger on that.

lol that would be really funny.

I was also assuming

Joe Mauer was too much to ask for. Besides, who do you platoon him with? :D

lol

The Twins are not seriously pursuing any trades

They believe they can get it done with their current roster.

They always do

They always have almost the exact same roster during one year’s stretch run as they do the previous season.

Orrrrrrrrrrr not....

I know

That had been their stance all summer. I’m just hoping this Cabrera fellow works out like Shannon Stewart did a few years back.

I was hoping this would've happened on June 14

If the Cubs were to trade today, what position would he play?

If it were to be an outfielder, who would have to go when Reed comes back? If it were a 2B, would Baker, Fontenot, or Miles be likely to go?

If anybody, Teahan makes the most sense. He plays everywhere.

+1

I really want this to happen.

MLBTR just recently announced...

teams are showing interest in Teahen, Bannister, and Bloomquist.

if by recently announced you mean 7:50pm Thursday lol

That's more recent than

my memory can pick up normally

Brian Bannister is the anti-Rich Harden

Look at his day/night splits this year.

The Ryno and I Know - July 31, 2009 reply

Bizarro-Harden

indeed.

hee hee.

Bannister's an interesting guy.

He uses stats and Pitch F/X to improve his game. I heard a great interview with him on the Baseball Prospectus podcast.

Yeah, Posnanski really likes the guy, which is where I heard about him.

2B

2b is really the only position they can trade for. Baker and Fontenot do not have a big contract and they are underachieving. Unfortunately after Sanchez was traded that left the market bare of 2b options.

I know KC tried Teahen at 2b out of spring training, not sure how he did or if he is still there.

I am glad we didn't Sanchez

Too expensive and he really isn’t that good.

That said, I would love to get Teahen and have him play 2nd base for us…but I don’t think that’s happening or really worth what would be giving up to get him.

Tigers just got Washburn

meh

He’s a lefty. That’s about it

that's about it?? He has been one of the best pitchers this year...

1.068 WHIP…2.64 ERA….162 ERA+

He's a lefty

If you aren't picking up on my mood today

I’ll explain that I’m in a very facetious and silly mood.

haha alright.

Maybe Jimbo can grab him for...

Miles and Heilman?

kinda hard to tell facetiousness and sarcasm when you are reading stuff sometimes

True True

but that’s why you read some of the other comments I’ve made.

I read every comment on this post today

just by the time i get down here I forget who posted what already

hehe

162 ERA?! OUCH! :)

lol

Yeah, You’d be better off with Toronbo Lila

XD

certainly that's not "about it"

the guy has been great this year.

makes them a force in the AL playoffs too if they make it

3 real good starters.

Didn't they lose Zumaya for the year?

Yes

they lose Zumaya for the year every year

MLBTR quote...

“The Tigers acquired pitcher Jarrod Washburn from the Tigers” LOL

haha yeah

typo on their part.

LOL

hehe

Like those lotto commercials where the guy from ten minutes in the future comes back to talk to him.

I'm a dancer

I can dance!

lol

I think you're thinking of the VW commercials

The lottery commercials have people visited by their dreams

Excellent additon by Detroit

Verlander, Porcello, Washburn is a strong front three. Tigers still need a bat though.

Bonderman, Robertson back soon too

Remove Porcello and insert Edwin Jackson in that top 3.

AzCubfan24 - July 31, 2009 reply

Edwin Jackson

Get Teehan

Jimbo, Fontenot and others, get it done

Grockcubs - July 31, 2009 reply

I think people need to know how to spell his name if they want him.

It’s T E A H E N

thank you.

one of my pet peeves. see “buhrle” above. ugh!

To be fair

Buehrle’s name is a tricky one. I always hafta double-check it. I mean, h-r-l, what the hell is that all about??

haha yes

I always have trouble with Joel Pineiro. i before e except after c my ass!

y'mean

what the h-r-l is that about?

Nice.

Get Her Dunn Jim!

Wouldn't that be "get Herr Dunn"?

Or maybe he’s Finnish . . . .

I thought

Tommy Herr retired years ago, who knew

wild bill - July 31, 2009 reply

Get er done

Yeah, Teahen would be a great addition if he can play 2b, he’s only 27 and this year is hitting .290/.344ob

I don't think we want to rely on him at 2B.

Anyone else see that the side bar reads the Cubs are -0.5 games back?

GoCubbies34 - July 31, 2009 reply

Yeah, freaky

Funny - was the same way earlier in the week.

Hello Captain

Haven’t read you in a while. How are you?

Not bad, how are you?

Any story ideas? ;)

I've got a new boss here

and I have to step it up because my wife lost her job. I haven’t thought of any. But as soon as something pops in my mind, I’ll e-mail you.

Going to Oshkosh?

Went on Wednesday

Played a bit of hooky . . . .

Didn’t get to any seminars (I like to get to at least one, usually), but did plenty of walking around airplanes, which is good enough for me. Caught part of an airshow while listening to part of the 12-0 Cub win, and bought stuff that I don’t need.

