has got to go. I don’t understand what he brings to this team, especially with either Kosuke or RJ on the bench. ESPECIALLY if he’s going to get picked off. Furthermore, he is the older version of Felix Pie, so I was really baffed by this signing. Bring back Jimmy Edmonds!

With Cotts until he gets another lefty. Try out Shark in the 5 spot in the rotation to get another lefty in the pen. Dump Patton.

I know this because its also my birthday. That would suck to get DFA’d on your birthday.

He really looked like a chump today getting picked off. He’s not the only Cub to get picked off in the past week though. Fontenot and Soriano have been picked off in recent games.

The thing that really sucks about Gathright getting picked off is that the Cubs had shifted the momentum. There were no outs- Theriot and Kouske coming up and the Cubs were only down 2 at that point. Whatever life was left in the Cubs got sucked out of them in that inning.

Sorry to say it but it doesn’t look like Patton or Cotts are going anywhere anytime soon.

Patton ices the cake by loading the bases and then does Cardinals fans a favor by throwing the cherry at Pujols for the top of their cake. They didn’t need those runs to win.

I wouldn’t have even used Cotts at that point. The Cubs were well out of the game. Patton needs experience.

The only thing he can really contribute is speed. But he got picked off today, and almost got picked off yesterday — so if he can’t pinch run, then what purpose does he serve?

I’m 100% in favor of bringing Jim Edmonds back. For those who say “well what do you do with him when Bradley is healthy?” To that I say, A) you’re silly for assuming Bradley will be healthy, and B) let’s have too many good players then as opposed to too many bad players now.

or my thoughts were called goofy when I said this teams chemistry reminds me of the 2005-2006 teams, and IMO the way the team was put together was awful. After the NLDS last year it seems like upper management felt it was time to change the makeup of the team that failed in the post season twice in a row.

The only move I liked over the offseason was the signing of Bradley and the trade with Marquis. I thought Marshall deserved a chance to start.

I’ve always been a fan of Derrek Lee and he has always been a tremendous leader and person in his time here with the Cubs — but he looks like he’s pushing 40 out there. I mean his bat speed is ALOT slower than what it was in 2004-2006 .. and I don’t know if that has to do with his wrist or just the fact that he’s getting older. The team is really built around him and Ramirez to succeed. But the fact of the matter is — is that Lee hasn’t performed at a franchise player level since his contract year and he’s almost a black hole hitting 3rd, 4th, and 5th. He’s batting off reputation not off performance.

Aramis Ramirez is the franchise player and I know that Soriano is being paid the most but he is not a better overall player than Ramirez. He should be hitting 3rd and Soto (when he gets out of the slump he’s in) should be hitting 5th.

As far as the signings/trades I didn’t like .. the whole DeRosa thing was my biggest issue. He was the MVP of the team at various moments in 2007 and 2008. Letting Kerry Wood go was a mistake. Trading Ceda for Gregg was a mistake in my opinion.

And that leads me to answering the diaries question — I think Gathright needs to go first. I don’t care how many cars he jumps… he is just a waste of space on the bench. Patton needs to go also.

but not till they find another lefty arm.

To worry about performance of players, to start shuffeling the lineup, to start talknig about making roster substactions and additions?

The Cubs lose 4 in a row, and now suddenly it is not too early, even for (what, me worry?) Al, to start suggestion roster changes, etc.

Posters have been saying these things for the better of a week, obviously, they saw some weaknesses that are now showing up with a couple injuries and some bad hitting.

Swap Cotts for Waddell.
Swap Gathright for Jake Fox.
Dump a bottle of Tabasco sauce in Lou’s coffee.
Wait a week.

I was originally bullish on Gathright’s role with the Cubs. I hoped that the influence of Gerald Perry would make Gathright into this year’s Theriot – a high OBP singles hitter, with an important exception – Joey Gathright has exceptional defensive value as well. That defensive value could be very important for us. Contrary to the general opinion around here, Reed Johnson is not a good CF, he’s stretched there, with UZR/150 giving him -13.6 score last year. His hitting against LHP justifies him playing there in a platoon, but against RHP, Johnson in CF is a net loss for us.
That Lou is playing Fukudome in RF when RJ plays suggests that the early returns on Dome in CF are worse than that.
So, the case for Gathright is that he should be playing CF for us, not just as a late-inning defensive replacement, but also starting from time to time in bigger parks, especially when a flyball pitcher is on the mound.
That case, however, is entirely negated if Lou won’t use Gathright that way.