when the cubs go to the playoffs please don't let zambrano be the starting pitcher i rather see lilly he is better than carlos.

Yup, Josh Hamilton is water under the bridge (and I was aware of the Cincy connection), the Cubs do not have Girardi as manager, Rothchild is still there and so is the trainning staff. I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when the new owner shows up and Girardi is at the helm.

Sure the Cubs have made bad moves, but they HAVE made good moves too. We got Aramis for a song, Lee, etc. If it's not too early to condemn players and moves we made this offseason, then it's not too early to praise the good. Lily has been better than many expected. Marquis has not been the 16 game loser some expected. DeRosa HAS won us a couple games and I like this approach to the game.

Also, as far as Hamilton. I think this kid has some serious potential too (I'm watching him everyday so I can pick him up in my fantasy league), but until he proves ANYTHING in the bigs, this shouldn't be an argument. As I said, this kid is not even starting yet. I can see it if he was tearing up the league, but he isn't..... yet.

Anyway, this can all be solved very easily. Let's win 7 of 10, 15 of 20 and all we'll be discussing/arguing is who is going to make the All-star game. : )

Go Cubs

Aaron-

Had to copy and paste, the purpose of the post is to get to read your own words so you can see how riduclous they are. Again, calm it down. If wer playing like this heading in to June, than by all means hit the panic button and blow up the team. It's o.k to get upset when your team loses, but requesting sweeping changes after two weeks of baseball is a littl outlandish. To answer your question Aaron, No, I don't have a problem with you, I was just making a post in response to your many, this is a discussion board right? I can appreciate your passion, but don't let your anger blind better judgement. We all want to see the Cubs do well, we are all fans, and that is why we all utilize Neil's cool site. Enjoy the season Aaron, and don't let the next two games end it for you.

DMac...

How has my opinion changed all the time? I just call everything like it is...I've always been a proponent for resigning Z. He's by far the best pitching talent on the team (in terms of accomplishments), and I've never said "don't sign him"...all I was saying is that be cautious to label him "untouchable." Remember Hendry got us in a pickle by doing the same with Prior last year----boy, was that a bad move...we could've had Tejada, and who knows---maybe would've turned out differently for us last year. Yes, we would've had to include someone like Marshall, but I think you'd all agree that would've been worth it. Now, back to Z....I think he's great, and I hope he gets a Cy Young this year, but my contention is this----if you're not going to sign him---and he intends to leave----which he's stated himself---and to the Mets---also stated himself...then why not trade him while his value is high, and get some value in return? We need a big bat right now---AROD fits that bill, and that's all I was saying. Notice, I didn't say "get rid of Zambrano, trade him for whoever"...I specifically said AROD, because right now, that's the ONLY player I'd trade him for.

As for the lineup tweaking---there's only so much you can tweak when you don't have the parts necessary to succeed right now

aaron,

on spur of the moment, and after 12 games, we trade Zambrano for A-Rod because he is carrying a hot bat? I am totally with you when things need to be changed. But I am of the theory that the cubs could tweak their lineup and/or internal personnel in order to achieve different results.

I am a proponent of sighning Z long term, as I believe you were at one point (although your assesments seem to change daily, maybe even hourly). With that said, Z's ERA in april is 4.47, nearly a point higher than any other month for his career. He has a career ERA of 2.15 in May, and down the stretch, his ERA is... 3.30 in August and 3.18 in September. Carlos Zambrano is A Horse I want down the stretch run on the Chicago Cubs for a long time.

Would I take A-rod? Yes I surely would. And despite the amount of money the cubs spent this year, I would not be surprised to see A-rod in a Cubs uniform somehow, someway, next year.

But to come to the conlusion of trading A-rod for Z after 3 starts is a little shortsightedness in my opinion.

Lastly, as for the arguments on Josh Hamilton. First, he hasn't proven a damn thing besides he can hit in Spring Training and in about 4 games in the regular season. Second...see The Cincinnati Bengals for what a team of thugs accomplishes. Yeah, Hamilton cleaned up his act for the time being, and I truly hope he stays clean the rest of his life. But time and time again, we see a rough patch hit and addicts go back to the same hand which fed them before. I really hope that is not the case with Hamilton.

