The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
On the heels of the Cubs acquiring Kevin Gregg, reader "jacos" heard on WSCR that Jim Hendry has said that Kerry Wood is pretty likely to have played his last game as a Cub.
Wood wanted a three year guaranteed deal and the Cubs, skeptical of his injury history, don't feel he's worth that much risk. We'll see what the open market has to offer, but someone will take a chance on his talent. You can't blame either side on their positions in my opinion. The Cubs were burned for years expecting Kerry and Prior and others to be healthy, that it's understandable of their more cautious approach. Kerry though had a very good season, really didn't have any arm issues last year besides a blister and after living off a few one year deals, he has every right to look for some security.
I don't think the book is closed, but we're on the last paragraph. Or maybe I'm just reading the appendix now.
#1 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
coming from the belief camp that you dont pay a guy 10+m to throw 1/3rd of a season of ball...i don't blame them.
classy kerry went from hero to dog to dead dog and back to hero again. at least he gets to go out on a positive (as of now) note after a rollercoaster of health issues and fan patience with the cubs.
#2 Other trade news in Chicago
Swisher heading to Yankees for minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez(sP). (almost done deal)
And WSox talking to RSox sbout Dye.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#8 Re: Other trade news in Chicago
Wilson Betimit also in trade to Sox for Swisher
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#3 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Kerry Wood-
Thanks for 10 frustating, exciting, horrible, wonderful years.
Good luck and I see him with the Cubs in the future in some capacity.
A good guy.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#4 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Hendry tidbit-
"kerry understood that Cubs top priority right now is to shore up rotation"
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#7 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Whats this obsession with the 'rotation'? Is there something about Harden's health that we don't know? This teams STRENGTH is the rotation.
Z
Harden
Lilly
Marquis
Samarzidja?
Alot of teams would be happy just sticking with that. Is the Peavy thing still on the table even after this?
#10 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
i think the issue is something about harden's health we do know. hehe...
the guy was throwing 8-10mph off his usual "stuff" on his 2 main fastballs to finish up the year. even though it was mostly effective he was not the guy he should be.
that said, i know nothing of him being currently injured, currently rehabbing any injury, or any expectation of him not being 100% in spring.
#20 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
8-10 seems a little steep, unless Harden throws 98-100 consistently. He was throwing in the 88-90 range a lot, but got it up to 93-94 without any control here and there.
More like 4-5 I would say, but still a major concern....
#24 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
yeah, 8-10 is steep.
i mean...well SlobG you evidently haven't watched any cubs baseball that's for sure. it's probably because you're too busy helping your liberal commie nazi friends force gay marriage down people's throats.
#106 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Harden does throw 98 consistently, when he's healthy. When we made the trade, I remember someone linking to an A's blog where they basically said they knew he wasn't healthy because he wasn't hitting 98-99 anymore. When he first came over, he had a few games where he was in the upper 90's, then started to drop, and eventually got into that 88 - 90 range where he finished up.
Not good.
#11 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I really like Harden, but I think the problem is what we DO know about his health. It'd be a different discussion if he could reasonably be counted on for 30 starts. As it stands, that would be a gift.
__________________________Voting for non-Americans since 2008.
#5 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
It will be interesting to find out where Wood ends up. I think him and Gregg are just about equal. I'm also not going to shed any tears about Ceda until he shows up in the major leagues and shows he can throw strikes.
#6 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
WSCR earlier in week reported Wood to Tampa.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#9 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Yep Kerry Wood is alot like Kevin Gregg.
Ummmm...wait....no, no they aren't even close.
__________________________"Well, you can get a healthy guy to go out there and play 162 games, but he won’t do what I did in 120." - Milton Bradley
#17 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Wood had an up and down year, he wasn't lights out dominant in 2008. Toward the end of the season I had very little confidence in him.
Gregg is a middle of the road major league closer, who doesn't give up alot of hits.
In my book they aren't that far apart.
#21 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
you need to buy an upgraded edition. :)
#63 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I'm still not convinced there is alot of difference between Wood and Gregg...Wood walks a few less people but thats about it.
Look Kerry Wood is a Cub favorite and always will be, but he wasn't so great that we can't afford to lose him.
I hope he goes over to the AL or at least stays out of our division, but I think Gregg will be an adequate replacement.
If they keep Gregg, Lou will have a big decision to make on who gets the 8th and 9th between Gregg and Marmol.
