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<!--quoteo(post=22495:date=Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM:name=Runnys)-->QUOTE (Runnys @ Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22460:date=Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Marshall's just dominating. 4 innings, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K today, and a 1.00 ERA on the spring. That came against the Rangers' A lineup.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I saw that and although I am excited, it doesn't mean shit once April 6th rolls around.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, I don't get Lou's thing about going all-out in camp to try to win a job. What does it prove? Ballplayers fluctuate wildly over the course of a season. Imagine Alf: one week he hits. 500, with 4 homers. A month later he goes 1-26 with 14 strike-outs.
If he had done either of them, as a rookie in camp, what would it have proven?
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance
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Also, as encouraging as it is to see Marshall thrive early in camp, it would be nice to see him do well in a 5+ inning start or two. He seems to really struggle later in games, and until he shows the ability to go deeper in games, all of this means nothing. Still though, he deserves the #5 spot, and I think we're a stronger team with Heilman and Gaudin in the pen anyway.
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<!--quoteo(post=22504:date=Mar 8 2009, 11:37 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Mar 8 2009, 11:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22495:date=Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM:name=Runnys)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Runnys @ Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22460:date=Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Marshall's just dominating. 4 innings, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K today, and a 1.00 ERA on the spring. That came against the Rangers' A lineup.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I saw that and although I am excited, it doesn't mean shit once April 6th rolls around.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, I don't get Lou's thing about going all-out in camp to try to win a job. What does it prove? Ballplayers fluctuate wildly over the course of a season. Imagine Alf: one week he hits. 500, with 4 homers. A month later he goes 1-26 with 14 strike-outs.
If he had done either of them, as a rookie in camp, what would it have proven?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's competition, it's the same way in every NFL camp. In baseball it's about half and half. I'm all for it. Obviously if you're Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Dempster, Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly you don't have to worry about it, but at just about every other position there should be. It keeps the intensity level up and on a team like this, it's even more important to see who can perform under pressure.
How else should they have handled the #5 spot? They're seeing who wants it the most and who is best suited for the role. There was no clear choice coming into camp. Lou keeps saying how Marshall came into camp in better shape than ever and more determined than ever. Would he have done that if he had been handed the job?
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->During Sunday's game, manager Lou Piniella yanked Luis Vizcaino with two outs in the fifth after the veteran right-hander gave up a game-tying two-run single to Ian Kinsler after loading the bases on three walks.
"Well, you can't walk three people, that's for sure," Piniella said.
Kevin Hart was no better. Trailing 3-2, Hart loaded the bases in the ninth and fell behind Greg Golson 2-0. Piniella sent out pitching coach Larry Rothschild, but Golson hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach.
"He needs to improve," Piniella said. "I talked to Larry about it. Getting behind hitters. I know it's still a little early in camp, but I haven't seen [progress]."
Hart is likely to get a chance to improve at Triple-A Iowa, not with the Cubs.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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I don't understand what people see in Hart. He seems very hittable when he's around the plate and hitters have learned to lay off anything he delivers out of the strike zone, which seems to be most of his pitches lately. And Vizcaino has been done since the Sox traded for him.
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->''Spring training wins or losses don't mean anything, but you don't want to get in the habit of getting your ass beat every day, either,'' said Piniella, who was particularly upset by a hitting downturn in which the Cubs totaled two runs and two extra-base hits in the last two days. ''We're not hitting at all. And I haven't seen anybody ask for extra batting practice or anything. It's like, 'Well, you know, we've got plenty of time.' And we do.
''But if I were a hitter, I'd rather get to where I wanted to get and then back off a little bit, as opposed to continuing to try to get to where I wanted to get [at a slower pace].''<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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<!--quoteo(post=22506:date=Mar 9 2009, 12:45 AM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 9 2009, 12:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22504:date=Mar 8 2009, 11:37 PM:name=KBwsb)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KBwsb @ Mar 8 2009, 11:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22495:date=Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM:name=Runnys)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Runnys @ Mar 8 2009, 11:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22460:date=Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 8 2009, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Marshall's just dominating. 4 innings, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K today, and a 1.00 ERA on the spring. That came against the Rangers' A lineup.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I saw that and although I am excited, it doesn't mean shit once April 6th rolls around.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, I don't get Lou's thing about going all-out in camp to try to win a job. What does it prove? Ballplayers fluctuate wildly over the course of a season. Imagine Alf: one week he hits. 500, with 4 homers. A month later he goes 1-26 with 14 strike-outs.
If he had done either of them, as a rookie in camp, what would it have proven?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It's competition, it's the same way in every NFL camp. In baseball it's about half and half. I'm all for it. Obviously if you're Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, Soto, Dempster, Zambrano, Harden, and Lilly you don't have to worry about it, but at just about every other position there should be. It keeps the intensity level up and on a team like this, it's even more important to see who can perform under pressure.
How else should they have handled the #5 spot? They're seeing who wants it the most and who is best suited for the role. There was no clear choice coming into camp. Lou keeps saying how Marshall came into camp in better shape than ever and more determined than ever. Would he have done that if he had been handed the job?
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I simply think that there would be healthy competition <i>anyway</i>. Marshall and the other guys have a month and a half before the season starts to show what they've got. You're gonna see who's the man for the job anyway, without Lou openly proclaiming that it's a huge dogfight, and whoever "lays it <b>all</b> out on the line" in March is his kinda guy.
To me, it seems a little counter-productive to insist on maximum effort in meaningless games.
OTOH, it seems as if our regulars are really dawdling, and kind of need a kick in the pants.
