hammerhead johnson

I'll buy into the theory that Nick Johnson could get 400+ ABs if he were relegated to a DH role. We're talking a .900 OPS if this guy could somehow manage to stay healthy, and there's no question that he'll come cheap given his history of injuries. Sounds like a f***ing plan, and then some.

QUOTE (ChWRoCk2 @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 06:28 PM) Houston has a good team this year. I actually like them as well to win the division or get the wildcard. I agree that they're good, but I have a hard time believing that they're a playoff team in the AFC, what with the Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Titans, Chargers, Colts, etc. I know that some people are leaving the Colts out of the playoff picture in favor of the Texans, but Tennessee is a no-brain selection to make the playoffs. Eh, it's better to be wrong for the right reasons than it is to be right for the wrong reasons.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 05:04 AM) Brandon Allen has 3 hrs already? Bad bad trade KW. QUOTE (RibbieRubarb @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 05:50 AM) He is also hitting .217, a .294obp, 8rbis and has 19k in 46 at bats. Greg, you can't set yourself up to get schooled like this. Gotta bite your tongue on some of this s***.

QUOTE (dmbjeff @ Sep 5, 2009 -> 06:35 AM) This organizations philosophy regarding the DH positiong the past 15 years or so has been to stick a bad fielding hitter in the spot. I'm tired of having Thome/Baines/Thomas type guys in the spot when we can use the spot better like the Yankees and Angels tend to do and give guys more rest. wat QUOTE (jamesdiego @ Sep 5, 2009 -> 09:14 PM) I must be in the minority to be thanking the lord Thome is gone. The lefties I'd rather take his spot next year: Adam Dunn, Abreu, Matsui. I'd even rather gamble that Delgado will be able to stay healthy. I think KW is thinking much the same. It hasn't worked with Jim, so why keep doing it. huh QUOTE (SouthsideDon48 @ Sep 5, 2009 -> 10:40 PM) seems like we've been winning consistently since we traded Thome... WTF QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Sep 6, 2009 -> 06:54 AM) It's great we all agree that we will look back on this trade as the best thing to ever happen. Thome was a cancer on this team and I smelled a rat from day 1. Mr Nice Guy Class Act s*** was just that, an act. His pull-happy, strikeout machine style of play has ruined us. Konerko can stay for as long as he wants, but Dye has to go too. holy mary mother of god

QUOTE (zenryan @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 02:04 PM) I'm too lazy to do every team but here are my predictions: AFC: 1. San Diego 2. New England 3. Indy 4. Baltimore 5. Pittsburgh 6. Houston NFC: 1. Atlanta 2. Green Bay 3. Philadephia 4. Arizona 5. NY Giants 6. Minnesota San Diego vs Atlanta I'm glad that you were too lazy. I wouldn't want to see the entire thing if you got Houston finishing ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South. And a severely weak super bowl to boot.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 11:04 PM) We were ranked 6th in the NFL against the run last year. Not sure where Steve was getting at. Hell, we're good enough to finish in the top 3 against the run, and the DT rotation is reason numero uno. When assessing the quality of DTs, it all starts with their ability against the run, no matter the system. Anybody that thinks otherwise just doesn't know their football too well.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 10:47 PM) We get lit up anytime we play a decent RB I thought we were one of the best teams in the NFL against the run.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 10:17 PM) man we did not draft small, fast DTs because they are good at collecting blockers. Tommie Harris, Marcus Harrison, and Anthony Adams are anything but small.

QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 09:17 PM) In a cover 2, the DT's need to be able to rush the pass more than in another system. Consuming blockers and clogging the interior are responsibilities 1A and 1B for our DTs. That's what Tommie Harris, Marcus Harrison, and Anthony Adams will provide. When it's a pass play, you'll see 'em pushing the interior blockers back towards the QB. Sacks should be few and far between for DTs in any system, because it's more about freeing up your linebackers and making it easy for your DEs to do some real damage, innit?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 05:47 PM) I'd need to see the Bears consistently get to the QB before I annoint a rotation built from an oft-injured star and a bunch of ok pieces the best DT rotation in the league. That's just downright incorrect. Right off the bat, you got the wrong perspective. You'll see the value of our DT rotation in the rushing yards allowed stats. It's hard to believe that people who follow this team on a regular basis don't know what we have. Are Marcus Harrison, Anthony Adams, and Israel Idonije really that slept on? Please tell me there's someone else out there that knows a thing or two about defense?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 05:28 PM) The reason I currently am down on Rios is I expected to win the s***ty Central this season and I bought into the argument Rios and Peavy would be the keys and might even propel us to the WS. The common perception was if we could keep it close and win the Central even (we were 2 out just a couple weeks ago) our rotation would be murder in the playoffs and we could rely more on just Thornton and Carrasco and not those other bullpen hacks. we were a team allegedly set up to make a strong postseason run with that Peavy and Mark-led rotation and a real center fielder finally. You have the wrong perspective on things, and then some.

