Bradley leading off?

by PieFan08 on Jan 17, 2009 11:05 AM CST Comment 50 comments

"Let's just leave things alone right now and take a look," he said. "I know the kid we got from St. Louis [Miles] has a high on-base percentage. Bradley led the American League in on-base percentage, and that's good. Those are the type of ingredients we need for this lineup."

Quote from Lou at the convention where he throws out the idea of Bradley leading off. Not much substance to the quote, but it got me to think about the possibility.

What does everyone else think? I would prefer it to Soriano.

Discuss

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I hate Soriano in lead off

But we did win 97 games….

Plus if the 6,7,8,9 guys get on base Soriano has a shot at nailing a lot of runs in. I say we stick with what we got leading off.

by ak123 on Jan 17, 2009 11:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think Lou meant to say that

With the other guys having good OBP it means that there will be less pressure on Soriano to get on from leadoff, not that he was considering Bradley for leadoff.

by Luis on Jan 17, 2009 11:31 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Not Bradley or Soriano

Someone else, please.

OT: Big Ten FB Games @ Wrilgey

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/86413-big-ten-game-at-wrigley-field?eref=fromSI

Did not want to make a new Fanpost

"I'm an escaped car thief. I broke out of prison to see the Cubs in the World Series." - James Belushi in Taking Care of Business (1990)

by brownbuddha on Jan 17, 2009 11:32 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

That is interesting.

I heard Crane Kenney mention that possibility with North and Jiggets yesterday morning. May be worth a FanShot, if ya had any desire. Just sayin’.

"Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That's baseball as it should be played - in God's own sunshine. And that's really living." ~Alvin Dark

by DamonBerryhillsMitt on Jan 17, 2009 11:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He also

mentioned another concert this summer. But couldn’t really come out with who they are discussing because things haven’t been finalized with said band/artist’s promoter yet. I’m curious to find out who.

"Every player should be accorded the privilege of at least one season with the Chicago Cubs. That's baseball as it should be played - in God's own sunshine. And that's really living." ~Alvin Dark

by DamonBerryhillsMitt on Jan 17, 2009 11:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Also

my pops told me when he saw gale sayers play at wrigley, part of the end zone was cut off by the out field wall because there wasn’t enough room for the football field’s dimensions. Im not sure that would fly with a lot of college football teams. Who would want to be trying to score in that end zone at the end of the second half with the game on the line? or even worse in OT?

by JJDiesel21 on Jan 17, 2009 1:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Right.

The end zones at Wrigley when the Bears played there were only 8 yards deep.

Plus, I doubt the Cubs would want to have the new turf torn up by a football game before the baseball season was over, further, they couldn’t guarantee any college game an actual date until November.

I don’t see this happening.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jan 17, 2009 3:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Guarantee if it did happen

It would involve the Hawkeyes. I would guess versus someone like Wiskey.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Jan 17, 2009 4:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Read the original link.

It says it’d be the Illini, and I bet they’d want Northwestern as the opponent. (Local interest, etc.)

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jan 17, 2009 5:36 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Okay if it is Illinois

They’ve got their local interest right there. They don’t need a second local team. Look at the Northern Illinois vs. Iowa game two years ago at Soldier Field. Iowa travels so well, book them if this ever did happen.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Jan 18, 2009 12:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Iowa blog

I know it’s not necessarily accurate, but this claims that my assumptions are likely.

http://iowa.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=804&tid=119996383&mid=119996383&sid=940&style=2

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Jan 18, 2009 12:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Explain to me how...

… the Northwestern athletic director would be able to negotiate a deal to put Iowa there.

Your “guarantee” isn’t that likely. Since it’s the NU AD interested, they probably would get first call.

Again, logistics may prevent this.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jan 18, 2009 1:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No substance at all...

Because later when asked where Bradley will be hitting he said “In the middle of the order somewhere”.

Having him leadoff would be a horrible idea. Whether you guys like it or not…Soriano will be leading off.

by illini23 on Jan 17, 2009 12:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Right...

I believe that Hendry has been quoted as well saying that Bradley will be in the middle of the order.

Though I do not like the suggestion that Miles has a high OBP. Last year, he had an okay OBP due to his unusually high batting average. Aside from that anomaly, though, he’s been a below-average OBP guy.

by SouthernCub on Jan 17, 2009 12:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I dont want either

Soriano or Bradley batting leadoff. I think some combination of the miles, theriot, fontenot platoon should fill the top two spots in the order (depending on whose playing that day) and then following up with:
3-Sori
4-MB
5-Aram
6-DLee
7-Geo
8-Johnson,Fuk, or Gathright

Although I suppose if one of the center field platoon in producing and getting on base a lot they could also be in the mix for one of the top two spots in the order.

I do find it funny however that people, myself obviously included, like to say what they think the ideal lineup would be when Lou used 112 different batting orders last year.

by JJDiesel21 on Jan 17, 2009 1:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Man...

