Cubs MLB Roster

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40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

The “Are You Qualified to Conduct the 7th Inning Stretch?” Test

[update] this form appears to be the best place to go to register your disgust with the guest conductor situation.

Dear Chicago Tribune and Chicago Cubs Upper Management Suits, Somewhere, about three or four years ago, your guest conductor idea degenerated from a nice way to commemorate Harry Caray, into a crass publicity gimmick. In the last two nights, it has further devolved into what can only be described as a complete travesty. Ditka, at least, has some Chicago roots. Ozzy and Mongo amused me in the way that watching COPS or Springer amuses me. But Jeff Gordon, two-bit politicians, no-talent "comics" and now, Kellie Pickler, are just complete embarassments. They reflect badly on your product. If you're going to continue presenting us with faux-celebrities who proceed to embarass themselves, your brand, and your brand's most loyal customers, at least find ones who don't need to have the outfield pointed out to them. May I propose offering the following test. Anyone who scores less than 8 out of 10 needs to stay out of my ballgame.
1. What is the name of the building in which you are singing the seventh inning stretch? 2. Since 2000, how many World Series have the Cubs won? 3. Name two players currently on the Chicago Cubs' 25-man roster. 4. Write out the lyrics to the 7th inning stretch. 5. List one thing you plan on talking about in the broadcast booth, other than your career. 6. How many outs are there in a half- inning? 7. What do you call a "point" in baseball? 8. What is the name of the position located in the center of the outfield? 9. What job does that older gentlemen in the Cubs dugout have, the man wearing the uniform with the name "Piniella" on the back? 10. List one thing that you have done to improve the city of Chicago, unrelated to your use of the city as a source of income.
Again, 8 out of 10. Your loyal fan, Trans.

Comments

6. How many outs are there in a half- inning? Technically 3 but the cubs have a bad habit of giving the team "extra outs" in other words they mess up a play which shouldve ended in a out.

i agree though, just have Ron Santo sing the song everyday that or play a tape of Harry

Another extra credit answer: What's a pickle, baseball-wise?

I got a good guest conductor idea, how about let anyone do it that has atleast donated something like 1,000 dollars to CubsCare. They would raise 81 k a season for charity atleast.

It's better than most ideas, Chi, but I fear that then, it'd become an anniversary present for well-heeled Cubs fans.

I have to say that Len and Bob's interview with Pickler, and their comments after she left the booth, were some of the funniest stuff I've listened to in awhile.

11. FREEBIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRD!!!!!!!!! WOO!!!!!!!!!!

8. What is the name of the position located in the center of the outfield? Thats an easy one. "the Green"

paul sulivan seems to be hitting the panic-button and screaming "oh noz!" with his latest at the trib... " After an animated argument with left-hander Rich Hill early in Tuesday night's interleague game against Seattle, Barrett mishandled a throw from right-fielder Jacques Jones in the 13th inning, leading to a 5-3 loss at Wrigley Field. Manager Lou Piniella blew off the media after the loss, stewing in his office while Barrett, Hill and Will Ohman faced the music in the clubhouse. The Cubs appear to be a team on the verge of a breakdown, with Piniella in the middle with nowhere to hide." yow...

I didn't watch it, but how could Barrett mishandle a throw from Jones? Is someone telling me Jones threw to home on the fly? Even if I saw it, not sure I would believe it.

#12: Is Sullivan trying to make things worse by being so hysterical? I mean, OK, they lost the game due to their typical bungling, and 2/5 of the would probably sooner see Barrett dropping balls for the Newark Bears than work with him again here. I get it. But "on the verge of a breakdown" seems a bit much, doesn't it? I think the "Piniella blew off the media" part is the real heart of Sullivan's angst. Reporters seem to hate that. "Hey, you didn't sit for 20 minutes giving us rueful looks and boilerplate quotes!" I know it's part of Piniella's job, but it's hard to blame him for skipping it now and then.

The Real Neal: I didn’t watch it, but how could Barrett mishandle a throw from Jones? Is someone telling me Jones threw to home on the fly? Even if I saw it, not sure I would believe it. For once in this decade the ball actually dribbled to the plate with a lot of time. I'd go ahead a blame Barrett for the loss, but by now it seems so cliche. Btw, trans... Brilliant! The sad part is I think the bimbo knew the words, she just didn't understand the tradition. The bottom line is whoever is up there singing the stretch should feel honored to do so... if they don't feel that way they have no business being there.

Another reason I'm not going to bust Barrett's balls for this game is because I'm sure Piniella took care of that already.

Neal, you've probably seen the throw-and-bobble by now but a couple of observations. The throw was a three-bouncer from very short right. The third bounce was a short hop and Barrett muffed it. Jones doesn't seem to know how to scoop-and-throw like a veteran pro outfielder (or like Felix Pie showed us in his first game!). First Jones gets the ball, then the throw starts from scratch, including a couple of extra steps and a big windup. One of the camera shots is of Vidro rounding third and heading home and then hesitating for some reason. My guess is that he was watching Jones at that point. If Jones had done the right footwork before the scoop and come up throwing, I think Vidro was prepared to stop and go back to third. I think he ran when he saw that Jones wasn't ready to throw.

OK I re-watched it. I will freely admit that Barrett's defense has been bad this year, and that's it's regressed the last two years, but the ball short hopped him. That's an error on Jones, if you're giving an error. Yeah it's catchable, but no it's not a 9/10 time play like was mentioned on the other thread. Maybe a 3/10 time play for an average MLB catcher. Go out in your back yard with a friend and try it. Catch, swivel and tag all in one motion on a ball that bounces 2 feet in front of your glove. Sheesh!

The ball beat Vidro to the plate and the Meathead took his eye off it, and couldnt hang on.