It was a good day!

Are you getting up there?

Didn't get a press pass this year

but I went in 06 and 07. It’s so much fun.

Maybe you could catch a ride with the new 'GN morning guy!

He’s going tomorrow, I think.

New guy? Who, and what is he doing? Sports?

Radio

Greg Jarrett (sp?). They hired him to do mornings a few weeks ago and gave John Williams the old Kathy and Judy timeslot.

It's a sad, sad situation

Everybody I knew in pretty much every media outlet in this city has been let go. Top to bottom. At GN, there’s not one person left from their January payroll.

What? Potash is gone, Robin B.? Konrad?

I meant

“those behind the scenes.” I couldn’t tell you about their on-air “talent” though.

Yikes

The app is going through denial

I want Mark Teahan badly

He is a great fit. Play some right field, start at 2nd base, competent 3rd baseman, lefty bat…

Why? According to you... we should be sellers, cleasning house and trading DLee. LOL.

Sounds like you got a little man love going on there Mike...

why bother?

drew...

JIMMAY!

How are you today my friend?

work projects

are killing my brain. Luckily, my spinal cord still recognizes how to use a bottle opener.

The good ol' cerebral cortex...

More accurately

On June 30th, BLou said,

An enlightened GM would trade Zambrano now.

And earlier, on June 15th, BLou said,

Trade Derrek Lee and Rich Harden for prospects. That’s what any sane GM would do. I don’t care if we are "only" 3 games out of 1st place or whatever it is. This is not a good ballclub, period. It is time to begin a full-scale rebuilding process.

Ouch! You guys are brutal...

Oh... it gets better

On June 15th

I won’t delude myself about this Cub team any longer. The window to win a World Series has already been slammed shut. With the hugeness of this payroll and all the ugly back-loaded contracts combined with a lousy farm system you damned straight a begin a full-blown rebuilding process NOW. Don’t sit there and use the rationalization of the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.

aren't we glad

Jim Hendry doesn’t listen to BLou?

maybe BLou is really Pittsburgh's GM

now that

would make a certain amount of sense. But can the Pirates GM really run the team from his grandmother’s basement?

the way that team is being run

it’s not outside the realm of possibility!

Dear God Yes!

Typical of short sighted fans...

Washburn is off the table

Now to Detriot for a couple prospects.

alrdy in a few posts up :)

I am sorry your Honor, I'm fat :p

Wasn't the McGriff acquisition an August trade?

camnorris14 - July 31, 2009 reply

July 27th, to be exact

mlb

anyone else watching the mlb trade deadline show on mlb.tv

KyCubsFan - July 31, 2009 reply

Me

ndcubs - July 31, 2009 via mobile reply

MLBTR says Marlins are getting closer to acquiring Nick Johnson.

Of course it would be right as we are traveling to Florida to play them.

OT: BJ Ryan last night

Pitched 1.2 innings, no hits, no runs, 1 walk.

It may not be too long before he joins the Cubs

to quote Felix Pie,

“it is a long way from AAA to the big dance.”

word is he hasnt touched 90mph with his fastball though

what difference does that make?

his velocity drop is why he was so bad with toronto this year

really? not location or stuff?

In the latter part of his career

Frank Tanana couldn’t break a pane of glass with his stuff, but he changed sppeds well, had a BITCH of a curveball and GREAT, PINPOINT location which made him a consistent winner for the Tigers in the mid to late 1980s. Like in real estate, it’s all about location, location, location (and changing speeds).

Tanana once said he threw in the 90s in the 70s and 70s in the 90s

LOL. Very true.

I still remember Frank starting the clinching game vs. Toronto in 1987 and throwing a CG shutout to clinch the division title for the Tabbies. In perfect symmetry, the final out was a tap back to the mound that Frank snared and tossed to first (to Darryl Evans perhaps?)…

Mcgriff

was a july trade that was went into august because he couldn’t make up his mind about wether he wanted to become a cub. to bad that one didn’t work out. 2001, right?

It didn't go into August.

It was completed on July 27.

Cubs and Hawks fan - July 31, 2009 reply

Let's get Ryan Freel back to play 2nd base

I would rather have Farney

Twins acquired Olrando Cabrera

Tyler Ladenorf goes to the Twins.

Are you kidding me?!?

Sneaky little rascals…

Thanks Al

Really…I thought it dragged into August…oh well, i’ve been wrong before…hahahahahahah

No worries.

Remember to hit the “reply” link when you are responding to a post. It threads better that way.

Thanks

Just figured it out, guess i’m still a rookie…

Does anyone think the Cubs will make another trade, before the deadline?

I’m not so sure they will. The Cubs do have some questionable pieces, but i think that they can overcome those pieces.

I will go with no.

Magic 8 Ball says: Highly unlikely.

Magic 8 Ball says: "Ask again later" (after 3pm cdt)

Because of Jim Hendry's track record

I wouldn’t be surprised if we ended today with Tehan or something like him.