…I still can’t get over the fact that our top 2 positions are most likely gonna be filled with Ryan Theriot, Aaron Miles, or Mike Fontenot. We Are The Cubs, Hear Us Roar! Can we start the BR rumors again?!

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Jan 17, 2009 1:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm really not buying that....

I think you’re much more likely to see something like…

Soriano
Fukudome/Johnson
Lee
Ramirez
Bradley
Soto
Fontenot
Theriot

by Damen Jackson on Jan 17, 2009 2:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think it will be:

Soriano
Fontenot
Lee
Bradley (b/c all along they’ve said they want to break up the RH in the middle of the order)
Ramirez
Soto
Fukudome
Theriot
Pitcher

And if the good Fukudome shows up, he and Fontenot will switch spots.

Stop looking at me, swan.

by eriod on Jan 17, 2009 3:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ding Ding Ding!

I think you’ve got it…even though I don’t like Soriano leading off…he belongs in the 5th or 6th spot.

I have nothing funny or creative to write.

by Canadian Cubs Fan on Jan 17, 2009 5:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That, and

I’d like to see them bat Ramirez 3rd and Lee 5th or 6th, but I think Lee will start the season hitting third and the job will be his to lose.

Stop looking at me, swan.

by eriod on Jan 17, 2009 6:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think it's this...

or Fontenot/Miles in the #2 and Fukudome/Johnson in the #7.

by SouthernCub on Jan 18, 2009 8:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps..

You know, the thing is though is that if Mike Fontenot hints at continuing to slug against RHP like he did last season, I’d imagine that Lou would be much more inclined to put him further down in the lineup, so as to get him some RBI opportunities. The nice thing about Fukudome in the 2 spot is that he can do what he does — handle the bat, give you some speed on the bases, reach base at a decent clip — in generally lower pressure situations.

by Damen Jackson on Jan 18, 2009 11:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No disagreement...

I think it will be one or the other.

by SouthernCub on Jan 18, 2009 3:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I am in agreement

please .. we need Brian Roberts to leadoff .. He is everything the Cubs need .. high ops , leadoff hitter , switch hitter , basestealer , scored a lot of runs , great glove , great range up the middle , limited errors , can turn a double play .

by CUBFANINAZ on Jan 18, 2009 12:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Baltimore sun

In the Baltimore Sun blogs ’ the Schmuck stops here ’ in sports page .. Sounds like the o’s might not keep Brian Roberts .. since he won’t resign a new contract .. and sounds like he is going to bolt after season ends .. The opionion of the fans is to trade him for something rather than get nothing for him after the season … Sure would like to have a true leadoff man thats also a switch hitter . Let alone his glove .

by CUBFANINAZ on Jan 18, 2009 12:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It pains me to have a manager

who is entirely unaware of the abilities of his players. If the above quotes are indeed real, then Lou Piniella must be talking about some other Aaron Miles.
Miles’ career numbers: .289/.329/.364.
I understand that Miles had a good year for the Cards last year and posted a .355 OBP, but for him to do that he needed to hit for an unsustainable .317 BA. I hope this is Lou just playing dumb, as opposed to him being dumb.

by dakoose on Jan 17, 2009 2:20 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Brenly

Just said in an interview that Gathright can bat leadoff…………. sometimes these guys say weird stuff. I full expect Soriano to leadoff, and either Fontenot or Fukudome to bat second. At least you’ll get some good OBP from the two spot.

by Luis on Jan 17, 2009 2:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It pains me to know that there are fans...

Who think for some reason that they know more, and also can read the mind of Lou Piniella. Lou is one of the sharpest minds in baseball, and has been for years. If you think that Lou is dumb, or playing dumb; well I have to remind you that Lou is a ML manager with a proven track record as a manager and player. The rest of us, we are fans. Miles might lead off. Soriano might lead off. Bradley will not. Stop taking everything Lou says and analyzing it as though the man doesn’t know what he’s doing… he obviously does know what he is doing.

Jimmyeatworld

by Jimmyeatworld on Jan 17, 2009 2:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll add this

Last year at this point, I believe (correct me if my memory is wrong) that Lou seemed to suggest Dome might hit cleanup. When he saw Dome hit, he knew that wasn’t the right spot for him and acted accordingly.

Hendry’s quotes suggest to me he thinks Miles going forward can repeat 2008; for Hendry’s part, I’ll give Miles a chance and see if he can be Hendry’s second DeRosa. For Lou’s part, I expect, right now, he is going mostly off of what Hendry has advertised Miles to be. You have to give Lou a chance to develop his own opinions as he gets to know the player first hand in the days to come.

There’s no way any manager’s first comments about a player are going to contradict the GM and say, “Well, honestly, this guy has stunk most of his career.”