As the saying of this sight goes...stay classy cubs fans

Jeff,

nice copying and pasting all my comments...problem with me or something?

Anyway, why are all of those comments so far-fetched, or have you not seen Z's meltdown, Jones' inability to hit in crucial situations, or seen the same situation happen with our record the last 3 years? Maybe you didn't catch Lou Piniella's comments Jeff. But hey, with the way you're sounding, I guess I'm the only one that's pissed, and knows something needs to change....wait, this just in---(moving my cursor, doing the same copy and paste job):Piniella was asked by a reporter what wasn't working for his team.

"What the hell do you think isn't working?'' Piniella shouted. "You see the damn game.''

Before momentarily losing his temper, Piniella had made a cryptic comment about the team he inherited from the widely respected Dusty Baker, sacked after a 96-loss season in 2006.

"I can start to see some of the ways this team has lost ballgames," Piniella said. "I can see it. We have to correct it."

"That's not what beat us," Piniella said. "What beat us was the fact we put no runs up on the board and we left runners on first and third with no outs in the sixth"

Third hitter Jones struck out swinging at a bad pitch, cleanup man Derrek Lee was called out on strikes and fifth hitter Michael Barrett flied out.

Jones is hitting .244 with no homers and no RBIs, and Piniella wasn't happy with his at-bat.

"If you put the ball in play and they get a double play, you still score a run and the game's tied," Piniella said.

"We'll make some changes if we have to," Piniella said. "Put some different people in there and let them play."

So........................I guess if you'd ask Piniella if everything is good, and it's still early in the season, he'd tell you everything's fine and dandy, right? After the first couple losses, he did say it was early, remember? But he's totally changed his tune now hasn't he? He's changed his tune, Jeff, because he realizes THERE IS A PROBLEM!!!

I'm a huge fan, and an optimist at heart...but an optimist at heart can still be upset and be realistic about what's going on, can't he?

And the reason I say trade Zambrano now---is because his value is high, the Yanks need pitching, our offense is struggling, and AROD is hot...Do the math! If something is broke, fix it, don't just hope it'll work itself out eventually. Z's value is high...I'd hate to lose him, but we have 3/5 of the starting rotation pitching lights out right now, and he happens to be a weak link. Sure, history says he'll straighten out, but that's no guarantee is it?

(for reference see: Pavano, Carl; Wood, Kerry; Prior, Mark; Neagle, Denny; Hampton, Mike; Nomo, Hideo; Zito, Barry (jury's out this year)...etc., etc., etc.)--pitchers who all started a season bad, but everyone said, "oh, it's just early", and for whatever reason---injuries, ineffectiveness, did not return to form.

What I've been saying all along is you buy low (Hamilton), and sell high (before this season and last Mark Prior and this season Zambrano)...that's what good teams like the A's, Twins, and Marlins do, and get excellent return.

You guys are out of control...

Jim posted a lineup a few posts up that is completely right-handed. I think we can all learn a thing or two from the Rangers, who were so desperate to balance their lineup that they went after Sammy Sosa for some right-handed pop to even-out all their lefties. I can't remember the last time an all-righty or lefty lineup won the WS.

Right on Jeff and Jim. I'm with you guys. The past few years I used to get myself all worked up over a loss here and there especially this early in the season. And, if my memory serves me correctly, in 08, didn't we have two seperate 8 game losing streaks? I may be wrong. Just try stay calm and relax, we're not in the management office or in the clubhouse so there is nothing we can do.

I'm with you Jeff but also see why others are pissed. The brand of baseball we have seen so far is not what I was expecting after the off-season we had. Something needs to change and it better start with Jones not batting 3. And if I had my choice he wouldn't be allowed to put on Cubby blue anymore.

"Trade Zambrano?", "rather have Josh Hamilton", "I'll tell you this though...if we don't win at least one of two...I'd even say both of the next games...our season is over before it even gets started." "Move Soriano down the line-up after two weeks". Gentlemem we are 4-7 and 2 1/2 games back. Lets be happy we are getting solid pitching, and realize that the hittin will catch up. And another thing, having Ramirez on the bench is hurting us. You can't lose a guy hitting .407 in the clean-up spot injured, and not suffer a setback. Calm it down or half of you will have jumped of the deep end by May!

