BrandoFan

What a hopeless lamo-hack.

No, it wouldn't be. Do you not understand why Sox must succeed as much as possible while Cubs must fail as much as possible at the same time? Do you not see why Cubs must be kept away from the playoffs, let alone the Series, at ALL cost? The best case scenario is Sox winning 110 games and the Series, while Cubs lose 110 games. Many times over.

Komedy gold. This guy talks about Roy Oswalt.....Yeah and if Prior doesn't miss a month, if Sosa doesn't miss almost a month and if Ramirez and Lofton are there from the very beginning, that team wins 95 games with ease. Easy schedule? Guess what genius, CUBS PLAYED ALL THE TOUGH TEAMS IN THE FIRST HALF SO OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE EASIER TEAMS LATER ON....Reminds me of Sox fans whining about Twins coasting through Septmeber, forgetting that those same Twins were playing Yankees, Red Sox, A's early in the season while Sox were getting embrassed by Detroit and Cleveland..... Easy division? Are you kidding me? There was NEVER in the history of divisional play a division as cumulatively pathetic as 2003 ALC. Minnesota was the only team that had a prayer finishing above .500 in ANY other division Cubs also outplayed the Braves and were 2 great defensive plays by Alex Gonzalez in Game 1 (Sosa hit missiles with a GW run in scoring position in late innings that would have likely ended the game before Marlins had a chance to win in the extra innings) away from SWEEPING THE MARLINS. And they got better in 2004......If Prior, Wood, Sosa, Walker and Co were all healthy, Cubs would be 15 games over .500 right now. Hell, they are AHEAD of the Astros as it as. Now they just need a lot of bad recurring injuries and hopefully they never reach their full potential and miss the playoffs.

No. Sox must win the Series while the Cubs fail to make it to postseason. They must then rinse and repeat that one more time. Sox not winning the Series twice in 1994 and/or 2000-2003 has caught up with them big time. Now the Cubs might just do it. More than once. :puke

It's amazing how Sox fans can delude themseleves into believing that Cubs aren't the best team in NL talent-wise..........These New Cubs aren't your dad's lovable losers - Tribune company has finally figured out that WINNING brings them even more money gravy than perennial cost-cutting and losing even could in the last 95 years. Derek Lee reached base 9 consecutive times and is heating up like he usually does in June. Choi who? Hawkins is Hawkins. After a slow April start, looks like Maddux is very solid again - would be a great #5. Walker is a pro. Cubs also have Aramis Ramirez for the whole season and unfortunately Clement might not get injured until next year. They are already the team to beat. I knew that when Glendon Rusch effortlessly beat Matt Morris. The only reason why Cubs aren't 15 over .500 is because Sosa, Wood, Prior, Walker, Grudzelanek, Remlinger have missed some serious time and they had to use bums like Jackson, Macias, Rusch, Mitre, Ordonez, etc. . Oh no s***. 2001-2003 miserable failures were terrible because you just knew deep down inside that Cubs were one competent GM away from turning their whole history around and Sox better win the World Series after 2000 because Cubs were gonna make a serious run at it in the new century. Not only do Sox need to go deep in the playoffs in 2004, but they also need for Cubs to have some really bad injuries such as Wood being shelved for the year and Alou being out for the season and Sammy having a recurring back problem and possibly Prior ending on the DL with inflamation.....only then will the hapless Cardinals and Astros have a shot at keeping the Cubs out of the postseason. Cubs in the playoffs = bad, bad, bad thing for Soxdom. Don't let any moron suggest otherwise.

If we're talking about 1 game, Pedro Martinez at his best is the best pitcher of all time. Unlike Bob Gibson and a many others, Pedro's 1.70 ERA season came when the league average was 4.60. The problem with Pedro is that he doesn't pitch on 2 day rest like Big Train, or on 3 days like Koufax. He can't pitch 300 innings a year. So in order to be the best of all time you need great talent AND longevity, with playoff performance being the tie-breaker. Mark Prior has a shot.

Do they realize that with Harden's, Crosby's and Kotsay's emergence, all Oakland needs to win 95+ games is a healthy Chavez back? And I think Billy Beane is gonna add Justice/Guillen-type bat and a reliever as they get closer to the ASB, making them all that tougher to beat. So that means Seattle is gonna have play some unbelivable baseball to win ALW.....they won't. That leaves Wild Card. Boston and Anaheim might win 95 games if Nixon, Garciappara, Colon and Washburn start performing like they're supposed to. Mariners definately lost the season in April.