1. Jack took a looong time to come up with that ball and fire it to home. It was an easy play; he should have fielded and gunned it quickly. 2. Jack may not have thrown it straight into the ground, but it was a Jack-esque low laser beam throw that took an ugly skip/low hop right in front of the plate. That's not an easy play for any catcher. 3. We never would have made it to extra innings if not for Barrett's RBI in the 8th. 4. The failure to score a run after loading the bases with no outs in the 8th is a much, much bigger problem than Barrett's inability to make a difficult play after 13 innings behind the plate.

The Real Neal: Go out in your back yard with a friend and try it. Catch, swivel and tag all in one motion on a ball that bounces 2 feet in front of your glove. There was enough time he could have caught the ball, then swiveled. Barrett's fault IMO.

Once again, the wretched nature of Michael Barrett behind the plate rears its ugly head. Jacque Jones made the best throw he's ever made to home plate. Barrett screwed up, AGAIN. And people have the audacity to scratch their heads and wonder why this team is 7 games under 500. Barrett is like a slow, undetected gas leak in your home. Before you know it, the victims are lying dead on the living room floor. Michael Barrett might be a swell guy and pay his taxes on time and do lots of wonderful charity work. But he has zero business being behind the plate any longer. Either send him to the bench, trade him, or investigate the possibility of transitioning him to another position on the field.

In address of # 14.... Screw the media. Coaches, managers and athletes have zero obligation to sit down with the media. Especially hapless, terrible beat writers like Paul Sullivan or any one of the many bozos with sports radio gigs in Chicago.

ST is right...that makes ne feel dirty all over just saying it. If that's the best throw that Jones has ever made to home plate, he should be beaten about the head and shoulders with Mike Fontenot. It was accurate, but horrible....if that's possible.

"4. The failure to score a run after loading the bases with no outs in the 8th is a much, much bigger problem than Barrett’s inability to make a difficult play after 13 innings behind the plate." I hear you Vorare, but there's no "fixing" that problem. Even the best teams can go 1-2-3 after loading the bases. It doesn't happen that often. But it happens. Even the best hitters are more likely to get out than get safe. HOWEVER, Yes indeed a competent catcher makes that play 99 times out of 100. Unlike failing to score after loading the bases, this does not just "happen." This is indeed something we can fix. And whoever said it was a difficult play, let me be the first to tell you that EVERY play in major league baseball is a difficult play. That's why we pay guys millions of bucks for their great skill rather than suiting up the guy drinking beer at the bar, saying "dang that looked like a tough play." Barrett fucked up. Again. Period. Other than the inconsistent bullpen, there is not a more glaring weakness on this team than the pathetic defensive work at catcher. Real Neal, a good analogy would be paying $90 a pop for symphony seats to hear an underprepared first violin stumble thru a evening of missed notes, squeaks, and poor timing, and then on the way out trying to make the point the "why don't YOU try to play violin with the CSO!?!?" The fact that some random schmuck couldn't even begin a Pagnini concerto is completely beside the point. We are not comparing the baseball skills of Michael Barrett professional baseball player with Joe Shmoe, line worker at local factory. We are comparing Barrett to what we can reasonably expect to see from a professional catcher. And that is to fucking pick up the god-damn ball and tag the fucking runner. Sorry for the profanity, but it seems like the Cubs are holding a internal competition this season to see if they can produce the most depressing loss in their history and they keep trying to top themselves.

Yea... ST is right that Barrett should have made that play. I still think it is tougher than some of you make it out to be, but it was a play that should have been made. ST is also right about the media.

Real Neal, a good analogy would be ... Actually... a better analogy would be this... You pay 90 to see a symphony, and the first violin nails a solo (like Barrett getting the go-ahead RBI), but then messes up on a moderately difficult portion of the piece later on.

Jacque Jones is awful. I don't know what happened to him. Last year he actually was a pretty good ballplayer and delivered on what was promised. But this year?!? Wow. Very bad. He is completely clueless at the plate. He's grounded out feebly to either the pitcher or 2nd baseman so many times that I've lost count. He still does a good job in the outfield, that is of course if you eliminate his rag arm from the debate. Hendry needs to swallow some salary and get rid of him. Too bad he can't package both Michael Barrett and Jacque Blacque Schlaque in the same deal. I'd be willing to accept a bag of balls and a used infield rake in return.

We are losing too many of these close games. Isn't our record in one-run games something abysmal? At some point we need to win more of these games. The whole "well, the positives of this game were (fill in blank)" thing can only be taken so far. Are things likely to change with our bull-pen and sub-par defense at the staring catching position? Or is the writing on the wall, ie, that we will hang around in the 4-10 games out of first place position all season long?

Very hard for me not to agree with Silent Towel. Bottom line: there is no turning back for Barrett. As a player that is now widely hated by Cubs fans (See Sosa, See Jones, See Neifi, See Rusch) he will never recover. Cubs fans seem to have a knack for when a players time is up. Jones, Murton, Barrett, Izturis, shouldnt be in the lineup unless its the only option. Barrett should have caught that ball BTW (yes, 9-10 times) but it has to be weird when there is going to be a quick play at the plate and the ball is rolling into the plate at about 2MPH. Jones is one of the worst "throwers" of all time. I just love how he launches it into the ground about 12feet in front of him and just bounces it to whereever he is throwing it. Its like he doesnt understand projectory....what a loser.

I also agree with ST. It was easily the best throw that Jones has ever made.

I find it interesting that almost nothing was being said about Barretts lack of catching ability when he was hitting. Now that he has slumped at the plate everyone is jumping on Barretts lack of catching technique. He is the same "player out of position" that he has been since joining the Cubs. He is just not hitting as well as earlier years. GO CUBS GO.............Go Hendry ..go soon

I have to say ST is dead on about Jones. The guy used to inspire at least a bit of confidence when he came to the plate, but this year, he's a guaranteed out. Sheesh. Maybe he could bat 9th?