My money says no.

They got the relief pitchers, I believe they are happy with Fotenot/Baker/Blanco @ 2B. No need for more outfielders. I think we are looking at the team that will make the run for the playoffs.

I tend to agree

but i still wouldn’t be surprised

I'm surprised he makes 3.75 mil.

Who Tehan?

He was a hot prospect for the Royals at one time. I think he was a first round pick wasn’t he?

I want Teahen more for versatility than @ 2B

We keep getting hurt. He places OF, 2B, and 3B, plus he can hit.

TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN TEAHEN

king peahen is watching you

I hope these pics continue in game threads this year

fingers crossed

The twins just picked up Cabrera according to SI

poster 4 or so comments up alrdy

sorry missed it.

mlbtraderumors

the website is getting hit hard today, just tried to refresh and it took a while.

i remember it when it was just a baby.

Back when it was a black background and

the guy that ran it, did it in his free time. I remember the post where he announced that this was to become his full time job.

yeah. look at it now, Peter Gammons and players check this website.

We'll get there someday.

How do you broach that subject with the Missus

Hey baby, I know that I make $50k a year working at Company X, but I’ve decide that I’m going to stake our lives on a website that deals with nothing but baseball rumors. Now stay with me now, I’m going to spend all day surfing the net and making phone calls to run a website that only talks about Baseball rumors and I’m going to do it for free.

You with me, babe?

hahah

Wanna bet he slept on the couch that night?

No nookie for you for awhile Mister!

The peak day - 1,561,706 pageviews - was July 30th, 2009

Wow!!

Yeah, i remember those days. Back then it wasn’t very reliable, I love the format over there, a one stop shop for news updates on roster moves.

Remember the reply function.

I understand Gonzales is a power hitter

but, why is the price “three times that of what is being asked for Halladay” (jayson stark)he is hitting .250 with 28 homeruns. Isn’t he a cheap Adam Dunn? Not saying I wouldn’t want him on our team and that he isn’t a good player, but that sounds like a lot.

Qué?

Update 1:07 ET: John Heyman of SI.com reports that the Red Sox and Padres continue to talk about an Adrian Gonzalez deal, but the Red Sox want to include Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson, however, the Padres also want Lars Anderson and Ryan Westmoreland. Yikes!

Not surprising

its going to take a kings ransom to make the padres want to move him

he’s still young and relatively cheap… you’d have to really wow them for that deal to make a whole lot of sense.

Plus, he's the face of the franchise.

He grew up in and around San Diego and is their most marketable player, especially with a heavy Latin American population in the area. ESPN ran a really good article on just what Gonzalez means to the region recently.

The Cubs are basically done.

Aw c'mon, we're in first place!

done as in trade deadline. lol

Do you have a source on that

or just a gut instinct?

just a gut.

I thought they might target Teahan but he makes a lot.

I'm not giving up on that

until I go to bed tonight. :P

lol

ohhhhhhhhhhh

I'm with ya....

…and with Lou.

A nice, lefty RBI guy would be sweet…..

Victor Martinez to the RedSox via MLBTR

wow!

Why don't the Yankees and the Red Sox just go play on their own league?

The big jerks!

Oh come one...

….you know what we’re supposed to say whenever another contending team makes a nice move:

“This is only going to hurt them.”

Damnit!

I knew there was another clichéd phrase. I just couldn’t remember it. Thanks for the help!

oi vei

Ouch,

Man it must suck to play in the AL East. If you ain’t the Yanks or Red Sox, you have your work cut out for you.

Or the Rays.

They aren’t slouches either. :) (Which I love being able to say after their years of futility).

where will he play

has vmart been playing 1b and catcher this year? what will they do with Tek?

Give him a day or two off.

Then let Martinez play first, move Youkilis to 3B. Sit Lowell (let him start 2-3 times a week) and use LaRoche as a late-inning PH/defensive replacement.

YOUK!

so you're the one always yelling that...

HOUK! (as in Ralph)

they didn't even give up Buchholtz or Bard. What a steal!

Tomorrow night is Victor Martinez Bobblehead Night in Cleveland.

Good times!

Can they scrape the numner off and make it Sizemore night instead?

Judging from this photo, no

link

That's an awesome bobblehead! I'd love one for Geo...

…of course, it would have a giant splib hanging out of the corner of his mouth…

LaRoche?

Any word on if the Red Sox are moving him in the deal?

Wow, is all I can say. This has to put the Red Sox over the top in the AL East doesn’t it?

Meant the above as a reply to the discussion on Martinez.

My bad.

he batted .240 in June and .170 with 1 HR in July

so not necessarily

True, but now he will have the benefit of hitting the Sox lineup.

Couple that with either getting more days off, or playing 1st instead of catcher full time, and his offensive numbers should improve.

I agree with what you are saying though, I didn’t realize he was struggling so bad recently.

killing my fantasy team...

had to pick up Wieters to take his spot until he warms up.

Unique - July 31, 2009 reply

I've got Geo so I feel your pain.