#68 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I think as a GM, you want Gregg getting saves and Marmol on fireman duty. This, I think, will help Gregg to reach Type A status and raise his market value (which will keep him from accepting Arbitration offers). Also, it will lower Marmol's winnings in arbitration and thus keep his cost down. I also think it will maximize Marmol's value because the manager will mostly use him in situations where the team has the most to lose--runners on base, or best hitters coming up.
As a manager, I think you probably follow conventional wisdom and use your most dominant reliever as your closer. Marmol is clearly the most dominant pitcher in the bullpen.
Marmol will be the closer.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#93 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Exactly what I was thinking. Kerry leaving will give the cubs 2 picks in the top 50 range as compensation for Wood. Surely a Ceda replacement can be found there? Then Gregg leaves and we replace him with 2 more picks. It's a smart way of replenishing the system, and I'm glad Jim Hendry has gotten around to running the team in this fashion. Kudos to you Cruellar Jim!!!
__________________________The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
#12 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Hendry feels Gregg or Marmol can close.
Sorry for all the tidbits, that's how they are releasing them.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#14 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
gregg could possibly be a typeA FA if he puts in a decent closing season...that could possibly "replace" ceda with a comparable talent if it plays out like that.
still...it's no sure thing given he's actually gotta show up, do it, or be given the chance to do it anyway. no sure thing the cubs will pick his "replacement" properly, either.
#19 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Its no 'sure thing' Ceda even throws a pitch in the majors. This trade will be graded on if Gregg is 'flipped' and what Ceda turns out to be in the major leagues. Way too early to evaluate.
#13 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
So - Ricky Nolasco, Reynel Pinto, Sergio, and Juan Pierre (one year) for Kevin Gregg and Jose Ceda?
IS this right?
__________________________Disappointed by "Cubbery" since 1966
#16 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
or todd walker for kevin gregg if you want to keep everything linear.
#108 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I know there's a website out there where you can input a player and it traces who they've been traded for. I think it came up during the Nomar deal.
Anyone know what I'm talking about? I can't find it.
#137 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Its not exactly the same, but Baseball Reference has a similar tool that will create chains between players, and tell you how many people a player is linked to.
That's based more on teammates than trades though.
__________________________Not affiliated with some guy named Al or any website with a similar name
#15 You didn't think this Peavy stuff is over
did you?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Am42nE5QSl8N...
While there was “some movement” in negotiations with the Atlanta Braves and a “much better than reported” offer from the Chicago Cubs, a source with knowledge of the Jake Peavy trade talks said Thursday morning that the San Diego Padres have not agreed to players in either proposal.
#18 Re: You didn't think this Peavy stuff is over
The only proper resolution to this would be for Peavy and Roberts to be traded for one another.
__________________________Voting for non-Americans since 2008.
#26 Re: You didn't think this Peavy stuff is over
I could see that working out well for the Cubs.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#94 Re: You didn't think this Peavy stuff is over
Eric Roberts?
__________________________The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
#22 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Woody - you were a very loyal guy. And you smashed sosa's radio when it needed to be smashed and no one had the balls. You will always have a place in my heart.
#25 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
heard that.
#28 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Hear, hear!
__________________________The Mexican homeboy.
#23 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
right but you can also include the Hee Seop Choi for D.Lee deal. Regardless only Nolasco will haunt the Cubs from that mess even if Ceda becomes the next Francisco Cordero or some similar 2nd tier closer. Mitre was nothing but a 5th/6th SP now with TJ and on a minor league deal with the Yankees and Pinto would be a nice loogy but still, nothing that couldn't be dealt for what was then a positional need CF/leadoff hitter in Pierre. Regardless of how it turns out, if you take financial semantics out of the equation you can look at it as
D.Lee, J.Pierre, Gregg, Josh Donaldson(supp pick for Pierre signing with LA)
for
Nolasco, Pinto, and a Ceda wildcard
so although the Marlins will probably get over on Hendry on 2 of those 3 deals, but the Lee trade was such a good deal for the Cubs it sort of evens it all out. Plus if Gregg does become a Type A and it nets the Cubs a future value the 3 deals could swing to the Cubs side in the end.
#30 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Donaldson pretty much turned into Gaudin, too.
I think the received side would look better without Juan Pierre in it.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#34 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
and Harden...
so in a 12-player deal
Cubs got:
Derrek Lee, C. Gaudin, R. Harden, K. Gregg
gave up:
T. Walker, H. Choi, R. Nolasco, R. Pinto, S. Mitre, S. Gallagher, E. Patterson, M. Murton (I'm not figuring out the Nomar deal)...
