Raley has looked pretty sharp, but for some reasons he struggles with the beginning. Similarly to Randy Wells. I don't know why, I wonder if it's just the batters getting a second look at him after the lineup has turned over. He's coming up one of his last starts if it wasn't yesterday.

It was. He reached his limit and was sent back to Iowa yesterday.

He had 5 starts, and he had 3 good ones sandwiched between 2 bad ones. Hopefully we get to see more of him on the Cubs next year.

Is anyone still watching?

I am tonight

I didn't get to watch much of the game. What was the final score?

We lost again. Nothing new. I think it was 4-1

2013 schedule is out.

http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/09/12/the-2013-chicago-cubs-schedule/

No trips to Texas. Looks like I'm going to have to make more Iowa games at Round Rock.

vitters now batting above .100

Rizzo with 2 HR's (including his first grand slam) and 6 RBI today.

an impressive day for rizzo

Wow, so two storm cells pushed the start of last night's game to 10:40 PM. I didn't even look to see what time it finished. I wonder what the record is for the latest first pitch time at Wrigley is?

did anybody else wanna go pound that a-hole who took Rizzo's HR ball away from that other guy? even Len and Bob went back to rip the guy.
mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=24826923&c_id=chc

9 games left

3 @ Colorado
3 @ Arizona
3 vs Houston

I'd love to send the Astros off to the AL with a sweep at Wrigley.

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I'd love to send the Astros off to the AL with a sweep at Wrigley.

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That'd be a good end to this season.

I dont wanna lose that #2 draft pick

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I'd love to send the Astros off to the AL with a sweep at Wrigley.

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Not gonna happen

Looks like 100 losses is a real possibility now...need to go 4-3 in their last 7 games to stay at 99 losses

[This message has been edited by Theo is a Touchdown (edited 9/27/2012 7:25a).]

2 straight shutouts against the ****tiest team is basbeall? This is embarassing. They'd better win today.

I'll put them on the radio or in the background on mlb.tv as a farewell.

It looks like we have an infield minus third (depends on what kind of offensive production you consider acceptable from Barney, whose defense became stellar but whose average dropped 20 points). We'd need 2 outfielders (3 depending on your view of what they'll do with Soriano or if he could duplicate another useful season), a catcher, bullpen help (who doesn't), and Samardzija is the only pitcher in our current rotation I'd ever like to see with a real role in a future one (also Garza is hurt and they always seem intent on getting rid of him).


So that's over half of the starting 8 and at least 3/5 of the starting rotation that need to be replaced...and we'll be competitive in no time.

[This message has been edited by Lance Uppercut (edited 10/3/2012 10:05a).]

CUBS WIN!

Walk off hit for All-Star Bryan LaHair after Camp blew a 3-run lead in the 8th. A long season is finally over. So long, Astros. Enjoy the AL.

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So long, Astros. Enjoy the AL.

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We won't

So, since A-Rod sounds like he could be on the way out and the Yankees could eat an absurd amound of his contract ($80-$100M) - would you swap Soriano and A-Rod if the total value of the what the Cubs would pay would equal what is currently owed to Soriano? So we fill a hole at 3B, basically?

[This message has been edited by Theo is a Touchdown (edited 10/18/2012 8:03a).]

And open a slot for a crowded OF. I think at this point it would seem to me that having Fonzi would be better for the kids in the clubhouse than ARod.

No, no, no. I want no part of A-Rod even if the Yankees pay 99% of his salary.

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No, no, no. I want no part of A-Rod even if the Yankees pay 99% of his salary.

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I feel the same...

on a somewhat related side note... I wonder how much Soriano regrets that veto to SF now?

All from http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/



First off, because I refuse to let it go:

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The Red Sox are pursuing John Farrell, but Ryne Sandberg could be on their list, even though he was just named as the Phillies' third base coach and is likely being groomed for Charlie Manuel's job. Cherington tried to get Sandberg to take Boston's Triple- A job a couple of years ago.

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Everyone but the Cubs seem to get it. I understand that he would have taken over an awful team in 2012, but I'm not sure why we burned bridges with him along the way with how both the current and previous front offices dealt with him.

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several readers ask Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune why the Cubs can't build for the future while also looking to win in 2013. Sullivan writes that the main answer is a lack of pitching, which is a problem that can't be remedied overnight.

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Yes, rebuilding almost an entire pitching staff isn't simple. 2013 already seems depressing...though you can hope you get Samardzija to repeat his 2012 and Matt Garza comes back 100%.

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Chris Volstad figures to be cut loose following a poor season; Ian Stewart's wrist issues place him in uncertain territory; Manny Corpas' chances of returning seem slim. Valbuena, the team's fourth non-tender candidate, has earned praise from his manager, an indication he could start the 2013 season as the Cubs' third baseman.

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What a couple of useless trades. I guess Volstad at least made Zambrano go away, but Stewart was awful even before he was injured, and we gave away LeMahieu and Colvin for him...though neither of those guys were going to be big parts on a Cubs team. I'm not sure why Valbuena has such a big Fan Club in the front office, but I guess his .219 compared to Vitters .121 and Stewart's .201 made him look that much better.

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Alfonso Soriano wants to keep playing the outfield, so the Cubs may have trouble convincing him to waive his no-trade clause to join an AL team looking for a designated hitter, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. "I don't know what I could do the whole season [as a DH]. To me, playing DH is boring. You only play like half [the game]," Soriano said. "I always play defense and offense, so I'd always have to work hard on my mind, 'Now I'm an offense guy only.' "

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I'd just seen something that said he was willing to waive it, but I guess that was to a NL. He actually played a great left field this year, if you could get him to repeat 2012, it wouldn't be that offensive. However, he makes 18 million a year on his contract that was too long, so maybe that makes it offensive again.

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The Cubs are likely to pursue veterans looking to rebuild value on one- or two-year contracts, opines ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine as part of a chat with fans. Levine cites Shaun Marcum, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jeff Francis, Francisco Liriano, Joe Blanton and Brandon McCarthy as types of pitchers that could interest the Cubs.

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I could go either way on this, because they're basically looking at guys with health problems or who haven't performed at the top of their game in a bit, but that's better than what we called starting pitching in the 2nd half this season.

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Right-hander Shawn Camp is the Cubs' only free agent this winter and team President Theo Epstein says that he is interested in having him back

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I should hope so. He was one of the few consistently useful players on the roster this year.

I'm still pissed we gave up LeMahieu. Sure there is a good chance he wouldn't have been a "big part" of the future, but I think there is a reasonable chance he could have. Especially now with a huge whole at 3rd. I still thought he would have made a solid second basemen as well. Still burns me up.

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Everyone but the Cubs seem to get it. I understand that he would have taken over an awful team in 2012, but I'm not sure why we burned bridges with him along the way with how both the current and previous front offices dealt with him.

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The only burned bridge was with Hendry. Sandberg had nothing but great things to say about Theo and how he handled the situation with Ryno. Honestly, I don't think it would be fair to the Cubs manager to have Sandberg be your bench coach. I understand and appreciate the desire to see him in a Cubs uniform again but that puts the manager in a very tough spot because he is a Cub legend. The media would be waiting for every opportunity the could get to cause a ****storm in the clubhouse.

As of 12/29/11, I was #10,019 on the season ticket waiting list. I just checked again now and I am at 4,029.

i cracked the 4 digit mark last year!

Theo unfiltered

http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/7226

2011: #9805
2012: #815

Darwin Barney wins the Gold Glove.

Nice job Darwin.

Now if only you could put up a ~.350 OBP