caulfield12

Rios isn't a big deal because they can use Gore, Orlando and Dyson. Duffy is also more erratic...they think they can muddle through a Young start, he is a huge change in approach/speed/delivery from Cueto/Volquez/Ventura, and Duffy as a lefty would be pitching into the teeth of a righty dominant lineup for the most part. Going with Guthrie or Medlen wouldn't have shocked anyone...after how much they trusted Guthrie last year in the postseason, but not the same pitcher this year by a longshot. Cubs' fans feel they are forfeiting Hammel and Hendricks starts as well. Not every rotation has four great starters.

The irony is that there's a security flight to US Treasury notes...many more Americans are confident enough in their own country's solvency they're willing to accept a measly 2% rate of return. Ironically, everyone thought China dumping USD would give them a financial stranglehold over us. That said, bonds and T bills won't finance your retirement unless 60-75% is invested growth oriented equities, assuming you're under 50 and have a longer time horizon. And very few are projecting another doubling of the market the next seven year cycle. It might be like 1998-2009 and be essentially a lost decade of overall stock market growth, where we took three huge hits over that time period.

QUOTE (bmags @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 01:43 PM) What about this postseason has supported the thesis that home run hitting teams are worse? The Royals weren't much ahead of the Sox in homers....and they don't walk much, but they run, field, make consistent contact to manufacture runs and then have that historic bullpen to close out 1-2 run leads. Plus the current White Sox can only dream of a bottom 7-8 of Perez and Gordon. Rios hitting in the middle of our order instead of 9th, that's far easier for us to imagine. They can also string together a rally with 4-6 consecutive hits. They've done thst twice in the past week...and also came back from an early 4-1 deficit in another game they won in the Astros series.

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/cia-shrugs-o...9243022390.html Uh oh...CIA not convinced by Benghazi email investigation that top secret national security that would put lives at risk was breached.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 09:13 AM) The reason I said this is because you included Rizzo, who has been a Major Leaguer for 5 seasons. Fair enough, he's only 26 and has essentially played four full seasons...not sure the Cubs trade any of their top 4 for him straight up. Schwarber would be an interesting decision (for Abreu) though....obviously they don't need a 1b with Rizzo. Cheaper/younger/LH and more remaining years of control and can passably play outfield and catch versus 1b/DH. But very few have done what Abreu accomplished his first two years.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 19, 2015 -> 07:29 AM) Yeah, Jose Abreu is no Gleyber Torres! Last time I checked he wasn't closer to age 25 or under...I should have said rookies or guys with 250 or less career at-bats or whatever. Not sure exactly where Eaton would fall. Obviously higher than Anderson, but above Soler? Maybe. Maybe not. I suppose with Fowler leaving and the chance to play both Bryant and Schwarber on either side of Eaton, he would have surplus value at CF rather than a corner. Only Theo knows how high their regard for him remains after this season and his playoff run.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 11:14 PM) OK ... on a lighter note, SNL opened with a political skit again on the democratic debate. They got it right in getting the guy from Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David, to play Bernie Sanders. Unfortunately he wasn't funny. Bad writing. Alec Baldwin was the closest to being funny and he wasn't. The only chuckle came again from the great Kate McKinnon who usually has at least one funny Hillary line. Her material wasn't really that good either, just the basic funny premise that Hillary wants to be president so badly. Did you watch it? Think it was OK? I'd give the skit a C-. And the Larry David part a D. Sorry SNL. Not funny enough. On a serious note: Guys, I've been thinking more about her email thing. I'm thinking if this was anybody else she'd be out of the race over this issue. I'm thinking she is skating on this one and it probably was serious enough to take down anybody else who had done it. There have probably been 20 things Trump has said, 10-12 that Carson has said and at least 5 that Fiorina has argued (especially the Planned Parenthood stuff) that in a normal year would have wiped out any traditional political candidate before they even got started with their campaign. Her own husband has survived numerous "bimbo eruptions" (Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky) and Whitewater simply due to the fact that he was the most skilled politician and also considered likable by nearly everyone in the beginning ("he's like one of us, eating at McDonald's and then constantly struggling with his weight") and being a Rhodes Scholar with encyclopedic policy detail retention probably didn't hurt much, either.