Pie, Hoffpauir and Pagan playing well. See ya Jones and Ward. (I hope, I hope, I hope.)

I just got back from the I-Cubs game and here are a few highlights & lowlights;

The pitching blew there in lies the 5-11 loss to Roundrock. Some dude named Klassen batting .170 something went yard twice for them.

Does anyone remember Eric Bruntlett that played for Houston? Well he's on the Express and struckout 5 times. You don't see that everyday it was funny.

Pie went 2-4 with a double, rbi, and a run scored to raise his avg. to .444 (if the double he hit was 3 feet to the right it would've been gone).

Hoffpauir went 2-4 with 2 homeruns and 3rbi's to raise his avg. to .432. He now has 21 rbi's for the young season and that leads the league.

Angel Pagan went 3-5 with 2 sb's and a run.

Eric Patterson missed the game. His Grandparent died.

Well put Elliot. That's exactly what I was getting at. Drugs are an addiction that I have seen first hand. Being clean for a few years doesn't mean a thing. It is a different type of embarrassment. And Aaron, I don't think I'm alone here, you should take it down a notch or two. You'll live longer.

Elliot,

I guess I could see it from that perspective. I was more or less going on frustration with losing and having Jones in the lineup...Add Steve Howe, Otis Nixon, Barry Bonds (and his addiction to performance drugs...ha ha)...yeah, I see your point. Who knows, maybe it returns and bites him in the ass again? Still, I'd rather have him in the lineup than Jones, and I'd still be willing to take the risk for one year...that's all you'd be risking, so who cares. He has a curfew, his wife controls his money, controls where he goes, and everything. Plus, he has the baseball police looking after him as well. To me, it would've been worth the risk, but your point about drug abusers is definitely noted and understood. For at least one year, I'd make the commitment though.

Sorry Aaron. I always enjoy reading your posts and your baseball knowledge is deep, but I have to agree with Fox on this one. Addiction is a disease with a very poor prognosis. Look at Daryl Strawberry if you need any examples. I have seen too many heroin, alcohol, gambling, porn, etc, addicts with very few success stories. There are different types of "embarassment." Personally, I'd rather live with the embarassment of having a 100 year losing streak than be known as a team who hires shady characters in its quest to win at all costs.

Fox,

Embarrassment!?!?!? And somehow you think Jones isn't? Or Hendry's faith in Wood and Prior's health? Or Hendry not getting good returns on Sosa or Patterson in trades? Or the fact that we can't score a damn run with no outs, and runners on the corners? Embarrassment? Please, 99 years without a championship is embarrassment. You have the first pick in the Rule 5, and have a talent like that out there, you make that pick...and everyone knew he was clean recently, because he was reinstated, and his wife has control of everything for him, and he still has a strong support team and people looking after him. To me, it was a risk worth taking....actually, it was no more a risk signing him than it was Floyd...ditto Ward...ditto DeRosa and his career year. To me, it was a no brainer. Every damn team had him on their list...that's what ESPN was saying. Now what does that tell you?

Aren't you guys tired of us not finding talent like the Cards do, or Bridgeport, or the Marlins, Braves, Twins, etc? Fact is, Santana was a Rule 5, and there's been a lot of other Rule 5 guys. We had Sisco stolen from us. The problem is, we overvalue undeserving talent, and undervalue guys with great potential.

Aaron...I dont think it is that outlandish for an organization not to want a druggie. Plain and simple. I know the risk/reward ratio is very good but I wouldnt want the embarrassment if he fell off the wagon again. If I was running a business and there was a guy who had great potential but had been fired from previous jobs for failed drug tests, I wouldnt take the guy either. But I do understand your point.

Aaron why are you so ready to trade Zambrano??? I do like the idea of Hamilton instead of Ward. Oh Well

Anthony...I don't mean to rain down on your rant, but do you know the major league minimum is something like 350k or whatever? That's precisely what we'd owe Hamilton. Notice, I said we'd still have signed Floyd, but hopefully traded Jones for some serviceable parts...essentially, all I was suggesting by getting Hamilton, was not signing Ward. It was actually minimal risk for us. At the least, he could've been a decent bench player, that's all I was saying, but you gave several million in guarantees to both Ward and Floyd, so don't you think it would've been worth it to have Hamilton at the minimum?