#35 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
But I also had to watch Juan Pierre for a year, so it is just barely a wash.
Only players I think we miss now are Gallagher and Nolasco, might end up sort of missing Pinto and Ceda depending on how our own bullpen performs. Considerring we essentially lost two #3 starters and two potentially decent relievers, we did well. Got a starting first baseman, an injury-prone ace, a strong reliever/swing man, and a backup closer. Plus it looks like we've got at least one A-type free agent (Gregg).
I really liked Murt, but I don't miss the frustration of watching the guy pound grounders into the dirt. Your game is in the air, doofus!
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#27 Kerry will be a
(blank)
A. Met
B. Angel
C. Cardinal
D. Rangers
E. Rays
F. Cub
G. (none of the above)
pick no more than two
I go B or D...Angels or Rangers.
#29 Re: Kerry will be a
Devil Rays; he's a fantastic fit there.
__________________________The Mexican homeboy.
#32 Re: Kerry will be a
A or G, Mets or Cubs.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#33 Re: Kerry will be a
E-Rays
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#31 Hendry on WSCR now
Cant keep signing every one to long term contracts.
(warning light siren turned on)
Gregg's arbitration number will be alot less then Wood's number.
Hendry feels Wood deserves big money for his family.
Hendry feels bad, more friendship then business relationship with Wood.
Wood would be welcome back as coach after career.(insert towel joke here)
Dempster-
Not concerned with deadline.
Would like to keep.
Needs to "finish rotation" Dempster or not.
Team will be better then 2008 team come ST.
Payroll not going down.
No final number yet.
Increase in payroll does not mean they can keep everyone.
Hendry asked about Lou saying too much pressure with too many fans on bandwagon, team "tried too hard"(today's trib)~CMON LOU~
Hendry- can never have too many fans, "we just screwed up."
Cubs need more lh hitting, some through FA or trades.
Not taking lightly on how poorly they played in playoffs.
Cub will keep going until knock door down. Feel team is good trying to make better.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#178 Not quite the end of the Kerry Wood era?
"Hendry feels Wood deserves big money for his family.
Hendry feels bad, more friendship then business relationship with Wood."
Wood says something about Chicago being better for the family.
I think these guys are both walking away from the bargaining table and looking over their shoulder to see if the other guy will call them back. They're negotiating by other means. Hendry won't pay Wood what other teams will, and Wood wants just a little more. Stay tuned.
#36 Swisher deal
from Rotoworld
Yankees acquired first baseman-outfielder Nick Swisher and RHP Kanekoa Texeira from the White Sox for infielder Wilson Betemit, RHP Jeff Marquez and RHP Jhonny Nunez.
nuts....would have been a nice option for the Cubs.
#37 Re: Swisher deal
#38 Re: Swisher deal
I don't know much about Marqus or Nunes, but I think the Cubs could've come up with a comparable package. I wonder whether Hendry doesn't think much of Swisher, or if he was distracted by other discussions.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#42 Re: Swisher deal
*shrug*
supposedly last year Swisher was Plan B if they didn't sign Fukudome.
#50 Re: Swisher deal
Could be image. Hendry acquires a guy that batted .219 last year and people would say that's no upgrade from Fuku.
#39 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
#27 Kerry will be a*new
Submitted by Rob G. on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 3:32pm.
(blank)
A. Met
B. Angel
C. Cardinal
D. Rangers
E. Rays
F. Cub
G. (none of the above) pick no more than two
I go B or D...Angels or Rangers.
============================
ROB G: I'm gonna say the D'backs.
Woody still has a house out here, and Arizona needs a reliable closer.
#41 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
#49 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
nobody thinks Yanks??
#55 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
#65 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
no but the yanks can convince him to be the greatest setup man ever and pay him well enough to buy it. Don't count them out . . .
#67 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Except... Wood probably wouldn't even be the best setup man in the league. Hell... he wasn't even the best relief pitcher on his team this past season.
__________________________the mindful mission
#40 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I'm guessing Wood to Rays.
I'll miss him. He'll probably always be my favorite Cub...after Jose Macias.
I dreamt that the Cubs 'signed' Corey Patterson.
Something exciting better happen soon. Gregg doesn't count.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#97 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I really wish the cubs would have trumped the Nats for Willingham/Scott Olsen. Since the Gregg trade happened they could have expanded that deal.
Ceda
Fontenot
Colvin
Adkins
Seemed to be about what the haul was for the trio of ex marlins.