Not only that, but I wouldn't be suprised if they won it all. All they need is a healthy Sosa and Wood, and there is not a team in NL or AL that can stop them. I am sure Hendry is gonna add Urbina or some other stud reliever to help Hawkins, Reminger and Farnsworth out. Then I would try to get a true lead-off hitter to push Todd Walker back in the #2 hole. And they're set. Now let's all bow our heads together and pray for terrible, 2001 Sox type luck on the Cubs.

How come he wasn't a 1st round pick if he is this talented?

It all depends. With a 150 Mill payroll, you can. With a 50 Mill payroll, you can't - unless it's an exception plater like Bonds or Prior, which Maggs clearly isn't. Jason Schmidt and Steve Finley if we're talking about World Series.....and Garcia if we're talking about postseason. Every situation is unique and there sure as hell NO GUARANTEES. But whatever the solution is, it's not paying 25% of the 2005 payroll to DL-gglio. You need KW and Sox scouts to pull a few more Uribes and Reeds out of their asses, true. You want to retain MO? You need a 75+ Mill payroll, which of course won't happen unless Sox revenues go up by 20% as compared to 2003. How will that happen without Sox reaching ALCS I have no idea. Magglio is gonna have to do his best 1998 Albert Belle impersonation, that's for sure.

WS61382, looks like we agree on everything in that post, it's eerie. Finley is in a slump right now, but he still hits RHP better this season than Beltran does. You'd have to start Rowand against LHP regardless of whom you'll get. Can you imagine Beltran sitting for 2 days in a row? He'd be pouting up a storm. Whereas Finley will be more cooperative. Sox are gonna need either of these LH CF'ers when going up against RHP Pedro, Shilling, Lowe, Mussina, Brown, Vasquez. Who do you prefer, Garcia or Glavine? There is absolutely no way Crede should be given up on. I demanded he be benched since like April, but he simply has too much talent and is too cheap to give up on - unless it's for an ace pitcher like Jason Schmidt. Randa is washed-up and makes about 3 more Mill than Crede while providing inferior defense. Hillenbrand would be an upgrade, but he is worse defensively, more expensive and I feel Crede will be able to muster respectable OPS in the next few weeks.

4-0 Cubs in the 6th. Astros = losers.

I wouldn't call growing up in the 80's and 90's "boring and miserable". Anything but. Moving bookcase? Beyond awesome.

Let's wait until he at least puts those numbers in AA before we annoint him the next Cameron. Can he throw like Mike can?

Exactly. There is a higher chance that Marshall Mathers is indeed just a misunderstood genius and not in fact a homophobic, misogynistic insecure poseur...than there is that this story is true.

I agree.

Beltran makes 9. Finley - 7 Arizona will be willing to pay part of his remaining salary if the prospects are nice, whereas poor KC wants the prospective takers to pay themseleves. So yes, not only would it take less (prospects) to get Finley but it would take less (money) to get Finley. BTW.... You ARE aware that Sox refers to "White Sox" since they predate Bawston counterparts and all?

1. 14 Mill is NOT 25% of 80 Mill. 2. Barry Bonds is certainly worth 20% of the payroll. If the player is a big fan and media draw, obvisouly you can spend a little more. 3. Yankees can pay A-Rod 50% of the payroll and still have 90 Mill to spend on other players. Not so with a 60 Mill payroll.

Yes, but those are STUDLY SUPER-STARS who bring money and attention to the club that Maggs doesn't. And you only need 1 or 2 of them if you have assembled enough bargains. I-Rod is a good example. Marlins knew they couldn't pay Wilson, Floyd and Livan. They let them go and saved up. Their GM and scouts did their job in assembling cheap young talent. I-Rod was the last piece of the puzzle. You want to keep Maggs (and who doesn't)? The team makes it to ALCS, fans come out in droves, 2005 payroll goes up to 80 Mill......MAGGS STAYS. Whoo-hoo.

Yes, I'd rather Valentin at 2 Mill than Magglio at 15 Mill Todd Hollansworth is totally out-hitting and out-hustling Sammy Sosa as we speak. He makes, what, 16 Mill less. You have enough quality "bargains" and before you know it, you have freed up 30-40 Mill. Use that money on guys like Vlad, Pujols, Pedro, Bonds.

Counter-fitting and alcohol-brewing and speculative trading were also out-lawed. It didn't deter anyone. Mother is vast, you can do all sorts of things with the right amount of zeal and ingenuity. In the last 15 years though, it must have become much easier to form the "cults". No man, they're everywhere.

That's becase you an idiot.

I knew you'd bite 'badger.

"Koresh" = drinking buddy

There are f***ed-up cults everywhere and that includes Mother. Never been in contact with one, though.