The author of this post is not a certified scout, doctor, agent, statistician, manager, or journalist, nor was he ever a very good player, though he tried very hard to be like Ryne Sandberg and was about as scrappy as it gets (in T-ball). Any opinion expressed above should in no way be confused with fact, truth, or reality and is hereby qualified in the following ways: 1) The author does not know as much about baseball as Lou Piniella. 2) The author does not know as much about baseball as Jim Hendry. 3) The author does not know as much about baseball as either Dusty or Darren Baker.

by DGU on Jan 17, 2009 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Lou isn't stupid

but he played the role quite well by trotting Howry out their in important situations throughout the year.

I have nothing funny or creative to write.

by Canadian Cubs Fan on Jan 17, 2009 5:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

For the record,

I don’t have much respect for what baseball managers do. There’s not much strategy to managing and it’s more about managing ego’s than picking who plays and when. For the most part, you play the players your GM gave you, and outside of the occasional double switch and positional competition, managing a baseball club is a cakewalk. So when you say Lou is a proven manager, that doesn’t mean anything to me.

by dakoose on Jan 17, 2009 5:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I really hope that was tongue-in-cheek...

n/t

by Damen Jackson on Jan 17, 2009 5:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

A bit, but not entirely.

I’ve always thought that managing a baseball squad isn’t as tough as some have made it out to be, with some managers considered geniuses while others are called idiots. Occasionally you get a Dusty Baker type, but I don’t believe it’s that tough to manage a squad.
Note: I only feel this way about baseball, not any other sports.

by dakoose on Jan 17, 2009 11:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Ugghhhhh

So which would be more difficult? Managing a MLB team, or managing a fantasy MLB team?

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Jan 17, 2009 5:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

obviously managing

a real team since you’re dealing with personalities and actual humans…

but being a GM is much more difficult than being a manager

by DartmouthCubsFan on Jan 18, 2009 9:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

well, in a fantasy MLB team

it’s cheaper and easier to clean up the buffet table that your pitcher turned over after giving up a game winning HR

Well, Next Year is here .. and Jack's century's gotta end some time .. GO CUBBIES!

by cubnational on Jan 18, 2009 3:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

that's always been my stance

as well

by DartmouthCubsFan on Jan 18, 2009 9:44 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If this is what you think about the difficulty of managing a ML baseball club...

Than I now know not to take any of your opinions too seriously. You really have a rather simplistic view of what managing a ML team entails, and that really shows your ignorance.

Jimmyeatworld

by Jimmyeatworld on Jan 19, 2009 1:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

just out of curiosity

how do YOU know what managing a MLB team entails?

You’re ridiculing another poster for not possibly understanding what it takes and calling them ignorant without ANY suggestion of WHY you should be taken as an AUTHORITY on this matter?

My guess is you have just as little experience with the role as the poster you’re ridiculing does

by DartmouthCubsFan on Jan 19, 2009 2:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

My guess is you are over reacting.

All it takes is eyes to see that managing a ML baseball club is not a cake walk as dakoose suggests. What I know is that many fans are so rabid, and get so involved that they think that they could do just as good a job. In my opinion, it takes much more than an occasional double switch, or positional competition, to manage effectively. What I certainly know from experience is that heading up any sports team is much harder than it appears from the outside looking in as a fan. I know a lot about the Cubs and ML baseball, because I failed at playing baseball at a young age, and determined to know as much about the game as possible – however, I do not for one second believe that managing a ML team is a cake walk, or that I know better than Lou, who gets paid millions of dollars a year because he does know better than us, the fans.

Jimmyeatworld

by Jimmyeatworld on Jan 19, 2009 4:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

so to sum it up

your qualifications are failing at baseball at a young age and studying it. Sounds like similar qualifications to everyone on the board with regards to managerial experience

you’re simply providing an opinion

as is the poster above you call “ignorant”

stating your opinion is warranted, calling someone ignorant for stating theirs is hypocritical

by DartmouthCubsFan on Jan 19, 2009 5:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Over reaction...

It is my opinion that anyone who thinks that managing a ML ball club is a cakewalk is ignorant of what it really takes to do so. It was not my intention to call dakoose ignorant simply for the sake of doing so. Rather, I endeavored to point out the inanity of his statement that managing is a cake walk; when anyone with eyes can plainly see it it not. I don’t want to move into Blue Mike/BLou/Worf territory, but I don’t see how it is your duty to govern the civility or lack thereof on this post. Dakoose didn’t seem to have a problem with my opinion that his statement was ignorant, why do you seem to care so much?

Jimmyeatworld

by Jimmyeatworld on Jan 21, 2009 3:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bradley leadoff

While it doesn’t sound like a great idea to me, but I’d take it if he could play 150 games and hit leadoff everyday lol

I think batting order/leadoff is overrated to a degree. There is only one time in alot of games that it really matters.

by jeff_pico on Jan 17, 2009 6:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

No

They got Bradley to break up the RH hitters. Batting Bradley as leadoff leaves Soriano, Lee, Ramirez and Soto for the middle of the order. Won’t happen.

And if this was the only quote, Piniella did not say Bradley at leadoff. He just said he has a high OBP.

by rlpete on Jan 18, 2009 8:01 AM CST reply actions 0 recs