Chicago Cubs Headlines for Thursday
Mesa to Cubs: "You're not going anywhere"
If you're interested in the World Series, the Phillies won (hooray!) 6-2 last night. If you're interested in boring Cubs news,
look for Mesa to get a little heavy handed in trying to keep the Cubs in Arizona for Spring Training.
The Cubs have significant leverage as the top-drawing
team in Arizona. Officials in Mesa say they recognize that, but they
also flashed some civic pride.
"In reality, Chicago is already here," said Mesa city
manager Chris Brady. "Chicago lives among us, if you would. We'll
demonstrate to them (the Cubs) that the fan base that already exists
here in transplants from Chicago is significant in this area.
"Major-league teams continue to choose Arizona as the
preferred location for spring training-The proximity of teams together
in this area is a significant difference. The average travel time is
probably less than 30 minutes among the Cactus League teams here. If
you go to that other league (Florida's Grapefruit League), you'll
travel distances in excess of three hours."
Then the mayor went in for the clincher:
"This is a two-way street. The Cubs brand is very powerful. We know
that. Let's not discount the Arizona brand, the Mesa brand. It's also
very powerful-This is a no-brainer. Mesa is the place to be. Arizona is
the place to be."
Whoa, tough guy! No need to get out your brass knuckles.
Bruce Levine gives us more confirmation about payroll stagnation, and
starts talking ticket increases for 2010:
Hard facts of a turbulent economy and a veteran-laden roster dictate
some economic concessions from the fans and baseball operations in
2010, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
A
slight raise in ticket prices can not be avoided as built-in costs and
spending projections continue to mount. Over the past two seasons under
Sam Zell and tribune Co., ticket prices increased over 30 percent
across the board. That amount included a 23 percent raise after the
2008 season.
And talks a bit of trade rumor fun:
A Milton Bradley-for-Pat Burrell trade has been on the table for three weeks.
Toronto will talk to anyone who will take outfielder Vernon Wells off its hands. Wells has a multi-year contracts that pays close to $15 million per year.
Toronto at some point will be looking at moving ace right-hander Roy Halladay. It's unknown at this point if the Cubs will be involved. Halladay is one season from free agency.
I'd venture to say that unless the Jays take someone like Soriano and Bradley, there's no way the Cubs are in on Roy Halladay.
81 Comments
Doc said:
honestly, I find Mesa to be a little dumpy. There are nicer areas around Phoenix that are much nicer.
Doc said:
I'd venture to say that there is no reason for the Cubs to go after Halladay until they resolve other problems like a leadoff man, a right fielder (not Vernon Wells) and a second baseman/shortstop.
gravedigger said:
Given these financial constraints, it would seem to make a lot of sense to me to not make things worse by trading Milton Bradley and taking on an even bigger contact. Moreover, Bradley's contract isn't even that big, especially considering he'll probably turn it around next year.
flyball said:
if they take on another big contract and don't do anything next season again, I am going to be very angry
Doc said:
I'm fairly sure that no matter what they do, I'll still be very angry.
flyball said:
if they are going to suck, at least make the tickets cheap
Doc said:
Ain't that the truth. I'll probably have to sell my daughter into slavery this year to renew my ticket package.
Aisle424 said:
With 108,000 people on the Season Ticket waiting list, they could announce ticket price increases and they have the right to junk punch us upon renewal, and they'd still fill that ballpark.
Doc said:
I know...it sucks. It's ok, my daughter is a hard worker.
JulieDiCaro said:
hee hee hee
"junk punch."
gravedigger said:
Me too.
AndCounting said:
For real. A couple rounds of Kumbaya and a group hug would do a lot more to help this team than bringing in a worse contract with less talent and just as much potential for fan rejection.
Doc said:
But at least he'd be a good teammate...just saying.
AndCounting said:
Aaron Miles is a good teammate.
Doc said:
In a mascot sort of way.
AndCounting said:
Why has no one implemented this idea? Aaron Miles should be out in the stands, scaring kids, putting hexes on the umpire, and giving noogies to the Phanatic. The Cubs have been mascotless for far too long.
millertime said:
What we need is John Madden's bus to break down so that All Pro's can teach our team that baseball is 50% physical and 90% mental. Then Rick Moranis can tell the team about the time he beat his brother down a hill.
Or we have a kid show up who says he can see angels, but the real reason the Cubs will start winning is They Believe In Themselves.
