2009 Repeating NL Central Division Champs Chicago Cubs Thread of Destiny [Archive] - Page 7

TheMojoPin

02-02-2009, 12:15 PM

Michael Wuertz traded to the A's for Richie Robnett and Justin Sellers (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=2102823). No idea who these guys are.

What a waste. Wuertz is a very solid reliver who ended up in the arbitrary "Lou's doghouse" because he had a bad stretch for about a week and never got a chance to come back. I don't know anything about these guys, but it's a shame to trade an MLB experienced reliever who is cheap simply because the manager gets a bug up his ass. Mind you, this is the same manager who got fed up with Wuertz after a week or so but let Bob Howry keep shitting the bed for he entire season. Lou had no idea how to use Wuertz...his best weapon is his slider, but sometimes it leads him to walk a guy or two. Not the best scenario, but if you let him satrt the inning as the pitcher he almost always got out of it if he ran into trouble. Lou kept bringing him in with multiple guys on base already.

TheMojoPin

02-23-2009, 05:44 AM

Shake off the cobwebs, gents. (http://ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=75852)

TheMojoPin

02-25-2009, 11:08 AM

Cubs' baseball is on the air!

Alright, so it's just ST, but whatever...hearing the cheesy WGN Radio intro music and then Pat Hughes say the line above means that all is right in my world.

TheMojoPin

03-01-2009, 06:19 AM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/c4/fullj.f8317022c13f22f4c506cf31c368650a/f8317022c13f22f4c506cf31c368650a-getty-84315376kd018_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/89/fullj.62ea5866a37b20e8bedba373b31de362/62ea5866a37b20e8bedba373b31de362-getty-84315376kd015_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/1a/fullj.dbab65d132588333221f66663cad9c77/dbab65d132588333221f66663cad9c77-getty-84315376kd014_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/99/fullj.e7018fcc9cfc1d94df8eadd32867029a/e7018fcc9cfc1d94df8eadd32867029a-getty-84315376kd017_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/d0/fullj.ede8c70134c30130d395dc2dec20e718/ede8c70134c30130d395dc2dec20e718-getty-84315376kd016_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/9f/fullj.e4633d6e6dc93bbdb6fd8d8520477d30/e4633d6e6dc93bbdb6fd8d8520477d30-getty-84315376kd012_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/15/fullj.8b45f5f7b361adf1d504ae2f3a72043e/8b45f5f7b361adf1d504ae2f3a72043e-getty-84315376kd013_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/8f/fullj.de128b6a8620f578c6ccc1c9cadbe475/de128b6a8620f578c6ccc1c9cadbe475-getty-84315376kd004_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/6c/fullj.802480dc2be8803af46e92bace400005/802480dc2be8803af46e92bace400005-getty-84315376kd002_chicago_cubs_.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/4b/fullj.13a37ea3befca88ebacf9814b33b680a/13a37ea3befca88ebacf9814b33b680a-getty-84315376kd001_chicago_cubs_.jpg

TheMojoPin

03-01-2009, 06:20 AM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.3de8dd41719648dc96f45fcdfaa7a1bb.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg105.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.b4f40566e79b497694e0c4bc125659e2.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg104.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.60595606362941c6be2031c178f5b723.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg103.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.9e701c01e30241d98cf6b4e1c102d783.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg102.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.2e4297760bf549cc97e071e00fe4b28c.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg101.jpg

TheMojoPin

03-01-2009, 06:21 AM

Best of all:

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2009/02/chadgaudin.jpg

TheMojoPin

03-03-2009, 06:44 AM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090302/capt.47a97f61329c42a5b9e625b6f37be874.diamondbacks _cubs_spring_baseball_azmg109.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090302/capt.e76a95db4bc54d308091d79fee13183c.diamondbacks _cubs_spring_baseball_azmg108.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090302/capt.bea6462085404aff96d9984f8d94f3d2.diamondbacks _cubs_spring_baseball_azmg105.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090302/capt.1f6f7973d2074af9ac0fc41232cf4094.diamondbacks _cubs_spring_baseball_azmg106.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090302/capt.7d3f4aa672ed4366981781f54b120b5b.diamondbacks _cubs_spring_baseball_azmg101.jpg

TheMojoPin

03-03-2009, 06:47 AM

You can see more ST pics here! (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?t=75852&page=10)

Suspect Chin

03-19-2009, 10:42 PM

Lots of great Cubs fans on here so I thought I would pose the question:

Is it time to tear down Wrigley and give the fans a world class stadium like most other teams now enjoy? Or does it still have its charm and should be left standing?

Wrigley Field is one of my favorite places on earth and I love nothing more than downing Old Style and pissing in a trough all summer long. However there is nothing worse than getting stuck behind a pole for nine long innings.

I say let it stand until we win a World Series, then immediately tear it down and start over.

What do you think?

TheMojoPin

03-19-2009, 10:49 PM

They'll never tear it down.

Personally, I'm all for them building a new stadium somewhere else on the northside. In my dream world they take the scoreboard, bleachers, bricks, ivy and marquee and build a new stadium where they're tearing down Cabrini Green. That whole area is a pretyy cool neighborhood, there'd be room for parking plus the train would still go right by it and they could have the stadium situated with the skyline behind it like PNC has.

I mean, I love Wrigley, but I recognize the limitations. If they wanted to consistently fund a quality team, being able to sell up to 50,000 tickets a game as opposed to 42,000 would really go a long way to helping with that.

It's likely going to be gutted and totally overhauled sometime in the next 5 years, which means they'll likely spend a season sharing the Cell with the White Sox, which suuuuuuuucks.

razorboy

03-19-2009, 11:03 PM

Suspect Chin

03-19-2009, 11:07 PM

Marc with a c

03-19-2009, 11:08 PM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090228/capt.3de8dd41719648dc96f45fcdfaa7a1bb.white_sox_cu bs_spring_baseball_azmg105.jpg

that doesn't seem fair.

Suspect Chin

03-19-2009, 11:10 PM

weekapaugjz

03-19-2009, 11:13 PM

i say leave it and do some renovations and upkeep and whatever else. ive never had as much fun at a baseball game as the two sitting in the right field bleachers.

Suspect Chin

03-19-2009, 11:20 PM

The best is when the right field bleachers start taunting the left field bleachers...."Right Field sucks!" "Left field sucks!"

TheMojoPin

03-20-2009, 08:25 AM

Get over here! (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2177906&posted=1#post2177906)

TheMojoPin

03-20-2009, 08:30 AM

You'll excuse me if I say that you're out of your mind. Baseball is a religion, and nothing infuriates me more than when someone neglects one of the cathedrals of baseball, e.g. the move the Tigers made fom my favorite of all old school stadiums, Tiger Stadium, to that cookie cutter HOK abomination, Comerica Park. Another perfect example is when the felon Yankees owner went on a decade long bender and decided to turn a beautiful baseball stadium into a hideous concrete abortion of a ballpark. These few remaining historical monuments to the National Pastime should be preserved at all costs, period.

Edit: Obviously that was directed at the poster who suggested tearing down Wrigley.

I understand what you're saying.

That said, the "cookiecutter park" style went out when Camden showed up. Almost all of the new stadiums built since have been very unique and distinct to each team, ad stadiums like PNC and Camdem really emphasize how you can make a great "classic-style" balpark and have it updated with everything you need for the game today.

On top of that, the local city politics really make it hard for the Cubs to do anything at Wrigley. They really need to be playing more night games and renovations should have been done years ago but everything is held up by the local residents and property owners and that Wrigley is actually two established historical landmarks. In the big picture, it would be so much better for the team if they were able to build a new stadium elsewhere in the city for their games. If that happened, Wrigley would still be there and used for other sporting events, concerts and exhibition games and such.

At the very least, the grandstand needs to be gutted and completely redone, and I hope the new owners are able to do that within the next 3-5 years.

Suspect Chin

03-20-2009, 08:43 AM

Get over here! (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2177906&posted=1#post2177906)

Lets try to make a run and destroy the cardinals today before all their fans sign on later this evening.

TheMojoPin

04-03-2009, 11:53 AM

Jacque Jones released by Reds; Spawns greatest Sports Editorial Ever (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/149210-jacque-jones-released-by-reds-i-blame-the-cubs)

IMSlacker

04-06-2009, 03:10 PM

BOOM!!!

HR Soriano! Cubs up 1-0.

IMSlacker

04-06-2009, 03:26 PM

ARAMABOMB!!!

2-0 Cubs

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 04:04 PM

http://cdn1.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/10842/41313587.jpg

Snoogans

04-06-2009, 04:05 PM

you bums better win, i got 10 cents ridin on it

IMSlacker

04-06-2009, 05:40 PM

Micah Hoffpauir > Daryle Ward

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 05:42 PM

Kevin Gregg < Kerry Wood

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 05:44 PM

And is Bradley TRYING to hurt himself? Dude rolls his ankle stepping on first watching a good catch and then basically does a fucking cartwheel in the OF trying to make one.

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 05:47 PM

http://roddzblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/cubs_win.jpg

IMSlacker

04-06-2009, 05:48 PM

Kevin Gregg makes me nervous.

IMSlacker

04-06-2009, 05:49 PM

And is Bradley TRYING to hurt himself? Dude rolls his ankle stepping on first watching a good catch and then basically does a fucking cartwheel in the OF trying to make one.

Yeah, Bradley's gonna be on the DL before the end of this series.

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 05:50 PM

Kevin Gregg makes me nervous.

He does, but this is better than what he usually does to make people nervous. No walks, which is his biggest weakness, and only one real solid hit. The other was a weak grouner that was placed just right up the middle.

At least Marmol looked good.

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 05:50 PM

Yeah, Bradley's gonna be on the DL before the end of this series.

I wish Lou had moved Fukudome to RF for the 9th after he put Gathright in CF.

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 06:17 PM

Milton Bradley makes peace with the fans:

http://www.sawauto.com/uploader/up1/Milton%203.gif

TheMojoPin

04-06-2009, 10:17 PM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/dd/fullj.fff8f5eb73eb97052e77c7689b7488fd/fff8f5eb73eb97052e77c7689b7488fd-getty-85126815cg007_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/c8/fullj.5c878a72184f98e91988007cd56b8f98/5c878a72184f98e91988007cd56b8f98-getty-85126815cg009_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/fd/fullj.75426097385c835e030ae74a0c4e14fb/75426097385c835e030ae74a0c4e14fb-getty-85126815cg014_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/75/fullj.f39fea933ff6e7e3b9c004d69c17fc41/f39fea933ff6e7e3b9c004d69c17fc41-getty-85126815cg013_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/08/fullj.788b2775f40980b848bd797179f5ba0d/788b2775f40980b848bd797179f5ba0d-getty-85126815cg015_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/50/fullj.ea04f2c1f1dd5df4b5e507d6c6228c49/ea04f2c1f1dd5df4b5e507d6c6228c49-getty-85126815cg017_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/fd/fullj.58b6cfa220a440024e6db4ad0dc9d2e4/58b6cfa220a440024e6db4ad0dc9d2e4-getty-85126815cg018_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/40/fullj.a00dcc4929cdc72e9a43d738edfa618d/a00dcc4929cdc72e9a43d738edfa618d-getty-85126815cg024_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/c3/fullj.67a1521f7553aa640847dce53475afd0/67a1521f7553aa640847dce53475afd0-getty-85126815cg023_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/33/fullj.fe8c3ba5b4abc444e8da5c61188067fb/fe8c3ba5b4abc444e8da5c61188067fb-getty-85126815cg028_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/89/fullj.dc72456afbbb8b4f78aaf0226f710292/dc72456afbbb8b4f78aaf0226f710292-getty-85126815cg030_chicago_cubs_.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/f8/fullj.a34657cfd8b98f74c1385e0f38b3985b/a34657cfd8b98f74c1385e0f38b3985b-getty-85126815cg031_chicago_cubs_.jpg

Zambrano's only struggles were at the plate, where he went 0-for-3. Piniella didn't ask him to put down a bunt with a man on in the seventh and a 3-0 lead, saying he wasn't sure if Zambrano even knew the sign.

"That would be a good quiz," Piniella said.

"I don't know the bunt sign," Zambrano said with a grin. "There is no bunt sign for me."

TheMojoPin

04-07-2009, 02:35 PM

Impressive: (http://csnchicago.com/pages/new_landing/?Cubs-Opener-Posts-Huge-TV-Ratings-on-CSN=1&blockID=48221&feedID=661)

Chicago, IL (April 7, 2009) – Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of the defending NL Central Division champion Chicago Cubs in HD, delivered massive television ratings for last evening’s 2009 Cubs regular season opener (April 6) -- an 8.14 household rating for its live coverage of the team’s NL Central match-up against the Houston Astros.

Comcast SportsNet attracted over approx. 284,000 households for the entire game and scored a 10.4 peak rating during the 7:45 PM quarter-hour (over 363,000 households). The 8.14 household rating is the highest Cubs “season opener” game rating in Chicago regional sports network television history (previous high on April 5, 2004 at Cincinnati - 6.48 rating on Fox Sports Net). Source for all ratings information is provided by Nielsen Media Research overnights.

Comcast SportsNet was also the #1-highest rated television network in the Chicago market last night during the time period of 6:00-9:00 PM for the key advertiser demo rating of Adults 25-54 (4.60 rating). The network was also #1 in the Chicago market in the demo category of Men 25-54 from 6:00-9:30 PM, which included the game telecast and Lowe’s Cubs Post Game Live.

Snoogans

04-07-2009, 03:42 PM

you bums better win tonight, i got 10 cents on it

IMSlacker

04-07-2009, 07:07 PM

Nice job by Cotts to get out of that jam.

Let's get some runs!

IMSlacker

04-07-2009, 07:34 PM

Booo! Cubs loose.

http://www.jacnsue.com/Cubs/cubs_lose.bmp

A fool and his 10 cents are soon parted.

TheMojoPin

04-07-2009, 07:43 PM

Meh, it happens. The only things that annoyed me were the multiple shitty managering movies by Lou (namely the hit and run with 2 guys on base and no outs and Bradley up that had him swinging at ball 4 TWICE) and the horrible defense the Cubs have on the left side of the IF when Miles and Theriot are both playing.

TheMojoPin

04-08-2009, 04:45 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, the new NL power threat:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/OHCubsFan/font.jpg

jauble

04-08-2009, 04:56 PM

Ladies and gentlemen, the new NL power threat:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/OHCubsFan/font.jpg

No kidding, the guy hasn't thrown a pro pitch since 07 and there you go.

TheMojoPin

04-13-2009, 12:26 PM

The shitty, mentally unstable conundrum that is Aaron Miles:

http://www.zeroartradio.com/miles_sucks.png

Suspect Chin

04-13-2009, 02:39 PM

Pretty nice outing by Kevin Gregg today. Makes me feel slightly better.

TheMojoPin

04-13-2009, 02:42 PM

I'll take winning 4-0 without Bradley, Aramis and Soto any day of the week, thank you.

cougarjake13

04-13-2009, 05:09 PM

Pretty nice outing by Kevin Gregg today. Makes me feel slightly better.

well he couldnt blow them all

TheMojoPin

04-19-2009, 06:29 AM

Finally went to my first game this weekend on Saturday. Great seats just the 2nd row back from the Cardinals' dugout. Seeing Albert Pujols repeatedly just about 7 feet away from me kept blowing my mind.

Man, all of the games against the Brewers and Cardinals already hae that playoff race intensity. Pretty fun stuff so far, especially when you've got Aramis winning a game with another walkoff HR (love that the replay of him watching it go out shows him saying "get the fuck out of here" as obvious as anything). Whatever "clutch" is, he's definitely got it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46376248.jpg
(Cutler throwing on the first pitch on Saturday)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46376246.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373051.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373049.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373097.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373093.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373095.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-04/46373050.jpg

Suspect Chin

04-19-2009, 11:07 AM

How much did those seats set you back?

TheMojoPin

04-19-2009, 11:30 AM

Nada. My uncle is in the state government. They're usually the speaker's seats.

Gvac

04-23-2009, 01:59 PM

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Cincinnati
0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 2 7 13 2

Chi Cubs
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 7 2

Ho hum.

2 out of 3 in Wrigley.

3 winning series in a row against division rivals.

The BIG RED MACHINE is back!

K.C.

04-23-2009, 05:50 PM

I would just like to point out:

Pirates: 9-6
Cubs: 8-6

:lol:

TheMojoPin

04-23-2009, 05:52 PM

Uh, OK.

Marc with a c

04-29-2009, 02:35 PM

what the fuck is up with marmol?

TheMojoPin

04-29-2009, 02:55 PM

what the fuck is up with marmol?

He's usually shitty in his first outing after missing a few games.

Not that he's sticking out on a shitty team with his shittiness.

Suspect Chin

04-30-2009, 09:03 PM

Terrible showing today. At least Kevin Gregg was strong.

TheMojoPin

04-30-2009, 09:33 PM

Terrible showing today. At least Kevin Gregg was strong.

The bullpen is still a wreck even when Marmol is at full strength. It's still relatively early, but they need to start planning to try out some other arms there or else it's going to become even more of a liability down the line, especially given that it's Lou calling the shots and he's bullpen retaded even with a good 'pen.

I know a lot of their problems stem from Bradley and Aramis not having been in the lineup much, but there are some definite longterm concerns. I wasn't expecting Soto to repeat his ROY numbers, but he's looking horrid right now. He apparently still has the nagging hand issue when he bats from the end of the last year, plus the sore shoulder and he seems to have put around 20 pounds on. His weight loss was seemingly the big reason he was able to step up his offensive output a couple years ago. I wouldn't be opposed to him going on the DL to at least lose some of that and hopefully get his shoulder in better shape because right now he's next to useless both offensively and defensively.

The DeRosa trade is really weighing heavily right now. I get why they traded him to free up cash with the payroll as weird as it it with the sale, but Hendry totally dropped the ball in terms of even dreaming of replacing DeRosa's role as a utility. I wasn't expecting him to be replaced with players of equal production, but they have nobody who can play a tolerable 3rd base right now and Aaron Miles isn't fit to be the bat boy much less actually on the roster. Priority #1 right now needs to be to attempt to bolster the bench defensively and offensively because right now it's almost useless outside of Hoffpauir and he can only play 1st.

Ritalin

05-01-2009, 01:04 AM

Nada. My uncle is in the state government. They're usually the speaker's seats.

Mojo's got clout, baby.

hammersavage

05-01-2009, 05:11 PM

Can that grand slam get you ladies going already?

TheMojoPin

05-01-2009, 05:40 PM

I hope so. Offensively, this game seemed like night and day compared to the last 10 games or so even if you set aside the freak Theriot GS.

The big thing right now is not having Aramis Ramirez in the lineup.

cougarjake13

05-01-2009, 06:57 PM

anybody watch life afer people ??

this past weeks episode had chicago in it and what happens to the city if people suddenly disappeared on earth

they had what happens to wrigley as part of the episode

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 04:46 PM

Not liking what I'm seeing from Randy Wells so far. Hurry back Z!

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 04:51 PM

I welcome the time off for Z. He seems to get worn down towards the end of the year, so him missing 3-4 starts now might end up being big down the line.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 04:55 PM

That's true. I just wish Wells would start throwing some goddamn strikes.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 04:57 PM

oh, crap!

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 04:59 PM

And that could very well be the season right there.

epo

05-08-2009, 05:00 PM

I hope Ramirez is ok. He's too good of a player to get hurt on a nice play like that.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:01 PM

Ah, yes. Aaron Miles as the #4 hitter. Wonderful.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:18 PM

Rewatching the Aramis injury I'm thinking it's likely a dislocated shoulder which probably means 6-12 weeks out. If he's torn anything up there it might be career threatening/changing.

epo

05-08-2009, 05:24 PM

Hey Dave Bush....if you could not hang a cut fastball over the plate to Milton Bradley it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 05:27 PM

Fear not, Mojo. The Cubs have Landed Ryan Freel from the Orioles (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-ostrade508,0,687630.story) for Joey Gathright. They'll hardly miss Aramis.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:28 PM

If Milton can actually go back to being Milton hitting-wise it would be huge. The Cubs still need to go out and get someone for 3rd, but if Bradley can hit anything likle he has over his career it would really change things. Soto also needs to drop about 20-30 pounds to get back into fighting form, too.

epo

05-08-2009, 05:28 PM

According to the Brewers TV broadcast, its a dislocation of the shoulder.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:29 PM

Fear not, Mojo. The Cubs have Landed Ryan Freel from the Orioles (http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-ostrade508,0,687630.story) for Joey Gathright. They'll hardly miss Aramis.

Yeah, I saw that earlier today. That's actually a good deal in terms of getting the extra back up IFer they needed, though it means squa with Aramis out for an extended period.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:31 PM

According to the Brewers TV broadcast, its a dislocation of the shoulder.

Awful, though compared to some of the things it could be I guess that's for the best. A dislocated shoulder will knock him out probably 2-3 months but it's something he can come back from. If he has something like a torn labrum he might be seriously fucked for the rest of his career. I hope that the further tests don't reveal anything besides dislocation.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 05:36 PM

Bobby Scales with maybe the funniest fucking slide I've ever seen on that triple. Hell, it wasn't even a slide since he was like 3 feet off the ground.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 06:21 PM

Nice job, Heilman, you piece of shit.

cougarjake13

05-08-2009, 06:27 PM

Nice job, Heilman, you piece of shit.

you're welcome

epo

05-08-2009, 06:33 PM

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 06:44 PM

Yeah, I REALLY don't care about a loss to the shitty Brewers right now.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 06:45 PM

I miss Eric Gagne.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 06:47 PM

I'm sort of just resigning myself to the season probably being over. Aramis too huge a loss.

IMSlacker

05-08-2009, 06:57 PM

Maybe not. I'm optimistic based on what the orthopedic surgeon guy at the cub report is saying.

Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 7:57pm.
A Dislocated shoulder at a minimum is 2 weeks off. So I'd be shocked if ARam doesn't hit the DL.

If no fracture is associated with the dislocation, I'd guess it's 2-4 weeks off. He's going to get X-Rays now and probably an MRI tomorrow to assess the details of the soft tissue damage that is present from the shoulder when it dislocates anteriorly.

There are some trends to do an early repair of the soft tissues (trying to place the torn capsule back on the glenoid (socket) rim, when the anterior capsule has a large tear (also in a high end athlete and a throwing shoulder) but it's his non-throwing shoulder so that's less likely.

The last anterior shoulder dislocation I remember was the WSox former backup catcher, Toby Hall and he opted out of surgery for a big tear. I think it was his throwing shoulder though.

The treatment thinking is different if it's a recurrent shoulder dislocation, which this isn't apparently...so it's called a primary or first time dislocation.

If it's only 2-4 weeks, they'll probably be ok, assuming Lee and/or Bradley and/or Soto start hitting again.

TheMojoPin

05-08-2009, 07:08 PM

Maybe not. I'm optimistic based on what the orthopedic surgeon guy at the cub report is saying.

If it's only 2-4 weeks, they'll probably be ok, assuming Lee and/or Bradley and/or Soto start hitting again.

I hope it's along hose lines, but you probably gotta still think around 4-6 weeks with rehab and all. He simply cannot be rushed back from this. Thinking about it, these are probably the best options right now to try and trade for:

Adrian Beltre:.207/.242/.276 career: 105 OPS+ signed through 09
Melvin Mora: .245/.302/.367 career: 110 OPS+ signed through 09 plus club option for 10
Ty Wigginton: .208/.240/.260 career: 103 OPS+ signed through 10 at $3.5 mil
Aubrey Huff: .274/.344/.451 career: 116 OPS+ signed through 09
Garrett Atkins: .224/.287/.367 career: 106 OPS+ signed through 09
Mark Loretta: .375/.483/.417 career: 100 OPS+ signed through 09
Jorge Cantu: .312/.385/.656 career: 105 OPS+ signed through 09
Mark DeRosa:.250/.311/.458 career: 97 OPS+ signed through 09
Hank Blalock:.245/.275/.520 career: 104 OPS+ signed through 09

That DeRosa trade just looks dumber by the day.

Soto's gotta hit the gym and lose that weight ASAP.

TheMojoPin

05-09-2009, 01:58 PM

Sounding more and more like this is going to have him out 6-8 weeks, but so far they haven't found anything serious in terms of tearing or career-threatening damage. Most of the issue seems to stem from how he partially dislocated the same shoulder in 2000 when he was with the Pirates, so some kind of surgery is all but inevitable in the offseason to "tighten things up."

In terms of helping stem the bleeding offesnively for the next 2 months, I'd love it if the Cubs looked into signing Ray Durham to play 2nd with Fontenot platooning between 2nd and at 3rd with Freel. Then they don't have to give up any parts for any trades they'll need before the deadline if hey're still in the hunt.

Suspect Chin

05-10-2009, 11:15 AM

Gotta love that nice little rally the Cubs just put on.

TheMojoPin

05-10-2009, 11:21 AM

Don't jinx it.

disneyspy

05-10-2009, 11:22 AM

you jinx your team by not startin a new thread for them every year,mojojinx

IMSlacker

05-13-2009, 05:42 PM

The Padres only have one guy who can hit. STOP PITCHING TO HIM!

IMSlacker

05-13-2009, 05:48 PM

Nice! Soto's back, baby!

IMSlacker

05-13-2009, 06:23 PM

Shortest rain delay ever!

TheMojoPin

05-13-2009, 06:23 PM

Nice! Soto's back, baby!

Let's not sucking each other's dicks just yet. The wind is blowing out crazy hard tonight, so fatty had a big helping hand.

IMSlacker

05-13-2009, 06:25 PM

Let's not sucking each other's dicks just yet. The wind is blowing out crazy hard tonight, so fatty had a big helping hand.

I know, but two hits in one game is nice to see.

Dammit! Stop pitching to Gonzalez!

Ritalin

05-14-2009, 08:09 AM

Let's not sucking each other's dicks just yet. The wind is blowing out crazy hard tonight, so fatty had a big helping hand.

modquote

Edit: Mojo, how did your post count end up down in the 1000's? Did your odometer kick over?

TheMojoPin

05-14-2009, 08:44 AM

modquote

Edit: Mojo, how did your post count end up down in the 1000's? Did your odometer kick over?

I cheated.

Ritalin

05-14-2009, 10:13 AM

I cheated.

Just like Arod.

They should call you TheARodPin

TheMojoPin

05-23-2009, 08:47 PM

Holy shit.

This offense is INCREDIBLY bad right now.

I know not having Aramis is a huge blow, but too many guys are either clearly in decline or are just tanking. They're not nearly as bad as they have been over the last 5 games, but some flaws have been magnified. I think it's very telling that they haven't won a single game this season where they've scored less than 4 runs.

I know it's not June yet and they haven't fallen out, but I could see this being an upset year a la the Tigers last year.

IMSlacker

05-24-2009, 04:18 AM

TheMojoPin

05-24-2009, 09:21 AM

Yeah, after the pathetic display in St. Louis this week, I'm in can't watch mode again. I'm pretending to be a hockey fan until the Hawks get eliminated.

It's like a perfect storm of suck. The team is pressing, which hurts enough to begin with, but then the middle 3 games were against Carpenter-Wainwright-Peavy. Not that there's an excuse for them being knocked down by the schlubs in the 1st and 5th games, but facing those 3 pitches in a row is just going to pound a team down even more and make them press even harder.

Suspect Chin

05-26-2009, 09:36 PM

Finally we won one even if it was a cheap rainout win.

TheMojoPin

05-27-2009, 06:36 PM

Well, the losing streak is over, thank God, and the Cubs have actually won 2 in a row. Time to start crawling back in it. Good to see after the offensive drought that they managed to score 20 runs over 3 games.

Zambrano got tossed today in the 7th after arguing a close tag at the plate and it was epic. Z got thrown after contact, though multiple angles show that the ump's arm hit Carlos' and then Z basically shrugged him off. Not the best response, but the ump initiated contact. Anyway, Zambrano flips out, tries to throw the ump out of the game (no, not literally, this time), hurls the ball towards the bleachers, chucks his glove and then destroys the Gatorade machine in the dugout. (http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=4756801)

http://a.espncdn.com/media/apphoto/5375a8d0-0e07-42c0-864c-db642c18eb1f.jpg

Jake Fox was called up from AAA and had a pinch hit RBI double with his first AB this season. The guy has been an insane hitting machine in the minors this season. Check out this line coming into today:

.423 .503 .886 1.389

In 40 games this year the guy has 50 RBI's, 17 HR's and 14 doubles. He's been hitting very well since 2007, but the guy simply cannot play anything except tolerable 1st base. He's been tried at 3rd, the corner OF spots and catcher and has been brutal at all of them to the point that he'd have to maintain that nuts offensive line to offset his defense. He's a great option to have off the bench and I hope he can keep up some quality offense to make him appealing in a trade, namely to an AL team since he has DH written all over him.

