It would great to see the Cubs pitching staff and bullpen take a beating for the next week or so and enter the playoffs in worse shape than the 2000 White Sox staff.

I'm sure happy the Cubs have got to beat up on players returning from injury over the last week like Mulder, Malholm, and Duke.

I'm sure happy the Cubs have got to beat up on players returning from injury over the last week like Mulder, Malholm, and Duke.

 

Just wait, next week the Cubs play a little league team from Gary, Indiana coached by a guy that once met Kenny Lofton.

Needless to say, the Cubs have the long ball working for them now. Maybe Soriano will pull a muscle before the playoffs admiring a homer or looking like a jackass catching a fly ball.

The Yanks scored four in the ninth to tie up Toronto -- they're in extras now. That's awesome.

 

---------------

 

On a separate note, I'm still a little angry that Boston didn't give into that Delcarmen/Pena for Dye deal. Pena has a 125 OPS+ in just over 100 at-bats for Washington and now that he'll be playing every day, he should put up numbers similar to his 2004 season in Cincy (.259/.316/.527).

That would have been a perfectly good deal for the Sox. Declarmen has a very good/projectable arm and should be a future set-up guy and I still think Pena could have a few 40HR seasons at the major league level.

 

However, I also like Dye and don't mind having him, especially if he's healthy.

Carlos Pena is having the best-quietest season ever. Just unbelieveable.

Edited September 23, 200718 yr by SoxAce

Carlos Pena is having the best-quietest season ever. Just unbelieveable.

 

Not as quiet as you think. I've followed him since about June.

Man, Zambrano looked good that first inning.

Man, Zambrano looked good that first inning.

 

Super

Mark Prior is beginning his throwing program!

Ha ha

Mark Prior is beginning his throwing program!

Ha ha

 

Does that mean I should hold onto my towel stocks???

Edited September 23, 200718 yr by Kid Gleason

I don't know what's going to be worse this week -- seeing Cubby blue everywhere I look or seeing Fathom overrate them for the next seven days.

 

The Bears really, really need to win tonight or it's going to be one looooooong week.

I don't know what's going to be worse this week -- seeing Cubby blue everywhere I look or seeing Fathom overrate them for the next seven days.

 

The Bears really, really need to win tonight or it's going to be one looooooong week.

 

I've been saying the same thing about them for a few months now. But you won't hear me mention much about them this week....I'll be more focused on who they play. In regards to who I want to see them play, it would go Mets, Padres, Phillies, and then DBacks. If the Cubs continue to get the long ball hitting and relief that they have been over the last few weeks, they'll be the team to beat in the NL.

Did Mike Cameron just get hurt? Atkins hit an ITP homer, and he was removed from the play. The Rockies are sure playing some good baseball.

If the Cubs continue to get the long ball hitting and relief that they have been over the last few weeks, they'll be the team to beat in the NL.

 

I'm not sure yet. I think that both of these qualities have been very much helped by the lousy teams they've been playing. (Marmol is the exception: he's great against everyone.) On the one hand, the bullpen hasn't had to work very hard against most of these lineups, which have had 1 or 2 dangerous hitters. And, conversely, the Cubs hitters have struggled against good pitchers most of the year; take a look at the tripe that they faced during the last week. Gorzelanny's the only good pitcher that they got to. Harang handled them. Everyone else (including Arroyo) was outright terrible.

 

So I'm not sure what to make of it, except that the rest of the league leaders are struggling at the same time the Cubs are surging. Might not mean much -- the Cardinals were absolutely brutal last year in September, and they flipped the switch in the playoffs. We had our issues in September '05 before pulling it together the last week of that season and carrying it into the playoffs. I'm convinced that there is just no formula for figuring these things out.

 

I've been saying the same thing about them for a few months now. But you won't hear me mention much about them this week....I'll be more focused on who they play. In regards to who I want to see them play, it would go Mets, Padres, Phillies, and then DBacks. If the Cubs continue to get the long ball hitting and relief that they have been over the last few weeks, they'll be the team to beat in the NL.

 

I take solace in knowing the following...

 

-The Mets are a better offensive club.

 

-The Padres, if they make the playoffs, have MUCH better pitching. Really, if the Padres get there, they have as good a shot as anybody -- three man rotation lets them go with Peavy - Young - Maddux against anyone with that phenomenal bullpen.