Horatio, it may not happen often for most teams but it certainly seems to be happening with this team a lot. There's a reason we have great overall offensive numbers but still fail to win close games, and what you saw last night is exactly that reason: we can get on base, we can come up with hits that put us into a position to blow things open, but then we cannot execute. And I just find it funny that the guy getting blasted for last night's loss also happens to be the guy who did execute last night to tie the game up in the first place. As for the play, we'll have to agree to disagree. Jack's throw was accurate but it came in low and fast and therefore did not "hop" in front of Barrett so much as it skipped. That's a very difficult play. Could Blanco have made it? Sure, he probably could have. And if Blanco had been catching last night, we probably also wouldn't have tied it up in the first place and everybody would be bemoaning the "black hole" in the lineup.

c murda: Very hard for me not to agree with Silent Towel. It's always hard to not agree with ST. Btw... Jones report card: ------------------ Hitting for contact: D- Hitting for power: C Defense: B- Throwing: F Speed: C

And really, I'm not trying to make excuses for Barrett; he isn't a good defensive catcher and his misplays this year have definitely cost us at times. But I hate hate hate the fact that everyone focuses on those few plays, blames the losses entirely on him, and ignores all of the other problems that put us in the position where a close play at home in the 13th inning was going to determine the outcome of the game.

Let me be clear on one thing. I'm not passing judgment on Michael Barrett based on one play. Fact is the job of major league catcher is brutally tough and grueling. These guys ARE going to make mistakes from time to time, even the great ones like Pudge Rodriquez or the Molina's. I don't question Michael Barrett's level of effort. He appears very dedicated to his craft and seems to give 100%. But he is REALLY bad behind the plate. Is it coincidence that the Cubs have greatly disappointed ever since Michael Barrett arrived into town? I don't think it is. Jim Hendry is in a pickle on this one. First, Barrett has forever been his pet. Two, Barrett probably has minimal trade value at this stage. The time to move him was after the 2005 season. Three, Barrett is a free agent next winter.

Re: Lack of execution The Cubs have had a dysfunctional offense dating all the way back to 1999 and the last year of the Jim Riggleman experience. It doesn't matter who is filling up the lineup card or who the names in that lineup card are. Bottom line, this team remains incapable of manufacturing runs and adapting it's offensive game to circumstances. This is a team that swings from its asshole and prays for the 3 run homer in some bizarre sadistic homage to Earl Weaver and the Baltimore Orioles of the late 60's and early 70s.

If we got rid of Neifi Perez (he did make a nice play to save the no hitter last night, which was weird) than we can get rid of Jock and Barrett.

I also agree that it's no coincidence that the Cubs have greatly disappointed since Barrett arrived. Before that, they only mildly disappointed. But now, it's greatly.

In a side note, ever since Cubnut did his first post on the topic, we're getting an appreciable bump in traffic due to Kellie Pickler fans (or haters?) googling for info about her appearance at the Cubs game, lol....

WELCOME PICKLER FANS..! You have terrible taste in music, and your idol is a frickin' dolt.

The only year I think you can really compare this team with talent-wise is '04, at while that season was ultimately disappointing I think any one of us would take that final W/L record. And it was also an improvement over what the Cubs did in '03 with Saint Miller behind the plate.

Yeah, it was Barrett's fault that Wood, Prior and Borowski got hurt in 2004, I had forgot about how he went and pulled their arms out of socket in spring training. He was not too good in 2004, he was about average in 2005, he was bad last year and he has been awful this year. Miller killed more rallies in 2003 with his anemic bat and double-play grounder stroke than Barrett has cost us runs this year, but let's use revisionist history, because Barret wasn't able to use his special third eye to see that he had time to concentrate on the catch of Jone's roller or his 5th sight to realize Vidro would miss the plate after slapping Barrett in the head as he ran past. Just a little perspective, is it too much to ask for?

Dave, Horatio: I believe your symphony/soloist analogies were a first here and I want to say very creative thinking there. So, how WOULD Yo Yo Ma fare as a catcher?

Things I have learned from cruising the Kellie Pickler blogosphere: 1. Kellie Pickler is a Small Town Girl. 2. Her First album title is Small Town Girl 3. There is a SitCom in the works, premised on the fact that she is a Small Town Girl. 4. There is debate over whether she had breast augmentation surgury. How are we gonna keep them on the farm, now that they've seen hollywood's plastic surgeons....

If we got rid of Neifi Perez (he did make a nice play to save the no hitter last night, which was weird) than we can get rid of Jock and Barrett Good call. Let's get rid of all the underperforming players. Let's see that would be: Barrett Blanco Lee Izturis Jones Floyd Murton Zambrano Eyre Dempster Ohman Howry and probably a couple others I have left out. That would give us a lineup of: Soriano Pie Ramirez (when he's not on the DL) DeRosa Hoffpaiur Fontenot Theriot Hill Gallagher Go ahead and order those World Series Tickets.

Damian Miller might have been an automatic out in 2003, but he was definite quality behind the plate. He delivered on his reputation of working effectively with a pitching staff and doing a solid job defensively. It was a mistake to let him go in deference to the "offensive upside" of Michael Barrett. The warning bells should have been going off in Jim Hendry's pea-brain that Montreal no longer wanted Barrett (even though he was being paid only $2 million or so) and Billy Beane chose Miller over Barrett when provided the option.

The old man shall ask the question again...what is a Kellie Pickler?!? Is this Paris Hilton's drinking buddy or something?!?