And Lou can be counted on to supply the toe. I like that about him. A lot. Makes me tend to overlook some of his other curious ways of doing things.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance
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<!--quoteo(post=22511:date=Mar 9 2009, 01:23 AM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 9 2009, 01:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->''Spring training wins or losses don't mean anything, but you don't want to get in the habit of getting your ass beat every day, either,'' said Piniella, who was particularly upset by a hitting downturn in which the Cubs totaled two runs and two extra-base hits in the last two days. ''We're not hitting at all. And I haven't seen anybody ask for extra batting practice or anything. It's like, 'Well, you know, we've got plenty of time.' And we do.
''But if I were a hitter, I'd rather get to where I wanted to get and then back off a little bit, as opposed to continuing to try to get to where I wanted to get [at a slower pace].''<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i love lou. it's early in camp and he already has an edge.
Wang.
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<!--quoteo(post=22517:date=Mar 9 2009, 08:12 AM:name=veryzer)-->QUOTE (veryzer @ Mar 9 2009, 08:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=22511:date=Mar 9 2009, 01:23 AM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 9 2009, 01:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->''Spring training wins or losses don't mean anything, but you don't want to get in the habit of getting your ass beat every day, either,'' said Piniella, who was particularly upset by a hitting downturn in which the Cubs totaled two runs and two extra-base hits in the last two days. ''We're not hitting at all. And I haven't seen anybody ask for extra batting practice or anything. It's like, 'Well, you know, we've got plenty of time.' And we do.
''But if I were a hitter, I'd rather get to where I wanted to get and then back off a little bit, as opposed to continuing to try to get to where I wanted to get [at a slower pace].''<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i love lou. it's early in camp and he already has an edge.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Absolutely.
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Piniella and the Cubs' front office are convinced the team's lack of balance had become a major impediment in the postseason, when exhaustive scouting reports and preparation tend to magnify weaknesses.
The Cubs hit .240 with one homer in 104 at-bats against the Dodgers while being swept in the Division Series. Although Lee performed well, Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto -- three of the team's main cogs -- managed only five hits in 37 at-bats against Los Angeles pitching.
More telling, Los Angeles manager Joe Torre didn't use a single left-hander in any of the three games. In fact, the Dodgers and Cubs met 10 times last season, and left-handers Clayton Kershaw, Hong-Chih Kuo, Joe Beimel and Eric Stults weren't asked to throw a pitch in 88 1/3 innings. That's 265 outs without a single southpaw sighting.
Combine that with the events of October 2007, when the Cubs hit .194 against Brandon Webb, Livan Hernandez and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series, and Piniella saw an unwelcome trend that couldn't be explained away with the "small sample size" argument.
The Chicago hitters saw it, too. Lee, the Cubs' first baseman and No. 3 hitter, watched a procession of righties take the mound with absolutely no need to make adjustments.
"We've been so right-handed that when a pitcher gets in a groove, he can pitch to one side of the plate and really not have to mix it up," Lee said. "Guys start working the outside corner and throwing that slider off the plate, and they never have to go to a different pitch to get a lefty out. I'm not a pitcher, but I would think it would be a little easier that way."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->"I love DeRo," Hendry said. "But we also think the world of Mike Fontenot. The same people who are saying, 'Gee, why did you trade DeRosa?' were also writing that Fontenot should have had more at-bats last season."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Cubs now a much more balanced team(Crasnick)
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->"I love DeRo," Hendry said. "But we also think the world of Mike Fontenot. The same people who are saying, 'Gee, why did you trade DeRosa?' were also writing that Fontenot should have had more at-bats last season."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm one of those people. However, those two co-existed beautifully last season. Won 97 games, in fact. Why break it up?
Anyway, I think a HUGE factor in our possible future playoff success will be the health of Milton Bradley. If he's in the middle of the line-up, and running on all cylinders, it presents a big problem for opposing pitchers.
There's nothing better than to realize that the good things about youth don't end with youth itself. It's a matter of realizing that life can be renewed every day you get out of bed without baggage. It's tough to get there, but it's better than the dark thoughts. -Lance
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<!--quoteo(post=22589:date=Mar 9 2009, 03:35 PM:name=KBwsb)-->QUOTE (KBwsb @ Mar 9 2009, 03:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->"I love DeRo," Hendry said. "But we also think the world of Mike Fontenot. The same people who are saying, 'Gee, why did you trade DeRosa?' were also writing that Fontenot should have had more at-bats last season."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm one of those people. However, those two co-existed beautifully last season. Won 97 games, in fact. Why break it up?
Anyway, I think a HUGE factor in our possible future playoff success will be the health of Milton Bradley. If he's in the middle of the line-up, and running on all cylinders, it presents a big problem for opposing pitchers.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, a healthy Harden and Bradley are a must, and that's why I don't want either playing too much. Bradley 90-120 games at max, Harden 20 starts at max. Bradley will be worth that money just for October if he's healthy then.
Single= $1 million
Walk= $1 million
Double= $2 million
Triple= $3 million
Home Run= $10 million
Sac Fly= $5 million
Just making fucking contact with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs= $3 million
Playoff series-winning hit= $500 million
World series-winning hit= $100 Billion
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<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->"I'll tell you what, the little kid at second base, he's after a job isn't he?" manager Lou Piniella said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] He's referring to Fontenot of course.
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Some good pitching today...
Harden: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Dempster: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Heilman: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
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<!--quoteo(post=22808:date=Mar 10 2009, 06:50 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Mar 10 2009, 06:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Some good pitching today...
Harden: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Dempster: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Heilman: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Heilman has been kind of sick.
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