Or we fire Lou and hire a 13 year old manager, who teaches us that this game is really just about having fun. Have fun, guys!
Little Bear said:
If we have John Madden star giving everyone math lessons we will soon run into the problem of outfielders not being able to count to three to figure out how many outs there are... wait Milon already has that prolem! Guess I don't see how Madden can help us then.
AndCounting said:
Let's just play selections from Carmen over the PA system for every game.
JulieDiCaro said:
Cliff Lee might have overtaken DeRosa as my non-Cub baseball crush. He acheived Bob Howry-level badassitude last night.
flyball said:
Howry is a free agent, just saying
Doc said:
So is Jason Marquis...just saying.
flyball said:
at least they made it to the post season with Howry and Marquis
JulieDiCaro said:
I miss Bob Howry. I don't care how sucktacular he is these days, I just want to have a badass in our bullpen again.
Dmband said:
Another rooting for the Yankee's joke:
Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for "The House" to win in Vegas.
FrankS said:
And the Yankees last won a World Series in how many years? It isn't as if either team is an underdog since the Phillies are the defending champs.
flyball said:
yeah, but I don't like the AL
AndCounting said:
The Yankees didn't even make the playoffs last year. They are the underdogs.
Or you could say that comparing the Yankees' WS drought to any team is like sympathizing with the Empire for going so long without blowing up a planet.
JulieDiCaro said:
Heh.
I'm so bummed out that I missed this thread all day.
gravedigger said:
Yeah we missed a good one. Playing catch-up isn't as fun.
millertime said:
Top stories on ESPN so far:
1. Sabathia Struggles. Guy pitched like shit last night, apparently. Why was he so terrible last night?
2. Cav's are 0-2. 0-2! What has happened to this team, what is wrong?!? Will they ever win a game? I mean, come on, how long is this team going to keep losing? I figured after 2 games they'd at least be 43-0. ESPN says it best, a small sampling of games, but we already know who the contenders are shaping up to be.
Plus Chad OchoCinco is on First and 10, going up against Skip Bayless. It's great. Skip has already called Adrian Peterson, Tiger Woods, and Lebron James overrated. And OchoCinco held up a cardboard sign that says "Child please". Best. Show. Ever.
JulieDiCaro said:
I LOVE Ochocinco. His feed alone is totally worth joining Twitter for. There are so many pro athletes out there who are thugs and jackasses. He's just a goofball and he makes me laugh.
gravedigger said:
I concur. That means "agree," right?
millertime said:
Chad OchoCinco calls haters "vegetables".
millertime said:
Chad OchoCinco recommends his own book. Good enough for me. Someone tell Oprah.
millertime said:
Oh yeah, and the Minnesota Brett Farves play the Green Bay Brett Farveless.
Max Power said:
I think that's the Green Bay Brett Favrelesses. I believe the plural form is traditional, but I defer to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
flyball said:
maybe its like a state of being as opposed to a group
Dmband said:
I agree with you guys that the Yankee's should be considered the underdogs, because I subscribe to the "we are the champs until someone beats us" mantra, but the fact is they Yankees are, check that, were, considered the favorite, they have homefield advantage, and most if not all of the so called "experts" (with the exception of Ozzie Guillen) picked the Yanks. If that doesnt make the Phillies the dog, I dont know what does.
ps. I cant help but find Ocho Cinco not only very entertaining, but also extremely good at football.
jtbwriter said:
Morning from cold So Cal...
Sorry I didn't get to weigh in on yesterday's pithy "drinking game"-but after Fox's sorry excuse for announcers annoyed the heck out of my family yesterday, I'd like to add a few more "rules" for tonights
entertainment;
- a swig for every shot of former NY Mayor Giulani
- a belt for every replay of how the Yanks beat the Angels
- a sip for the umpteenth showing of the "more then baseball" commercials by MLB (only a sip because those plugs run every 15 min!)
- a chug every time McCarver shoves Yankee tradition down our throats or Buck does another ubiquious Fox promo.
Usually I enjoy the WS-but this year...I can hardly wait until Spring Training!
JulieDiCaro said:
Drink every time Buck and McCarver declare someone to be a "real" Yankee.
thisyearcub said:
Another good matchup tonight in Pedro vs. Burnett. And hopefully Jay-Z gets to perform this time.
Dmband said:
Jay Z is performing, then flying to Canada immediately after to perform on his tour...all in one night.