OMG!!!! How can u guyz say those aweful things about Kellie! She grew up in a trailor park in North Carolina to finish 6 on Idol!!! She is an insparaition to ALL of us, and just used TALENT to go all the way! She is charming and beautiful and just a SMALL TOWN GIRL!!! U all should get a LIFE!

I know people (myself included) can get a little over the top with their "throw the bums out" rhetoric, but the common thread thru all that logic is the CORRECT and NECESSARY insight that the status quo is unacceptable. The Cubs stink. And not only that. They also "have stunk" and will, almost certainly, "continue to stink." That is unless someone decides to do things differently. How the Cubs operate their business is directly responsible for the fact that they are a losing franchise. More of the same will simply contribute to more losing. Therefore, the Cubs must change the way they do things. What we need is a spirit of change, of risk-taking, of entrepreneurialism, of heterodoxy to infect the Cubs. The sentiment that leads one to want to fire all our vets and play only our prospects may not be exactly correct at all times, but it does embody this spirit. That's really it. That's all we mean when we advocate for sweeping change. The Cubs need to be the team at the tip of the spear when it comes to the latest advances in the the science of evaluating players and predicting future success. The idea that the Cubs would cling to tradition borders on laughable because the only tradition we have here on the Northside is to be outscored come the 27th out.

Apple Jacks? "do they sell milk at the stadium"? For someone who is a quote unquote professional singer, she was really off key. And almost punishingly dumb. And sounded as though she may have had a few beers.

Actually, Rynox, the post you were replying to was mine, but I immediately deleted it in order to revise it. My apologies.

"Manager Lou Piniella blew off the media after the loss, stewing in his office while Barrett, Hill and Will Ohman faced the music in the clubhouse. The Cubs appear to be a team on the verge of a breakdown, with Piniella in the middle with nowhere to hide." Glad we got a fiery manager....:)

Sweet Lou is numb because he didn't realize just how much of a clusterfuck situation he got himself into. If you think things are bad now, wait until the offseason. The new ownership group is very doubtful to be in place, which means Jim Hendry will still be hanging around but with zero authority and dollars to do anything.

An incident that I missed last night is being reported in the Trib today, regarding Barrett's confrontation with Hill in the dugout. WTF? Zambrano's a loose cannon, so that can be excused, but come on...Hill? He's about as excitable as oatmeal drying on the sidewalk. Disregard Barrett's actual play over the past few weeks, but now you've got a huge problem with his apparent inability to get along with his own pitching staff. That's the quickest way out of town you can devise for a catcher - he's probably gone before the All Star break, you can reasonably assume.

Once again, Hendry pulls a Bellhorn and waits too long to trade a clear one-dimensional player.

I think people are reading into the Barrett/Hill "conflict" more than they should. Both Barrett and Hill claim that Hill was mad at himself, not at Barrett. And Hill and Barrett have worked very well together all year, and are supposed to have a good relationship together.

Pickler4EVAH!!! — June 13, 2007 @ 8:59 am OMG!!!! How can u guyz say those aweful things about Kellie! She grew up in a trailor park in North Carolina to finish 6 on Idol!!! She is an insparaition to ALL of us, and just used TALENT to go all the way! She is charming and beautiful and just a SMALL TOWN GIRL!!! U all should get a LIFE! ============================== PICLER4EFAV: After they retired, my grandparents moved to Florida and lived in a trailer park on Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. We used to visit them about once a year when I was a kid, and my cousins and I had a lot of fun playing shuffleboard with all the retirees (and kickin' their ass!). They had a nice swimming pool at the park, too. My grandparents' lot backed-up to one of those South Florida inter-coastal waterways, and their next-door neighbor had a really cool boat, and he would take my grandfather, my dad, and I out for a spin around Pier 66 every now and then. So Ms. Pickle brought back a lot of great memories for me with her appearance at Wrigley Field last night. A true Trailer Park Girl. She might not know much about baseball, but I'll bet she knows most everything there is to know about shuffleboard!

2003 A's 96 wins Non - Miller 2004 A's 91 wins Miller 2003 Cubs 88 wins Miller 2004 Cubs 89 wins Non- Miller Maybe, just maybe I am saying, as a Cubs fan every season is disapointing, regardless of who the catcher is?

One little bright note for me this year has been the play of DeRosa. When they signed him to another bloated contract, I immediately thought "Just another bad Hendry utility player". But he has played well wherever he has been positioned and done a decent job with the bat. GO CUBS GO.................Go Hendry...go away

To be clear, I have nothing against trailer-park residents. I do have something against inviting third-rate celebrities who don't know baseball into the booth. And it appears that AZ Phil does not have much practice in teen-type. EVAH, not EFAV, lol..... (Nice story, though!)

Fill in the blank time... Pickler made ______________ sound like a genius.

It's worth noting that between 2003-2004, the Cubs were non-Miller, but they also added a Lee, a full season of Ramirez, and Greg Maddux. They should have won a good deal more than they did in 2003. Of course, that's discounting Wood and Prior injuries, so yeah, that whole angle of the argument is pretty pointless.

Rynox: answer: Larry the Cable Guy. The people googling for Kellie Pickler (and for that matter, Larry the Cable Guy) keep coming. And this is without us having typed anything like "Kellie Pickler Naked" to lure them here. (Or "Larry the Cable Guy Naked" for that matter.)

The whole 7th inning stretch guest conductor thing is very tired. And embarassing. I turn off the TV or go take a whiz while at the ballpark during the stretch. What's even more painful if Len Kasper and Bob Brenly doing the post-inteview during the bottom of the 7th. Kaspar is already terminally boring without gaining glimpse of his Johnny Carson and Larry King skills.

ST... I agree - the 7th inning stretch is extremely tired. Can't the Cubs just get a recording? Or play it on the organ? Or have crazy ron santo sing every game?

