There were some seriously scary gazes cast Ryan Dempster's way at the presser.
Three years ago this month, in a prelude to a sale as it turned out, John McDonough took over as Cubs president and declared, ''It's time to win a World Series.''Since then, time, a half-billion dollars in payroll commitments and McDonough have passed through an organization still waiting on a World Series with the urgency of a five-beer buildup at the back of the line for a Wrigley Field trough.
Next!
''We have a team that can do it next year,'' he said. ''I don't promise anything. I don't think that does us any good. But the fact is there's enough talent coming back to this team next season to go all the way to the finish line.''
The Chicago Cubs would like to -- have to -- deal disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley. And one player they are eyeing as a target destination is the Blue Jays, with centre fielder Vernon Wells going to the Cubs in return."It's early on, but we think this one has some legs," said one Cubs official. "But they aren't the only team we are talking with."
If the Cubs can't deal Bradley, would his teammates welcome him back after the harsh comments they made following his premature exit?"We're a pretty good bunch of guys and we're pretty forgiving," Ryan Dempster told the Tribune. "I just want the best for Milton, if it's for our team or another team. I just want him to be happy and want him to play baseball."We have a really good job. At the end of the day, good or bad, you still get to come to the ballpark the next day. We'd have our arms wide open and hope that things would get better."
--Ricketts deferred to Hendry on player-personnel matters, including a veiled question about Milton Bradley. Hendry will trade Bradley.
16 Comments
millertime said:
Rumor has it, Indiana is choking like crazy.
millertime said:
How about we trade Theriot, since he's much worse for this team than Bradley?
millertime said:
Theriot had an OPS of .712. That is so terrible I don't even know where to start. also, his defense is below average at best. How he has started at SS for 2 years and people are fine with this I don't understand.
AndCounting said:
I'm down. I don't know what we'd get for him. Maybe Michael Lewis will come out with another revision to Moneyball where scrappiness and hustle become the next OBP.
But I feel like the more time passes, the more the anti-Milton hostility will die down, especially if his current teammates give him votes of confidence in public.
millertime said:
I have my fingers crossed that we don't trade Milton, Milton starts hitting a little bit more like himself, the Cubs start winning more games due to Soriano, Soto, and Ramirez all having better seasons, and then the hostility story can be replaced with the redemption story.
AndCounting said:
Is there anyone who expects any of those guys (minus the ever-looming potential for another Ramirez injury) to have worse seasons in 2010 than they did in 2009? Soto was hurt, WBC'ed, and high. Soriano was hurt. Bradley was adjusting to day-baseball and hatred. I see all of them improving in 2010. Maybe Soto most of all. He seemed to be much too over-patient, but it never looked like he lost the ability to hit the ball. With the exception, maybe, of DLee, I don't see the Cubs getting significantly worse at any position unless they trade Milton Bradley.
millertime said:
Sweet, the Cubs are trying to get the All-Star game in 2014. We can cheer for our hometown All-Stars of Josh Vitters and Starlin Castro as we seek to win our 4th WS in a row!
AndCounting said:
I hope at least one of those predictions comes true.
Umbra said:
World Series is on TV. So are the Badgers. I'm going with the Badgers. I may not know if I support the Phillies or Yankees, but I do know the Badgers are rocking it after the win last night.
Umbra said:
The Badgers score 3 goals in 3 minutes! 3-0 Baaaaaaaadgers.
AndCounting said:
The longer this series goes on, the more I realize I might not see two better teams play each other in a World Series. I have no rooting interest whatsoever, but there are a LOT of future legends on the field.
That said, Beyond Baseball might be the single dumbest promo tagline I've ever heard. Beyond baseball? It's . . . baseball. Who gives a crap about anything beyond that? Stupid.
AndCounting said:
Andy Pettite is a balk machine. I'm getting so tired of it. He just threw to an unoccupied base, which is supposed to be a balk. Usually his balks are toward 1st, but that one was to 2nd. And he puts his open glove on his mouth, where he can, no, does, spit on the baseball. Why was anyone surprised by his steroid use when he cheats blatantly all game long?
Ed Nickow said:
The glove to the mouth
Shouldn't be allowed but it's
Not against the rules
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/08_the_pitcher.pdf
AndCounting said:
8.02 (a) The pitcher shall not: (2) expectorate on the ball, either hand or his glove;
When he throws from the stretch, he puts his glove (with the ball in it, though it doesn't really matter) right over his mouth, and you can see him exhaling forcefully into it. If he's not spitting on his glove and/or the ball, I'm a duck. There's enough DNA on his glove by the time he pitches to test for roids, paternity, and to clone him.
FrankS said:
Or maybe he isn't spitting on the ball, but some players might be thinking that he does and it affects their approach at the plate. I didn't watch the game, but did his pitches exhibit any strange movement, especially in a downward direction?
Edelweiss said:
Since it is Halloween, can someone find costumes for the following players - Theriot, Fukodome, Lee, Ramirez, Fox, Soriano, Soto,
Fontenot, and Zambrano?
Leave a Comment?
What your comment will look like:
said: