My week with the T.W. in Mesa ends tomorrow, and I'll pass along a couple of thoughts.

Miles won't hit HR's, but he will be a favorite before the season ends. This from two people I sat next to at Wednesday's game. They were older men and one was Miles' H.S. coach. The other watched him several times in St. Louis. One mentioned that Miles was in regular contact with Tony L during the offseason who wanted him badly. They live in the same area during the offseason. Miles told Tony that he could not turn down the Cubs 2 year deal that was $1 mil + better than the Cards. The guys say that he will hit well, will do so on a timely basis and will be more than adequate wherever he plays.

I got my first look at Guyer--a good looking prospect. He hit a line shot to the CF in a good AB. Atkins had a decent second inning after a rocky first. He isn't ready--yet, and my guess is he will be in AAA until September call-ups.

Hart gave up a shot in a 4-3 out and had two SO's Wednesday--but likely hasn't shown enough to make the 25. Gaudin was ineffective. Guzman had a swinging bunt base hit and looked like Maddux fielding his position--in addition to a lights out two innings on Friday. A couple more good outings and he goes North, IMO.

I'm still thinking that JH has a couple of late spring training moves in mind.

I think in general, a lot of our "prospects" have left, only to fizzle out with other teams, just as they did with us. However, prime examples of players basically given away to other organizations that achieved or show signs of achieving success, are as follows:

-Eric Hinske: traded in favor of Dave Kelton (the purest swing in the organization...LOL, remember that? Fleita and all those guys were told to leave his swing alone....I always get a chuckle from our way of doing things)

-Luis Montanez: signed by Orioles, and finally given a chance to play, he showed last year, and this spring that he can play.

-Scott Moore: practically given away for Trachsel...Moore would've been a nice back-up for ARAM, and has already shown he can hit MLB pitching, and hit it extremely well.

-Juan Cruz: traded for Andy Pratt as a favor to his father Tom (coach in the organization)...Juan has done very well for himself ever since we gave up on him so soon, and part of the reason he struggled was we kept shuttling him to and from the rotation. Please refer to my post from Talkin' Live yesterday when I discuss the hits/IP, and how it relates to prolonged effectiveness. In Cruz's case, he appears to have "it"

-Veal: while his walks are up...did Hendry not learn his lesson with Willis?!?! The two are VERY similar, only Willis had more control. While Veal may struggle, as evidenced by his team leading 11 walks in 9 1/3 IP this spring, he still has a chance to put it all together. What, Vizcaino and Berg were worth more on the 40-man than him?!?! You gotta be kidding me!

-Matt Murton: This move will puzzle me to no end. Not only was he merely a throw in for the Harden/Gaudin trade, but he was an afterthought in our organization at the time. Gallagher, Patterson, and Donaldson were the focal points. Murton is a solid player, as evidenced by his numbers with the Rockies this spring at over .360 avg, .430 OBP in 14 games and 33 AB's. The dude rarely strikes out as well.

-Cedeno: this one puzzles me to no end as well. Cedeno was very valuable last year, and not many people noticed. He gave us a decent batting line for a back-up role, and he was versatile, appearing at SS, 2B, 3B, LF, and CF. His athleticism and enthusiasm will be missed. He had a competitive fire about him. In our search for a back-up, this one probably hurts the most. Aaron freaking Miles cannot play many positions that well, and Fontenot clearly deserved his promotion. Keeping Cedeno would've solved a lot of issues that we're facing right now. *I realize Cedeno, coupled with Olson netted us Heilman, but I'm merely stating the conundrum we're faced with now, and how we might've found the Mariners another player to throw in the deal.

The signings of Miles, Gathright, Bako, etc. are most puzzling. They smell of the past...you know, the signature signings the Cubs were famous for in the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. These signings are ones that are merely roster fillers that you could've otherwise given to deserving rookies to build up their experience....AND their value in trades. Do you think Bako, Gathright, Miles, etc. would have any value whatsoever in trades? Yet, a Jake Fox, Cedeno (as shown), Pie (if he was given a full shot), etc. would have netted us more of a return.

Tough luck for Koskie, hope he gets another shot.

Milwakee will not give a spot to Casey Mcgehee. Maybe we can give him one last shot, though I think we can handle that with miles and Fontenot.

Well. if Koskie retires at least the Cubs gave it a shot. The next step would be to try to trade for a back up third baseman who also could play another position as well.

QUESTION: If Aramis goes down for an extended period of time is Vitters ready?

This makes the Derosa trade look really stupid. It takes another roster spot meaning we are probably going to lose a pitcher with no more options. I saw on 30 major league teams in 30 days Donnie VEAL is throwing the ball really well, So now i suppose we'll lose Guzman for nothing, and have to send Patton back to Colorado because they don't feel our so called super sub Miles can play third base in a pinch. What a stupid off season it is going to come back and bite us in the butt!

The Cubs need your support!!!

More Hardball wants to know which city has the hottest fans in Major League Baseball. Last weekend the playoff began, and now it's time to determine who wins the pennant for each league. Let the games begin with the Phillies vs. Cubs and BoSox vs. Angels.

Link: http://morehardball.blogspot.com/2009/03/hottest-fans-in-mlb-league-series.html

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