I agree with ST, Len Kasper is no better than Johnny Carson. And now I need to pee.

I'm with you and your earlier commentThe Real Neal. We wouldn't be worried about Michael Barrett if the veterans on this team were performing as advertised. Michael Barrett isn't the problem with this team AS IT WAS DESIGNED. If you recall, the Cubs are supposed to be a team that doesn't have any problem at all scoring runs, not one whose every defensive lapse is critical. And while Barrett's BA is down a bit right now his productivity in terms of R's, RBI's and HR's is projecting at or near career highs right now (53 R, 74 RBI, 24 HR). He's definitely filling his role on offense, so where's the real problem? Here>>>> Soriano = 10 Jones+Pie+Murton+Pagan+Floyd (564 AB's) = 10 as in HR's from our outfield.

Wow, I thought I was alone in thinking Len was utterly boring. I agree wholeheartedly with what ST said.

*That would give us a lineup of: Soriano Pie Ramirez (when he’s not on the DL) DeRosa Hoffpaiur Fontenot Theriot Hill Gallagher Go ahead and order those World Series Tickets. * Yeah, you show 'em with your snarky analysis, genius. If only the Cubs would have ever had some real players like Sandberg, Sosa, Maddux, Banks, Williams, Santo, Garciaparra, Sutcliffe, Sutter, Madlock or the like over the last 100 years they might have won something. I wouldn't get rid of Lee quite yet, but the lower lineup could easily have as many wins as the upper lineup at this point in time, to the tune of several dozens less million dollars, to boot.

Barrett definitely the Cubs Rex Grossman. That was a nice call by the person who referred to them as evil twins.

I agree with Silent Towel. For the 7th inning stretch I propose a new tradition. It will be like the sausage race, except it will be Cubbie the Alcoholic Bear, Ron Santo, and Jim Hendry race. They'll just have to go from like 3rd base to home, though, or they'll run out of time.

Oh god, LOL. I think there should be a few (low, made-out-of-foam) hurdles for them set up along the way.

And, just for kicks and to preserve the seventh inning stretch tradition, let's have a guest judge for the race every day -- some options would be, off the top of my head, Neifi Perez, Lenny F. Harris, José Macías (wouldn't those cause distraction to Hendry? -- but digress), Jennifer Hudson, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Seacrest, Dave Magadan...

Simon Cowell needs to be a guest judge - but only if he gets to critique Ronnie Woo Woo's vocals.

Story on Barrett/Hill "discussion"... http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2902722 This was my biggest worry about the Barrett/Z fight. Players are going to start taking sides and the clubhouse can quickly become split. Maybe the pitchers will start going against and not trusting Barrett. That could be a very big problem. Interesting to see what Hendry does as Barrett is his boy.

hmmm... problem with the headline already. "Cubs catcher has another face-to-face with starter" That implies that Barrett initiated something. Hill clearly was the one who went to Barrett. But I guess the headline wouldn't as many readers, right? And manny... you act like the article talks about picking sides and not trusting Barrett. It doesn't say anything like that.

Rob G.: "Hill and Barrett are good friends, there’s no riff." yeah, so were Jeter and ARod too....:)

Shame on you, Dave. Newspaper editors don't want you to think about what they report, they want you to accept it. Somewhere, there's an espn.com editor who is deeply hurt by your slight.

My problems with Barrett have little to do with hitting or fielding, and everything to do with his pitch calling. I really get the sense he doesn't know how to handle the individual strengths of the pitching staff. It seems more than a coincidence that whether it is a rookie or Zambrano, the pitch counts soar in early innings. in 2004 - 2006 I don't think there is a question that the starting pitching did not live up to expectations. This year the starters are good, but the relief is terrible so overall, we are underperforming. With a long string of not taking advantage of the true talent the Cubs have, I look at common denomonators. Larry Rothschild & Michael Barrett.

I must say, Silent Towel has proposed a lot of good ideas in this thread I agree with totally. I also have turned off the TV before and I've been to Montreal. Bravo ST.

dave: "And manny… you act like the article talks about picking sides and not trusting Barrett. It doesn’t say anything like that." That was not my intention. My intention was to state my opinion as to this second incident could be a sign of the splintering of the pitching staff from Barrett.

My problems with Barrett have little to do with hitting or fielding, and everything to do with his pitch calling You do know that pitchers can shake off pitches, right? Pitch calling by catchers in incredibly overrated. Pitchers and catchers decide together what they are going to throw.

Yes, I do know that Dave...but I absolutely disagree that it is overrated....they control the flow of the game, they are responsible for knowing hte specific batters.

"Larry Rothschild is a good pitching coach." -- Ferguson Jenkins. What is he smoking? Oh wait...

My answers to your questions: 1) "The landmark with day games and winds that only negatively impact the Cubs" 2) -4 3) Paul Sullivan, Jim Hendry 4) Something about 1-2-3 strikes you're out, right? 5) The Bears 6) 3-5 depending on the number of muffed plays. 7) Barret's head 8) Unfillable 9) Dust Kicker 10) Not pitched for The Cubs Can I sing?