I also think that after the Yankees put both Mussina, Wang, and Pavano on the DL, they'll be looking for a starting pitcher...Might we be able to swap Zambrano, Ohman, and Scott Moore for Hughes and AROD, or AROD and Jose Tabata?

Does anyone know if Aramis is playing tonight. I need to know so i can put him in or on the bench in my fantasy team.

ps. I agree with you Aaron 100% on Theriot. Regardless of how it pans out later, for NOW he is hot and should be batting 1st or 2nd. If Soriano was "big enough" to accept to play the OF last year, he can accept that leading off is killing this team.

I do disagree with you on DeRosa. Not that he didn't have a career year but insinuating that he won't do well this year. I like his patience at the plate and if you look back to the first week of the season, he was almost solely responsible for 2 of our wins. Considering we only have 4, that's pretty good. I like him and I like having Ward on the bench. I firmly believe that we need the guys to start hitting. I have been surprised at how well our pitching has done, except Zambrano who for some reason can't pitch in April or big games, but if we were hitting, we would be over .500 right now and I dont' think any of us would be so frustrated. I think it's way early to call it a season even if we get swept by the Padres. It's just going to take awhile for Lou to learn the weaknesses of this team (Jones, Ohman, etc)

I hate excuses too, like "it's still early" but at the same time we do have to give the team more time to really evaulate. Look at Howry, some (I think you too) had him written off already but he has looked great, along with the rest of the bullpen, the last few days.

Trust me, I'm with you. I want to win and win now. I'm so tired of losing I can't even begin to put it into words, but I think we all could learn to try to be more patient.

Anthony, good points on hamilton. If we would have kept Hamilton wouldn't chicago be a bad place to recover from Alchol and drugs. Chicago served more liquor then Vegas did last year.

We spent $130 million on Soriano and you are asking about Josh Hamilton? Are you kidding ?!!

I know how easy it is to spend someone else's money, but let me try to simplify it for you. Josh Hamilton hadn't played baseball in over 2 full years bc he was both an alcoholic and addicted to several drugs, cocaine and HEROINE to name just two. This does NOT mean Josh doesn't deserve a second chance, but why would the Cubs risk millions on a guy who hadn't proved anything at the major league level. I mean seriously. He has had a decent start in Cincy and still is NOT STARTING. If the Cubs kept him and not signed some other players and then Josh fell back into his old habits, GOD FORBID, the fans would be all over Hendry.

I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm frustrated, but I am. I'm tired of losing as much or more than the next guy, but we do NOT have Josh Hamilton, we do NOT have Lugo, we do not have A-Rod. We are losing almost soley bc we are not hitting as a team, and it starts with Soriano. The biggest problem with signing Soriano was agreeing that he will bat leadoff. I honestly believe if we had a good prototypical leadoff man and had Soriano deeper in the lineup, we would be much better off, but we don't and won't. Regardless, the team's lack of offense is where to look when figuring out what is the problem, not a guy sitting on the bench in Cincy.

With that said, I apologize again but I had to get this off my chest. Also, I hope Josh is truly better and has a GREAT career for him and his family. I still wouldn't have risked millions on him though, unless of course it wasn't my money.

First regarding Hamilton, I believe Neil may have some info on this, so maybe he can chime in when he has a minute, but the Cubs never intended to keep Hamilton, they were doing a favor, I think, but Neil has the info, maybe.

Second, we all need to calm down a bit on the season being over talk. We are 4-7, new players are gelling with each other and a new manager is finally assessing the situation as we all know this does not truly happen in ST. Players do not flip the proverbial switch until April. Anyway, I am excited to see what happens this week, if the club is 4-14 or 5-13, then maybe we need to get nervous, but I implore everyone to hold back. Unfortunately, I know we have all seen this way to much for that to be an easy request.

Aaron I like to agree with you but taking Lee out of the 3 spot is killing us. I like the way that you are thinking but.... How many times this weekend I thought great Lee is up....wait no its Jones.

My lineup

Soriano RF

Theriot SS (came up as a SS)

Lee 1B

Aramis 3B

Barrett C

Murton LF

Pie CF

Derosa 2B



Any Takers????