Paging carmen

LOL!

I allow it because it's not a game thread...

LOL.

I just saw Jim Hnedry eating a very casual lunch @ Salt N Pepper

He is still there in fact ( i just walked home down the street) with a few other cubs front office folks.

Seemingly no serious discussions at the table… Doesn’t look like there will be a buzzer beater move from the cubs.

otherones - July 31, 2009 reply

You never know.

Unique - July 31, 2009 reply

did you tell him to get mark teahan?

please?

Teahen Victory Lunch?!

Maybe he doesn't know when the trade deadline is.

Just like the Chicago Tribune’s ticker to the deadline. (Hint: it’s at 4 ET, 3 CT – not 3 ET Tribune.)

Hnedry related to Hendry? :-)

I assume he has a cellphone and/or PDA on his person. How is the food there?

I don’t think Hendry would look all serious in a public place on a day like today, do you? The man is a good poker face—part of the job description.

ahhh big Lady Gag fan i'm guessing

Lagy "Gag" is right.

the Ryan Theriot of music: lots of hits, debatable talent for the position

OUCH!

damn!

but "scrappy"...

only if you drop

the s

Do NOT insult the Lugnut! We'll sic "Big Lug" on you.

Maybe “Ratchet” too…

sorry

was talking about lady gag

Ooops. Thought you were referring to Riot...

HTH is “Lady Gag-me”?

An overhyped excuse for a singer

ha!

burn

Today's Overpaid Pitcher is

Bronson Arroyo with a whopping 10.125 mil this year. Nice Bronson, you making the green. NICE!

WTF?

According to ESPN, Gibney will attempt to answer the question: Can Bartman ever forgive Chicago?

Leave it alone Enjoy Shootout Party Now

I think you should create a fanpost about this

/sarcasm

He should!

It will cut into the lead… My unofficial count has it at fanshots 3, fanposts 1…

lji001 - July 31, 2009 reply

I'd recc'd just so it stays on top!

1:35pm: MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo says pitchers Nick Hagadone and Justin Masterson are in the deal.

What deal?

vmart to bosox

I'm assuming

the Adrian Gonzalez to BoSox

See what happens when you assume?

it makes a llama out of you and me?

Something like that

lol

Allie working in a llama stall
ballhawk got Rami’s HR ball
God I love this time of year!

Uh oh...don't tempt me...

Do it! DO IT!

Twitter's about to burst

The Cubs are just barely in first
God I love this time of year!

well to quote Kurt Russell in Backdraft...

“You’re doing it wrong”

There is no wrong way for that!

TWHS

haha

you’re on fire today, daver!!

Sure there is...

…if your intent is to pay homage to the original artist.

On the other hand, if you’re trying to trailblaze a new path to poetic pithydom, well then, you’re doing it right.

Yeah, but we bastardized it long ago.

what a freaking steal!

Dodgers making a run for Adrián González and Heath Bell, per Rosenthal

Source.

This makes me muy triste.

Would Towers really trade them within the division?

I bet this comes from the divorce court proceedings

sure, why not?

Time to shoot that myth down.

If your present-day team sucks mightily, but you feel like you’ve got some good young talent and might be able to pull it all together for a nice run 3-4 years from now, doesn’t it make sense to rob your rival of their good young talent now?

Obviously with the stars you’re giving them now, they’re going to cream you for the next 2-3 years, but by year 4, maybe those stars have left for FA. Worst case, they’re 4 years older.

Now, whether or not the Padres fit this scenario is debatable. I think it’s safe to say though, their present-day team does suck mightily.

Yeah, that's true.

Just seems like a risky move in terms of your fanbase, though – especially when it comes to Gonzalez. How are they going to put/keep people in the seats?

I dunno, can it get much worse?

Be interesting to hear SDSJM’s take on this if it comes to fruition…

Cubs are looking at Rajai Davis.

...

why?

have no f**king clue!

Source?

Via Twitter …. Cubscorner

Cubs talkin to oakland about outfielder Rajah Davis, billie bean and hendry are good trading partners

why must you do this to me jimbo

Don't they owe us a PTBNL?

not sure.

Is Cubscorner a blogger or someone with media credentials?

he gets his info from bruce levine and other chicago people

Ah, OK. I'll check him out.

I watched

Davis play for a couple years in Indy….wasn’t terrible, but I’d prefer a keg of Old Style instead

jthack - July 31, 2009 reply

I think Davis covers more ground in CF than the keg.

Though the keg brings other intangibles to the table.

What's the keg's B:F ratio?

(beer to foam)

hahah

I could go for that... it's a better idea than Fuld.

He's RH and speedy.

DGU - July 31, 2009 reply

He's fast as all get out and can cover some ground in CF.

Not a bad 25th man to have around for late game situations.

but that's what we said about Joey Gathright...

lol

Ah, sigh.

I’m sure Joey’s enjoying Norfolk right now.