1. Bryant 2. Rizzo 3. Russell 4. Schwarber 5. Soler 6. Ian Happ #9 pick in first round 7. Baez 8. Gleyber Torres We don't even have ONE player that would come close to cracking that list on the position player side. Tim Anderson would be a distant 8th or maybe even 9th...and I might very well be underrating Torres. And some Cubs' fans would/could make arguments for Billy McKinney, Almora and Eloy Jimenez.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 11:09 PM) Yeah there are only so many big market teams. Those teams already have some of the insane contracts. I mean Greinke I read is getting 150 mill for 5 years. That's 30 mill a year. WHoever pays that can keep signing others? Are "normal" payrolls going to be 200 to 250 million and the big market teams 400 mill? You'd think owners would wise up some year. Uh, Minnesota almost made the playoffs. Yes Minnesota. They didn't need no massive contracts cept for Mauer. Ervin Santana $13.5 million Ricky Nolasco $12 million Torii Hunter $10.5 million Phil Hughes $9.2 million $45.2 million + $23 million for Joe Mauer, so you're not far off from our entire 2005 team, maybe $10 million in separation. That's a lot of money for a starting rotation these days, although still cheaper probably than our 2006-08 rotations with Buehrle, Garcia, Contreras, Garland and Javy V.

Except for the greatest rotation in a generation part (not with Shark/Danks/Noesi/Erik Johnson as part of it). You have to be deeper than just 3 starters to have the best in a generation, and Rodon needs to improve and repeat from last year. At any rate, you have the Braves of the 90's (Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz/Avery), the future Mets' rotation (deGrom/Harvey/Snydegaard/Matz/Colon/Wheeler)...heck, the Nationals were supposed to have the best rotation in baseball this season and that didn't exactly turn out, either (Scherzer/Strasburg/Zimmermann/Gio Gonzalez/Fister/Tanner Roark.) I'm sure older fans remember all the hype about Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen with the Mets 15 years ago. Only one of those guys even emerged to have a decent big league career, and it wasn't with NY.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 10:25 PM) Not when we sign Heyward, trade Q for Arenado, sign Buehlre and bring back Ozzie Guillen as bench coach. Milton? Whoops.

Well, I don't think anybody believes having Don Mattingly or Matt Williams would make any difference. It wouldn't sell nearly as many tickets as Puig, that's for sure.

Well, I don't think anybody believes having Don Mattingly or Matt Williams would make any difference. It wouldn't sell nearly as many tickets as Puig, that's for sure.

Well, if you're a Cubs' fan, pondering a potential sweep is still a lot better (see 2007/08) than the total heartbreak and shock of 2003, 1998, 1984 and 1969. If you get swept or only win one game or two even in a seven game series, it's a lot easier to deal with psychologically. It's those situations like 2003, the Michigan/MSU game or the marching band on the field that you never forget.

Just like Puig to the White Sox for Quintana, unless they're 100% convinced Ryu will be healthy next year...then they'd be better off picking a couple of 3-5 guys off the second and third tier FA list. Of course, it depends on what happens with Greinke. Nobody is going to be rushing out after Price and Cueto with their shakiness issues (or just general problems adjusting to the AL in Cueto's case). But who knows...everyone's waiting to see the dollar signs with Greinke, Heyward, Cespedes, Upton, Price and Cueto posted first.

Salud a mi Familia (Vin Diesel in Fast & the Furious)... Or the 1979 We Are Family/Sister Sledge Pirates (Willie Stargell/Dave Parker/Bill Madlock)....since it's the ten year anniversary of 1969 (Cubs/Mets), we can go with that one as well.

Just once I want Greg to say something positive about this country. C'mon!!!! I'm a liberal Democrat and I can at least think of 10 1) Best university system in the world, especially graduate programs in medicine/MBA/law, etc. 2) First Amendment baby! 3) Most choices/variety for food/restaurants and retail shopping 4) Most religious diversity 5) Best sports leagues in the world (other than maybe EPL) 6) Accessibility to loans for cars, houses, higher education 7) Best entertainment (movies, tv shows, music, etc.) in the world 8) Cleaner air/water than developing world 9) Relative safety based on the remoteness of North American continent from the rest of the world 10) Best national parks and highway system for seeing the country

Jesse Rogers@ESPNChiCubs @ESPNChiCubs what's confusing? The Mets are good...this is the final four...everybody is good. Cubs getting outplayed..it happens. Cubs' media guys getting a little bit exasperated with casual Cubs' fans expectations for them to just march through the NLCS and World Series.

