Friend of Nordhagen

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 07:15 PM) Well, that sucks. Also, Carlos Quentin can't throw very well. That's not good for a rightfielder.

QUOTE (daa84 @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 07:12 PM) he said to the press the other day he doesn't let his catchers call his game....peavy says he puts so much work into prepping for the game that hes not going to trust someone else no matter how good the catcher is..... right now his stuff looks extremely flat He's always had a jerky motion, but he looks like he's all arm right now. Okay, now a home run. I think it's fair to say that Peavy sucks tonight.

QUOTE (Bhay99 @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 07:09 PM) come on peavy....what are you doing Peavy has nothing.

Interesting by Jones -- swinging from his heels until 2 strikes, then a nice, short stroke up the middle.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 11, 2010 -> 03:25 PM) I couldn't see the third base coach in the shot, did Hardy get sent, or did he run a stop sign? Anyone know? Couldn't tell if he sent him, but I did see one interesting thing on the replay. Just after Hardy rounded third, and Teahen turned to look at home plate, the third base coach JUMPED INTO FAIR TERRITORY, right at third base. It honestly looked like he was trying to trick Teahen into thinking that he was the runner.

QUOTE (daggins @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 06:11 PM) The point is he shouldn't have that many ABs. He should be batting 9th, or not be starting. Fine, but you can't make the case that he makes more outs than anyone else based on him batting leadoff and playing 162 games. That's all I'm saying.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 03:24 PM) I think Pierre playing every day is an out machine. Pods while a bad defender was a hit machine. Alright, Pierre isn't great, but I HATE the too-often heard statement "Juan Pierre is an out machine." Yes, Juan Pierre is not a high OBP guy; for what it's worth, most of the time, Pods wasn't either. The difference is that Pierre plays 162 game a year, and he leads-off in every one of them. So, yeah, he's going to make a lot of outs, because he's going to bat nearly 700 times a year! So to simply call him an "out machine" is a truly undisciplined way of using sabermetrics.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 02:06 PM) Terry has his "guys" that tell him all Indeed. Terry hasn't broken a story in 25 years, except in his head.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Apr 10, 2010 -> 01:55 PM) I heard B & B on the Score saying that they've come to the conclusion that Flowers is not very good at baseball, and that they should trade him NOW while they can still get something for him. Depressing. Hearing B&B use their phrase "not good at ____" is about as tired as lazy Terry Boers calling someone a "dope" or "retard" instead of actually making an argument. Try something new once every five years, boys.

QUOTE (TitoMB @ Apr 5, 2010 -> 12:41 PM) Bad throw by Becks... Alexei didn't make it any easier though. Bad play all around. Seriously, what in God's name have they worked with Alexei on? That spin is the exact same thing he was doing all of last year, costing numerous double plays in the process.

This is just a tremendous bummer. Does it make me a bad person that I'm watching tonight's game and wondering why it had to be Mitchell and not, say, Lillibridge or something?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 23, 2010 -> 11:18 AM) Dempster has to be one of the most annoying nerds I've seen on the Cubs. From his pointless glove flipping to his Word Series Guarantee, the Cubs brass should gag the guy. It's rare that you'd ever say that a guy deserved an injury, but I think that it's accurate when it comes to Dempster's last year. He fell over the dugout fence because he's a Wrigley Field show-off, who needs to shout "look at me" to the fans at the park. For years, he was Cub funny guy with the local media; then he needed something else to occupy his attention-starved time. That's why he would do his stupid hop over the fence, and that's why he fell and hurt himself. It's the same phenomenon as the Soriano hop and the Zambrano break-the-bat-over-his-knee bit. Try baseball, gentlemen.

QUOTE (hogan873 @ Feb 11, 2010 -> 11:36 AM) If that wasn't the case yesterday, it is today. Whining attitude certainly doesn't help. Well, JD almost got it right. The arrival of Rios did affect his numbers -- but not because he lost playing time. Fact is, he pouted. Big-time. That seemed pretty clear, just listening to him and watching him at the time.