Davis isn’t a world-beater by any stretch, but he’d be a decent replacement for Johnson for a month and could potentially be a nice stolen-base guy off the bench (better than Pick Me Off Joe, at least).

Good replacement for Reed

I guess

Looking at Davis' stats again

he could actually end up an improvement on Reed.

DGU - July 31, 2009 reply

He's quietly putting together a good year in Oakland.

Thinking about that Reed roster spot...

…..whoever it turns out to be is basically up for the rest of the year, because Reed will probably be back from the DL/Rehab stint around Sept 1st.

Might be better to have experience, all things being equal.

Who knows

He may do well if the Cubs get him.

WHO?

Milwaukee gets pitcher from Dodgers

Milwaukee acquired right-handed pitcher Claudio Vargas from the Dodgers, SI.com has learned.

The Dodgers received minor league catcher Vinny Rottino, according to MLB Network.

Vargas had made eight relief appearances for the Dodgers this season, posting a 1.64 ERA. He was on the DL for almost three months with elbow tendinitis before being activated on July 3.

Vargas played for Milwaukee in 2007, going 11-6 with a 6.06 ERA in 23 starts and six relief appearances.

6.06 ERA

nothing new for the suds pitching staff it seems

BWAHAHAHHAHAHA!

I can’t wait to congratulate my Brewer fan friends!

Didn't the Brewers release him in Spring Training

a couple of years ago?

cowsarecool220 - July 31, 2009 reply

Braves hoping to work out a deal for LaRoche from Bosox...

according to Jon Heyman

You think they will throw in Smoltz?

Braves get LaRoche. Yankees get Harriston Jr.

details?

LaRoche brothers, flying.

laroche for kotchman

Word is the Hairston deal is Hairston for Austin Jackson

who is one of the Yankees top prospects.

i hope you're joking.

wha

no way

per Jonathan Mayo

on twitter:

Hearing Yankees deal for Hairston sends Austin Jackson to Cincy; trying to confirm

though the latest tweet says:

I’m thinking now the Austin Jackson info is not accurate, stand by…

that would be so stupid. Number 1 prospect.

I know.

I was shocked when I saw Mayo’s tweet about it.

Yeah, I don't even follow the Yankees farm system...

…and I know who he is.

larouhe to braves

and Jerry hairston to the yanks! way to counter the V Mart acquisistion!!!

laroche

BLOCKBUSTED

beats Corey Patterson

damn, what a great move by the Yanks

their fanbase must be thrilled

hahah very ecstatic

Who wouldn't want a faux Mexican on their team?

He'll be ripping foul balls outta new Yankee Stadium in no time!

haha +1

My Fantasy team is going to pot quickly

I had starters that are now bench players

you were starting hairston?

i imagine many others are in the same boat..

I was hanging tough

I was 12 out of 12 in one league with him but I was 2 out of 12 in another.

oh i was being sarcastic

hairston blows.

yes because Hairston is anchoring my team

Just peaking in...

How many deals for the Cubs so far??

0

Former Cubs or Cubs?

Looks like Beimel to the Rox.

No word on what the Nats got in return.

good move

Good.

Now we’ll all be able to watch the Grabow-Beimel Battle in Denver next week.

Rockies acquire Beimel

Beimel: hot potato(e)!

Bobby Wade traded to the Bears

…………………………………..jk

bobby scales traded for roy halladay straight up

Heilman for Lind?

GET IT DONE JIM!!

Marlins said to NOT be making a deal by 4pm

So maybe no Nick Johnson after all.

Marlins END pursuit of Nick Johnson

per MLBTR

ROLEN TO REDS

what makes them think they are contenders?

Dusty needs his horses.

Unique - July 31, 2009 reply

any team with dusty baker as their manager

is a contender

the magical toothpick

agrees with you.

so does

dick pole

TWSS

The profanity

is not appreciated.

...

He’s a coach over there (and former bench coach for the Cubs).

i sense some sarcasm...

I heard he can't lay on this stomach. Any truth to this rumor?

or not

That's no

reason to get lewd.

I'll be

your huckleberry.

stand up guy!

Supposedly they want leadership in the clubhouse

Seems that Dusty hasn’t provided too much of that this year.

i hope he kicks TLR's ass

As do I.

is Darren leaving for school?

Red acquire Scott Rolen

Indeed.

Here’s the link.

Rolen's having a pretty good year.

He’s put up a .846 OPS in 373 PAs. That’s quite an upgrade over what they’ve been getting from Encarnacion.

Scotty Rolen to Reds, pending approval

I approve.

Good

…he can more easily terrorize TLR if he’s in the division.

leothelip - July 31, 2009 reply

Come on 15 more minutes til trade deadline is DUNN!

We got Adam Dunn? I WANT ADAM LIND!

LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND!LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND!LIND! LIND! LIND! LIND!

Has anyone contact Eric yet to let him know we didn't get LIND!

That gives me an idea...

Seeing as how people aren’t trying too hard to follow the FanPost guidelines anyway, might as well have some fun with it.