Jones and Barrett have been identified as problems, so there's no point in piling on. Even if Piniella and Hendry hate them both, they would still show up in the lineup until mid or late July. The problem with mistakes you make in the offseason is that you're stuck with them at least until after the all-star game. Here are a couple of problems that I don't think have been widely identified. 1) Henry Blanco. Why would the Cubs ever bring him back from the DL? He's a .225 lifetime hitter. He's old, really old for a catcher, thirty-six this August. He doesn't play enough to stay in shape. His primary asset is his arm but it's been bothering him lately, maybe all year, since he's 1 for 5 throwing out runners. If the Cubs want a defense-only catcher, they should pick up a young one who might also learn how to hit at some point. There are probably fifteen defense-only catchers who get sent down by teams every year in the last week of spring training. They're not hard to find. 2) Angel Pagan. I objected a couple of weeks ago when Real Neal said Pagan was an AAAA player. But Neal was right. Pagan never had a particularly good year at AAA. With the Cubs, he's reverting to form. Deep down, he's a guy who is up at the plate looking for a walk. How do I know this? He doesn't swing on hitter's counts like 2-0 and 3-1. There are very few major league hitters who aren't turned on by the idea of a 2-0 or 3-1 fastball. Where you do see a lot of hitters who would rather not swing is in little league. And you can achieve a surprisingly good OBP in little league with the bat glued to your shoulder. OBP fans have to search their souls a little with respect to Pagan, because even in the majors, his defensive approach to hitting does help him pad his OBP. But do you really want a guy who would rather walk than hit? I don't think you can find stats for the number of times a player swings at a given count--Rob would know--but Baseball Reference does give stats for what happens in an entire at-bat where the count at one time was 2-0 or 3-1. You would expect a hitter to do better when he was way ahead in the count. Matt Murton, for example, in '06 and '07, hit .344 in at bats where the count reached 2-0, and .312 when it hit 3-1. Pagan in the same time period has hit .200 in at-bats where he was ahead 2-0, and .222 in at-bats where he was ahead 3-1. He gets walks, but at the cost of not only hits but hitting percentage.

For the 7th inning stretch I propose a new tradition. It will be like the sausage race, except it will be Cubbie the Alcoholic Bear, Ron Santo, and Jim Hendry race. They’ll just have to go from like 3rd base to home, though, or they’ll run out of time. -------- they won't use anyone on the current roster because they'd wind up stuck at 3rd base

Kellie Pickler's answers: 1) what, like, the broadcast booth? 2) do you mean world series or US series? 3) ummm...Sammy Sosa, and...Tiger Wood? 4) wait, I thought it was called "Let's go out to the ballgame" 5) my hair 6) 1 and a half, right? 7) a home run? 8) midfielder? 9) umm...the American Idle? 10) I have to pee now. Also, I have to agree with Silent Towel. The 7th inning stretch "tradition" has to change next year.

In an earlier thread I let Barrett/Jones have it for last night's fiasco. Yes, the Cubs should have scored with the bases loaded in the 8th and no one out. BUT, major league pitchers are paid to get out of those situations. Hitting a baseball where they ain's isn't an easy thing to do. Hitting will take innings, and sometimes games, off. BUT defense should never be taking any time off. Barrett has obviously lost control/confidence of his starters (Z, Hill, who's next). Overall, he's a 35-40 in catching skills. A manager has to feel (especially in the late innings) that he has a solid defensive team in the field. Your team works hard enough for the runs it scores and outs the pitchers get. I hope Lou gets his way with Hendry and moves these stiffs out.

Play Barrett in RF---he was a #1 draft pick as a SS, played 3b in majors, now is a bad defensive catcher--put him in RF and let him hit-----time to send Pagan down--he said when he got doubled off of 2b last night he forgot how many outs there were--lets not forget he was thrown at at 3rd with no outs were Lou was run vs ATL--he doesn't know how to play the game

"Pitch calling by catchers in incredibly overrated." Tell that to Curt Schilling who shook off Varitek with 2 outs in the ninth. V-Tek called a slider and Schilling shook him off.

"Tell that to Curt Schilling who shook off Varitek with 2 outs in the ninth. V-Tek called a slider and Schilling shook him off." We all saw it coming. Schilling was tired out of his mind and he tried to get away with a fastball against a dead first pitch fastball hitter -- he made a mistake, and he's the only to blame for losing his no-hitter. While I don't think pitch calling by catchers is overrated, who ultimately has the decision of what to pitch is the pitcher himself. Barrett could call a great game, but if whoever is pitching decides to shake him off constantly, it wouldn't be only Barrett's fault if said pitcher gets hammered.

I am providing a very anecdotal piece of evidence. I'm just saying that you have to trust your catcher. And of course there is a give and take but when you see a pitcher constantly shaking off the catcher, its not good. Not that I have noticed a lot of shaking off of Barrett, FWIW.

Quick - has anyone ever seen Barrett and Rex Grossman in the same room at the same time?

George, I did. I attended a Most hated Athletes in Chicago symposium. It was hosted by Steve Bartman and featured Rex, Michael Barrett and Jacque Jones. A special award was given to Corey Patterson and Eddie Curry for hated former Chicago athletes.

"OBP fans have to search their souls a little with respect to Pagan, because even in the majors, his defensive approach to hitting does help him pad his OBP. But do you really want a guy who would rather walk than hit?" That's why you also look at SLG and the precise reason OPS is such a good metric. SLG tracks total bases per at bat so it's really just your batting average with a bonus put in there for power. You really can't cheat yourself into a good OPS. And I suppose you can post an abnormally and deceivingly high OBP, but I wouldn't think you could pull it off for very long. Guys that can tell a ball from a strike but still can't do anything with a strike soon find themselves looking only at strikes (see Pierre, Juan).

I honestly think that Barrett has done a decent job at working with pitchers. The issues with Z had nothing to do with calling pitches - it had to do with Barrett's sloppy defense and boneheaded plays. I also think that Barrett does a decent job at pitches in the dirt. He does better on pitches in the dirt than he does on the pitches he should catch. Barrett's biggest problems is his mental lapses and sloppy plays.

So, I guess what we are saying is, truth be told, Michael Barrett is dumber than a hockey puck. And, that you can't have that in a major league catcher. Especially when there are already severe problems with his defensive game to begin with.

Yup... ST - right again - Barrett isn't the smartest pupil in the class, that's for sure.