__________________________The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
#43 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
What are the possibilities the Cubs got Gregg as a trading chip for Peavy?
The Padres need a closer, and supposedly are cutting ties with Hoffman.
#45 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
#47 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I agree that they should want Ceda more if they are thinking future. Just a thought.
In a perfect world, they would include Gregg for Peavy and sign Woody.
#48 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
gregg seems to be a keeper. he'll get his 4m or so. that alone would be considered a sort of a deal for him in a lotta gm's heads.
#64 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Why? I think a closer with a name is a big part of a team's home revenue; shirts, merchandise, the atmosphere, fans in the seats... they'd have a near-finished product in Ceda but one that probably hasn't got a name yet. Gregg gives them a steady if unspectacular closer and some extra revenue, plus the 2 draft picks when/if he leaves. It's a win/win.
__________________________The Mexican homeboy.
#44 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
G) I'm saying Brewers. Stays close to Chicago and MIL trains in AZ as well.
definitely do not see the DBacks in on Wood. They just shot down Randy Johnson's proposal of taking a 50% pay cut and they need to sign a 2B yet too. Plus they have Pena, Qualls, and Rauch as three guys who can close on any given day.
#52 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Ugh. Very feasible too, especially after Torres retired, and Brewers will have money to burn.
I doubt Woody gets three years but I could see a team like the Brewers, Cardinals, Mets, or Rays giving him two. Hopefully, if it's close, Woody would be kind enough to not come back to the Central.
#46 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I really like Kerry Wood and will miss him, but I absolutely agree with this decision by Hendry.
I had lost total faith in Wood by the end of last season and the one positive with the fast playoff exit was that we didn't have to see Woody choke in the playoffs which was my bigger fear.
Wood was always a little weak in the nerve department (but never short on guts). I don't think he is a reliable closer or a worthy investment, and with his injury history the long term deal is a big nono. Hendry will make better use of that money.
I still think Peavy is a possibility, but I'll happily take Lowe, Sheets, Sabathia and say goodbye to Dempster. Big contract for Dempster after ONE good year is also a big ol' risk I hope Hendry doesn't take.
#51 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
To win in the playoffs more than anything we need a #1 starter. There is no one on the roster now that you can feel good about should we make it to game 1 of the postseason. Z is WAY too up and down. If living without Wood and Dempster means we can sign Lowe or Sabathia (probably not due to $ and years) or trade for Peavy, I am all for it.
For goodness sake, I hope they get a LH outfielder for RF and a Loogy and be done. Forget about getting a 2B unless you trade DeRosa. His upper teen HRs and 80 rbis look great coming from 2B, but look aweful Jacque Jones-ish (or Burnitz-ish) coming from right field with worse defense to boot.
#53 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
i agree with all of this. I do have a little more faith in Z than you - but every word you say here makes perfect sense to me. Top starter other than Dempster is first priority . . . (or Dempster AND Lowe)!!
#134 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
The grass is always greener... Peavy has stunk in his playoff starts.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#54 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
If the Cubs want the two draft picks they'll get for losing Kerr Wood, they will still need to offer salary arbitration to Woody if he doesn't sign with a new club by December 1st.
And then the Cubs need to be financially prepared in case KW (for some reason) decides to accept the offer.
Same goes for Ryan Dempster.
The Cubs will almost certainly NOT offer salary arbitration to Bob Howry (the third Cubs Type "A" FA) just to get two draft picks, though, because he probably would accept the offer and then the Cubs would be stuck with him.
#56 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
It'll be interesting to see where the Cubs are at Dec. 1. I'm sure they'll offer arbitration to Woody since he's sure to decline it and, even if he didn't, they'd be fine with that also.
I find myself tempted to offer arbitration to Howry, if we've shored up the rotation and perhaps got a bat by December 1 (get to work, Jim). If we have all that and offer arb. and he accepts, can't we just make Howry the long reliever or stick him in mop-up duty? Or they could always release him in ST. I want those picks!
#57 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
The people who wanted Swisher, I'm curious as to why. He's had two mediocre years in a row, and last year didn't even get on base very often (his primary value in addition to HRs). He's not a terrible fielder but not all that great. Didn't even hit righties well last year.
__________________________Voting for non-Americans since 2008.
#58 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
his 2007 numbers actually seem to be where he's settled...
262/381/455 which was a 127 OPS+
yeah, the 35 HR's in 2006 were probably a career high, but I'll take 20+ with that walk rate and a guy that can play 3 defensive positions if necessary. CF is a stretch, but he can handle it.