From now on, if you can’t reach the 75 word minimum on your own, just type LIND LIND LIND LIND LIND LIND until you do.

excellent

Guys, any news on Scott Rolen?

Oh, Daver

You are such a dickpole.

the reds

got rolen for their pitching coach?

MOCubsfan - July 31, 2009 reply

Kinda surprised no one has chosen that for a username yet.

Haha, that's true

Maybe if he was still sitting on our bench.

yep

he immediately makes the reds the NL Central favorite

I hear the Reds are interested, but only if they can get rid of Hairston

How is this Rolen guy?

Twitter is the best thing that ever happened to MLB.

and universe

It's pretty cool to see baseball taking over the trending topics.

There are OTHER topics? Que?

ugh why hasn't the Miles and Heilman for Teahen

deal been done yet? We all know the every team wants miles and heilman

may be the cubs think that the asking price is too high ;-)

miles and heilman are going to toronto for scooter lind and HALLIDAY

Jim suddenly realized he was about to trade AARON HEILMAN

and he just couldn’t pull the trigger

WanderingWanderer - July 31, 2009 reply

10 mins

thanks Big Ben

Technically

but Al’s post is right. Deals can come down in the hours after the deadline passes.

It was laroche for kotchman. Pretty good return for BoSox

agreed, that Theo guy over there is no dummy

Braves must be hoping for a "return to greatness" out of LaRoche...

I was thinking that`

Didn’t he start out with Atlanta? See Pirates do develop for other teams

Really?

Wow did that Texeria trade backfire on the Braves!

Is Davis going to be a Cub or what?

Bette Davis?

♪ ♫ Jim's got Rajai Davis eyed... ♪ ♫

Kim Carnes as I remember...

Awesome daver.

patience is a virtue

Let me call Hendry real quick....

just a sec

Crash Davis?

we do need a back up catcher

Get er done!

He was in the show you know

Chili?

Jody?

And somewhere Roy Halliday

whispers a silent prayer….

to be heading to chicago

to the White Sox?

OMG! only THREE minutes to GO!

I may wet myself…

When is the announcement on LIND coming?????

Can we chant Jim's name?

JIM! JIM! JIM! JIM! JIM! JIM! JIM! JIM JIM! JIM! JIM JIM! JIM! JIM JIM! JIM! JIM

JIM. WHOO! JIM! WHOO!

(repeat until bludgeoned by those around you…)

:kicks zeke in the shins:

NO!

Sorry...

I’ll go sit in a corner facing the wall for the next few minutes…

…I’m SOOOOOO ashamed….

LOL

TRA-DER JIM! TRA-DER JIM! TRA-DER JIM! TRA-DER JIM! TRA-DER JIM!

rolen for encarnacion and minor leaguer

damn...

I like Encarnacion

Supposedly

Yadier Alonso – their 1st-rounder last year.

For Rolen?

Encarnacion and Alonso

for Rolen, per Will Carroll.

While we're twittering

ESPNChiBears Cutler just strolled onto the field.

Baseball is fun… but I am so geeked for football. LOL

he's strollin' ?

Thats what JD said

awesome mental image though

better than "struttin"

DING! DING! DING!

The market has CLOSED for the day…

00:00

CAN THEY GET LIND THROUGH WAIVERS FOR US TO CLAIM HIM?

...in the trunk of a car with the cases of illegal cigarettes and moonshine...

NO HALLADAY?

WTF JIMBO AGHHH

It's like he's not even trying.

he obviously doesnt care about this team

no wonder we'll only win 79 games

season is OVAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Hendry is lollygagging

That's it the season is over

Back the truck up! They need to put Zambrano, A-RAM, DLEE, and anyone else on the waiver wires right now. The season is over! They need to scrap this line-up and plan for the future. We didn’t get Halladay, LIND or TEAHAN, how can the Cubs expect to compete with this line-up. I MEAN COME-ON! We are only in First place, we need to trade these players while we can!

YEAH...ESPECIALLY THAT ZAMBRANO KID

PUT HIM ON WAIVERS AND TRADE HIM FOR A BAG OF BALLS

In all seriousness...

Can’t remember the GM but for awhile there, every year on August 1, he would put everybody on his team on waivers, just to mess with the media and create a smokescreen in case something really was cooking.

Sounds like something Kenny Williams would do, but I think it was before his time.

Remember, some deals take at least an hour to announce...

some take 6-7 months also

No Roberts??? WTF is Jimbo doing..damnn

Damn it, are we getting Rajai Davis or not???????!!!????

not

Nick Johnson

to the Marlins per MLBTR

Johnson to Marlins

so says Fox

marlins aquire nick johnson

alright..that's it..cubs should start a fire sale NOW!

our season is OVER

It was OVAH the second we traded away our HART

THIS TEAM HAS NO HART, NO CHEMISTRY

HAAHA

AND ABOVE ALL NO DEROSA!