Although Schilling and Varitek both said Schilling shook him off about 6 previous times in the game...and those obviously worked for Schilling, so that particular argument cuts both ways. But, if Schilling truly shook of Varitek only 7 times, that means varitek was responsible for about 95% of the pitch selection for the game. So in that sense, they are definately not overrated in their impact on the game. BUT, to contradict myself for the third time in 3 sentences...a good pitcher is a good pitcher, and a bad pitcher is a bad pitcher, regardless of the catcher.

My head is about to explode. Never have I read so many (or any for that matter) statements like "good point ST" or "well stated ST". Where the hell am I? Trans...I was eagerly anticipating the recap. Those always brighten my day despite the losses. Excellent post though...can we turn it into a petition, perhaps?

Catcher's ERA is a tempting stat. Intuitively, one would think that since a catcher is helping to call the pitches, he'd have some impact on the quality of the pitcher's approach and likelihood of getting the batter out. Unfortunately, in study after study, catcher's ERA has proved to be almost totally random (although I'd think it'd have to be adjusted for defense since better defenders=better ERA). Anyway, people have looked and looked and can't seem to find any correlation. It's counterintuitive, but it seems to true. And the weight of evidence is behind it. I guess the conclusion to draw from this is that maybe all that thinking and strategizing up there really doesn't matter much, and it's really just back to Warren Spahn's maxim of upsetting the hitter's timing. The best pitchers change speeds and throw strikes. If a pitcher doesn't do that well, then nothing a catcher can call for is going to make a difference.

I wouldn't say dumber than a hockey puck, but -- you know what? what the hell. I would indeed say dumber than a hockey puck. That's what he is. Agreed again, ST. Barrett needs to go.

"I think the “Piniella blew off the media” part is the real heart of Sullivan’s angst. " and you're probably right. rarely does the manager blow off the media...the people who's job it is to cover this team...lou's done it twice. the first time he broke tradition...this time he's starting a precedence for continuing to do it. hill/barrett seem to have no interest to drag out whatever issue they got in the press...lotta players are like that and dont want to deal with the media crap when you (or someone else) opens up enough "facts" to become a story.

Don't hold your breath waiting to see Barrett in right field. We already have way too many outfielders competing for one outfield spot. And so now we are going to make Barrett a right fielder? Come again? There are certain skills that are needed to play in the outfield. Even Murton, who is an outfielder, cannot seem to hack playing right field. Soriano is a much better all round athlete than Barrett and was able to make the transition to the outfield. Just because Barrett has played a couple of infield positions does not mean he has the skills to perform well in the outfield. There is no chance Barrett will ever be seen in right field, unless he takes a detour while running from first to second base.

btw...blowing off the media... its like showing up for your job...along with a crew of people with you (sound/video people in some cases where its not a solo or print job)...you wait around 3 hours (not including the pre-game time and interviews/sources you get there) and when it comes time to meet your "client" you find out he's left early to go golfing...pack your crap up, go home, finish your story...bye.

Soriano is a much better all round athlete than Barrett Hmm... what do you mean by "better athlete." I don't disagree with you that Soriano is a great athlete, but you implication is that Barrett is a poor athlete, and I believe that is far from true.

The Joe - I don't exactly know who we would send this petition to. But there has to be SOMEBODY inside of the Cubs management system who keeps an eye on what we're saying about them, and has noticed that we're unanimous on the matter.... If you or anyone else can recommend a place where we send this request, I'm all for it. Regarding recaps: again, I'm flattered, but sadly there's no rhyme or reason to when I can crank them out. basically, if you don't see me early on, in parachat, it's a sign there won't be one. Other people are always encouraged to pitch in on one, if you don't see me around. (Or even if you do!)

hmm, Crunch, not sure if I'm reading you right...but I would say, I do think it's the managers and players jobs to speak to the media. Ultimately, the media coverage is what helps get these guys the attention that they do (And the money they make) and it's the only real access that fans that pay money get to the workings of the team. It cuts across all sports...The media has a job to do because we want to read their stories. If they can't get the story, we can't get the information we crave...and these guys all make enough money off of us to give some time back in regards to talking to the media.

I think it could work if it was solely former Cubs players or members of the Cubs organization. I think it's lame when it's a Bears player getting attention at a Cubs game, and lamer when it's about marketing a movie, or an album, or a race that has nothing to do with the Cubs. Keep it totally Cubs focused and I think it could be cool.

I do wonder about the 7th inning guest conductors... Who gets what out of it? I guess the celeb gets free publicity, like appearing on a talk show or something. The Cubs organization though... I'm guessing all they get out of the deal is a perceived cachet/fan draw of having somebody somewhat famous present. I mean, Kellie didn't pay for the honor of singing, did she?

I think part of it is fans at the game get to say "I saw Bill Murray, sweet". or "I saw Mike Ditka, he's nuts". Or "I saw Kellie Pickler, I don't know who the heck she is, but she really sucks."

Yea... it doesn't make much sense on the Cubs end. I cannot see celebrity conductors bringing in more fans to a game. I am curious if the Cubs pay the guest conductors.

I liked the guest conductors when they were actually picking people with some connection to the organization -- ex players, celebrity fans, etc. They've long since abandoned that aside from the occasional Bill Murray visit. If it were up to me, they'd play a tape of Harry most days and only do guest conductors occasionally when it really makes sense (like Dawson a week or two ago).

Ok, I think I know what's going on. That's what I get for missing most of parachat...maybe? Couldn't the petition to go to that marketing guy? What's his name again?

I agree, I don't want to END the guest conductor system, I want to return it to what it was. Reform it. Make it be about the Extended Cubs and Chicagoan family, again. Not something for your Agent to book when you make your Chicago swing.

