Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanPosts

Starlin Castro Vitters etc LIVE Sat night

2009-11-06T02:06:19Z

A reminder that MLB network is broadcasting the AFL "Rising Stars" game. The four Cubs are Castro, Vitters.Parker and Cashner. So if you you are Cubs fan with no social life ( sound familiar) at 7PM CST time Saturday you can watch guys we hope to see at Wrigley someday ( not counting the Road to Wrigley game) play.

Az Fall League Cubs

2009-11-06T01:57:16Z

Well, I went the first of at least a half dozen games I'll be watching here until next Monday. Luckily, I got to see virtually the entire Cubs' contingent today. Unluckily, the only Cub who didn't play was Josh Vitters, the guy I wanted to scout the most. Maybe tomorrow, so here's what happened today :

Starlin Castro - hit a couple of sharp singles through the infield, drove in a run with a sac fly and made a great play on a bad hop ground ball in the ninth inning and showed a strong arm to throw out Truinfel. On the bad side, he chased a couple pitches outside the zone preventing him from taking a walk in his third AB and striking out in his last.

Andrew Cashner - had another excellent outing today. Pitched ahead in the count to almost every batter, no walks and 4 Ks in the same number of innings. 49 pitches of which 35 were strikes shows the dominance of a #1. The scout I talked to had him at 93-96 for the game. The majority of the hits were of the seeing eye grounder variety. Only Brent Morel squared up a fastball and laced a line drive to left.

James Russell, Jon Gaub & Blake Parker all came in and pitched an inning each after Cashner left. Only Parker gave up a run and that was due solely to the CF losing a ball in the sun and letting a fly ball drop 5 feet away at the warning track. Nothing there to get really excited about really.

The player of the game had to be PJ Phillips of the Angels. He crushed a homer and a double and made a diving catch in center field. Tosoni had the hardest hit ball though. He obliterated a fastball about 440 to straightaway center field that nailed that 50' tall batters eye for a double. It hit at least 15' above the rest of the fence.

That's about it. The Solar Sox play in Surprise tomorrow and I'll make the hour long drive to try to catch Vitters in action. Fortunately, he made the All-Star game Saturday so there's a good chance I'll catch him then as well. Though the player I'm dieing to see then is Strasburg. I'll just keep replying to this post instead of making new ones every day.

Five tool player available!

2009-11-05T21:54:03Z

There's a hot center fielder on the market that I think the Cubs should jump on and his name may sound familiar: Corey Patterson. His name may sound familiar because he is the older brother of a former Cubs prospect by the name of Eric. Eric was traded away to fetch the greatest change-up pitcher ever to come from the Great White North, Mr. Rich Harden! He may be hard to pry away from the Milwaukee Brewers since he's cheap on just a minor league contract, but I think the Cubs should put together a dynamite package to blow away our division rivals. This guy is that good!

Now I know the elder Patterson's stats from the last year may not look pretty, but he only had 30 plate appearances last year, and I think he'd really shine if given the opportunity! He's a top prospect that I think people have given up on too early. He's really toolsy, cuz he has run fast, thrown hard, and had some hits! Also, I really think the Cubs need to get a little less Canadian, and Patterson's from Georgia which is just about as non-Canadian as you can get! Not to mention he throws righty and HITS left-handed, and EVERY team can use more guys like that! He does strike out a bit, but he really makes up for it because we need a center fielder so we can move Mr. Kosuke Fukudome back to right field.

I don't know about you all, but it's potential moves like this that make me glad to be a Cubs fan!

This Might Be A Long Shot...

2009-11-05T18:53:14Z

Jeremy Hermida

BAM

I'll let you know right now that this is a huge stretch but I'm wondering what you would think about him. He had a bad year last year, but he's got pretty good career numbers and would be a solid 6-7 hitter. Defense leaves something to be desired but he's better than Hoffpauir or Fox in the field. Here are his career stats. He's got some pop and his HR totals will probably increase away from Lanshark Stadium. He does strike out a bunch. He's also 25 and is due for a break out year. I am fully aware that he will not single handedly save the franchise, but signing him would allow the Cubs to trade He Who Shall Remain Nameless for some high risk prospects instead of another bad contract. This clears up some cap space for a future trade and obviously gets him off the team. IMO Hermida is worth a one or two year deal.

