I’m not sure why you’re ripping on Soriano so much. Last time I checked, Wrigley’s outfield is lined by ivy and…bricks. And I believe about a week and a half ago Soriano is on record as saying he was trying to come back and play in the all-star game. And how many championships did Sosa bring to this town? The same as the guys playing for the Cubs in the last 99 years: 0.

Dan

Dude. If a player DOESN’T have heart, hustle, grit, whatever the hell you want to call it, you know where they are? NOT in the major leagues. And how are stats stupid? Statistics are used to develop winning teams. As a GM, you don’t sign players because they have more “heart” than anyone else. You sign players because they put up good numbers. You know why Ryan Theriot “wins”? Because he’s on a team that leads the league in BA, OBP, SLG, and walks. That’s GOOD.

Regarding outfielders, here’s a comparison.
2008 Reed Johnson in 205 AB: .268/.336/.376/.712 OPS
2008 Alfonso Soriano in 212 AB: .283/.332/.547/.879 OPS

Who would I rather have on my team? Hmm…

Since we’re talking about Alfonso Soriano – he’s coming back from his hand injury a week earlier. Players don’t choose when to come back from injuries, they have to be healed enough to play. If Soriano didn’t want to play, he wouldn’t be in the NL dugout right now, visibly cheering on the team. The Cubs wouldn’t have made the playoffs last year without Soriano’s September. And since you say “me first, homerun hitting, don’t care about anyone but myself”, would you rather have a home run or some other kind of hit? I’m assuming you like infield singles. Personally, I like runs. And I like the fact that the Cubs are leading the league in runs. But that’s just me. Cause baseball’s about HUSTLE!

Oh, and Sammy Sosa? The only times he had decent teams around him were in 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2004. During his 13-year stint with the Cubs, they averaged a winning percentage of approximately .480. So yeah, he didn’t win a World Series because he was a superstar surrounded by mediocre players for the most part. Not because he was a selfish hitter.

Welcome to BCB. You’re probably gonna get flamed if you keep on talking like this, I’m sorry to say.

Maybe I just hope that was satire.

i like theriot, i like johnson. but i love the superstar we have in soriano. but soriano DOES mean a whole lot! he means alot to this team, and the “character” you see in theriot and johnson, soriano adds just as much as they do. that is one reason we are a team! a VERY close knit team. we have character. he is arguably the best hitter on arguagbly the best team in baseball.

you really shouldnt bash on a player like soriano. and btw, how is he supposed to feel when he gets up to bat? who should he be thinking about? hes gonna swing that gigantic bat, and he is gonna hit homeruns, he gonna get hits, and hes gonna strikeout…alot of all three. and he may not be the greatest leftfielder to wear a leather, but he is definetly not a liabilty, and definetly not because of his heart. and btw i dont want any of our players to dive into the brick and ivy wall. he has been on the dl enough.

please slow your roll man. like keith said your gonna get nailed by the regulars here. ive seen it a hundred times.

oh, and welcome lol

Welcome.

And I’m trying not to be a jerk here…. but… (gah, I’m trying dagnabit!) no one “deserves” a championship. You either win it. Or you don’t. Going through life complaining about what you “deserve” is the single most irritating thing a person can do, IMHO.

I admit. You lost me after that. I hope you stick around… just.. don’t talk about “deserving” things. That sets me off a little.

Always great to see new people.

Just an FYI, you’re going to catch some heat for the Soriano worse than Johnson/Riot stuff. Don’t let it turn you off from posting—we’re just pretty defensive of our boys here, and Riot’s made himself persona non grata a few times in the field. ;)

“deserves to win”. There’s no such thing.

About Soriano though, I’d rather he doesn’t dive into a wall and get hurt than catch ONE ball.

he actually gets to a ball.

...IF IT’S SATIRE. You nail practically every superficial, irrational, baseless, cliched fan comment made about the Cubs – or any other team – on this or any other baseball Web site or blog ever. Congratulations! Can you put in a good word for me with the staff of The Onion? I really want to work there!

All he does is spend a month on the DL and still be one of the top guys on this team in the HR and RBI departments. Those two stats mean nothing because it’s not like driving in runs is going to win games, diving into a brick wall is how you win games. (written with a sense of sarcasm)

Im gonna stick up for you as well as politely disagree. Yes Theriot, my favorite player for the most part, has a ton of heart, and despite what anybody says, there are players with more heart then others, and others that care more about money then winning. Theriot is a hustler, a hard nosed player who just gets on base and tries his hardest at the field (although he fails at times), and same goes for Reed Johnson. Johnson reminds me of Rowand, just goes after EVERYTHING.
Now with Soriano, I dont put him in the category of the egotistical sammy sosa, although I see your point. Soriano has heart, he is trying his hardest to get back as soon as possible, and wanted nothing more then to play at Yankees Stadium before it is demolished (I think that shows a strong heart to where he started his career). Soriano seems to not fit his role at the leadoff spot which makes him look selfish as he refuses not to leave it, but this man gets paid ALOT, and that is what makes him most comfortable. He has also been more succesful then we realize as well as a leadoff man. So I dont know, Im going on a tantrum here but bottom line is….

I agree but disagree (Get it? I know I dont either)
WELCOME TO BCB, write whatever the hell you want to write, just because other people disagree doesnt meen you shouldnt write it and stick to your gut feeling! I would know, I am a Theriot supporter, and for that I get bashed. Its all in fun though, and it gives us all a chance to voice our opinions to well-informed baseball fanatics

for example…

1. You cant create a fanpost if you have less than 100 comments ( give or take a few) as a member.
2. You cant create a fanpost about who you think the cubs should trade for.

and sure you guys will think up many more.

I wish Alfonso "Selfish" Soriano took some notes on this guy. How many walls has Soriano run into? None!! Because he is so selfish he wouldn’t dare injure himself for the good of the team. Since he is going to miss the ASG, I’m sure Soriano is not in a hurry to get back to playing. I say GOOD, we don’t need or want his lazy, selfish attitude on the field. Its guys like Theriot and Johnson that dive, and hustle and do all the little things that statheads that haven’t left their mother’s basement hate to talk about. They show their grit and heart every pitch of every inning.

Ummm…....

I would bet my next paycheck that Lou Piniella would rather have Sori, DeRo, RJ, Dome, or anyone back off and concede a double rather than challenge a brick wall (or intentionaly get HBP) and end up on the DL. There is no way that Sori can injure himself “for the good of the team”. When he’s hurt, the team’s hurt. (Same with Ramy, DLee, etc.) We’ve seen the Cubs’ record drop with Sori on the DL, and we’ve seen how tired Edmonds, Dome and DeRo became without RJ—on the DL trying to beat out a bunt with “hustle” (and speed).

Is Sori selfish because he won’t “hurry” his broken metacarpal to heal faster? If he is taking ABs with a weak hand, he’s not going to produce much, and he’s more likely to re-injure his hand. Remember DLee in 2006?

Teams win when their most talented players get the most ABs and pitch the most innings. In other words, health is one of the keys to making the playoffs. Leave the ivy-eating to Sam Fuld.