Looks like the Marlins did grab their Johnson after all

The Marlins have acquired first baseman Nick Johnson for the Nationals for Class AA left-hander Aaron Thompson, according to a major-league source.

8th best prospect outta Marlins organization

TWSS

Great. Just in time to play against the Cubs.

that's crazy...

…after they announce they wouldn’t be making the deal? huh

as I said yesterday, never believe anything said publicly in the last 36 hrs. all bluster and

“dis-information” meant to intimidate the weak

and confuse the easily confused.

wha happened?

Marlins said they wouldn't pay up for Nick Johnson.

then they did make a deal

Hehe

How did the Marlins

get the nats to pay the whole salary

Um, they're the Nats

So we got Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff, right??

and Peavy too

Sweet.

is this real?

TheMontyShowHeath Bell to the Dodgers and Roy Halliday to the Angels? Those are big deals!

big deals can take a long time

we may not know everything for an hour or so

Yep.

There are some rumblings in the Twitter world of a big deal or two out there.

Well, I've waited almost 48 years to know everything...

…I guess I can wait another hour.

So which Marlin will be spending his last game there

Tonight ? Don’t know the roster but someone is going. Johnson won’t make it tonight though.

Whew, I'm exhausted.

Smoke if ya got ’em.

TWSS

I prefer brownies...

was it good for you too?

I'm spent!

We got another hour to go, Romeo

but baby! IM SLEEPY. one minute in heaven is better than two minutes in heaven i always say, cause im so intense!

It’s business, its business time!

you're wearing that "team building excercise" tshirt?

nope, already down to my socks thats why they call them business SO-CK-SAAAA!

OOOOOOOOOOOO

I never get tired of that song....LOL

never +10 BCB points

And you take out the recycling.

That’s not part of the foreplay but it is very important.

Tuesdays is the night we go over to your mothers house and i show her how to work the VCR machine again

It might not be over yet

sometimes the announcements take a while. But in the Twitter age it would be more surprising…

I'm gonna go mow the yard, and come back in and order my LIND/Huff/Halladay jersey

Pinstripes or Road?

alt

I've got to cancel my Rajai Davis jersey, it seems.

and I got to cancel my Nolasco and Matt Cain jerseys..bummer

and don't forget to order may be an ARod Jersey too..put your Miles and Heilman jerseys on waivers

I am just going to DFA my Miles jersey

or just unconditionally release it and eat the bill

Gasoline and a match should take care of that

no get a customized Hanna jersey. Those will sell very fast.

can you get excalmation points on a jersy?

or exclamation points?

instead of the numbers?

I HOPE SO!!!!!!!!!!!!

that should be next years BCB shirt

Have HANNA on the back of it
!

Interesting Retweet by MLBTR

Jays said Rolen wouldn’t be traded unless they traded Doc. Did Doc get traded?

speculation to the LA Angels of Angels

oooh you're on to something

Angels trade name “Los Angeles” to Toronto who will now be the Los Angeles Jays of Toronto!

Halladay to Angels – talks center around Angels P Joe Saunders.

From SBNation Blog the MLB Daily Dish

saunders sucks

If that's what the deal is truly built around, it's awful

I’d riot if I were a Blue Jays fan.

Instead of Happ and several prospects

they get Saunders. Wow Toronto trying to be the Pirates of the AL?

or Bucholz and several prospects...

maaaaaaaaybe

interesting!

It took 3 minutes for someone...

to post a thread complain about the Cubs lack of trades! Over/under of total threads about the subject. The number is 5!

if vegas had a line on that post going up

i would have bet my entire life savings on it

who?

CalDeano

with generic avatar.

So… no one we’ve seen before, probably.

Or again

May be time for a thread hijack

I wouldn't say I've been missing work.

not that that matters

not really no

but he asked.. figured i’d answer

Hawk - This ballgame is OVAH!

Hell YES!

He can stuff it up his tailpipe... YES.

Speaking of Hawk...

he must be very happy about the rumors that the Sox dealt for Jake Peavy again.

That's a wrap, folks.

there is ....................... August

So what you are saying is that I still have a chance?

HELL YEAH!

cst_cubsNo more cubs activity at deadline. Looks like it’s up to Milton.

We're fucked.

You mean...

…Hendry didn’t even TRY to pry Pujols from St.Louis?!?!?

BS jim

GAH WTF

they wanted

miles and heilman

and we all know that trade would put us at -1 on the Rodgers Trade Balance Scale.

forgot

to add that they wanted to pay the contracts of all involved and make us throw in a used garden rake, a bag of bp balls and a derek jeter glove.

Wrigley Field For Albert and Cash Considerations

I bet we could of got him for...

Heilmann, Hoff, Miles and a PTBNL. Hendry just didn’t try hard enough. In MLB 2009 for Xbox I was able to get Puljos for only Sori and Bradely. This is some bull~!

Pujols for Sori and Bradley?!?!

Great! As long as we don’t have to give up Pie.

