Gene Honda Civic

I don't mind keeping Crede for a year, but what happens when he sucks again next season? There will not be another FA class for 3B like the 04 for some time. If Crede is crediocre again, it's not just a sentence to watching him for the next season. It likely costs even more on the FA market to try and replace him after the 05 season. KW's endorsement of Crede, marries his tenure as GM to the production of Crede, and if I was KW I wouldn't feel comfortable with that.

com'on you guys started a congrats thread to Jose on his 30th...

Gary Miller will be the #1 man in the booth....

Public Enemy #1 on the northside has to be Dusty Baker. He facilitated an environment where it was OK not to accept the blame for losses. He created an environment that was primed like a powder keg ready to explode under the immense pressure laid on the cubs by the media and themselves. Not one player on that team went out and played for fun at all this season. Every game was a life or death situation. And through it all the was dusty, the great appeaser, letting the players make excuses from opening day when they opened the season without prior. Sure there is blame to be passed around throughout that lockerroom. The players are the ones who did not perform. The collapse of the last week was even more tragic than the events of that october night last season when bartman touched that ball, because you could see them all unfolding from light-years away.

Diaz's role next season should be at 5th starter, or longer relief/mop-up. He has nothing left to prove in the minors. IMO you should ship one of Cotts/Adkins(whoever the organization isn't as high on) to help fill another hole and the very least have diaz take over the role of the one who's gone.

you're talking about grilli right? of the 4.83 ERA at charlotte Grilli's.

Yeah excpet for the 2-3 record you're exactly right... I was definitely torn watching this game -- I always root for the underdog, but with Iowa playing OSU in 2 weeks, I wanted OSU to come into IC undefeated with Iowa having 2 weeks to prepare like Northwestern did... Oh well, NW helped provide the Hawks with some good game tape though.

Then I'd have to watch Timo Perez.

I've said it before, though not here: If Grilli was a horse, he'd be glue by now.

somebody would have had to watch the game to tell you... I stopped in the second. At least Grilli had a quality start.

Oakland's rotation was far from solid in september... The Cubs problem was the same as ours has been in the past few seasons, heavy with right handed low OBP hitters.

Yes, yes he is.

I was thinking the same thing -- Though I have a crap filter on my computer so it blocks Faux News, so I couldn't check -- That makes the story all the more ironic.

Jose Valentin does not drop 72% if the balls thrown his way.

4 for 25 that's still 4 times better than ben davis.

Completely agree.

Maggs - Nope Gibbons - God no Catalanotto - signed extension w/ Tor Plan A - look for a better option through the FA market and Trades. Plan B - get Carl Everett healthy Plan C - Borchard/Timo/Escobar :puke Plan D - Anderson

There is a whole lot more to defensive catching than throwing out baserunners. Throwing out 28% of baserunners isn't exactly shutting down the running game.

I had a count going before I left for vacation in july he had dropped 5 balls on throws home. I called home one night and heard about the Burke/Hunter collision, I didn't even ask if he held onto the ball. I already knew. I stopped the count then... but it was 6 near the end of July, so you can guess where it is now. glad I wasn't the only one to notice. Other than that I can't complain about Burke's catching. I haven't noticed runners stealing much, (though that could be because he mostly catches Buehrle)and he seems to keep almost everything in front of him.

It's a little early to bump this one, but I'm not a mod in the sports bar, so I can't bump the locked thread I wanted to... but I can include a link 2004 MLB predictions http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16821&hl= 2004 starting pitcher wins http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15045&st=0

Fine can we pay him half as much then... Ben Davis is not a good defensive catcher. Anyone who's actually watched him since he's put on a white sox uniform should be able to tell you that... I don't know who ozzie has been watching.

League Average Jon Garland 2002 4.46 4.58 2003 4.53 4.51 2004 4.64 4.89 The final year was in the one of the best hitting parks in baseball. Garland has been Garland, his critics just got louder.

I would to JoBo if he could get on base at a 40% clip.

Cubs had a 10% chance of making the playoffs before todays game... It's down to less than 5% now, but there is still the faintest of hope left.

f*** yeah