Bleed Cubbie Blue: FanShots

Castillo Rumor Won't Go Away

2009-11-20T19:23:53Z

Castillo Rumor Won't Go Away

This article by Sullivan just went up a few hours ago. I'm not thrilled with Castillo, but he fills a hole at 2nd and adds some speed at the top.

Really, just getting rid of Bradley would make this deal successful.

Minor League FA's

2009-11-20T18:48:09Z

Minor League FA's

Anybody have any, even the smallest amount of interest in ANY of these guys?

The Cubs Debut of Turk Wendell: A Cautionary Tale Of Classic Cubs History

2009-11-20T12:04:37Z

Been wanting to do this for a while .. Ah, the wonderful daze of 1993. .. Starting For The Cubs Today ..

The Cubs Debut of Turk Wendell: A Cautionary Tale Of Classic Cubs History

Slightly OT re: Cards

2009-11-20T12:02:59Z

I found this article by Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch more than a little amusing. In explaining the Cards lukewarm interest in Jason Bay largely due to "a greater reliance on defensive metrics" Strauss also mentions two possible trade targets: Adam Dunn and Josh Willingman.

Apparently their interest in defense only applies to free agents, not trades.

Lincecum wins NL Cy Young

2009-11-20T00:35:50Z

Lincecum wins NL Cy Young

If you want to read Cardinals fans being entirely irrational, go here and read the comments section:

Kansas City Royals new alt cap, to be worn during home day games. My verdict: ugly. Details here.

2009-11-19T22:46:17Z

Kansas City Royals new alt cap, to be worn during home day games. My verdict: ugly. Details here.

Aaron Heilman traded to Diamondbacks

2009-11-19T21:37:27Z

Aaron Heilman traded to Diamondbacks

per WSCR Chicago

Bradley and Rays, Swisher

2009-11-19T20:32:18Z

Bradley and Rays, Swisher

Anyhow, the link is to Nightengale's twitter account (h/t mlbtr) where he says the Rays are the "clear-cut favorite" on Bradley. He also notes that the Yankees might be shopping Swisher.

As for the former, nothing new. As for the latter, it's another name to ponder. Not ideal, but who's ideal (even Granderson isn't "ideal"). As noted, I'd rather land a CF and move Fukudome to RF, but all options should be kept open. He could potentially add some lineup "depth", and if the Cubs let Derrek Lee walk after 2010, he could potentially be a stopgap option at first (that said, I think a big year from Lee, and the Cubs extend him for another couple years). Just a thought.

FanGraphs calls Grabow a "waste of cash."

2009-11-19T17:06:13Z

FanGraphs calls Grabow a "waste of cash."

What do you think?

Cubs, lefty reliever Grabow agree to 2-year deal

2009-11-19T15:57:19Z

Cubs, lefty reliever Grabow agree to 2-year deal

Baseball plans to cut down on playoff off days

2009-11-19T09:50:46Z

Baseball plans to cut down on playoff off days

...Baseball plans to cut down on off days during the postseason next year, commissioner Bud Selig said today at the owners meetings at the O'Hare Hilton...

Building a "Wrigley Village" for spring training

2009-11-19T08:51:35Z

Building a "Wrigley Village" for spring training

At the end of "Selig likes start to Ricketts' ownership," this caught my attention:

...The three Florida locations are near Interstate 75, which is east of Naples. The Ricketts would like to create a "Wrigley Village," and need about 120 contiguous acres to build a 15,000-seat stadium, six practice fields, and an upgraded training facility...

Dealing, not shopping, on Cubs' agenda

2009-11-19T08:24:39Z

Dealing, not shopping, on Cubs' agenda

..."We need a few moves," Hendry said. "We don't need mega-moves."

There aren't many holes to fill heading into 2010 and the payroll is expected to increase "slightly," according to new Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts...

A Familar Voice May Return To Baseball PBP

2009-11-18T23:44:57Z

A Familar Voice May Return To Baseball PBP

Heck, I'd actually want to watch a Padres game again...

The Whites and Browns played their second championship game here to-day in the presence of about...

2009-11-18T22:01:21Z

The Whites and Browns played their second championship game here to-day in the presence of about 3,000 people, of whom 500 were well-behaved ladies and gentlemen, and the rest a howling mob of ruffians.

The Chicago Tribune of Tuesday, May 9, 1876, describing a game in St. Louis between the Chicago White Stockings aka Cubs and the St. Louis Brown Stockings aka Cardinals.

Intrigiung Swap

2009-11-18T18:59:08Z

Intrigiung Swap

What do ya'll think about this Bradley - Matthews Jr. Swap idea? Good, Bad? Your thoughts..

Fangraphs hasn't given up on Geo, should you?

2009-11-18T17:38:20Z

Fangraphs hasn't given up on Geo, should you?

Disclaimer: This article was written for fantasy baseball purposes. Nonetheless, there's plenty of statistical support for the notion that we haven't seen the last of the good player named Geovany Soto.

How 'bout we put the kibosh on the weight and weed jokes for a while and get behind Geo for the 2010 season, hmm?

Jason Marquis Calls Mets "Perfect Fit"

2009-11-18T16:50:06Z

Jason Marquis Calls Mets "Perfect Fit"

Well, they probably are. He's wrong about calling Citi Field "a beautiful stadium", though.

OT: Jason Whitlock writes the dumbest column I've ever read. 

2009-11-18T15:53:58Z

OT: Jason Whitlock writes the dumbest column I've ever read. 

I'm a grad student at KU, and apparently there's all sorts of hell breaking about Mark Mangino. Granted, none of this was a problem when we went 12-1 and won a BCS game, nor was it a problem last year. Of course, it's a problem now that we've lost 5 straight (and are gonna lose to Texas this weekend). It matters naut, I'm not here to discuss our head coach's team. I'm here to discuss Jason Whitlock's column today, with this little gem:

If he spent two years away from football addressing his weight problem, applied for a job at 270 pounds, he would be a can’t-miss BCS candidate. Heck, he would be a terrific choice to coach in the NFL.

I'm speechless.

Dan

Diamondbacks & Rockies Break Ground On New Spring Training Complex

2009-11-18T15:13:12Z

Diamondbacks & Rockies Break Ground On New Spring Training Complex

The D'backs and Rockies will move into this complex, just east of Scottsdale on Native American land, for spring 2011.