Sorry for the confusion. Had a stalker and needed to change the ole username to throw the loser off. Besides, the old one sucked anyway.

And Ryan, it wasn't necessarily aimed at you. I still like the Neifi signing for other reasons. I wasn't aware of the Furcal connection. Just thought it was great info for my fellow Cub fans.

old style is about the worst beer i have ever tasted.

Next you're going to bad mouth Lone Star or Stroh's.

Just something I noticed but it seems as though the only ones on the baseball board lately have been either posting on the Cubs or the Ags. We are the true fans.

It has been nice to discuss the Cubs without getting bombarded by idiots.

not a cub fan (but definitely a lone star fan), but here are my $0.02

I think the Perez signing is good. he is a solid player.

don't look now....Corey is on the front page of ESPN.com's baseball section

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Has he decided on wethere he'll be playing winter ball?

No Winter ball as far as I know, but he has spent some time with a Cubs hitting instructor in Arizona since the season ended.

His problem is all mental. If he could rectify that problem he would make a huge difference to our ball club. Once he's able to do that his disagreements with management about where he bats in the lineup as well as other issues will be less of a problem. Our lineup could probably be a whole lot different with him batting well.

Looks like the Cubs have basically told Nomar: "Thanks, but no thanks." Hendry told his agent to look for a better fit, but said that they have not slammed the door on him re-signing with the Cubs.

Pierre?

http://rotoworld.com/includes/topblurbs.asp?sport=MLB

Link probably won't be good for long.

DING!

That would be nice. I know he wasn't Pierre version 2003 last year but we need a CFer who can leadoff and he fits that bill nicely.

Go Jim Hendry!

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Here are the stats from Arizona Fall League Mesa Solar Sox....

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&did=milb&cid=555

The Cubs names I recognize are Matt Murton (who was awesome...again), David Aardsma, Buck Coats, Angel Guzman, Eric Patterson, & Brandon Sing

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Thanks for the article Lance. That would be great to get Pierre. No way Hendry is dumb enough to trade Pie, though. I would hate to see Rich Hill go. He has a wicked curve ball and I don't think has gotten a fair shake yet, but Pierre might be worth the risk. I'm sure the Marlins would love to take another Cubs lefty from their minor league system. Dontrelle turned out pretty good for them, I think.

Wouldn't getting Pierre mean that the pursuit of Furcal is over and that Cedeno would be the SS? If so, I would not be all that upset. They would get a good player while at the same time bring the young talent into the lineup.

I can see the Cubs picking up both Pierre and Furcal, with Cedeno starting at 2B. Those two would make a great 1-2 punch at the top of the order and provide plenty of RBI opportunities for DLee, Aramis, Murton, etc.

The Cubs would be far better off with Pierre leading off and not Furcal.

I have been impressed by Cedeno and I think the Cubs should give him a chance before signing a SS in Furcal to a 5 or 6 year deal.

But, either player would be a nice improvement for the Cubs, so it appears Hendry is on the right track. By the way, he should still trade Corey Patterson. That guy is not goign to make it as a Cub. If you would have traded him a year or two ago, you would have gotten equal value. Now, just take the AA prospect and be happy with it. Pie is your star OF of the future not to mention a good prospect in Murton.

I did not realize Cedeno was being considered for 2B. I suppose Walker would then be traded, and he is a better player than Cedeno, so that would hurt the Cubs for 2006 but not down the road.

The issue I have with Furcal is that he is not worth 10 million a year. He is worth maybe 6 million. But, the Cubs certainly have the money.

Cedeno is a great young player. Don't underestimate him. He is supposed to be playing some 2B in Winter Ball in case he is needed there.

Part of me wishes we hadn't resigned Walker so Cedeno would get some time....but then the other part of me really likes Walker in the 2-hole.

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All indications are that Cedeno will be an Opening Day starter, barring any major issues. The only question is whether it will be at SS or 2B. Of course, I could be wrong. It has been known to happen before.

Another tribute to Old Style and the Cubs

Nice.

They got a few on E-bay if you want one

Looks like the O's won't be bringing back Sammy or Raffy. Apparently they weren't to keen on Raffy trying to blame his steroids problem on Tejada.

According to the tribune:

quote:

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The 37-year-old Sosa came to the Orioles in a Feb. 2 trade with the Cubs for second baseman Jerry Hairston and two minor leaguers. Sosa was expected to provide the Orioles with a powerful bat in the cleanup spot, but ended up hitting only .221 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs in 102 games during an injury-shortened season.

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It's too bad he left with such a sour taste in everyone's mouth. He would've been a hero.

[This message has been edited by bluestainedivy (edited 11/15/2005 5:13p).]

Sun Times' rumor mill:

quote:

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SS Rafael Furcal



Age: 27.

Status: Free agent.

Pros: Has the speed (46 stolen bases) and on-base percentage (.348) to be one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball. Furcal has shown more maturity off the field and has become a smarter fielder who has tremendous range and a dangerous arm. He has decent power (15 home runs in 2003) for a leadoff hitter but knows how to tailor his game for the top spot.