2008 was mostly on the back of a .251 BABIP, which will almost certainly rise.
#59 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Because of Moneyball.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#60 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Andrew--
You're an asshole, don't you even DARE suggest the Cubs tempt fate and offer arby to Gas Can Bob. No. I honestly could not deal with that outcome, ....
Seriously, I really really hope this means Hendry views a big LH power bat as his #1 priority. If so, I am 100% in his corner so far. As I mentioned in the other thread, I like the Ceda for Gregg swap just fine.
Will miss #34. NOT just another employee.
#61 Nothing close on Peavy
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-morepeavy...
The San Diego Padres have nothing on the table that would lead them to trade ace Jake Peavy anytime soon, general manger Kevin Towers said Thursday afternoon.
“Nothing is close,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we are even remotely close to pulling the trigger on anything with Jake.”
#62 Z Wins Silver Slugger
http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sp...
(Twins Justin Morneau);Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia; New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez; Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter; Twins catcher Joe Mauer; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Aubrey Huff; and outfielders Carlos Quentin of the Chicago White Sox, Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers.
The National League Silver Sluggers are: first baseman Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals; second baseman Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies; third baseman David Wright of the New York Mets; shortstop Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins; catcher Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves; pitcher Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs; and outfielders Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies (since traded to the Oakland A's) and Ryan Ludwick of the St. Louis Cardinals.
#69 Re: Z Wins Silver Slugger
Carlos was an easy choice. He did everything but take walks.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#66 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I'll be busting out the 20K game this weekend. Always gonna love ya, Kerry ... just don't go to Milwaukee.
__________________________This episode of the Chicago Cubs is brought to you by Micah Hoffpauir and Reed Johnson. That's numbers 6 and 9 on your scorecards, folks.
#70 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
There's been some talk of Rick Ankiel being available. I wonder what the asking price would be--and I'd hate to see the Cubs help the Cards get better. But he would fit the CF/RF lefty slugger need, no? Wouldn't be the OBP type that we might hope for, but he's got real power.
Maybe he could counsel Rich Hill on pitching mechanics and control.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#71 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Hey if Jim Edmonds became a Cub anything is possible....but Ankiel seems a little fragile to me both mentally and physically...remember all it took in 07 was the 'HGH' chant to get him into a tail spin...this year he was hurt quite a bit.
He also strikes out a ton 100 K's in 413 AB's.
On a personal note I just don't like the guy, so I hope he never plays for the Cubs lol
#72 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Valid points. I'm definitely more wondering than hoping.
Actually, looking at who appears to be available and at what prices, I wouldn't feel too terrible about hoping that Kroeger/Hoffpauir/Fontenot could put together a decent season and spend the money elsewhere, though I realize that's risky and many fans would be unhappy.
__________________________How tall did you say you are, Ryan? Huh. I didn't know they stacked grit that high.
#79 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
"He also strikes out a ton 100 K's in 413 AB's.
On a personal note I just don't like the guy, so I hope he never plays for the Cubs lol"
If this was 365 days ago I would have sworn you were talking about Edmonds.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#73 Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Tonite's 30 Rock and Jennifer Aniston too.
Too many hot babes on one sitcom!!!!!
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#78 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
too many? jennifer aniston makes it 2. the only other hot chick is the girl who plays Surri.
Tina Fey is not hot. Nor is Jane Karakowski (sp)
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#89 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
An older and still racktacular Marki Post too!!
Damn your eyes!
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#100 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
OK,OK, i didn't know that she was going to be on. For an old broad, she looked great.
She was the third hottest chick on the show last night.
Hey Jacos, how about you me check out that new club, Aquarium later? I heard it bumpin'.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#103 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I have a thing for Tina Fey.
I like the secretary as you do, her in that skirt was awesome.
And I will not join you to have Asian men try to feed me sushi.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#109 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Katrina Bowden (Suri or whatever) counts as 2-3 hot chicks in my opinion.
Tina Fey is never hot on 30 Rock, but I thought she was really hot as Sarah Palin on SNL. Something about the sexy business suit look.
I would be in favor of euthanasia under one condition - the form of death is Markie Post smothering me with her breasts.
#113 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
That secretary is awesome, but she needs a few sandwiches. The shot of all the guys in awe of her ass in that skirt was a little off to me, since she didn't fill it out very well.
I too have a thing for Tina.