Ok if you're still with me and don't think I'm a crackhead, here's how we would go about getting him. From what I've been reading and hearing on the radio, lots of teams are planning on non-tendering a bunch of players. Some of this is due to the economy. If Hermida is non-tendered, the task becomes easier: the Cubs just go and sign him. If he isn't, I imagine that it wouldn't take a ton to get him. It might take more than Miles and Heilman, unfortunately. Fontenot might not be a bad idea, especially if the Marlins are looking to get rid of Dan Uggla. Fox or Hoffpauir might be good throw ins as well.

Just wondering what you guys would think about this. As a one or two year option until something better comes along, I think Hermida would be a good fit. I'd much rather see a young kid with poor numbers and something to prove out in right field than an over the hill player with injury history or steroid allegations.

Cubs Should Go After Rich Hill

2009-11-04T22:26:12Z

It was reported today that Rich Hill is now a free agent. I think that he has enormous potential and is worth at least a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. If he gets his back situation fixed, he could fill a spot nicely in the rotation.

I'm guessing that a lot of teams will go after him, with the potential that he has shown in the past. I'd hate to see the Cardinals get him and then watch Dave Duncan turn him into a 15-18 game winner.

Just think about the following quote from Michael Barrett about Hill which I found on Wikipedia.org:

[Hill's] curveball is so electric that the first couple of times I caught him, I had a tendency to come up on the curve because it bites so much. You just don't see a left-handed curveball like that anymore. When he's good, it doesn't hang, and it's nearly unhittable."

It's worth a shot. The guy has excellent stuff when healthy, and I think it will just take some work to get him straightened out.

Convention Sold Out

2009-11-04T16:22:12Z

Less than 20 minutes which I believe is a little FASTER than last year. Tickets came to about $66 each with fees. So much for the theory no one would or should support them. I did in fact get through but I am unlikely to go ( before you ask my friends including Kasey have first dibs) If Maddux goes than maybe I will skip the rent for a month and come.. I think it will be a VERY interesting year . I am sure the whole Ricketts family will be there.

OT: Why not name a field after Ernie?

2009-11-04T13:55:07Z

Ernie HARWELL, that is...

Since longtime Detroit Tigers' play by play announcer Ernie Harwell announced he has cancer, there has been a groundswell of support to recognize his Hall of Fame contribution to baseball by naming the playing field at Comerica Park the "Ernie Harwell Field" (at Comerica Park).

For those of us Cubs fans that are also Tigers or Ernie Harwell fans, there is a way to support the movement.

You may visit the Detroit Free Press article link: Support "Ernie Harwell Field" at Comerica Park for more information

or you may visit the FaceBook site directly at: Facebook direct link to show your support.

Vernon Wells - prepping to be a Cub

2009-11-03T18:37:54Z

The Milton Bradley for Vernon Wells trade must be around the corner... Blue Jays’ Wells to have wrist surgery

TORONTO (AP)—Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells(notes) will have surgery next week to repair damaged cartilage in his left wrist.

The team announced Tuesday that Wells is expected to be ready in time for spring training.

Wells, who is entering the third season of a seven-year, $126-million contract extension, hit .260 with 15 home runs and 66 RBIs in 158 games last season.

The Blue Jays also said third baseman Edwin Encarnacion(notes) had surgery on Friday to repair a bone spur in his left wrist.

Last Out to First Pitch – The 2009-10 Offseason IT'S HAPPENING!!!??? Contest

2009-11-02T04:49:03Z

Listed at the bottom of this fanpost are 15 events that may (or may not) occur this offseason. Your challenge is to arrange them in order of likelihood of happening, most to least. Similar to last year’s free-agency contest, your ranking will be weighted. In other words, your top choice (the one you think is most likely to happen) will be worth 15 points – your bottom choice (the one you think is least likely to happen) will be worth 1 point.

Here's where it gets fun. As you’ll see, there are quite a few events involving Milton Bradley. Obviously not all of them are going to happen, so you could hedge your bets by ranking them close together if you’re unsure on how the MB saga will end. On the other hand, if you’re so sure you know how it will end, put that one at/near the top and the others at the bottom of your rankings.

Other Ground Rules:

The contest begins after the last out of the 2009 World Series and ends with the first pitch of the 2010 major league season.
Points are accumulated only if the event happens.
If an event occurs before the last out, i.e. someone pulls a "Boras", then said event will be removed from the contest and no points awarded for that event.
If there is some dispute as to whether or not an event "happened" or the definition of said event, I will certainly consider any and all viewpoints, but in the end – my contest, my call.