Cons: He has been a substantially better hitter at Turner Field (.321 batting average, .383 on-base percentage) than on the road (.246 average, .311 OBP), making him more attractive to the Braves than any other team. It's hard to forget the .254 average and .310 OBP before the All-Star break that nearly prompted the Braves to trade him before the July 31 deadline.

Interested teams: Braves, Cubs, Mets.

Prediction: Re-signs with Braves

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quote:

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OF Juan Pierre

Age: 28.

Status: Trade bait.

Pros: He offers a left-handed bat and has the speed (57 stolen bases) to be a capable leadoff hitter, though the Cubs or White Sox would prefer to bat him second.

Cons: He drew only 41 walks, and his on-base percentage fell from .374 in 2004 to .326 last season. He hit .276 with 181 hits last season, the first season since 2002 that his average dipped below .300 and he didn't get at least 200 hits. After earning $3.7 million in 2005, he is eligible for arbitration, which is prompting the Marlins to shop him.

Interested teams: Cubs, Red Sox, White Sox.

Prediction: Stays with Marlins.

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They also talked about the Cubs possible interest in Giles, Ichiro and Damon. All of these are guys that can play the style of ball that we lack. It seems as though De Luca is skeptical in regards to the Cubs' chances of getting them (it is the Sun Times). Anyone of these guys would probably be an upgrade to our offense. Picking up two of them would be great. Word is a leadoff man is priority.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-free16.html


[This message has been edited by bluestainedivy (edited 11/16/2005 12:37p).]

The Cubs are also said to be interested in LHP Scott Eyre of the Giants. I guess the Mets are the most aggressive in their pursuit but old ties to Dusty might help bring him to the Cubs. That is assuming Dusty will be back which is looking more and more likely. He had a 2.63 ERA in 68+ innings of work. We need another left-handed arm in our pen.

I think Eyre is scheduled to meet with the White Sox pretty soon. He used to play for them. I think Hendry will get at least one of Pierre or Furcal, hopefully both.

The Cubs traded John Leicester to the Rangers for a player to be named later. Too bad, he was having a pretty good season in my XBox league.

beat me to the punch....

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http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-051116cubs,1,1236145.story?coll=cs-home-headlines

quote:

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Rangers deal could open door for Cubs
By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

November 17, 2005

As talks with free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal continued Wednesday, the Cubs made a minor deal with Texas that could lead to bigger things down the road.

The Cubs sent right-hander Jon Leicester to the Rangers for a player to be named in the first move by Texas general manager Jon Daniels, the youngest GM in major-league history at 28.

With the Cubs also interested in outfielder Kevin Mench and the Rangers trying to bolster their pitching, Daniels and Cubs GM Jim Hendry may be in constant communication for awhile. Mench, who turns 28 in January, isn't eligible for free agency until after 2008 and would be cost-effective in '06 with a salary of $2 million or less.

The Cubs aren't interested in getting into a bidding war with teams like the Yankees and Cardinals for free-agent outfielder Brian Giles, who turns 35 in January and is seeking more than $10 million per year for at least three years.

Hendry is more likely to trade for a right fielder than look to the subpar free-agent crop.

For now Hendry's main obsession is a leadoff hitter. He has continued talks with Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, though Hendry declined to comment Wednesday on the progress of the negotiations.

Furcal is seeking a five-year deal for around $50 million and, as the best shortstop on the market, he believes he can get it. The two primary suitors are the Braves, the only team for which he has played, and the Cubs, who have Aramis Ramirez and Neifi Perez whispering in his ear. Neither team appears ready to commit yet.

The Cubs signed Perez to a two-year deal as insurance if Furcal doesn't sign and also have spoken to the agent of Florida free-agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez as a secondary option.

Gonzalez, no relation to the former Cubs shortstop of the same name, is a .245 career hitter with a .291 on-base percentage, finished at .264 last year and saw his home-run total drop from 23 to five in one season.

The Cubs are desperate for a leadoff hitter but could try to acquire Florida's Juan Pierre if they decide Furcal is overpriced.

The trade with Texas could be the first of several deals by Hendry. The 26-year-old Leicester did not figure in the Cubs' plans after being demoted to Triple-A Iowa last May and going 3-8 with a 5.51 earned-run average. In parts of two seasons with the Cubs, Leicester went 5-3 with a 4.80 ERA.

The Cubs are looking for another left-hander in the bullpen to serve as the primary set-up man and have targeted San Francisco's Scott Eyre as their first choice. Eyre is seeking a three-year deal and also is being courted by the White Sox.

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Reading that article, was there anything more to it than "The Rangers need pitching and the Cubs want Mench"?

I really am leery of giving up Mench. We are really don't have much going on as far as outfielders go and I'd hate to lose someone like him.

Wouldn't this look good next year?

quote:

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Florida free-agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez

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This is Alex "Sea Bass" Gonzalez not to be confused with the Alex "Gonzo" Gonzalez

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