__________________________Fire Bad!!!
#116 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
are you sure you're a white guy? Cause white boys usually like flat butts. Not me, I like them a bit thicker but you know...
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#139 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Good question. I shall consult my anaconda.
__________________________Fire Bad!!!
#141 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
And on men.
__________________________Voting for non-Americans since 2008.
#115 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
i'm not saying that I wouldn't bang Tina Fey, I'm saying that she's not hot.
You see, take and average looking chick and give her a great hair cut, BAM! Instant upgrade.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#118 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Tina Fey's the girl every guy wants to take home to Mom. She's average on the looks but thin, which sadly gives her an advantage over 50% of the US population. The glasses help a lot with the nerd crowd. I think it's the part where's she's extremely smart and talented that gets most guys, while not being homely.
I feel a rant by crunch or dave coming on...
#120 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
"I think it's the part where's she's extremely smart and talented that gets most guys, while not being homely."
Oh yeah, guys love brainy girls.
Don't get me wrong, some guys do. But for the most part, smart girls act dumb for a reason.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#121 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I can't stand stupid girls. Totally unattractive to me, personally. But then again, I'm awesome.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#123 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
like i said some do. however do you think you speak for the majority?
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#127 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I'm not challenging your statement. I'm aware that a lot of people do like the dummies. But there's also a large educated crowd who feels differently. Those are the ones (who want to be) into Tina.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#122 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
My phone clock says it's 11-14-08. What year is it there, Chad?
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#124 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
yeah, sure. guys are lining up for the smart chicks. It's all about the brains. Not the tits and ass.
Don't kid yourself.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#125 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Let me be the first to come clean here.
I approve of Tits and Ass!!!
__________________________The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
#130 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I'm trying to figure out why smart and T&A are supposed to be mutually exclusive.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#132 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I'm trying to figure out where Trans is because he adores Markie Post.
Hopefully his head did not expode.
__________________________I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst
#133 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
They are not. However, of all the hot women we see on TV and in movies only a few of them are very smart.
Natalie Portman: Harvard.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#135 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Except she really has neither T nor A.
#136 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I think there's a lot more Natalie Portmans running around than there are Jessica Simpsons, even in the entertainment world.
I was just trying to make the point that women don't act dumb anymore. Nowadays if you meet a smart woman, she'll make sure you know it in the first five minutes, regardless of her cup size.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#146 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
sure neal. plenty of hot chick who went to the ivy league. Either they aren't bright or they just don't tell anyone. Think of the "hot chicks" in hollywood. not exactly ivy league material there.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#149 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
this girl went to Princeton...
http://www.maxim.com/girls_of_maxim/profile.aspx?ck=1366&cik=18622
my one example now completely proves you wrong
#154 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
willing to be that she only got in because her dad works there.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#155 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Yeah...her favorite move is Van Wilder. Let's not judge intelligence by school enrollment. I'm looking at you, Bush.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#156 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
no good will come of this...
fwiw, I know something of this girl I linked and she's not a complete door knob. I think she's now an actress on the Young & the Restless.
#157 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
please see my above comment about getting into school because of their dad.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#158 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
i still wonder what group of women you keep running into and having to hang around that have shaped your views.
these woman have put some unique views of "normal" into your upbringing. i refer to some of the stuff you call "normal" as "mentally ill."
#160 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
i don't have the foggiest idea of what you are talking about. "Normal" woman are not super hot chicks.
And you can't say that pretty girls are encouraged at a young age to, well. be pretty. No one cares wins the Ms. College Bowl competition but they put Miss America on national TV.
Also, it's a well known fact that men have fragile egos and feel inferior around smart women. So women often pretend to be dumb to not chase off the cavemen. This is more a knock on men than it is women.
I am not saying that women are stupid. I am saying most hot chicks aren't that bright.
And don't forget, I live in Los Angeles.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#161 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Actually, natural selection tends to disagree with you that most hot chicks aren't smart.
Maybe the fact that you live in LA where not hot chicks can save up $10K and become hot chicks is where your bias lies.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#164 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
actually natural selection works in my favor. Men don't seek smart women the seek hot women. So the hot women are the more desirable. When a guy encounters a hot smart chick, it may cause some cognitive dissonance and we get the old toss up there.
But men are too insecure to seek smart women. That's a fact.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#165 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Actually smart men tend to make a lot of money and end up with good looking women, who tend to have good looking kids.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#166 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Tell that to Rumer Willis
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#167 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
who taught you this stuff? it's really weird logic that you're calling facts.