Please submit your entry by posting a comment below. Right now, deadline for entries is the last out of the 2009 World Series. But if the Yankees manage to win this thing in 5 games, I may extend the deadline by a day or so, provided of course, none of these events occur. If they do, then - in the interests of fairness - any entries submitted after that point will not be accepted.

I will track all entries and provide occasional updates throughout the off-season, as well as announce the final results shortly after Opening Day 2010. The person with the highest point total will receive an official MLB baseball hit out of Wrigley Field from my collection. And just to keep things interesting, the person with the lowest point total will receive an official minor league baseball from my collection – sufficiently grass-stained and scuffed-up to appropriately reflect said achievement (or lack thereof).

Please post any questions in the comments and I'll be happy to respond.

THE FIFTEEN BIGGEST EVENTS THAT MAY (or may not) HAPPEN THIS OFF-SEASON:

__ - Milton Bradley is traded or released by start of Cubs Convention.
__ - Cubs sell naming rights for entire Wrigley Field, e.g. Walgreens Park at Wrigley Field.
__ - Randy Wells finishes higher than Colby Rasmus in the ROY voting.
__ - Cubs lower ticket prices on some seats.
__ - Milton Bradley is traded for player(s) only, i.e. Cubs will NOT eat any of his contract.
__ - Cubs make an official announcement on a new Spring Training location (Az or Fla).
__ - Ryan Theriot is starting shortstop for Cubs on Opening Day 2010.
__ - Cubs’ broadcasting team stays intact - Len & Bob on TV; Pat, Ron, & Judd on radio.
__ - Milton Bradley is traded and Cubs WILL eat some portion of his contract.
__ - Cubs install additional scoreboard facilities, e.g. ribbon board.
__ - Aaron Miles is on the Cubs 25-man roster on Opening Day.
__ - Cubs offer arbitration to Rich Harden.
__ - Milton Bradley is on the Cubs 40-man roster on Opening Day.
__ - Cubs hires top-level executive, e.g. a "baseball guy", to oversee Hendry.
__ - MLB expands instant replay capabilities.

OT kinda : Any Gitfiddler Cub fans here have "Go Cubs Go" tabs?

2009-11-01T12:22:02Z

My utterly adorable niece Maggie and nephew Alex, both about 8 and 10 years old each and hopelessly indoctrinated into being Cubs fans by our Cubs-crazy family, have suddenly decided they want to start learning how to play guitar.

I kinda sorta plunk along with it, and am frankly not that great at it, but I want to encourage them to do so. I will be spending some time with them this Christmas and giving them real kid sized guitars to play with to see if they really want to do this long term. And as anyone knows who teaches music to kids, for them to put it all together, you have to help them learn to play something simple quickly that helps them feel like they're achieving something that gives them the payback for the attention to detail they'll have to put into it, plus whatever basic chord/music stuff I can rummage up for them.

I would really like to teach them Steve Goodman's "Go Cubs Go" but can't find any tabs for it anywhere. Any guitar playing Cubs fans out there who can help me figure them out or know somewhere on the net they might be posted, your help would be really appreciated, plus any other suggestions on simple songs I could direct them to.

Just not "Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" .. puhleeze!

If you could get any prospect from any team...

2009-10-29T23:43:37Z

who would it be?

For me, it would have to be Matt LaPorta of the Indians. Technically, he's no longer a prospect and has performed very well in his call-up bid. He'd be a good addition to the Cubs outfield, and an even better option to replace Lee at first base in 2011. A future core of him, ARam, Soto, and Vitters would be awesome. The Indians are going to want some serious value in return; I would see them wanting a proven player, plus a package of prospects. I would almost certainly deal any prospect outside of Vitters and Cashner (I would also hold out on dealing Hak-Ju Lee). I could see them accepting Soriano + a package, given some of the salery is eaten. It would be a challenge trying to get Soriano to accept however.

But, reguardless of plausibility, who is the one prospect you'd love to add to the Cubs roster.

Your Chance To Question Tom Ricketts

2009-10-29T19:59:37Z

I've been given the opportunity to attend the news conference introducing Tom Ricketts as the new team owner tomorrow morning.

I don't know whether I'll get a chance to even ask a question, but if I do, I'd like to have a sense of what are the most important things BCB readers want to know.

