YASNY

The Rangers should be entitled to some type of compensation for this. If the Yankees did know about this and cover it up, they should be fined roughly the amount of ARod's contract that the Rangers agreed to pay. Seriously, they should be fined quite heavily.

I did say "close" to the same production. Relatively speaking, in a bang for buck outlook, I'd expect them to do quite well.

For the record, Swieka (sp?) reported this, and the source and page number, on the Score tonight.

I agree with Brando here. Harris/Uribe should give us close to the same production this year as an aging Ray Durham, and at a extremely cheaper rate. Really, only one of the two has to come through to be a dependable starting 2B and it is reality. And a platoon just might accomplish the same thing.

If there is one team .... big if, I know .... that I would bet on NOT having any steriod enhanced players, it would be the Sox. That is simply because of the attempt they made to intentionally fail those tests to force the issue of steriod testing.

Can't you see the similatities between the '84 Sox and the '04 Cubs? Preseason expectations include World Series possibilities. Then, each team added a future HOF starting pitcher to an already, supposedly, dominant starting rotation. It's obvious why the picked the '84 Sox to "bash".

They could implement a cap and phase it in over a 5 year period. Freeze the cap right now at what the Yankees payroll currently is, and whittle it down more as each year goes by. I think the ARod deal hit Henry between the eyes with a sldge hammer and made him realize that even he cannot outspend King George.

The '83 Sox were the first team in Chicago to top 2 million in paid attendance. Let's see here ... dominant division champion and record attendance. Is there a correlation here? Based on the way JR has run this club, apparently not.

Oh C'mon! ... How many games did the Cardinals win specifically because of Pujols? You focus on two games on the negative side of the equation when, I'm sure, the scales would be very heavily leaning in the other direction.

Damn right it is. And like with any endeavor, you have to point to the man at the top, whether things are succussful or failed. JR has owned this team for close to a quarter century and still has not brought a championship to Chicago (Though his brilliant marketing strategies may be close to accomplishing that, indirectly, on the wrong side of town). You can't blame the various managers and GM's anymore for this. It all goes back to the ownership.

I'd really like to see them at least win one playoff series. We can buid a fan base on that.

Yes, I think Rowand will surprise a lot of people this year. He justs looks like a solid ballplayer to me.

My post was strictly to take the opportunity to use "clam up" in this particular thread. Don't take it seriously.

There seems to be a lot of "inflammatory rhetoric" coming from both sides. It just depends on your point of view.

Yes, I'd say 90% or more of my posts come from the office.

Either clam down or clam up!

:fthecubs and the Yankees, too.

Ray was adequate at the pivot. In fact, for years, he had trouble turning the DP. Manuel worked with him for a long time before he got it down. But, he did get it and was decent when the Sox traded him.

I just call 'em like I see 'em. He's going to be a Cub again. Nothing we can do about it. Let's enjoy the Sox.

I don't recall the exact wording, but I took it to mean that the odds on KC was 20-1.

And they still have a better chance of winning the World Series than any team in baseball. I wish we had problems like that.

Whether you like it or not, your baseball intellect has got to be telling you that this is a very fortunate turn of events for the Cubs. Maddux didn't have a bad 1st half last year, he had a bad April. Very big difference. He's still a quality pitcher and a consumate professional. He's talented, smart, established, classy ... what negatives can you possibly see? His age? OK. Big deal. I'd take him for the Sox in heartbeat.

No, it's only today.

This season is a waste anyway. Why not trade "the heart and soul" of a dead team? Wirtz fully expects there to be a salary cap in place when hockey resumes. Clearing payroll from this moribund group will give him some flexibity to add to the core of talented youngsters, if he chooses to do so. That's a big "if".