#168 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Yeah, rock stars and athletes are always dating MIT chicks. Never porn stars.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#169 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
And we're done. Moving on.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#162 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
what you just said is exactly what i'm talking about....along with other posts.
#140 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Natalie Portman went to Yale, not Harvard, and Tina Fey is neither hot nor very attractive. Average looking at best with a good sense of humor and moderate but overrated writing skills. I'd take Mindy Kaling (the Indian girl from the US version of The Office) as a better story teller. She's the Harvard grad btw. She does a lot of the storyboards for that show.
#143 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
This is quickly becoming the nerdiest locker room conversation we've ever had. Quick, somebody mention Bar Refaeli!
__________________________Fire Bad!!!
#144 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I'll take the accounting girl from Las Vegas - she may not be a real accountant, but she plays one on TV.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#170 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
If were going to base it on pretend characters, then I'll take Leighton Meester. She's "going to" Yale and is all kinds of hot.
__________________________That's Manila with an "L"
#145 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Portman
She went to Harvard
Claire Danes went to Yale.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#147 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
And I went to the University of Memphis...... Go Tigers
__________________________The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, waistoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude
#151 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I not only went there, I went to Memphis State.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#152 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Goshen College? Anyone?
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#177 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I went to high school with a guy who went to Goshen College. You're talking IN, right? Campus of about 200 people, including staff
#183 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
Yup, that's it. Rock on.
__________________________† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up
#184 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
shocking
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#148 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
that's right I forgot about that. She applied at Yale, then changed her mind after talking to Foster about her experiences there.
#126 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
I was talking about the crowd that likes Tina Fey, the guys with good jobs and degrees, IQ's above 10 and that respect women.
Frat boys, professional athletes and plumbers still like their bimbos.
and there was my Chad generalization of the day....
#129 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
redacted
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#117 Re: Pagin Trans!! Markie Post Sighting
i must have had that all wrong. I remember it as a club where all the women where in a tank in the middle of the room and all them fed them.
That was the entire description I remember. Nothing of Asia, sushi or dudes like and me in the tank.
I don't know what kinda of kinky bastard you are but you can count me out.
Ok maybe not.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"
#74 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
My take on Wood's destination...
Cleveland. As in Tribe.
They need a closer badly and have the money to take on his salary. After having Wickman and Boroski closing, the fans there will think the radar gun is hitting 110.
...and at least my son can wear his #34 Cub jersey to harass the WSux when the Indians come to town.
Of course Woody might just bite on the Rangers if his hero Nolan Ryan comes dialing with dollars...
__________________________Jason Marquis and Mark DeRosa were salary dumps?
#75 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I will say that I am very disappointed in this decision. I'm not shocked, as this has been rumored for awhile, but its still an decision I just don't like.
On the purely emotional side, I think its a shame that Wood took the risk on back to back one year deals with the Cubs because he seemed like he wanted to stay here, they gave him a chance to close, he performed well, and now when its time to reward him, they are cutting him loose. Obviously, he more than earned his money during 2004-06 when he was being paid $12 mil for not pitching, but I would have liked to see the loyalty be more of a two way street at this point in time. There's also the matter of simply enjoying the chance to keep watching the same player spend his entire career with one team, which is certainly a rare thing these days.
On the baseball side, I think the Cubs get worse with this deal. I trust Marmol and Wood at the back of the pen a whole lot more than Gregg and Marmol. Bullpens are fickle and a great pitcher one year can be horrible the next (see pretty much any FA relieve the cubs have signed under Hendry), but I really did like the combination of Wood and Marmol, and knowing when one struggled -as they both did during stretches during 08- the other could step in.
And on the seriously concerned side, I see a major rival 90 miles to the north whose closer just retired and who was willing to pay 10 million to a risky Free Agent closer last year. The thought of Kerry Wood pitching against the Cubs in a pennant race is something that I don't like from an emotional or baseball side.
__________________________Not affiliated with some guy named Al or any website with a similar name
#76 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Putting emotion aside how is Wood THAT much better than Gregg?
Baseball wise I think they are pretty similar, with only a slight edge to Wood.
Gregg blew 9 out of 38 oppurtunities and Wood blew 6 out of 40.
Gregg ERA 3.41 Wood ERA 3.26
Wood does walk less people and strikeout a few more, but I think overall they are pretty even.
#80 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
That's sort of like saying Greg Maddux and Steve Trachsel are pretty much the same guy. Walks and strikeous, are probably the two most important things you look at with a pitcher.