QUOTE (bschmaranz @ Dec 31, 2009 -> 11:35 AM) Cubs sign Marlon Byrd. 3 years/$15 mil http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4785125 Looks like Soto again will have some company in the team pharmacy. I'm sure that he was pretty lonely after DeRosa left.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 12:08 PM) The Hawk eh roo You're right. I've just channeled Hawk, and I'm absolutely terrified.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 11:48 AM) I don't really care what his ISO will be at the top of the order. I care about the things he can do. Is he perfect, absolutely not. Ideal, no, but for the amount the Sox are paying him this is a solid move. Last season he was much much better than he had been the last couple of years and he did make some minor changes to his swing mechanics and approach and they apparently paid off big. The stat outlook on these type of guys are always much much more negative than the reality. He isn't an all star, nor is he one of the 10 or 15 best leadoff hitters, but he's adequate, and will be one of the few guys on the squad capable of hitting for a high average, which is a nice change. There are a lot of things Juan can do that won't show up on the stat sheet. On balance, I like the move. Nothing too studly, but it has its advantages -- and I give Williams credit for actually addressing his outfield this year, unlike past years when he's ignored it. Pierre is a remarkably consistent guy; some would say he's consistently mediocre, but he's decent in LF, a good hitter and he can run. On those nights when we're complaining about everyone swinging for the fences, he'll be trying to scratch out runs. I'd like his OBP and arm to be better, sure. But show me a guy who has holes in his game, and I'll show you every player in baseball. As for his SLG percentage, I simply don't care a whole lot. And the whole thing about him making a bunch of outs? Well, that will happen when you play every single game. Is he better than Pods? Yeah, I guess so, and that's even assuming Pods could stay healthy. Granted, Pods got some big hits last year, which was great, but I don't think I've ever seen a dumber player than Scotty -- and he compromised our defense every time he crossed the foul lines. With our pitching staff, that's not so swell.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Dec 15, 2009 -> 10:24 AM) Whoever said Pierre in LF, Rios in CF, Jones in RF and Quentin at DH is probably right. Minimize Quentin's injury risk and the defense is a pretty big improvement over that monstrosity we had last season. Except then Quentin has to sit on the bench and stew about his last at-bat. Oh, the intensity.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 13, 2009 -> 07:56 AM) Ill take em. The are painful to watch, I think everyone knew that last night was going to be an ugly loss, we just didnt know how. I was at potbellys right before the game and there were several other bears fans and everyone had a look of concern on their faces. Alot different from the excitement several weeks ago. Maybe everyone was just unsure what they were going to order.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 11:03 PM) I think actually most do. I think people jumping to his side is seeing how poor of a crappy team we have around him. Its sad to waste this talent on this crap. And is also a reaction to being hit with morons calling the radio station since the beginning of the season lamenting the all powerful Kyle "Where is my Beer" Orton. Like we would be superbowl bound if that guy was still around. Cutler is probably putting the entire thing on his back and trying to make it happen. He sees the crap we have on this team. A little more time with the line, and maybe a receiver or two that knows how to complete a route and I think things look better. Right on.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:54 PM) Of course some of the turnovers are his fault. But he is also clearly forcing throws in part because the rest of the team is so bad that he feels he has to make big plays all the time. I agree. It would be great if we could all agree on that. But I don't think we do.

QUOTE (Jenksy Cat @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:38 PM) People can't seem to get past that unfortunately. The entire team sucks, yet it somehow all falls on Cutler. Sad stuff. No. That's just the point. It doesn't "all" fall on Cutler. But for some folks, none of it falls on Cutler. I GET that Cutler has talent. I GET that he's way down the list of problems. Turner is a dope. Angelo built the worst offensive line in the league. Forte looks slow. And the receivers are inexperienced and not so good. I don't even like Kyle Orton, unlike some wackos who make it all about him. What I'm pointing out is something different -- a very weird excuse-everything-Cutler-does mentality that has started to creep into these discussions about the Bears. He's the quarterback, and he's turned it over a lot. And some of those -- yes -- are his fault. His fault.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:31 PM) With essentially no time on the clock, you try to make a play. It was a hail mary from 12 yards out. I said that. I'm talking about across the year, not the last 8 seconds tonight. (In the first half, for example. Throw the f***ing ball away down there.)

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:30 PM) The one where Hester fell down? I am sure he misses the line he had in Denver. And the receivers who actually can get open and run routes and catch the ball. But he's not quarterbacking Denver, is he? Deal with what you have in front of you. No question, this team sucks, and Cutler's about 46th on the list of what's wrong. But c'mon; let's not pretend he hasn't made some bad judgments, no matter what the reason.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:28 PM) Its a combination of a few things. Tight area. Our receivers are horrible at making plays. Hit them in the break basket on a slant, sure. Make a decision on their own. f*** that. Olsen for all of his talent can't get open. Bad line puts lots of pressure on QB. Crappy Line + receivers who can't catch or run routes or get open + small area + QB who knows he is the only one that can make the play = bad red zone execution. + Bad decision-making by him. Sure, he's good and there's really nothing else to do end-of-game. But across the year, he's forced it down there in game situations where it wasn't necessary. Take the 3 sometimes.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 12, 2009 -> 10:24 PM) The 5th INT was just a piss poor throw by Cutler. so 2 INTs on the night basically. Yeah. I feel for the guy because the team around him is miserable, and he obviously has a ton of talent. But he's had his moments of being point-blank awful. That can't be sugar-coated. Anyway, I have no idea how good or bad he is, because the team around him -- and his offensive coach -- are brutal.