others:
-the treatment of Bartman when anyone in his position would have done the same.
-the beer garden uninformed crowd
-racism directed at Dusty or LaTroy Hawkins

Jones has every right to be pissed at the fans, and want out of chicago. While he is wrong to generalize, if I (as a jew) had to hear antisemitic slurs or suffer balls thrown at my head, I probably would have reacted far more angrily than Jones has. I think he should be commended for not absolutely demanding a trade (although he may have, but he hasn't let this air in the media). We haven't treated him as a welcome  player at all, and he's clearly made every attempt to hold his tongue, and try to put forth his best effort.

All hail Jones. I'm sure he'll drive us crazy with myriad baserunning/fielding mistakes, but right now the price is right, and we're relying, in part, on his bat this year.

That same article (and I cannot remember now where I saw this) also said that the throwing problems may have stemmed from a shoulder problem that Jones didn't do anything about. Supposedly the shoulder has healed. We'll see.

I'm not a big fan of Jones and I did say the signing was dumb when it happened. However: NOW, given the exploding marketplace, Jones' contract seems cheap, and he did exactly as he could have been expected to last year. In theory, with a healthy Lee, Ramirez, Soriano and Barrett, Jones is the fifth-best hitter on the team. That's just about where someone like Jones should be, on a good team.

I hope he is gone from this team by opening day.  Cliff Floyd would be a better option offensively and defensively in right field and that would do multiple good things for this team.

1.  If we package Jones and Ohman we will get a good return on prospects.
2.  Matt Murton is assured of 550 at bats.  THIS IS HUGE.
3.  We will not have to cringe at the thought of Jones in the two-hole as Lou has talked about.  I cant think of a much worse two-hole hitter other than Neifi Perez.
4.  If Floyd gets hurt Pie can come up in his place.

First of all, Jones has to earn OUR RESPECT; not the other way around.  Those of us attending games are paying his salary and it's up to him to produce.

Secondly, he's being paid handsomely to perform, and part of the deal is putting up with the grief when he doesn't perform well.  No reason for the racial remarks, I agree, but all the other stuff he heard for his poor fielding, base running and hitting were certainly warranted.  

He had a whopping total of two hits in the team's first 12 games in 2006.  What do you expect the response from the crowd will be, especially when he was inept on the bases and in the field?!?!

I'll grant you his hitting did improve over the course of the season and he seemingly played hard all the time, but the die had already been cast given his April performance.

It strikes me Jones still has some proving to do in the field.  I see no reason to let up on him until he delivers - CONSISTENTLY.

And not to stray too far, but this racial issue is a two-way street.  Doesn't anyone find it odd that Lovie Smith can steer clear of this topic yet Dusty did everything possible to stir that pot?

I think it goes beyond that, too. But what I do hope is that the Lou Piniella led Cubs bring an end to what has been some really difficult Cub teams to like. I think there has been a very negative aura surrounding the Cubs that started with the 2004 collapse. I hope that 2007 ushers in a different feeling because I'm not sure I can deal with another season of this.

What bothers me the most is the racism claim. Dusty, Bob Nightengale, Dan McGrath, the crap that they propagated about Cub fans being racist was a symptom of the Baker management. There are racist fans amongst every team. While I empathize with Hawkins, Jones, and anyone else who ever got racist mail or criticism, and while I think that this behavior is unacceptable, just because a few Cub fans are racist doesn't mean that this is anything more than the fact that racist people exist in this world.

DmL

This is a new season with a new manager and some new players. I am optimistic about this Cubs team and can't wait to see how they play together. I will be very disappointed if Murton doesn't get left field and Prior fails again.

I think Jones will be an important component this year. If he runs the bases the same way, I will scream. At my TV. If I'm lucky enough to be able to catch a game since I don't have DirecTV. I would hope his arm will be better, but he never had much of one to begin with. It'll never be strong, but as long as he isn't throwing it into the ground right in front of him, I'll be happier than last year. He's actually a pretty good outfielder otherwise.

There's also the chance that Soriano doesn't take to center, and at that point they are going to look at Jones in center. With four capable outfielders in Soriano, Jones, Floyd and Murton, I really doubt we'll see Pie in center before Jones. There isn't much room for him this year unless (until) someone gets hurt.

So Jones is important because of his left-handed bat, his experience, and because he might be our centerfielder. And from my recollection of watching him as a Twin, he's pretty clutch.

The only time I soured on him was when I thought he wanted off the team and was going to be a distraction. I think some reports of his unhappiness were exaggerated or at least focused on too much. I now think he'll fit in just fine, and be an important part of the team. He's got my support, just like every other member of this Cubs team, but I reserve the right to bitch about him if he screws up.