Plus Reed Johnson had another amazing catch and the go-ahead HR:

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/bcvm22/sigzeon/johnson1.png

cougarjake13

05-27-2009, 06:39 PM

just saw the clip on mlb network

i love that he has that kinda passion

TheMojoPin

05-27-2009, 06:51 PM

That Gatorade machine is the MVP of the season so far. Dempster beat the hell out of it after his last start, but it still works even after Z trashed it.

Suspect Chin

05-27-2009, 07:55 PM

Great video but man I hope he doesn't get suspended (or that he broke something beating up inanimate objects). If he does get suspended, hopefully it will be for consecutive games and not pitching starts.

jauble

05-27-2009, 08:12 PM

Who cant love that Johnson catch knowing he is going to hit the bricks. His play style makes him one of my favorite pickups of the last few years.

TheGameHHH

05-27-2009, 08:48 PM

that was hilarious, easily the coolest thing ive ever seen carlos zambrano do

KingGeno

05-27-2009, 09:13 PM

Punk and no class chump. Can't wait for him to be suspended.

TheMojoPin

05-28-2009, 02:47 PM

So Zambrano gets suspended 6 games and a $3k fine, about what most were expecting. Z's not appealing and will start serving immediately which means with the offday coming up they basically just have to push his next start back a day and he doesn't miss his next go-around.

Zambrano definitely deserved this for throwing the stuff around and his reaction to the ump bumping him, but it is pretty ridiculous that the ump will likely suffer no penalty despite being the one who initiated contact.

Gvac

05-28-2009, 02:50 PM

He was safe.

TheMojoPin

05-28-2009, 02:54 PM

He was safe.

Definitely.

Gvac

05-28-2009, 02:55 PM

Definitely.

Kiss me!

TheMojoPin

05-28-2009, 02:56 PM

Not until the Reds are in the rearview mirror.

Gvac

05-28-2009, 02:58 PM

Not until the Reds are in the rearview mirror.

You're a-scared.

Admit it.

TheMojoPin

05-28-2009, 03:02 PM

You're a-scared.

Admit it.

Not so long as this man has a job:

http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blogmedia/2008/10/dusty-275.jpg

Gvac

05-28-2009, 03:03 PM

Not so long as this man has a job:

http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blogmedia/2008/10/dusty-275.jpg

I meant you were afraid to kiss me.

Gvac

05-28-2009, 03:05 PM

To bolster your other argument, however...did you see THIS? (http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/05/26/dusty-baker-sends-aaron-harang-back-out-after-2-hour-rain-delay/)

TheMojoPin

05-28-2009, 03:08 PM

Didn't he do that to him last year, too?

Gvac

05-28-2009, 03:37 PM

Didn't he do that to him last year, too?

No, he used him in the 16th inning a night after he had pitched over a hundred pitches.

Don't be silly!

Suspect Chin

05-31-2009, 03:08 PM

Cubs on Sunday Night Baseball in about an hour. Don't forget to watch!

Suspect Chin

05-31-2009, 04:20 PM

Not a good start for Sean Marshall. Shocking...

Suspect Chin

06-02-2009, 04:09 PM

Looking strong so far tonight. Building runs and strong defense. Lets keep it going.

Suspect Chin

06-02-2009, 05:52 PM

I cannot believe Kevin Gregg blew it again.

TheMojoPin

06-02-2009, 07:26 PM

I cannot believe Kevin Gregg blew it again.

Yeah, let's replace him with Marmol!

Oh, sorrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee. He's been horrible this year.

Suspect Chin

06-02-2009, 07:27 PM

Yeah, let's replace him with Marmol!

Oh, sorrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee. He's been horrible this year.

Yeah it sucks all around. I used to think Marmol was the answer, but he is almost less dependable.

TheMojoPin

06-02-2009, 07:31 PM

Yeah it sucks all around. I used to think Marmol was the answer, but he is almost less dependable.

That's just the nature of relievers. Most aren't going to be great year in and year out. The Cubs have just ended up with more guys on the bad side of things this year compounded with Lou's eternal bullpen retardation. There's not much you can do about it at this point. Trading for a reliever is about the biggest waste of prospects out there besides just shooting them and there's never anyone to sign. Between that and the injuries and guys underperforming, the odds of them winning the division for the 3rd time in a row are pretty slim at best.

Suspect Chin

06-02-2009, 07:34 PM

That's just the nature of relievers. Most aren't going to be great year in and year out. The Cubs have just ended up with more guys on the bad side of things this year compounded with Lou's eternal bullpen retardation. There's not much you can do about it at this point. Trading for a reliever is about the biggest waste of prospects out there besides just shooting them and there's never anyone to sign. Between that and the injuries and guys underperforming, the odds of them winning the division for the 3rd time in a row are pretty slim at best.

It sucks big time especially having to watch Pujols help these asshole cardinals win every night.

TheMojoPin

06-02-2009, 07:38 PM

It sucks big time especially having to watch Pujols help these asshole cardinals win every night.

I'd love to watch Pujols all the time. Cardinal or not, what an epic hitter.

Suspect Chin

06-02-2009, 07:40 PM

I'd love to watch Pujols all the time. Cardinal or not, what an epic hitter.

Yeah I never said he wasn't a great hitter, he just plays for the wrong team.

Suspect Chin

06-06-2009, 05:41 PM

Marmol looked strong tonight.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 11:38 AM

Get him Lou!

He was definitely out.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 06:44 PM

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 06:49 PM

Man, sounds like I missed a wild one today. Thank God for the off day tomorrow.

This team needs offense uber alles. I really think they should ditch any ideas of getting Peavy because they simply don't need them with how the starting pitching has been doing. Yeah, it would be great to get a guy like that, but they need an impact bat. Aramis likely will be back by August, but it's questionable how much he'll be able to produce given the nature of his injury. I think he's available they gotta bite the bullet and dish out for Holliday despite his contract being up after this season.

It was more boring and depressing than wild. The Cubs kept getting guys on base, then our 'big' hitters would strike out. I wanted to throw something through my TV more than once.

Marmol couldn't throw a strike and Lou yanked him after two batters and two walks. Ascanio and Gregg looked good.

Thank god we won.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 06:50 PM

Maybe we should get Juan Pierre back once Manny returns.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 06:53 PM

It was more boring and depressing than wild. The Cubs kept getting guys on base, then our 'big' hitters would strike out. I wanted to throw something through my TV more than once.

Marmol couldn't throw a strike and Lou yanked him after two batters and two walks. Ascanio and Gregg looked good.

Thank god we won.

Marmol is just rank this year. He's averaging at least a walk an inning, and that's just unacceptable.

On the upside, Angel Guzman has been fantastic in the pen so far. Hopefully that's a role he can settle into and stay healthy. He's a filthy pitcher.

I'm still pissed Lou made Hendry get rid of Wuertz. Wuertz is, of course, doing fantastic for a team that uses him right. Lou insanely thought a slider guy was the right guy to send out to put out fires. He kept putting him out there with the bases loaded or with guys on 2nd and 3rd and the like, and he's simply not that kind of reliever. He's the type of reliever you put in at the start of the inning and let him get all 3 outs, but Lou could never grasp the obvious and would use him in the wrong spot, get pissed when the slider guy who hasn't pitched in 2 weeks walks in a run and then not use him again for another 2 weeks.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 06:55 PM

Maybe we should get Juan Pierre back once Manny returns.

God, I hate this Juan Pierre bullshit. Yeah, he's been on a tear Juan Pierre-style for a few weeks, but I'm sick of the talk from sports blogs and journalists like they're winning because of him. No, they're winning offensively because it's a team with several good young hitters in a really shitty division AND Juan Pierre happens to be doing well.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 06:58 PM

God, I hate this Juan Pierre bullshit. Yeah, he's been on a tear Juan Pierre-style for a few weeks, but I'm sick of the talk from sports blogs and journalists like they're winning because of him. No, they're winning offensively because it's a team with several good young hitters in a really shitty division AND Juan Pierre happens to be doing well.

Yeah he's not dependable but he will be available for relatively cheap. And with the way Kosuke and Reed Johnson, et al have been hitting, we could use another bat in the outfield (albeit no arm to speak of).

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:00 PM

Yeah he's not dependable but he will be available for relatively cheap. And with the way Kosuke and Reed Johnson, et al have been hitting, we could use another bat in the outfield (albeit no arm to speak of).

Wait, are you serious?

I want nothing to do with Juan Pierre. He fucking sucks. No arm and no power. Kosuke and Johnson have and will outproduce him all year by a huge margin. The Cubs need a legit hitter right now to add power and bolster the lineup around him, not a slap hitter who relies on speed and looks like an 8-year-old.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:10 PM

Wait, are you serious?

I want nothing to do with Juan Pierre. He fucking sucks. No arm and no power. Kosuke and Johnson have and will outproduce him all year by a huge margin. The Cubs need a legit hitter right now to add power and bolster the lineup around him, not a slap hitter who relies on speed and looks like an 8-year-old.

Recheck your stats, Juan Pierre has better numbers that Kosuke or Johnson. He is lacking in power but makes up for it in speed.

Name a hitter you would like to see the cubs get that is available and realistic.

IMSlacker

06-07-2009, 07:16 PM

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:17 PM

The Cubs need to get DeRosa back.

Yes.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:20 PM

Recheck your stats, Juan Pierre has better numbers that Kosuke or Johnson. He is lacking in power but makes up for it in speed.

Name a hitter you would like to see the cubs get that is available and realistic.