Wood is many things. Occasionally effective and a useful bullpen piece. But filthy? Not so much.

Odds of Reed not getting lit up like he was closing against the Tigers in late-season 2012 (granted, he did get ONE huge save, but it was always precarious)...?

Fathom is breathing easy now? At least easier... Granted, the Cubs could easily come back and win 2 of the next 3, Familia could break down, anything is possible...but it seems like Arrieta exceeding his previous inning highs is really starting to erode his velocity and the crispness of his pitches overall. Not to mention deGrom has probably been the most dominating overall for the Mets in recent weeks.

Don't forget Cotts, haha.

QUOTE (bjm676 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 10:04 AM) KC looks like they can win the whole damn thing. Said that last year when they were 8-0 in the playoffs...before they ran into the Bumgarner buzzsaw, especially Game 7 in relief.

After becoming Executive Director, Irmer recognized that the ISFA was in a difficult financial condition, due in substantial part because it was putting the interests of the White Sox ahead of the interests of Illinois taxpayers. (Id. ¶ 21.) As a result, Irmer sought to reform the relationship between the White Sox and the ISFA established in the Management Agreement, which she viewed as abusive to taxpayers. (Id. ¶ 24.) To that end, Irmer developed and implemented a facilities management plan, resulting in millions of dollars of savings for ISFA. (Id. ¶ 25.) Irmer also sought to develop new sources of revenue from non-baseball events, such as music concerts. (Id. ¶ 28.) She advocated that the White Sox pay rent to the ISFA and also sought to develop the publically owned lands around Cellular Field to generate additional revenue. (Id. ¶¶ 30, 35.) The White Sox and Reinsdorf opposed these proposals because of the economic detriment to them. (Id. ¶¶ 29-30.) Reinsdorf also opposed the music concerts on the basis that they could detract from revenue generated by concerts held at the United Center. (Id.) In 2008, with Irmer's strong support, the ISFA persuaded the White Sox, over its initial objections, to agree for the first time to begin paying rent, in the token amount of $1.2 million per year. (Id. ¶ 35.) Reinsdorf increasingly viewed Irmer as an opponent based on her reforms. (Id. ¶¶ 34, 36.) He also did not support her efforts to bring more members of minority communities into the ballpark because he viewed the White Sox brand as appealing primarily to people from the suburbs or other areas of the city perceived as having little contact with minorities. (Id. ¶ 37.) As a result, Reinsdorf lobbied former Governor Blagojevich or members of his staff to persuade them that Irmer's employment contract should not be renewed in December 2008. However, before Irmer could be terminated, Blagojevich was indicted and arrested. Irmer's contract was not terminated and was extended through December 2010. (Id. ¶¶ 40-43.) Irmer's conflicts with the White Sox continued as she persisted in her "efforts to protect and enhance the interests of Illinois taxpayers." (Id. ¶ 44.) In 2010, the White Sox proposed the development of a new restaurant on the north side of 35th Street, known as "Bacardi at the Park." (Id. ¶¶ 46-50.) Irmer strongly opposed the proposal as a one-sided benefit to the White Sox; the White Sox, and not the State of Illinois, would receive the rent and profit-sharing revenues generated by the restaurant. She repeatedly protested to the ISFA Board, to individual Board members and to the attorney for the ISFA that they should reject the Bacardi at the Park deal, based on her belief that "every ISFA Board member. . . had the legal duty to" reject the deal. (Id. ¶ 51.) However, the ISFA Board, led by Thompson, ignored Irmer's objections and approved the final Bacardi at the Park agreement in November 2010, giving away millions of dollars to the White Sox that could have gone to the State of Illinois. (Id. ¶ 52.) She was also the one who pushed the White Sox to start paying paltry sum of $1.2 to IFSA for yearly rent beginning in 2008. http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20FDCO%2...0v.%20REINSDORF

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 18, 2015 -> 09:13 AM) This is my point exactly. This is what you get out of the team. Nothing good at all. Every single post is misery. It is like Kathy Bates has Jerry Reinsdorf locked in the room with your keyboard. I prefer to think of Kathy Griffin, higher annoyance coefficient.