That is the very definition of bad ass.
thisyearcub said:
That's why he makes the Yankees cap more famous than a Yankee can.
JulieDiCaro said:
I have to say, I don't really like Jay-Z's music, as most of it is him talking about how much money he makes and how awesome he is, which is distasteful to me. And then there are the videos of 10,000 hookers dancing around a pool EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
However, when he was on Oprah, I was suprised at how much I liked him. Oh, and "Run This Town" is awesome.
thisyearcub said:
You need to get on some new Jay-Z. Blueprint 3, American Gangster .... that's the good stuff. He hasn't had those kind of videos you were talking about in several years, has def. matured and moved on to legendary status.
JulieDiCaro said:
I don't want to listen to music about people being gangsters. And I don't want to listen to him rap over and over about how successful he is. Someone on twitter compared Jay-Z rapping about his money to "Michael Jackson writing 127 songs about the Billie Jean paternity suit.' hee!
JulieDiCaro said:
though i have to admit, i would much rather listen to people make music about gangsters than listen to lady gaga bitch about the papparazzi.
gravedigger said:
Don't you talk about about Lady Gaga. The gays will come for you. Oh yes we will.
thisyearcub said:
American Gangster the movie. You should see it...good performances by Denzel and Russell Crowe, based on a true story. Jay-Z did the soundtrack. Um...to that Twitter guy...yeah.
HoboHanson said:
Would you guys say tonight is a must win game for the Yankees? This is a must win game if I've ever seen one. The Yankees must win if they want to win. Must. Win.
Carl Heartscubs Gierhan said:
Absolutely, it's a must.
flyball said:
so whats happening in the game, i am not near a tv
JulieDiCaro said:
I don't think it starts until 7:00.
HoboHanson said:
757 start time here in the east flyball.
flyball said:
oh, so maybe i do have enough time to get home and crack open an octoberfest
JulieDiCaro said:
If there's one guy who can top Cliff Lee's performance last night, it's Pedro.
gravedigger said:
We shoulda signed him.
JulieDiCaro said:
McCarver is in rare form tonight:
"Sometimes a curveball is so good it goes in the dirt!"
millertime said:
My dad is watching the Jeff Dunham show. And loves it. And can't understand how Jeff Dunham might be considered racist.
I think Kieth Oberman has warped his mind.
Little Bear said:
Seriously? How does he not get that?
millertime said:
I know. Jeff Dunham is basically like pouring wet cement directly into my brain.
JulieDiCaro said:
I can see my dad loving it, too.
It's a different generation.
millertime said:
I'm hoping it's all some funny joke/prank he's pulling, like when he compared A Beautiful Mind to Waterworld. Maybe this is his way of being funny?
JulieDiCaro said:
Werth, you idiot.
JulieDiCaro said:
Just watched the end of "Rookie of the Year." WAAAAAAAAAY better game than this one.
millertime said:
That little punk balked. Umps are horrible in that movie.
gravedigger said:
post of the day. Technically I guess post of the yesterday.
gravedigger said:
I disagree
JulieDiCaro said:
GRRRRRR.
Come on, Phils! It's AJ-freakin'-Burnett, for crying out loud.
gravedigger said:
I'm sincerely pulling for the Phils. Unfortunately, my bf is for the Yankees...
gravedigger said:
Oh my DeRosa. Come on, Phils
JulieDiCaro said:
M-m-m-m-mmmyyyyy DeRosa!
MillsChC said:
Damn... No matter how great of a career a ballplayer has.... I don't see how he'll never forget about getting the golden sombrero in a World Series game
FrankS said:
All I know is that I'd like for George Clooney to end the goat curse by coming to opening day and making a goat faint at home plate. Only he's probably either a Dodgers or Reds fan and he won't be promoting that movie come April anyway.
gravedigger said:
I don't think he can do that in real life. There's also that.
millertime said:
Yeahbut he did it in the movie...so...he can probably do it in real life. I mean, I saw the trailer, and there were like, no wires at all.
gravedigger said:
Well I can't argue with that logic.
FrankS said:
There are goats that due to a genetic defect faint when startled. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fainting_goat
I'm guessing that they didn't need wires to make the goat fall over, just a load noise that is removed from the audio track of the trailer and movie.
gravedigger said:
Carl, Julie, whoever. Headlines. Chop chop.
millertime said:
I know, right? Bunch of slackers on this site. Unless I get some headlines to read and comment on, I'll have to actually start doing my work.
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