Pierre has accounted for 28 runs and 21 RBI's this season. His slugging is momentarliy .462, but unless he got into Manny's stash that'll plunge back down to hus usual .360 or so, likely by the end of June at the latest. His OBP is right now .422, but it too will drop back down to his usual .330. Those are horrendous offensive numbers for a team that needs a serious offensive boost. You don't give up players for a shitty hitter on a hot streak.

The Fukudome/Johnson platoon has accounted for 41 runs and 34 RBI's. They also have 8 HR's to Pierre's 0. They have 16 doubles to Pierre's 10. The only thing he beats them at is triples, and that's simply 3 to 2. The platoon has 72 hits to his 56 as well as 39 walks to his 14. Hell, he's only got 13 steals to their 5, and speed is the only real asset he has over anyone.

What exactly does he bring to this team that they don't have right now?

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:20 PM

The Cubs need to get DeRosa back before the Cardinals get him.

Please, no Juan Pierre.

Today's game was hard to watch. The offense is just complete crap. Wells, Gregg, Ascanio, Patton and Guzman all looked good, but it was against the Reds, so I'm not getting too excited.

I'm not suggesting to try to build a team around Juan Pierre or even sign him to a contract, but he is worth considering in a mid-season move. Especially this year when he is performing well.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:23 PM

The Cubs need to get DeRosa back before the Cardinals get him.

As big a mistake as letting DeRosa go without getting another suitable backup for Bradley and Aramis, trading for him would be even stupider. He is also a rental player. If you're going for a guy in the last year of his contract, go for Holliday, not Mark freakin' DeRosa. If they want a shot at winning in October they need to make a big trade offensively, period. DeRosa would not qualify.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:24 PM

Pierre has accounted for 28 runs and 21 RBI's this season. His slugging is momentarliy .462, but unless he got into Manny's stash that'll plunge back down to hus usual .360 or so, likely by the end of June at the latest. His OBP is right now .422, but it too will drop back down to his usual .330. Those are horrendous offensive numbers for a team that needs a serious offensive boost. You don't give up players for a shitty hitter on a hot streak.

The Fukudome/Johnson platoon has accounted for 41 runs and 34 RBI's. They also have 8 HR's to Pierre's 0. They have 16 doubles to Pierre's 10. The only thing he beats them at is triples, and that's simply 3 to 2. The platoon has 72 hits to his 56 as well as 39 walks to his 14. Hell, he's only got 13 steals to their 5, and speed is the only real asset he has over anyone.

What exactly does he bring to this team that they don't have right now?

I was talking career numbers and I'm not pushing hard to bring him back, I'm just throwing it out there as an option.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:25 PM

I'm not suggesting to try to build a team around Juan Pierre or even sign him to a contract, but he is worth considering in a mid-season move. Especially this year when he is performing well.

He's streaking. He's not going to stay at these numbers. The Cubs already wasted players to get him before: doing it again because of a streak would be one of the dumbest moves they ever made, and that's saying something. Signing fuckin' Ray Durham would be more useful and smarter than trading for Slappy Pierre. Anyone who trades for Pierre is a piss-poor GM, especially with how much money he is fucking STEALING from the Dodgers right now. Have you seen his contract? It's disgusting for a player that limited.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:26 PM

I was talking career numbers and I'm not pushing hard to bring him back, I'm just throwing it out there as an option.

His career OPS is hideous, too. The Johnson/Fukudome platoon is a lock to trounce all over it, pee on it and then walk away laughing barring a serious injury.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:27 PM

Name a hitter then that is worth trading for.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:29 PM

Name a hitter then that is worth trading for.

How many times do I have to bring up Matt Holliday? He's recently talked about wanting to be moved to a contending team and Beane isn't going to give him a big contract. He's a lock to be moved.

I could have also answered "anyone but Juan Pierre" and been correct.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:36 PM

How many times do I have to bring up Matt Holliday? He's recently talked about wanting to be moved to a contending team and Beane isn't going to give him a big contract. He's a lock to be moved.

I could have also answered "anyone but Juan Pierre" and been correct.

Its going to take a hefty trade to bring in Holliday or wait until he is a free agent and Scott Boras is guaranteed to get him a huge contract.

He'll be tough to get but I hope you're right because I'd love to see him in Chicago.

epo

06-07-2009, 07:49 PM

As a Brewers fan, I can't even wish Juan Pierre upon the Cubs. That would be too mean.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:50 PM

Its going to take a hefty trade to bring in Holliday or wait until he is a free agent and Scott Boras is guaranteed to get him a huge contract.

He'll be tough to get but I hope you're right because I'd love to see him in Chicago.

Well, of course it would take a lot...because he's good and relatively cheap this year. Juan Pierre could be had for cheap because he fucking sucks and has a horrible contract.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 07:51 PM

As a Brewers fan

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?

epo

06-07-2009, 07:53 PM

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?

Fine, now I want the Cubs to get Pierre.

Suspect Chin

06-07-2009, 07:55 PM

Well, of course it would take a lot...because he's good and relatively cheap this year. Juan Pierre could be had for cheap because he fucking sucks and has a horrible contract.

He doesn't fucking suck and the time might be perfect to bring him back. He is having a great year and could be brought in as a rental for cheap. Of course it is a risk but it is one that wouldn't require as big of a trade out.

Would it be worth it to you to trade big for Holliday and then not be able to sign him?

Don't forget, we will be getting A-Ram's bat back soon so trading away the farm for a big bat won't be as necessary.

TheMojoPin

06-07-2009, 08:03 PM

He doesn't fucking suck and the time might be perfect to bring him back. He is having a great year and could be brought in as a rental for cheap. Of course it is a risk but it is one that wouldn't require as big of a trade out.

OK, stay with me...Juan Pierre sucks. His playing WAY above his head the last few weeks. It won't last. Look at his season numbers the last few seasons: that's what you would get. He's also not "just a rental." He has one of the worst contracts in baseball and he is signed through next season. There's nowhere to play him. He's slightly less shitty only in CF, and the Cubs have that locked up by a platoon that will demolish his numbers. The reason he would be cheaper to get is because the Dodgers know this won't last, they know he sucks and they know they own him a fuckton of money. You give fewer/shittier players for shitty players with bad contracts.

Would it be worth it to you to trade big for Holliday and then not be able to sign him?

Fuck yes. They need an impact bat and he's the best one out there. If they want to win this year they need to do it. If they ownership situation is worked out by the end, great. If not, oh well. You gotta do what you need to do based on what cards have been dealt.

Don't forget, we will be getting A-Ram's bat back soon so trading away the farm for a big bat won't be as necessary.

Again, Aramis' contributions this year will be questionable at best. He will have to get surgery after the season. That type of injury is very likely to kill his numbers given the violent nature of his swing, possibly not just this year but for the rest of his career. Aramis cannot be counted on for anything this season due to how serious his injury is and how long the recovery takes, if he can ever fully recover at all.

burrben

06-11-2009, 10:18 AM

oh no, here come the reds again

TheMojoPin

06-11-2009, 10:19 AM

oh no, here come the reds again

Boy, yeah, it's scary that they get to play the Nationals and the Royals the rest of the season.

Oh, sorrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Suspect Chin

06-11-2009, 10:32 AM

What happened to Jake Fox? I thought he was doing ok so far.

.417 average, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs in 12 ABs. Not bad.

Aaron Miles isn't exactly having a career year.

TheMojoPin

06-11-2009, 10:52 AM

What happened to Jake Fox? I thought he was doing ok so far.

.417 average, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs in 12 ABs. Not bad.

Aaron Miles isn't exactly having a career year.

Aaron Miles has a retarded contract, thusly he must have a spot.

Fox will be back up for interleague play.

Suspect Chin

06-11-2009, 10:57 AM

Fox will be back up for interleague play.

Why?

TheMojoPin

06-11-2009, 11:13 AM

Why?

To DH.

Suspect Chin

06-11-2009, 11:41 AM

To DH.

Bring him back up for 6 games? Who do they get rid of for that week?

TheMojoPin

06-11-2009, 12:02 PM

Bring him back up for 6 games? Who do they get rid of for that week?

Scales or Blanco.

Suspect Chin

06-11-2009, 01:03 PM

Scales or Blanco.

If Lou thought Fox was a better hitter than Scales or Blanco wouldn't he just bring him up permanently to PH in non-interleague games?

TheMojoPin

06-11-2009, 01:06 PM

If Lou thought Fox was a better hitter than Scales or Blanco wouldn't he just bring him up permanently to PH in non-interleague games?

Because Fox is likely going to be primo trade bait and he's best served getting regular AB's as opposed to spending most of his time on the bench. He's also almost completely useless defensively.

Don't get me wrong, in a perfect world Miles and Freel are cut loose and Fox is still up, but neither of those things are happening so I understand why Fox was sent down.

Suspect Chin

06-14-2009, 01:09 PM

Thank you god.

TheMojoPin

06-16-2009, 01:41 PM

Sammy is on the 2003 list. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/sports/baseball/17doping.html?_r=1&ref=sports)

In other breaking news, we need air to live.

Ritalin

06-16-2009, 02:04 PM

Sammy is on the 2003 list. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/sports/baseball/17doping.html?_r=1&ref=sports)

In other breaking news, we need air to live.

Seriously. At least it's confirmed and over.

hammersavage

06-16-2009, 02:07 PM

This list is bullshit though. Either release it or destroy it. It's not fair that only a couple of the names are out and its not fair that names will slowly leak out dragging this shit on further and further.

hammersavage

06-16-2009, 02:12 PM

Oh, and I didn't get to make fun of Mojo for the game Milton Bradley had on Friday. It was also the 'pop up' game for the Mets so I blacked out that night.

But that might be the most bone headed play I've ever seen. What a jackass.

IMSlacker

06-16-2009, 02:25 PM

Sosa's HOF chances have officially been Hammersavaged.

TheMojoPin

06-16-2009, 02:43 PM

This is what I posted on the Cubs board I go to in response to some of the braying jackasses acting like anyone who doesn't flip out over steroids is an apologist:

This has never been a "protect a Cub" issue. I'm an "apologist" because I'm a realist: the 90's and early 2000's are called the "steroid era" for a reason. With or without Sammy, going back and trying to figure who used what after the fact is a fool's errand because you cannot possibly catch the vast majority of players who used PED's during that time and before. It unfairly demonizes a select few players and makes them take all the scorn while the hundreds of others that used, and baseball itself, get off relatively or even totally clean. It's the equivalent of trying to go back and find all the players that threw games after the White Sox got caught throwing the series. It's a pointless witch hunt that serves no actual purpose in a game that has had cheating as part of its very identity basically since the day it was created. Baseball's typical M.O. has been tolerate things until it cannot be ignored, they set down rules and move forward. Steroids has been the exception. Instead of saying what's past is past and moving on to crackdown on anyone breaking the rules AFTER they're actually created, people are acting like they can "catch" anything even remotely resembling a significant number of PED users from the last 40 years when that's essentially impossible.

My attitude towards this is the same as how I've responded to all the other steroid revelations.

TheMojoPin

06-16-2009, 02:45 PM

hammersavage

06-17-2009, 07:12 AM

Then I can only assume that you're not actually a Mets fan.

Oh, I've seen embarassing plays. But he posed down for 10 seconds almost grabbing his dick, then threw the ball 50 feet into the stands while a run scored. That's the worst.

TheMojoPin

06-17-2009, 08:24 AM

Oh, I've seen embarassing plays. But he posed down for 10 seconds almost grabbing his dick, then threw the ball 50 feet into the stands while a run scored. That's the worst.

It's not like he cost them the game. Your team lost the game when a guy dropped the simplest of pop flies to 2nd and a runner scored from 1st. Bradley's move was idiotic, but it wasn't even the worst play of the day, much less ever. You're a Mets fan in serious denial if that's the worst play you've ever seen. Shit, it's not even in the running for dumbest/worst play by a Cub.

hammersavage

06-17-2009, 08:51 AM

It's not like he cost them the game. Your team lost the game when a guy dropped the simplest of pop flies to 2nd and a runner scored from 1st. Bradley's move was idiotic, but it wasn't even the worst play of the day, much less ever. You're a Mets fan in serious denial if that's the worst play you've ever seen. Shit, it's not even in the running for dumbest/worst play by a Cub.

I never said worst play I've ever seen. Just the most idiotic. Castillos was sad and awful but a different kind of stupid. What I'm trying to say is you and your team blow.

hammersavage

06-17-2009, 08:58 AM

I actually love you Mojo. I'm sorry.

TheMojoPin

06-17-2009, 09:29 AM

Go fuck yourself.

hammersavage

06-17-2009, 09:35 AM

Hard to get Mojo is the best!

TheMojoPin

06-17-2009, 09:37 AM

And your little dog, too.

Marc with a c

06-17-2009, 09:50 AM

this discussion makes me miss brant brown.

TheMojoPin

06-17-2009, 09:53 AM

this discussion makes me miss brant brown.

I thought that had killed Santo when it happened.

TheMojoPin

06-19-2009, 09:50 PM

Definitely did not expect the Cubs to come back from being down 7-0 with Cliff Lee as the opposing starter and win 8-7 in 10. Sorry that it had to come against Kid K, but it's nice to see this team hopefully get back on track. Derrek Lee's numbers have been amazing since the first week of May, so hopefully he can keep that up until Aramis gets back.

The radio calls from today here. (http://home.comcast.net/~bcvm22/cubs/6192009.mp3)

Zambrano during the rain delay:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47595418.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090619/capt.d40b39849e914c76a9388c1c41fc8846.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc113.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.b6c677841ef847c4af21192c9cf7f431.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc117.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.4097f89e96904bdeb3d118457c12036d.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc115.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47596693.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47596695.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47596694.jpg

The radio audio from Thursday's walkoff win against the Sox. (http://home.comcast.net/~bcvm22/cubs/6182009.mp3)

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/81/fullj.4926fc9063e4bdc9fcac23a76a236d12/4926fc9063e4bdc9fcac23a76a236d12-getty-85139827jd006_chicago_white.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/bf/fullj.cbd35b1961dbe81762aedb3ece031401/cbd35b1961dbe81762aedb3ece031401-getty-85139827jd007_chicago_white.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/f1/fullj.d68799a509925ffed7853f15fb14c16d/d68799a509925ffed7853f15fb14c16d-getty-85139827jd008_chicago_white.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090618/capt.9a5b340c257a4bcd82683cf5f2214827.white_sox_cu bs_baseball_cxc111.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090618/capt.5708af8430174fbeb9c278314266f59f.white_sox_cu bs_baseball_cxc111.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/12/fullj.d68f41e4aa99df4ab7302757fc06ff7c/d68f41e4aa99df4ab7302757fc06ff7c-getty-85139827jd013_chicago_white.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090618/capt.f21353f8f54e48fb9f69c63fcc971d9c.aptopix_whit e_sox_cubs_baseball_cxc113.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/3b/fullj.35cc26128da41634c23deb261a661860/35cc26128da41634c23deb261a661860-getty-85139827jd017_chicago_white.jpg

TheMojoPin

06-20-2009, 01:36 PM

Cubs win their 3rd walkoff win in a row, this time in the 13th. Wood was the pitcher again and it was due to a wild pitch to Jake Fox that allowed Andres Blanco to score from 3rd, making the final 6-5.

Awesome win, but seeing the look on Wood's face as he walked off the field really broke my heart.

IMSlacker

06-20-2009, 06:54 PM

Unfortunately, I can't watch Saturday Cubs games unless they're the Fox GOTW. Just one more reason to hate Rupert Murdoch.

TheMojoPin

06-21-2009, 07:32 AM

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.d9a45cee43d64b0f82af890776418c5a.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc118.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.50a519ac66f24d45a9e646cf3cc13168.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc117.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.e14b9ad6a6254a289302e56321900175.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc113.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.7fda5bfa5a974036ab69040ad9346461.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc109.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.225db49da9884d2d93740ab50ae0fd46.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc105.jpg

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090620/capt.b4f6d9c19c6b4725bc196cf2ef8eab8f.indians_cubs _baseball_cxc102.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616400.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616520.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616522.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616729.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616445.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616464.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47616490.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-06/47597518.jpg

cougarjake13

06-21-2009, 01:22 PM

Unfortunately, I can't watch Saturday Cubs games unless they're the Fox GOTW. Just one more reason to hate Rupert Murdoch.

that goes for all the teams

TheMojoPin

06-21-2009, 01:24 PM

Nice sweep of the Indians, making it 4 wins in a row and 5 of their last 6. The numerous rainouts might start biting back since they have to fly to Atlanta for a makeup game tomorrow night and then to Detroit for a series with the Tigers.

IMSlacker

06-21-2009, 01:28 PM

Another nice start by Randy Wells again today. It's good to see him finally get a win. Is he the only pleasant surprise for the Cubs this year?

IMSlacker

06-21-2009, 01:31 PM

that goes for all the teams

I know, but it affects the Cubs a bit more than the other teams since all of their Saturday home games are day games.

It still just bugs me that even though I pay for EI, I can't get all of the games.

cougarjake13

06-21-2009, 01:33 PM

I know, but it affects the Cubs a bit more than the other teams since all of their Saturday home games are day games.

It still just bugs me that even though I pay for EI, I can't get all of the games.

oh yeh thats right

stupid fucking selig

The Happening

06-22-2009, 01:22 PM

I feel bad for Kerry, but the Indians series was big.

A few things I'd like to see Lou do:

Give Jake Fox the 3B job until Aramis gets back.

Play Fontenot less. He's just not an everyday player. He's much more productive as a bench bat/spot starter.

Give Ascanio a larger role in the pen, ahead of Heilman.

When Angel Guzman gets off the DL, make him the closer.

Lots of days off for Fukudome.

A few things I'd love to see Big Jim do:

Sell high on Randy wells and Jake Fox. Both have solid value right now, and both are probably playing over their heads. This teams is going to need an everyday 2B if it wants to win the central again. Sorry Big Jim, you fucked up with the DeRosa trade. Now suck it up and go get a solid everyday 2B for this team, or a solid lefty for the pen.

Don't trade Sean Marshall, and leave him in the rotation. You fucked up by not getting a solid lefty for the pen. But Marshall will be a solid cheap starter for this team for a while.

The Happening

06-22-2009, 01:31 PM

TheMojoPin

06-22-2009, 01:43 PM

I feel bad for Kerry, but the Indians series was big.

A few things I'd like to see Lou do:

Give Jake Fox the 3B job until Aramis gets back.

Agreed.

Play Fontenot less. He's just not an everyday player. He's much more productive as a bench bat/spot starter.

Agreed. Platoon him with Blanco at 2nd and only start hima gainst righties.

Give Ascanio a larger role in the pen, ahead of Heilman.

Agreed.

When Angel Guzman gets off the DL, make him the closer.

Completely disagree. Guzman has shown himself to be the most effective reliver this year. He's much better served as the setup guy like Marmol was last year. The setup guy is much more flexible in terms of putting out fires and dealing with critical batters coming up. Too often the closer's spot is wasted on such a reliever. Besides, Gregg has been fine as the closer. His last 22 outings have gone this way:

20 scoreless outings out of 22.

4 of those outings have had an inning where Gregg allowed 2 or more combined hits/walks.