No but I was able to flip Miles and Hoff for Roberts

and then I took Marshall and Fotenot and got Peavy

LOL

mlbtraderumorsFor real? RT @SI_JonHeyman peavy dealt again to #whitesox! again! not sure if he’s OK’ed it.

SI_JonHeymanthis is no joke. peavy goes to white sox again. #padres get minor leaguers.

Because the first go around wasn't fun enough

let’s do it again.

it would be my guess that they've talked him into waiving his no-trade clause

WanderingWanderer - July 31, 2009 reply

"um, Jake, we traded away all our talent. You still sure you want to be here?"

hahah

If I could have shipped out the pitching machine you'd be throwing BP every day.

FollowThePadresIt’s true. #Padres pitcher Jake Peavy to the White Sox for LHP Aaron Poreda. Not sure what else. More soon. #mlbtrades #mlb

wtf

isnt he still on the DL?

AFAIK

Yep

Player News (last updated: July 26, 2009)
News: Peavy (ankle) continues to make progress in his rehab, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports,
Spin: Peavy could still be another month away from returning to the Padres, but it’s good to see him moving towards returning as opposed to shutting it down for the remainder of the season.

He was only on the 15 day DL....

so technically he could be off it at anytime.

Eligable sure

forgot to add...he was placed on the DL in the middle of June.

HELL YEAH!

heyman on mlbnetwork next

PV?!!!

wtfffffffffffffff

PV!!!!!

PV to the whitesox, again.

Mlbtraderumors! Lol

BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness - July 31, 2009 via mobile reply

that's good.

the White Sux pay his moving costs and see if his arm is OK.

then the Cubs can try to sign him later.

SIGH NO HALLADAY FOR THE CUBS!

No Halliday either.

Nice

cst_cubsBeachfront lineup: fuky, riot, lee, rami, milt, fox, font, hill, harden.

I DON"T SEE LIND'S NAME IN THERE?

nor Roberts

look closer...

cst_cubsBeachfront lineup: fuky, riot, Lee, rami, milt, fox, font, hill, harden.

hahahah

bahahahaha

LIND!

oh!

there is a game tonight! I’d forgotten

Cubs play baseball?

I thought they just trade players?

Bruce Levin on ESPN radio 1000...

…just said that Peavy has been traded to the WHITE SOX.

neonverse1 - July 31, 2009 reply

I won't believe it until Steve Stone says it's true. Who is Bruce Miles?

Pareda, Richard, Carter, and Russel go to Padres

$hit, that is a ton for an injured pitcher

still need Peavy's approval, though, right?

i think he approved.

interesting.

Why in hell...

would anyone agree to go play of Ozzie in that hell-hole?

He’s aware that there are two teams in Chicago right? Maybe he thinks he was traded to the Cubs.

2005 would like a word with you

Those memory files...

appear to have been deleted from my hard drive. :)

CubsWin!Oregon - August 2, 2009 reply

:waits:

for the crawdad attack

I may not be a White Sox fan

but I can see the appeal of playing for a team that is at least contending for the playoffs this year and next, versus the Padres who are at best a couple of years away.

No, I get that too...

I was being more tongue-in-cheek. I do like to think that if I was fortunate enough to be a big league ball player (and had already made a ton of money), there would be certain teams I’d never let myself play for if I could help it. The Cardinals being one; the Mets being another. And the White Sox…

But no, I of course understand why Peavy would want to contend.

CubsWin!Oregon - August 2, 2009 reply

I meant to type...

…Bruce Levine of ESPN radio 1000. Sorry!

neonverse1 - July 31, 2009 reply

Confirmed

by Chris DeLuca. Bit of a shocker if you ask me

mlb network is talking about it

cst_cubsGrabow in the house. Just walked in with Pittsburgh equpmnt bag and introduced self to Lou.

What up G-Bow?

Hi Lou

I’m LH, tend to have bouts with command and don’t really get lefties out any better than righties. If you plan on banishing me to the back-end of the bullpen after 3 outings where i lose the strike zone, can you let me know ahead of time? It worked out great for Scott Eyre.

g-bow = pimp daddy

PV HAS STABBED A DAGGER THROUGH MY HEART

WHAT A JERK

Oh, don't worry

I’m sure the Cubs got Dan haren, Roy Halladay, and gasp Adam Lind.

Jimbo just wants to surprise us. :D

THAT WONT LESSEN THE PAIN THAT IS PV BETRAYING US

Another thing

Peavy is hurt, and the White Sox just gave up 4 players for him.

How will he fare at the hitter-friendly Cell? against AL hitters? Hmmm.
AND, coming out of injury.

jerry morales rules - July 31, 2009 reply

Meh

The least of Cub concerns right now is starting pitching. PV, while good, is not ALL THAT.

In all honesty

I never saw anything worthy of the Cubs’ desire.

I never saw why he would be an ace.

They got a lot for an injured pitcher.

For those asking, yes, Jake Peavy signed off on the deal. @JonathanMayoB3 says it’s a good haul for the #Padres. #mlbtrades

I thought you could not trade a player on the DL ?