Yes it has its holes but it is 110% better then the crap Lou is throwing out there. I am still baffled at Jones in the 3 spot. He should have just put Floyd in cleanup and left Lee where he belongs in the 3 hole. Was I taught wrong or is your best hitter supposed to bat in the 3 spot?

Aaron, I did see those comments and thought the same thing. It was refreshing to see a Manager in there that really cares and is not just sitting there and saying, "well dude, it is still early dude." and making every freaking excuse in the book. I really feel that something is going to change, and soon. I don't think the season is over if we lose the next couple, but we sure the heck are not making things it easy on ourselves.

Gene,

I said the same thing about Hamilton a long time ago, but I don't think many people on here agreed with me. My contention was simple...could Hamilton be worse than any of the other outfielders that we currently had? If memory serves me correctly, I don't even think the deal for Floyd was finalized yet. So you had an OF of Murton in LF, (?) in CF, and Jones/Soriano slated for RF. We all knew Jones' struggles, and Soriano in CF wasn't a very attractive option, and Murton is in his sophomore year, and the guy we were going after---Floyd---has ALWAYS been an injury liability. So it just made sense to go after the best player available.

However, I will say this. The Reds had internal connections to Hamilton, as one of their coaches used to know him and thought he could get through to him. Cincy is way way smaller than Chicago, and less temptations exist. However, with the Cubs having the first pick---which will rarely happen---and a guy with as big of an upside as Hamilton---I believe you have to make that pick. I think the Cubs came out of this looking very very foolish. And Hendry has been very foolish in over-valuing Jones.

Did anyone else read between the lines of Piniella's comments after the game when he was asked about why the Cubs were struggling? First, he shot back the same question at the reporters, and said, "you're out there...you see what happens...what do you think?"...then he paused, got tight lipped, and you could see his anger rising, and he said, "this can't continue to happen...something is going to be changed." I knew exactly what he was talking about. Did anyone else? I believe he was absolutely 100% referring to Jones. I think he's tired of his inability to hit. But what else can the Cubs do? Bring up Hoffpauir? Bring up Pie? You know the Cubs aren't that smart...they don't go with the hot hand---they go with "proven" talent. Talent such as Jones and his .320 career OBP, and his inability to hit in the clutch...guys such as Daryle Ward, who had one good year, and scores a nice contract with the Cubs---ditto DeRosa.

The smart thing to do would be putting Theriot at 2B and have him lead off or the two hole, and just come to Soriano and tell him he's killing the team, and be a team player and hit lower, then have Lee or Barrett in the 2 hole, Floyd 3, ARAM 4, and Soriano 5...The smart thing to do then is bring up Hoffpauir and release Ward (won't happen), and bring up Pie and trade Jones (won't happen). We all know how logical all of that sounds, but there's no way the Cubs will be smart enough to figure it out until it's too late. Come June, when Jones, DeRosa, and Izzy have all killed our rallies in so many games, and we're 10 games or more out---they'll finally realize they have to do something different. A Jones trade is long overdue. A DeRosa benching should be next in line, and a solution for SS should be considered as well. I can't believe how awful Jones looked in that at bat...it's all I've been thinking about---him flailing at 3 pitches out of the zone, and the last one, swinging with one arm and looking like he didn't even care. If I'm Piniella, I take his ass out of the game immediately, but here's his dilemma. With ARAM hurt, DeRosa ailing and unable to cover much ground probably, who do you stick in RF. Murton can't cover much ground, my grandma runs faster than Floyd---and catches better to boot, Theriot is subbing at third, and Ward is even slower than Floyd. So Piniella probably wants to make a switch, but Hendry hasn't given him a whole lot of options, which could've been solved a long ass time ago by giving Hamilton a shot, and signing Floyd as a "Ward" type of player instead.