That means 18 of his last 22 outings have had 1 combined hit/walk or less. He hasn't really gotten into many jams anytime recently. There's zero reason to be looking to switch up the closer role right now.

Lots of days off for Fukudome.

Completely disagree. All the days off he got over the last month seem to be what threw him off his game. Fukudome has been at his strongest when he's playing reguarly. He seems to get into a rhythm with his adjusted swing. Sitting him for extended periods and giving him scattered starts is arguably what caused his most recent slump as he started swinging too early again with all the irregular playing time. Until Lou sat him more often than not when the Cubs faced a bunch of LH starters he was doing great. The Cubs are facing a bunch of RH starters for the next few games, so there's no reason for Fukudome to not get the starts, especially with Johnson's back acting up.

A few things I'd love to see Big Jim do:

Sell high on Randy wells and Jake Fox. Both have solid value right now, and both are probably playing over their heads. This teams is going to need an everyday 2B if it wants to win the central again. Sorry Big Jim, you fucked up with the DeRosa trade. Now suck it up and go get a solid everyday 2B for this team, or a solid lefty for the pen.

I agree that Wells and Fox should be used as trading pieces, but I disagree on trading for a reliever unless it's a bullpen arm thrown in as part of a bigger deal. Contrary the shaky start, I think the Cubs' bullpen has largely come together at this point and any further tweeks can be handled from within. A solid LH reliever is going to be too expensive a commodity in the middle of the season.

I also agree that 2B is the ideal place to upgrade, but it's a question of whether or not any truly impact second basemen are available to be had. Hendry should consider getting an impact OF bat and moving Soriano back to 2nd if he can land someone like Holliday or Dunn. I'll definitely live with any defensive issues with the drastic offensive increase that adding someone like those two plus Aramis coming back to the lineup would create.

I don't think trading DeRosa in and of itself was a bad move. He had a career year at 34 and had one year left on his contract. Hendry sold high and got 3 good pitching prospects in return. The problem was that he dropped the ball so badly in trying to replace DeRosa with Aaron Miles. If he had done something that would have likely resulted in a better offensive platoon at 2B, like signing Ray Durham, losing DeRosa wouldn't have hurt nearly as much.

Don't trade Sean Marshall, and leave him in the rotation. You fucked up by not getting a solid lefty for the pen. But Marshall will be a solid cheap starter for this team for a while.

I'd prefer to hold onto Marshall, but at this point I'd be OK with trading him or Wells. I agree that keeping him in the bullpen longterm would be a stupid idea. Personally, I don't mind not having a lefty reliever. Managers are obsessed with playing to those matchups and most of the time it's redundant. A good reliever is a good reliever, period. Too many shitty lefties have jobs as pitchers simply because they throw with their left hand, like it's a superpower.

The Happening

06-22-2009, 01:53 PM

Completely disagree. Guzman has shown himself to be the most effective reliver this year. He's much better served as the setup guy like Marmol was last year. The setup guy is much more flexible in terms of putting out fires and dealing with critical batters coming up. Too often the closer's spot is wasted on such a reliever. Besides, Gregg has been fine as the closer. His last 22 outings have gone this way:
I agree that the closer role is overrated. And that your best reliever should be used as a 7th-8th inning guy instead of a closer. But despite his control problems, Marmol is still the Cubs best reliever. And the Cubs have a rotation that pitches deep into ball games. I'd like to see close games end with Marmol pitching some of the 7th, and the entire 8th. And Guzman finishing it off. You can use Gregg/Heilman/Ascanio to fill in if needed for some of the 6th and some of the 7th. But you're right, Guzman has been awesome this season!

Bullpens are hard to predict. But with Guzman, Ascanio, Cashner(next year), and Samardzija, the Cubs have some solid young arms for the pen in the future. They do need to find a lefty though.

TheMojoPin

06-22-2009, 02:06 PM

I agree that the closer role is overrated. And that your best reliever should be used as a 7th-8th inning guy instead of a closer. But despite his control problems, Marmol is still the Cubs best reliever. And the Cubs have a rotation that pitches deep into ball games. I'd like to see close games end with Marmol pitching some of the 7th, and the entire 8th. And Guzman finishing it off. You can use Gregg/Heilman/Ascanio to fill in if needed for some of the 6th and some of the 7th. But you're right, Guzman has been awesome this season!

Marmol's WHIP is just way too high this season for me to think he's the best reliver they have. He's averaging at least a walk per inning (though fortunately barely giving up any hits), which is a critical thing if he's expected to be the setup guy. Hell, even if Marmol wasn't having the walk problems, I'd rate Guzman ahead of him just given the array of pitches that Angel has. Marmol is definitely filthier with that slider, but Guzman has better "stuff." Guzman is the guy you want to call in if guys are on base and/or good hitters are coming up and the game is on the line. That's why I don't want him as the closer when he's coming in with the bases empty and potentially the 5-9 hitters to face. Gregg has been very solid as a closer and gets the job done. He'll be gone after this year and the Cubs will get 2 draft picks due to him being a class A FA. No need to rock the closer boat at this point.

Bullpens are hard to predict. But with Guzman, Ascanio, Cashner(next year), and Samardzija, the Cubs have some solid young arms for the pen in the future. They do need to find a lefty though.

Very true, though I only want a new LHer if they can be had for cheap. I hate wasting prospects or too much money on relievers since, like you said, they're hard to predict.

TheMojoPin

06-22-2009, 02:09 PM

A few quick suggestions for Big Jim on next season:

Sell High on Ted Lilly. I know I know, he's been very productive for the Cubs. And this season he has been our best starter. But can you imagine what the Cubs could get for Lilly in the off-season? Lilly will be 34 next season, and in the last year of his contract. He's going to cost alot once he becomes a free agent, so why not have trading Lilly surve 2 purposes.

1) Sell high on a guy who has a ton of value as a left handed starter. Lilly would net the Cubs some big time position playing prospects, something the Cubs really need. Besides, you can't expect Lilly to continue to be this good as he approaches his mid 30's.

2) Use the money that you save from trading Lilly, to sign Rich Harden. Harden is 27 and in his prime. He could be signed at a very reasonable contract(6-8 million a year on maybe a 2-3 year deal). Harden has big upside that you just can't let walk away.

Anyway, we are still focused on this season. So those moves can wait. Still, something to consider Big Jim.

I've echoed a lot of this when talking to my friends. I've loved what Lilly has done as a Cub, but it would be ideal to sell high on him to get some good prospects and to have some cash to work with since this sale of the team could be dragging out for who knows how long. I definitely want Harden resigned, though I wish they'd wise up and skip his turn in the rotation once a month and keep his pitch counts locked down. They implied they were going to do that this year but did nothing of the sort until he ended up on the DL. You gotta work with his injury issues to maximize his amazing talent.

The Happening

06-22-2009, 04:18 PM

Big Jim who I like(though he had an awful off-season this past year) deserves a TON of credit for his signing of Ted Lilly. In a 2007 off-season that featured starting pitchers Barry Zito(25-37 4.77 ERA), Jason Schmidt(1-4 6.31 ERA), Jeff Suppan(27-26 4.73 ERA), and Gil Meche(27-30 3.87 ERA), Big Jim decided to sign Ted Lilly who leads all the free-agent starting pitchers from 2007 with 39 wins. Since the Cubs signed him, Lilly has gone 39-21 3.79 ERA , 433 K's to 139 BB's, and a 1.160 WHIP. Oh, and the other starting pitcher Big Jim signed that off-season, Jason Marquis(32-22 4.27 ERA) wasn't to bad either.

I have to admit that off-season I was higher on Meche than Lilly.

joeyballsack

06-26-2009, 02:39 PM

The annual Milton Bradley temper tantrum has begun.

cougarjake13

06-26-2009, 03:55 PM

The annual Milton Bradley temper tantrum has begun.

bound to happen

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:14 PM

Between the way Fox and Hoffpauir have been hitting, I'm pretty much done with Bradley.

I was a fan of the signing, and actually wanted the Cubs to get him as far back as '06 since he had shown he could produce in between the outbursts and the injuries. So long as you had a suitable backup (which the Cubs had in DeRosa), it was a good gamble to sign him for this season. Man, talk about bust, especially since Hendry traded DeRosa and stupidly didn't replace him with anyone even remotely decent at baseball. The injuries and tantrums were to be expected, but he's apparently forgotten how to hit as well.

Really wish Hendry had just signed Dunn and kept DeRosa.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:16 PM

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:20 PM

What about catching a flyball with 1 out, posing for 20 seconds, then throwing the ball 20 rows deep while a run scores? Did you expect that?

You're very weird.

And fat.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:34 PM

You are fat and dumb

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:36 PM

Not as fat and dumb as you.

And you're ugly.

And you smell.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:37 PM

Fair enough

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:38 PM

And yet...I cannot look away.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:38 PM

I'm like a fat, smelly eclipse.

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:39 PM

Kiss me, you disgusting fool.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:39 PM

But your beard tickles!

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:41 PM

I have been sans beard for quite some time. That is only an accessory when the weather is chilly.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:41 PM

Every girl you've ever been with is a beard. Faggot

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:42 PM

Oh, kiss me you pompous queer

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:43 PM

I'm not kissing a mouth filled with hate.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:44 PM

The only thread that could get less gay with two men talking about kissing is a thread about the Cubs.

TheMojoPin

06-26-2009, 04:47 PM

Yeah, let's go to the manly thread about the team with a mascot who has a giant testicle for a head.

hammersavage

06-26-2009, 04:52 PM

A shaved testicle

The Happening

06-27-2009, 12:14 AM

The annual Milton Bradley temper tantrum has begun. The awful singning that headlined an awful off-season by Big Jim(Who's a solid GM).