Wood was a bit unlucky with his defense last year. If he puts up the same BB/K/HR numbers like he did last year for the next three years, he probably won't have any ERA's over 3.
But Gregg was hurt, and he's done better in the past, so hopefully he'll get up to a 10K/9 guy with the Cubs.
Pretty good trade, and I had thought of Gregg as an obvious target for Hendry, but didn't want to Jinx Wood coming back.
I'll miss Kerry. He's an easy guy to root for. I guess he'll wind up with the Mets.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#81 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Or maybe this is a pre-cursor to Marmol going in the Peavy deal...
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#82 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
You keep saying that Wood and Gregg were not much different this year, but lets actually looks at some real numbers (mostly taken from this post at Fan Graphs:
Wood/Gregg:
ERA+: Wood, 137 - Gregg, 125
BB/9: Wood, 2.44 - Gregg, 4.85
K/9: Wood, 11.40 - Gregg, 7.60
HR/9: Wood, 0.41 - Gregg, 0.39
FIP: Wood, 2.32 - Gregg, 3.84
Wood has significantly better BB and K numbers, and a significantly better FIP.
You refer to save numbers:
Save %: Wood, 85% - Gregg, 76%
Wood, again, is significantly better. Wood is also significantly better in WHIP (1.08 to Gregg's 1.28).
I don't dislike Gregg, and I don't think that Wood was nearly as good as someone people think he was this year, but Gregg really isn't in Wood's league.
__________________________the mindful mission
#83 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
What's FIP?
Were there any pitchers in baseball who bested Wood's K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 rates last year?
Wood's got a pretty good chance of being the best K/9 guy in baseball history by the time he retires.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#84 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
What's FIP?
Fielding independent pitching. It basically looks at K's, BB's, HBP, and homeruns, as those are the only things that a pitcher has complete control (assuming you don't factor in wind and ballpark differences).
THT's definition:
Were there any pitchers in baseball who bested Wood's K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 rates last year?
Do you mean bested in all three? Believe it or not, LaTroy Hawkins, once he got to Houston, was better than Wood in each category (I know... sample size). Other than that though, I don't see any pitcher who bested Wood in all three categories.
Wood was third in the NL and 6th in MLB (among pitchers who through more than 45 innings, my arbitrary number to include relievers) in FIP. All four ahead of Wood were relievers - Saito, Devine, Papelbon, Broxton, and Rivera.
__________________________the mindful mission
#85 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
So, FIP has Wood as the best Cubs reliever last year, better than Marmol.
Dempster wasn't the only one who had luck with batted balls last year.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#91 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
So, FIP has Wood as the best Cubs reliever last year, better than Marmol.
Sure... and I like FIP, but I also don't think that it is THE stat to look at it. But it sure isn't unreasonable to think that Wood is/was better than Marmol. I would say that they are, while pretty different pitchers, pretty similar in overall ability.
And while Marmol got "lucky" on BABIP, he also helped make that happen by having a LD% of just 9.9%.
__________________________the mindful mission
#171 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
Considering just last year, Marmol would have been tons better than Woody IF he hadn't gone through that ugly funk midseason. That right there pretty much evened the two of them out (for last year). Well ok, Marmol was a tad better. He's the one who has all the upside though for the future.
__________________________That's Manila with an "L"
#181 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
I'm a little concerned with how Marmol's going to pitch this year. Haven't there been studies that have shown the year after a reliever throws more than 80 innings or something he has a down year?
Marmol was ridden hard and put away wet this year. Let's hope it doesn't come back to haunt us.
#182 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
With relievers the correlation between how well you're pitching and how often you're pitching is so strong it's hard to figure anything out. If a guy throws 80 one year it may be that he just had a good or lucky year, and the next year his ERA goes back to his normal 4.00 or whatever, so his manager uses him less.
It's pretty rare that relievers strike out guys as frequently as Marmol has in his last two years. You're talking Dibble, Lidge, F-Rod, Rivera for one year, Wetteland early in his career. All of those guys got moved to a closer role, so it's hard to say if they could have continued their ways as setup guys, but most of their K numbers also dropped to more human standards.
__________________________"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."
#87 Re: The End of the Kerry Wood Era is Near
FIP is exactly why stats can be total bullshit.
Good pitchers don't let the batters get a good piece of the ball and any pitcher who can get lazy bounders and high cans of corn will be successful in major league baseball.
And probably throw less pitches and pitch more innings.
__________________________"It's 30 Rock!!!!"