Sorry Scavs...

[Cannon Shell]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring...ory?id=3273692

[GPK]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring...ory?id=3273692

I will be happy to flip Scavs off if thats what he wants...

[MaTH716]

Jesus Christ, it says alot about the state of pitching in the majors (and the Cubs) if Jason Marquis is making demands and then Lou apoligized for the way he handled it. This is a guy that fought Rob Dibble in the clubhouse, he must be getting soft in his old age.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring...ory?id=3273692

Funny story about this...Most of my friends are Cubs fans and they started talking about two weeks ago how things are quiet and we are going to be good this year and yadda yadda, and I tell them "You guys need to relax because we are a week away from a brawl, someone falling in a bathtub and someone getting hammered and saying they tripped over the dog"...Then DeRosa's heart decides not to work, Marquis decides to go apeshit (personally I think they should just give him a half year contract and then cut his ass, first three months of the year the guy is outstanding, after that he is worth a box of 15 year old baseballs) and now Soriano decides he wants to catch with two hands.....

Supposedly we are getting Brian Roberts though, for what reason I don't know.

[Cannon Shell]

CHICAGO CUBS

Total NRIs: 21.
Ex-Famous People: Nobody, really. The closest you get are a pair from the Former Catching Prospects Department--C-Ss Koyie Hill and J.D. Closser, but both are doomed to a season in the cornfields unless Geovany Soto struggles or Henry Blanco gets hurt again. I suppose perhaps also RHP Shingo Takatsu, but after a really bad year pitching for the Yakult Swallows, he's probably here more in a big buddy role for Kosuke Fukudome.
Prospects Just Getting a Taste: OF-L Tyler Colvin and RHP Jose Ceda are the headliners of the type. Last year's supplemental first-rounder out of Auburn, C-R Josh Donaldson, is getting a look-see as one of the requisite receivers needed to work with the legion of pitchers in camp this early in the year, as is C-R Wellington Castillo. RHP Esmailin Caridad is interesting, in that he's a Dominican who started off pitching for the Hiroshima Carp organization, and who signed with the Cubs in December.
The Failure of My Rival Is My Opportunity: RHP Chad Fox is making that always-interesting comeback attempt by a pitcher who's been effective when healthy, but who is almost literally never healthy; I wrote him up back in January, and now that we're here, he's basically gunning to outshine the other back-end guys in the pen: Kevin Hart, Angel Guzman, Jose Ascanio, and perhaps also Ryan Dempster once his bid for the rotation turns out about the way we all expect. Similarly, journeyman LHP Les Walrond is hoping that LHP Neal Cotts falls on his face in a bid for the second lefty job in the pen.
Now or Never: It's really already too late for INF-S Alex Cintron, even in light of 2B-R Mark DeRosa's recent health problem. With 2B-L Mike Fontenot having already proven something and with SS-R Ronny Cedeño out of options, there aren't really the roster spots to include Cintron as well, and any deal that sends Cedeño to the Orioles would bring in 2B-S Brian Roberts, which only helps Cintron if Lou Piniella decides he's frightened of having Fontenot and DeRosa as his back-up shortstops—a dubious proposition, since the skipper's punted defense in that situation before.
Rehabbing Pitchers: LHP Edward Campusano was snagged by the Tigers out of the Cubs' system at the 2006 Winter Meetings, but had to have Tommy John surgery, spent the year on the 60-day DL, and was returned to the Cubs in October when everyone has to come back onto the 40-man.
Not Dead Yet: OF-L Josh Kroeger was briefly seen as a top prospect in the D'backs' system, but then, like a few too many of their products, he turned out to have been perhaps a bit overrated because of the park-inflated hitting he'd benefited from.
Obvious 40-man spots to target: Guzman's, as the injury-prone sometime prospect has a lot to prove, and he's out of options. Perhaps also RHP Adam Harben's, as he's coming back online after a year lost to Tommy John-style ligament transplantation, but admittedly it would be strange to risk putting Harben on waivers after re-adding him to the 40-man this winter. But effectively it's slim pickings for what is already a group of long shots.
The Ones Who Will Stick: Fox has the best shot, and I wouldn't bet on it. Basically, this is a crew whose chances at getting a crack depend on injuries.

[Scav]

Geovany Soto goes to All Star game this year.....

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

Geovany Soto goes to All Star game this year.....

Maybe he'll sit in our section?

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Maybe he'll sit in our section?

Have you seen the national league catchers?

He might even start the game

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by Scav

Funny story about this...Most of my friends are Cubs fans and they started talking about two weeks ago how things are quiet and we are going to be good this year and yadda yadda,

They really believe that ****? Each year they think the Cubs are going to be good? Hey,it's hard to change your favorite team,but you can atleast admit when your organization lacks the management to put it all together.I mean,I admit this.My team ain't been to a World Series in 20 years,and they aren't anywhere near going to it again.We used to have a well run organization,and now we just have an average run organization.If it wasn't for the old announcer,and the the great stadium,then there wouldn't be much left to keep people watching.As soon as either of those 2 things go,then they are in trouble,because the team on the other side of town has simply been run better(much better.)