So post your thoughts here -- I'll take some of the best ones with me and if no one else asks them and I get a chance to, I'll try to get at least one question in.

Don't Make the Mistake of Dumping Bradley

2009-10-29T19:58:37Z

It's almost certain that the Cubs will open the 2010 season without Milton Bradley, and that's a damned shame. The Cubs will be a worse team without him. Numerous reasons why have been discussed here in the past, and are met with much resistance. Everybody knows Bradley is a very contentious topic around these parts.

Nick Steiner, over at the Hardball Times, took a look at Bradley's 2009 season and had this to say

The fact that Bradley has such a bad year - and it wasn't even that bad - can be placed solely on a huge drop in ISO from his previously established norms. His plate discipline and contact skills were just as good as they were in 08 and the year before that, and there is no evidence that the drop in ISO is anything "real". Despite the personality problems, teams are apparently lining up to try and steal Bradley away from Jim Hendry because he is still a very good player.

The Cubs will be making a mistake if they get rid of Bradley, although they undoubtedly will. The guy is a damned good hitter. Bradley should be given a second chance if for no other reason then the fact that he provides us a better chance to win than any other OF we'll acquire this offseason. Don't let the fans affect your baseball decisions, Jim!

Why Other Teams Should Want Milton Bradley

2009-10-29T16:52:49Z

As Cub fans, we just watched a disappointing season end with the team putting a lot of the blame on Bradley. Seeing Milton carry the albatross of destroying a 97-win team, we wonder why anyone would want him. And yet there are reports saying Jim Hendry is able to negotiate with a solid number of teams. Certainly there are some teams that have made it clear they don't want players with character problems - the Angels and the Indians, for example. And there are teams that Bradley wore out his welcome with and won't go back to. But I think there are reasons that the market for Bradley could be bigger than just teams looking to dump bad contracts of their own. It strikes me, for example, that Bradley's situation is awfully reminiscent of the Angels's situation with Jose Guillen in 2004. Guillen had been suspended for the last 8 days of the season after a dugout tantrum that was the last straw. Now, Guillen only cost 3.5 M and for only one year. But he netted Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis.

A lot has been made of Bradley never sticking with a team for more than two years. It's been asked what team would want to take Bradley for two full years now. But I don't think that's how a buying team might look at it. Think of it this way - Bradley's trade value is probably going to be higher at the end of 2010 than it is now. How could his trade value be lower? Perhaps if he was injured for the entire season, that could do it. And that's a possibility. But under almost every other scenario, Bradley will be worth more going into 2011, when there's only one year left on his contract, when he'll almost certainly be coming off a better season of offense, and when, probably, part of his salary is already being paid by Jim Hendry.

So, say you're the Giants. You trade Aaron Rowand for Milton Bradley straight up, getting out from Rowand's contract, you get some much needed OBP for your lineup, and then if you don't want another season of Bradley, you can pay part of Bradley's contract and get the equivelant of Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis in return. In other words, trading for Milton Bradley could easily be seen as a great buy low, wait a year, sell higher opportunity.

Let's consider a different kind of trade, too. If Jim Hendry paid 6 M of Bradley's 2010 salary and 6 M of Bradley's 2011 salary, that would leave 3 M this year and 6 M next year. Would it make sense to the Marlins to trade Jeremy Hermida for that, fully intending to do things the Marlin way and trade Bradley in 2011? Bradley and Hermida have the same health uncertainty, but Bradley's a better bet for better production. And what if the baseball market picked up again a year from now? Bradley at 6 M for 1 year in a recovering economy would be a steal.

Or what about the Blue Jays? They aren't likely to contend unless they get massive years out of cheap acquisitions. They can afford to pay more than the Marlins would pay. If Milton only cost you 5 M in 2010 and 8 in 2001, what would you pay for a perfect risk, someone who you can trade for more than you paid in 2011 even if he doesn't give you the boost you need over the other AL East behemoths in 2010. What injury-risky pitcher would you offer? Would it even make sense to trade Scott Downs for Bradley?

It could be that the only way we trade Milton Bradley is by paying his whole contract and getting nothing much back. It could be that we have to trade him for a bad contract that is marginally helpful. But trying to look at it from other teams' perspectives - there's reason to buy a guy who is a lock for solid OBP and could end up again with the best OPS in your league. What does Jason Bay offer over Milton Bradley when you have to pay Bay twice as much for twice as many years? There's even more reason to buy him when you consider that you will almost certainly be able to trade him for more in a year then you have to pay to get him now.