QUOTE (hammerhead johnson @ Sep 3, 2009 -> 03:16 PM) Tommie Harris Marcus Harrison Anthony Adams Israel Idonije Jarron Gilbert ^ Nobody in the NFL w/ the exception of the Giants is seeing that DT depth. Dvoracek made it a landslide when he was healthy. QUOTE (MattZakrowski @ Sep 4, 2009 -> 12:46 AM) None of these players are impact players, considering Harris will never be the same player we saw before the injuries. Not eveybody is gonna be Kevin Williams or Pat Williams. My point is that we have arguably the deepest DT rotation in the business, even without Dvoracek. What this means is that our 3rd and 4th string guys could be starting for most NFL teams. From what I've seen of Gilbert, he has freakish ability, but it's gonna take him a while to get settled in. I don't think there's any way you're gonna be able to stop him one-on-one in the long run, though. Don't front on this DT rotation, my polish hombre.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Sep 3, 2009 -> 03:32 PM) They have the worst WR core in football But we have pretty much the best receiving TE tandem in the business, and Forte is probably a top 5 receiving threat in the league out of the HB position, correct? Give this more thought, dude.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Sep 3, 2009 -> 08:27 AM) Not that preseason predictions mean a damn thing (they're worthless. Especially in the NFL), but Peter King was either bored and just said to myself "Eh, I guess I'll just pick the Bears to win the NFC to shock some folks" or he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. This team has MAJOR questions marks at WR, O-line, D-line, secondary. I'm not sippin' the kool-aid that some are. The WR core is awful. I don't care what anybody says. Can Cutler make a difference? That remains to be seen. Can Orlando Pace not only stay healthy all year, but can he play at anything close to a pro-bowl level? Can Chris Williams hold down the RT spot? What will we get from a totally unproven Frank Omiyale? That's just on offense. Will our D-line, the same front D-line that was just a step above pathetic last year, rebound this year? Other than supposed D-line guru coach Rod Marinelli in the fold, why am I supposed to believe they will be that much, if at all, better? We've got crappy corners (Tillman is the only decent one when healthy) and safeties that can't cover anybody. I'm sorry. I'm not usually this pessimistic. But seeing is believing in this case. Every team has weaknesses, but I object to some of those complaints. Our offensive line is looking pretty damn good with the additions of Pace, Omiyale, Schaeffer, and Williams. We also have the best DT rotation in the business, even without Dvoracek. Tommie Harris Marcus Harrison Anthony Adams Israel Idonije Jarron Gilbert ^ Nobody in the NFL w/ the exception of the Giants is seeing that DT depth. Dvoracek made it a landslide when he was healthy. We're gonna be stuffing the run something fierce, as per usual. Also, anybody that's been paying close attention to these preseason games can see that the Bears are gonna have an effective passing attack with Olsen/Clark/Forte/Hester/Bennett. The key ingredient is Cutler's ability to buy time, no doubt. There are too many positives here. Just sit back and enjoy.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Sep 3, 2009 -> 02:04 PM) MOST PLAYERS WORTH A s*** IN ANY SPORT PLAY BETTER AT HOME!!!!!! Yes, the vast majority of SPs are much more comfortable at home, which makes Peavy's road accomplishments all the more amazing. Also, Clayton Richard isn't too familiar with Petco as of yet, but that isn't stopping him from putting up great home numbers.

QUOTE (Friend of Nordhagen @ Sep 2, 2009 -> 10:51 PM) Well, that's true, but that would tend to raise a few doubts about Peavy, wouldn't it? And I LIKE the trade -- just think it's important to be consistent. Check out some of Peavy's road splits over the years: 2007: 15 GS 10-1 Record 98 IP 101 K 34 BB 2.57 ERA 1.05 WHIP .195 BAA 2005: 13 GS 6-4 Record 87 IP 86 K 23 BB 2.98 ERA 1.12 WHIP .229 BAA 2004: 13 GS 8-3 Record 81 IP 78 K 22 BB 2.33 ERA 1.19 WHIP .246 BAA 2006 & 2008 were nothing to write home about, but when you add it all up, you have one of the best road SPs in the business.

LOL, so let's look at some splits since he got traded. In Petco: 4 GS 3 Wins 24 IP 22 K 12 BB 1.88 ERA 1.17 WHIP .190 BAA Outside Of Petco: 3 GS 12 IP 13 ER 6 K 10 BB 21 Hits Allowed That's right - he's allowed 31 hits & walks in 12 IP away from Petco. Do the math - that's a WHIP ratio of worse than 2.50. We're talking worst in baseball here. Y'all know that I could probably pitch complete game shutouts at Petco, right? I had some fake minor league expert douche try to tell me that he's gonna turn into something because he added velocity. Don't talk to me.

Even if we tank, I'd imagine that the Peavy and Rios acquisitions are gonna convince the majority of season ticket-holders to renew their s***. It's a good point without those major acquisitions, though.

Please lose every game from here on out. Give us another shot at a Beckham-like talent. Those top 10 picks are gold, son.

There's a reason why this guy is Fidel Castro's all-time favorite pitcher. It's because he was the bomb for the Cuban team, back in '83, when he was in his mid-to-late 20s.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Sep 1, 2009 -> 06:49 AM) It's schematics, but OP mentioned "under the radar" guys that haven't gotten national recognition. Kung Fu Panda has gotten plenty of that this year; I think we can all agree on that. It would make more sense for Pablo Sandoval to be on his original list over Markakis, Young, Johnson, Reynolds, etc. Not 100% sure on the author's original intent, but this turned into a "Players Who Have Exceeded Expectations" thread, and Pablo Sandoval is pretty much headlining it.

QUOTE (jamesdiego @ Sep 1, 2009 -> 05:58 AM) I guess some people just don't appreciate a World Series Championship nowadays. To hell with you Hawk! I cherish my Mark Buehrle World Series Wheaties Box.

QUOTE (CQMVP @ Sep 1, 2009 -> 05:56 AM) Fellow roider? Are you seriously saying Thome is a roider? No, he's gonna end up with damn near 575 completely legitimate home runs. He's just that good.

Peace out, Big Jim. Gear up for those 8th and 9th inning ABs against right-handed relievers. You ain't never gonna sniff another lefty again. You also get to reunite with your former teammate/fellow roider Manny Ramirez. That should be nice.