I never understood why anyone wanted Milton Bradley. The guy was gonna be 31 years old coming into the season. The Cubs are Bradley's 7th team in 10 MLB seasons. Their is a reason for that. The fights with teammates, coaches, and fans are part of it. But he hasn't been special on the field.

Bradley had played in atleast 100 games just 3 times(101, 126, 141). His career high is HR and RBI came last season in that small park in Arlington with an awesome lineup, and still those career highs are only 22 HR and 77 RBI. And all the injuries he's gotten over the course of his career have made Bradley an average defender. I mean the guy was a DH in Texas last season for a reason.

It doesn't matter now, the Cubs are stuck with Bradley for 2 1/2 more seasons. Their is no way out of this one!

hammersavage

07-02-2009, 03:17 PM

Mojo, will the Cubs win tonight?

TheMojoPin

07-02-2009, 03:21 PM

Maybe.

hammersavage

07-02-2009, 03:23 PM

I can't bet a maybe

TheMojoPin

07-02-2009, 03:24 PM

Then yes.

But if you bet on them and they lose you shall be shunned as the new Hippo.

hammersavage

07-02-2009, 03:25 PM

Then I shall pass for fear of such a label

The Happening

07-04-2009, 04:07 AM

TheMojoPin

07-04-2009, 07:26 AM

It only makes sense that after the Cubs let Casey McGehee go in the off-season, then having Aramis get hurt early on this season thus leaving the Cubs desperate for a solid replacement, that Casey McGhee would be doing a very solid job for the Brewers at 3B this season.

In hindsight, yes, it would have been nice to have him due to Aramis missing time, but in the long run it's nothing to lose sleep over. Casey McGhee is not very good at baseball. Check his number in a couple months.

Besides, if they had just bit the bullet and brought Fox up earlier to play 3rd this likely wouldn't even come up.

epo

07-04-2009, 08:38 AM

In hindsight, yes, it would have been nice to have him due to Aramis missing time, but in the long run it's nothing to lose sleep over. Casey McGhee is not very good at baseball. Check his number in a couple months.

Your bitterness over Hendry giving away McGehee is obvious.

TheMojoPin

07-04-2009, 08:51 AM

Your bitterness over Hendry giving away McGehee is obvious.

Your hatred of him down the line will be delicious.

epo

07-04-2009, 11:55 AM

Your hatred of him down the line will be delicious.

The irony of him going 4-5, with 5 RBI and only needing a double for cycle on the heels of you trashing him was damned tasty today.

epo

07-04-2009, 08:23 PM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-07/47861997.jpg

TheMojoPin

07-04-2009, 09:33 PM

The irony of him going 4-5, with 5 RBI and only needing a double for cycle on the heels of you trashing him was damned tasty today.

Meh, it happens.

Casey McGehee has a .948 OPS right now in 145 PA's this year.

Ryan Theriot had a .934 OPS in 159 PA's back in 2006 and hasn't come within 150 points of that since (he's at .757 this year).

Guys can have a really good 150 PA's all the time but that doesn't necessarily mean it's their true talent level. I'm not saying that Casey McGehee = Ryan Theriot, but it's ridiculous to say that Casey McGehee is legit after 150 PA's.

Check his stank ass minor league numbers: he ain't sticking around. Good for him for having a run of it and I hope he enjoys it while it lasts.

TheMojoPin

07-04-2009, 09:33 PM

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2009-07/47861997.jpg

Your guys lost that game.

The Happening

07-05-2009, 01:45 AM

The Brewers aren't going far with their current pitching staff. A John Garland type pickup is something they have to do at the very least.

epo

07-05-2009, 07:46 AM

Meh, it happens.

Casey McGehee has a .948 OPS right now in 145 PA's this year.

Ryan Theriot had a .934 OPS in 159 PA's back in 2006 and hasn't come within 150 points of that since (he's at .757 this year).

Guys can have a really good 150 PA's all the time but that doesn't necessarily mean it's their true talent level. I'm not saying that Casey McGehee = Ryan Theriot, but it's ridiculous to say that Casey McGehee is legit after 150 PA's.

Check his stank ass minor league numbers: he ain't sticking around. Good for him for having a run of it and I hope he enjoys it while it lasts.

I just thought it was funny timing.

Your guys lost that game.

Didn't even care, I wanted to keep your theme of posting photos of Cubs in their glory.

The Brewers aren't going far with their current pitching staff. A John Garland type pickup is something they have to do at the very least.

Despite a returning Dave Bush and Manny Parra in the next 2 weeks, you are correct that they need another starting pitcher. The problem is that there aren't many sellers on the market, which is driving prices up for even an average arm like Garland.

cougarjake13

07-05-2009, 03:11 PM

ben sheets ???

TheMojoPin

07-05-2009, 06:30 PM

Pretty huge series. Taking 3 of 4 from the Brewers is definitely the kind of boost this team needs right now. Going into the ASB on a high note would be a huge and they have a good shot at doing it since despite all of their offensive woes they're still one of the toughtest teams to beat at home in the NL.

Tomorrow is basically like Christmas come early: the best reliver, Angel Guzmanm is coming back, Reed Johnson is back to platoon in CF with Fukudome and, best of all, ARAMIS IS BACK. Oh man, it's been too long.

Great performance by Lilly today. He definitely deserves that AS nod.

Jake Fox better stay up with the roster moves they need to make tomorrow. Hopefully they send Fuld and Blanco down and wise up and finally dump David Pattoon. Go with 11 pitchers, you morons.

The Happening

07-06-2009, 02:22 AM

Jake Fox better stay up with the roster moves they need to make tomorrow. Hopefully they send Fuld and Blanco down and wise up and finally dump David Pattoon. Go with 11 pitchers, you morons.
I wish we could rid ourselves of Patton already. But it's not gonna happen yet. I think Fuld and Hart are definitely going down. Then I'd guess that one of Hoff/Fox is going down, because nobody else can play SS off the bench besides Blanco.

TheMojoPin

07-06-2009, 07:39 AM

I wish we could rid ourselves of Patton already. But it's not gonna happen yet. I think Fuld and Hart are definitely going down. Then I'd guess that one of Hoff/Fox is going down, because nobody else can play SS off the bench besides Blanco.

Yeah, I forgot they don't have the usual glut of crappy middle infielders like they've had in years past. Blanco needs to stick around.

I'd prefer Hoff to be sent down even though he's been more than serviceable in his role as a bench guy. I fear he stays up simply because he's a lefty and that's been the Cubs' obsession this year (see: insisting on Bradley batting LH even though his RH numbers this year are dramatically better).

I think the ideal answer is pruning the pack of relievers: send Fuld down, lose Patton and then send either Hart or Shark down, too.

TheMojoPin

07-06-2009, 08:54 AM

The Happening

07-06-2009, 06:29 PM

The sale has at long last been finalized! (http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/cubs-sales-deal-finalized.html)

Hopefully this means they'll have some money to work with before the trade deadline.
Yea, looks that way. How good would Freddy Sanchez look on this team! Mike Fontenot just isn't an everyday player.

The Happening

07-06-2009, 10:22 PM

Don't blink, Kevin Gregg is actually piching very well.

TheMojoPin

07-07-2009, 07:38 AM

He has been for a while.

hammersavage

07-07-2009, 03:42 PM

Tribune curse strikes Dempster first

TheMojoPin

07-07-2009, 03:58 PM

Pitching depth is a beautiful thing.

TheMojoPin

07-30-2009, 11:32 AM

ozzie

07-30-2009, 01:10 PM

Soriano settling in nicely in the 6 hole, and you can't argue with the production they're getting from Fukudome in the leadoff spot.

Gotta love day baseball on WGN on a day off.

Ritalin

07-30-2009, 01:32 PM

Man, this has been a totally different team since the break. Granted, they've beat up on some bad teams, but that's what you're supposed to do if you're a good team. As of the 3rd inning today (which is still going on) they've scored 88 runs since the ASB and 10-3 (11-3 if they win today). The 3-6 hitting lineup of Lee/Aramis/Bradley/Soriano is just sick right now and Fukudome is thriving in the leadoff spot. When they get Soto back to hit #7 it's gonna be even nastier. I wish they sale was cleared up so they could add another starting pitcher or a MI, but I'll take it.

I'd rather have a bat via trade, then see Bradley catch some fire. I
still feel good about our pitching, assuming that Lilly and Dempster return to form for the playoffs. Our problem is offense, despite what's happening right now. Give a couple of gutty vets.

IMSlacker

07-30-2009, 01:34 PM

Apparently, the Cubs traded for John Grabow (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1693479,cubs-john-grabow-pirates-trade-073009.article). Not too exciting, but better than nothing, I guess.

No word on who they gave up yet.

TheMojoPin

07-30-2009, 01:39 PM

I'd rather have a bat via trade, then see Bradley catch some fire. I
still feel good about our pitching, assuming that Lilly and Dempster return to form for the playoffs. Our problem is offense, despite what's happening right now. Give a couple of gutty vets.

They don't have the money to add an impact bat and they really have nowhere to play them unless they're middle infielders. You don't really have to "wait" for Bradley at this point:

Last 7 days: .353 .500 .529 1.029 (which isn't including his numbers from today where he had another HR and a walk)
Last 14 days: .345 .474 .448 .922
Last 28 days: .286 .468 .411 .878

He's doing more than fine now. You're not going to find anyone out there available who would replicate or surpass those numbers, and even if you could the Cubs couldn't afford them. The only position that could use some upgrade right now is 2nd (or SS if a good one was available with theriot sliding over to 2nd), though the Fonteot/Baker platoon is fine in the #8 slot once Soto gets back. The lineup is finally as stacked as it was supposed to be all along.