Other teams shouldn't think of Milton Bradley as a house they will buy to live in, but a house they buy to fix up the value and flip when the market is better. Not everyone will see it that way, but of the 30 teams out there, someone will.

Poll

What will Jim Hendry get back for Milton Bradley?

Cubs pitchers in the '00s

2009-10-28T23:49:16Z

For those of you who haven't been to Sporcle.com, it's a trivia website containing all sorts of fun games, including several on baseball. Some include naming all the HOFers, MVPs, ROYs, etc. I thought I would create a Cubs-oriented one, so I put together a game in which you name everyone who pitched for the Cubs between 2000 and 2009. I'm 99% sure it includes everyone, but if you find any mistrakes let me know.

Anyway, have at it:

How many can you name?

Note: last names are acceptable

JEFF SAMARZIDJA IN MEXICAN LEAGUE

2009-10-28T19:48:03Z

this are the numbers of Jeff pitching for the Mexicali Aguilas team in the Pacific Mexican League:

GS W L ERA IP H R ER BB K

4 1 0 3.00 18 18 10 6 7 15

i hope get his autograph and take a pic with him :).. i´m very proud to have an active Cubs player in this league.

http://img526.imageshack.us/i/jeffsamardzidjamexicali.jpg/

Ricky Henderson(1979), Matt Stairs(1993-1997), Trot Nixon (1998), Kevin Millar(1998), Kevin Youkilis(2003), Ryan Christenson(1999), Mike Hampton (2007) between the MLB players that they has played in the Mexican League for my team Navojoa Mayos. :)

Fernando Valenzuela born here in a small town near from Navojoa

here a link of a Mike Hampton video pitching here in Navojoa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj6yDUKXKRM

greetings¡¡

Poor Met fans, cheap Yankee fans, devoted Phillies fans and other news

2009-10-28T02:46:57Z

Here is some news and links of the day. I need some baseball stories.
Not sure if this got mentioned but the Cubs have removed Bobby Scales from the 40 man roster and out-righted him to Iowa. This means he is a free agent but the Cubs will probably make him a minor league offer.
Pedro is starting game 2. YIPEE.
Hard times for Mets fans . I feel so bad for them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/nyregion/27metsfans.html?em
one less ex Cub , one more wife beater on the Phillies roster
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/Myers_in_Cairo_out_for_World_Series.html
Phillie fans are more loyal than Yankee fans. They won't sell and they will do anything to get the tickets
http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=11394474

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,569841,00.html?test=latestnews
Well personally I think that is one devoted fan in the last link. I would certainly have to consider that if I did not have season tickets. I mean CUBS WORLD SERIES TICKETS ? Wouldn't you sacrifice most anything to go ?

More "Hot Stove" speculation: Aroldis Chapman as a Cub?

2009-10-27T17:42:05Z

Back in July, Aroldis Chapman (21), a Cuban considered by many scouts to be the best left-handed pitching prospect in the world, defected from the Cuban national team and is currently a free agent.

While pitching for Cuba, his fastball regularly topped out at over 100 mph.

The Yankees, Angels, Red Sox, White Sox, Cardinals, Mets, and now the Tigers are interested in him, among “other clubs”. MLB sources say he could sign with a team as early as next week. Chapman said he is "80 percent ready for MLB right now".

By several estimates, Chapman could garner a contract worth anywhere from $40 million to $60 million.

This story has flown under the radar a bit. Some sources say the Cubs are one of those “other clubs”. Are they legitimate bidders here, or is this a pipe dream?

My gut says "pipe dream". New owner Ricketts is not likely to open up his wallet for $40-$60M during his first full week as owner especially with the Cubs already holding onto several long term contract commitments.

Thoughts?

Our Long National Nightmare is finally over (Ricketts now official!)

2009-10-27T14:09:37Z

No link, but on WGN radio...on the 9:00 news it was announced that the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family has finally been finalized and the family now has officially taken control of the team. There will be a press conference by TOm Ricketts on Friday at Wrigley Field to officially introduce themselves. More details will follow, but I just wanted to post that the Cubs finally officially have new owners.

Edit: Found a link ricketts family closes on cubs deal