I'll tell you this though...if we don't win at least one of two...I'd even say both of the next games...our season is over before it even gets started. We're digging ourselves a hole like we do every year, and the Cards are getting hot already. Does anyone else notice that by the way?---that we'll get hot at the wrong times, and we'll have missed out on opportunities to put distance between us and the whole division early on. As I've said before, we should easily...very easily be 9-2 right now. We've had Ohman's walks, Miller's ineffectiveness, Izzy and Cedeno--nuff said, Z imploding, and Jones....We were right on the cusp of all but 2 of our losses. It's heartbreaking to lose a game like Sunday when Lilly pitches his heart out and we lose 1-0 because our offense sucks balls right now. And this is precisely what happened to our pitchers last year, and that resulted in them being ultra-careful, and trying too hard to place the ball rather than pitching like they were before, and they got lit up. Even Maddux had that happen because of lack of run support---the professor himself. And I don't care who you are---what pitcher you are---after Sunday's loss, if you even give up one run, you're thinking to yourself, "damn...I frickin' just blew the game" and on any other team, that wouldn't be the case, but with the team we have now, it IS the case.

Derrick May....man that brings back some bad memeories.

The difference with all the guys that you mentioned and Pie is that Pie has shown success at all levels. While other s have shown small glimpses of promise. I think C.Patt was batting like .245 in AAA when they brought him up.

I was at the Iowa Cubs game yesterday and yes Patterson...oops I mean Pie.... looks solid. That ball someone reffered to earlier was lost in the sun. He is fast, he's starting to hit (real well),he got an rbi single after starting the ab 0-2, and most important he has that IT, that aura, swagger, whatever you call it he has it!

I've lived in Des Moines my whole life so you can imagine there's not much to get interested in after the Hawkeyes' football season is finished. Being a Cubs fan I follow the I-Cubs very closely. Trust me let Pie stay in Des Moines until the september call ups. Let him gain his confidence and then next year let him go get the Rookie of the year honor and be our centerfielder for the next 15 years.

In case you have forgotten the previous CANT MISS prospects that we brought up too soon here's a few I saw in person that were not ready and eventually well...you know the rest;

Lance Dickson

Mike Harkey

Gary Scott(Can't miss!)

Kevin Orie

Bobby Hill(Good God, at least we got Aramis)

Corey Patterson(see above)

Roosevelt Brown

Jason Duboise

Jose Nieves

How about Hee Sop Choi? Sorry Gracey!

Remember Derrick May?

I could go on and on and so could all of you so please....patience!

Yea, with Pie hitting the way he is now, plus the way he played this spring it is only a matter of time before.

Jim, I think Pie will get called up sooner rather than later. If he keeps hitting like he has been then you have to make that move. I like Murton, Pie, and Soriano in the outfield.

Something has to change. Michael Barrett...where have you been these first couple weeks?? And Soriano is getting paid how much? I'm in agreement. Jones has to go. Heck, play Theriot out there if you have to. I like Murton, Soriano and Floyd in the OF. Fill in Therior on the infield and let DeRosa heal.

Things have rarely been on the same page and these guys need a Lou Piniella butt chewing!! Lilly gives up one run and looks great and no runs are scored...meanwhile two days earlier Zambrano is spotted a 5 run lead and gives up 6 runs...with no help from Will Ohlman... Get rid of him too. He's been wild all spring.

I'm beginning to look forward to 2008 and the chances of winning it all in the 100 year anniversary.

Get Jones off the team. I'v had enough of him and the slow starts and poor throwing, poor hitting and decent D. An outfield of Floyd, Soriano and Murton would be better. I would rather they get rid of Jones and call up Pie.

Can we please move Theriot to the two hole now. At least he is making more contact than anyone else. Heck even put Barrett there, but get Jones to the back of the lineup.

Runners on 1st and 3rd no outs. Jones k's, Lee K's...... Gene go back to sleep.

This may be a bit off the subject, but can anyone tell me WHY we traded away Josh Hamilton??? Ever since it happened, I felt we let the Central get away from us.

Additionally, I know it is early, but I am still seeing the same things from last year. I believe the players are seeing it too. 1. Not hitting with men on base. 2. Poor production from the top of the order. 3. Injuries. 4. Sloppy defense.

Will somebody please wake me up and tell me that this is February 15th and pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring trainning with a new Owner, GM, manager (Girardi) and especially and most importantly an new pitching coach, trainer and strength (although in my opinion weigth training is way over rated, especially for pitchers)and conditioning coach. If not, I am going back to sleep.