Friend of Nordhagen

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 4, 2009 -> 02:48 PM) And it still hasn't worked. Alexei is still dreaming about grand slams out there. He's a liability, that's for sure. And since this is his "natural" position, I'm not really sure that he's going to bet better, unlike last year at 2nd.

QUOTE (elmo9246 @ Jul 4, 2009 -> 02:39 PM) I wonder how many games Alexei's glove at short has lost us at this point? He has no range to his right and compensates for it by playing deep. I think that's been his problem all year.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 3, 2009 -> 04:02 PM) Cubs seem to have that invincibility back at home they had last season. It's not surprising, given their team makeup. Fathom, I've said it before: it's a group of frontrunners.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jun 30, 2009 -> 06:09 PM) Good find! He sounds like he has a pretty good head for the game of baseball. That was my thought, too. His observations are very specific. You can tell that he picks things up quickly.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jun 28, 2009 -> 02:32 PM) He's frustrating as hell out there. That being said, lets not forget that he made 2 plays yesterday that no one else on the team would have had a chance for. I think you have to stick with him at short, he's got too much potential as a shortstop to move him out of there during his first full season playing there. Farmer and Jackson have been all over Ramirez today, calling him "lost" on how to turn the double play.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 06:01 PM) And my moron Cubs friend (who happens to be one of my best friends) texts me talking s***. That fool is a ghost to me for the next 3 weeks. I loathe Cubs fans. Perhaps your friend, like Geovany Soto, received a special shipment of HGH this week.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 05:57 PM) Not only that, but he should have looked him back and then went for the force out at second. This is the worst defensive game by the Sox infield in my life time. He looked him back when he was ONE THIRD OF THE WAY DOWN THE LINE. You have to throw behind him there. Just dumb.

QUOTE (EvilJester99 @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 05:49 PM) Man what a terrible play again... wonder if Oz will just keep letting Alexei make these bonehead plays or will he move him or bench his ass for a game. I think it's good that Ozzie is finding out now, so by next year this s*** is out of his system. Ramirez is not a shortstop. Even putting aside his idiocy this week, the man has 0 range to his right. Forget it. Move along. He's not a shortstop.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 05:18 PM) Ugh is it too much to ask to hold a lead longer than a half-inning? It's not a lot to ask of a good team. A mediocre-to-bad team? Yeah, hard.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 04:30 PM) This team is flat out hard to like. +1

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 27, 2009 -> 04:29 PM) Ugh, more great communication. What the f*** is wrong with this infield!! What a stupid team this is. Galactically stupid.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 20, 2009 -> 02:11 PM) Ascanio and Guzman have had very good years for them under the radar. You forget they even have Heilman. True on those guys. But I'm talking late-inning, high-leverage situations. There's where the problem is.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 20, 2009 -> 01:59 PM) A positive I was thinking about yesterday is that even if the Cubs do make the postseason, there's almost no chance they'd have home field advantage throughout if the Dodgers make it past round 1. I'm assuming that the wild card will come out of the NL East (Mets and Phillies both make it). The basic problem that the Cubs have isn't their hitting. That's pretty likely to come around a bit, especially when the great and always-hustling Aramis Ramirez comes back. The real problem they have is their bullpen (which their late rallies tend to obscure, interestingly). Kevin Gregg is not effective. Marmol hasn't had good command for most of the year. That's going to be an issue for them all year, I think. And, finally, the most telling thing that happened all year with that team was when the Giants were in a few months ago. Lincecum pitched. Lou's response? "Rest" most of the regulars. His reasoning was that they were in a long stretch of games, but it just said a lot to me about their makeup. They get fat off 3rd and 4th and 5th starters in Wrigley all year. But they couldn't hit good pitching in the playoffs the past 2 years, and when it's time to face a good one this year, well, Lou basically folded up. Seemed very . . . quitter-like.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 20, 2009 -> 01:51 PM) Ugh, they're getting some big time clutch hits now. Must be nice to have a lefty power bat on your bench. What can you say? It's a team full of frontrunners. Once 1 or 2 get it going, a bunch of the others will, especially against lousy pitching. That's their makeup. (It's one of the reasons that they've been a bad playoff hitting team, when they can't feast on bad pitchers.) Hell, you know they're getting it going that way when Fukucrappo gets a hit.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 20, 2009 -> 01:45 PM) You're awesome!! Figured you'd like that one.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 20, 2009 -> 01:34 PM) No kidding, Lee even admitted yesterday that Thursday gave them the confidence to fight back at the end of a game. Lee's at it again today...him and Soto must have got their shipment finally sent to them this season. Well, DeRosa is in town.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jun 18, 2009 -> 03:35 PM) This reminds me of last year, when Dotel came in and took a s*** on the mound. Indeed. This is 2nd half Liney from last year -- velocity down, location horrible, skating out of trouble so Ozzie still uses him the same way, until he sucks so badly that there's no alternative other than to have him disappear for several months.

QUOTE (JorgeFabregas @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 09:21 PM) What's the alternative? Hawk

QUOTE (joesaiditstrue @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 09:18 PM) Jermaine has no clue at the plate tonight He's looked a bit slow the past two nights.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jun 10, 2009 -> 09:09 PM) I hate our team. I was thinking tonight, strangely, that we'd look a whole lot better if just 2 things were true: (1) Carlos Quentin back and healthy; and (2) Gordon Beckham hitting. If just those 2 things were true (assuming PK not hurt), our lineup clutter would diminish considerably, particularly at the bottom of the order. We actually now have a good leadoff man and Ramirez is hitting, then we have the middle of the order, which is on par with where it was last year, if not better, as long as Quentin hits. Also, I think Beckham has a clue up there. I know that this is ridiculously optimistic, but why not?

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 10:29 PM) Funny thing is it wasn't even close to the worst call of the game. That crew sucked all around tonight. Hawk is now complaining about how Linebrink had to get ready in a hurry. Well, why the f*** was that?

QUOTE (GREEDY @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 10:27 PM) Anderson has zero chance against anything thrown by a pitcher.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 10:24 PM) Chris Getz never learns. He's like Lillibridge-lite with the fly balls.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 10:22 PM) I was hoping for the matrix effect. Joyce jumps up, and does a flip, and the play slows down mid stream so he can see wise in slow motion. Then it speeds up as he lands, and then for good measure he round house kicks Ronny Woo into the wall. Meanwhile, Wise rises from the cloud of dust and kicks his stirrup-clad legs over his head, flips and lands in the booth next to Hawk.

QUOTE (Brian @ Jun 9, 2009 -> 10:18 PM) Hoverboards for umpires!!! Let's just suspend them in harnesses. There could be a series of tether lines running over the field.