 

-Even if the Cubs did win the NL, the AL is soooo much better it isn't even funny. And I know you can point to the Cardinals of last year, but I'd say that was more of a fluke. Say, for example, you matched up the AL's worst playoff contender -- the Yankees -- with the NL's best (pick one). It's no contest.

Holy s***, I hope the Rockies make it. I really don't believe they will, but I hope so. I really would love that. And if they won!

I take solace in knowing the following...

 

-The Mets are a better offensive club.

 

-The Padres, if they make the playoffs, have MUCH better pitching. Really, if the Padres get there, they have as good a shot as anybody -- three man rotation lets them go with Peavy - Young - Maddux against anyone with that phenomenal bullpen.

 

-Even if the Cubs did win the NL, the AL is soooo much better it isn't even funny. And I know you can point to the Cardinals of last year, but I'd say that was more of a fluke. Say, for example, you matched up the AL's worst playoff contender -- the Yankees -- with the NL's best (pick one). It's no contest.

 

Trust me, I take a lot of solace knowing that teams like the Yanks/Red Sox exist on the other side of the bracket. As I tell my brother, it's not like they'll have to beat the Astros to win the WS.

Milton Bradley just hurt his hamstring trying to argue with the ump.

Milton Bradley just hurt his hamstring trying to argue with the ump.

If ever there was a single sentence that fully summarized a player so succinctly, it would have to be something about Kerry Wood/Mark Prior getting injured.

Trust me, I take a lot of solace knowing that teams like the Yanks/Red Sox exist on the other side of the bracket. As I tell my brother, it's not like they'll have to beat the Astros to win the WS.

 

What a crap statement.

What a crap statement.

 

I was wondering who would take that the wrong way. The White Sox were the best team in 2005, and they got to face a team that they matched up very well against. The Astros had some easy outs at the bottom of their order in Ausmus and Everett, and weren't an instant offense type of team. Meanwhile, the Yanks and Red Sox have loaded rosters. I have confidence in the lineup of both teams, as they have no easy outs in their lineup, especially if Manny can return.

 

Put it this way.....I was not rooting for the Illini a couple of years ago, and it was comforting knowing that the loaded Tar Heels were waiting for them in the finals. If it was possible that there would have been a team that was less talented/explosive, such as Kentucky, I wouldn't have been as confident heading into the championship game.

Edited September 24, 200718 yr by fathom

I was wondering who would take that the wrong way. The White Sox were the best team in 2005, and they got to face a team that they matched up very well against. The Astros had some easy outs at the bottom of their order in Ausmus and Everett, and weren't an instant offense type of team. Meanwhile, the Yanks and Red Sox have loaded rosters. I have confidence in the lineup of both teams, as they have no easy outs in their lineup, especially if Manny can return.

 

Put it this way.....I was not rooting for the Illini a couple of years ago, and it was comforting knowing that the loaded Tar Heels were waiting for them in the finals. If it was possible that there would have been a team that was less talented/explosive, such as Kentucky, I wouldn't have been as confident heading into the championship game.

Yeah, as the illini clearly weren't in that game and it was a foregone conclusion they would get beat by the 'loaded' tarheels.

 

WTF?

Yeah, as the illini clearly weren't in that game and it was a foregone conclusion they would get beat by the 'loaded' tarheels.

 

WTF?

 

I didn't think any other team could have beat them though, especially in St. Louis.

I was wondering who would take that the wrong way. The White Sox were the best team in 2005, and they got to face a team that they matched up very well against. The Astros had some easy outs at the bottom of their order in Ausmus and Everett, and weren't an instant offense type of team. Meanwhile, the Yanks and Red Sox have loaded rosters. I have confidence in the lineup of both teams, as they have no easy outs in their lineup, especially if Manny can return.

 

Put it this way.....I was not rooting for the Illini a couple of years ago, and it was comforting knowing that the loaded Tar Heels were waiting for them in the finals. If it was possible that there would have been a team that was less talented/explosive, such as Kentucky, I wouldn't have been as confident heading into the championship game.

 

That White Sox team beat a loaded Red Sox team.

 

I still think that was a crap statement.

Edited September 24, 200718 yr by Gregory Pratt