Media Relations Department Peter Chase Director, Media Relations Jason Carr Manager, Media Information Katelyn Thrall Coordinator, Media Services Marketing Department Jay Blunk Director, Marketing and Sales Katie Marta Coordinator, Special Events/Entertainment However, they don't seem to have published email addresses or phone numbers, at least not at cubs.com

Can we start a petition to get ST as the guest conductor? Len and Bob need to hear the truth about Barrett from ST.

The only guest conductor I remember seeing in person was Ryno. That was memorable. I think they should just stick to Cub-related guests if anything. The Joe: Ok, I think I know what’s going on. That’s what I get for missing most of parachat…maybe? Yes, that's what you get.

My first post on this site last year was a call to eliminate the guest conductors for the 7th inning stretch. I'd like to see them eliminate the whole damn thing. It was a "Harry" thing, and a naturally great thing, whether at Comiskey Park or Wrigley, and it should have died with him. Anyone remember Zook doing it last year? Painful to watch, worse than Ditka. The problem is, the "celebrities" are there not out of any respect for or love of the game or the Cubs, but to plug whatever court-jestering thing they do for a living. Maybe if the Cubs hear enough complaints, they'll change it. Don't hold your breath. Most people LOVE celebrities. On another note, I live in South Florida, and Len Kasper didn't seem nearly as blah when he was doing the Marlins games. I get Devil Rays games here, too, and ex-Cub announcer Dwayne Staats does a very good job for them. Funny, isn't it, how worse play-by-play baseball announcers sound on TV than on radio?

dave: "I am curious if the Cubs pay the guest conductors." I am 99% positive they don't. They do give them the chance to publicize whatever they are hawking at the time and give them a suite for the game, but I am pretty sure they don't give them money. The reason I know that is I was in the suite next to Jeremy Piven last year when he did it and we talked to him a good deal throughout the game and someone asked him if the Cubs were paying him and he said no.

Who is Carrie Muskrat? I read this name everywhere and confess to having no clue who he/she is. Does he/she run a blog? Does the blog suck or something? If Carrie is a she, does she look like Heather Locklear or Rosie O'Donnell? Why does he/she piss people off so much?

Danville - glad to have ya back. Actually, I think more of us (including me) are big Len and Bob fans than not. Some of the anti-Bob and Len comments, from earlier,likely were in jest.. I think they just did a fantastic job handling Ms. Pickler.

Silent Towel: Who is Carrie Muskrat? I read this name everywhere and confess to having no clue who he/she is. I'll assume this isn't sarcasm. She is the Cub's beat writer for MLB.com If Carrie is a she, does she look like Heather Locklear or Rosie O’Donnell? Why does he/she piss people off so much? Let's just say... who let the dogs out?

Yea... I wouldn't call myself a big Len and Bob fan, but I like them for the most part. And the guest conductor interviews sure are not their fault. And ST - Carrie Muskrat is the Cubs.com "reporter." Though none of us are convinced that she even watches Cubs games.

Transmission: Actually, I think more of us (including me) are big Len and Bob fans than not. Some of the anti-Bob and Len comments, from earlier,likely were in jest.. I think they just did a fantastic job handling Ms. Pickler. Good assessment. Len & Bob: Could be better, could be worse. I'll probably just occasionally bitch about them because that's the cool thing to do.

I think, at least amongst sports reporters, there's an inverse relationship between amount of ego and amount of talent.

Rynox - to be honest, I really think they're about one of the best broadcast pairs out there. I've become a total homer on them.

heh. yeah, could be due to my rather limited exposure to non-Pat-and-Ron broadcast crews, lol

Trans: I think, at least amongst sports reporters, there’s an inverse relationship between amount of ego and amount of talent. That applies to a lot of things. Rynox - to be honest, I really think they’re about one of the best broadcast pairs out there. I’ve become a total homer on them. Well... I miss Stoney. He really knew a lot about the game and gave a lot of information about the inner workings.

personally, i like len/bob...hope len sticks around a long time and ages with the team...he's gonna have rich older voice when he matures. wish bob would loosen up a bit...he's not bad when he's comfortable, imo.

To be honest, you guys are making WAY too much of this guest conductor. Who the hell cares anyway? I certainly don't. I love Wrigley Stadium er...Field as much as the next guy but with out Harry doing the seventh inning stretch, who cares? It's not like we are doing a guest manager for an inning and allowing Kellie Pickler to call pitches during the 7th. It doesn't effect the team.

The game wasn't on WGN, so I had no opportunity to see it ... exactly what went on with Ms. Pickle and Len and Bob? I don't mind Len and Bob either. I like Len more than Bob, but they're both listenable.

Danville Joe: The unintentional comedy resulted from the fact that Ms. Pickler has roughly the intellectual capacity of a loaf of bread.

I used that form Trans, and voiced my disgust with a link to this page. Though I'm sure they give less than a shit what I think. Chad, that's what we're all about here - making too much of things. It doesn't ruin my day, but it sure pisses me off when I hear some 'celebrity' talking about his/her new movie. WFT?...it's baseball, go on the Tonight Show to plug your new project. Must be conservative agenda IMO.

Trans, The person you would want to talk with is Jay Blunk, Director of Marketing/Sales. The main phone number is (773) 404-2827. I don't have an e-mail address unfortunately. I actually have met him (nice guy, my company was roped into being one of the advertisers on the board behind the batter). I believe his boss is Mark McGuire, EVP - Business Operations. For the record, I agree with you and everyone that it is an idea that has passed its prime (at least on a daily basis).

replace the stretch with a 30'x80' exploding scoreboard with LCD screen that can show a techno remix of harry singing the 7th from a collection of various footage over his tenure with the cubs. that would be so awesome.

Answers: 1. The House of Much Sadness 2. It's not the "World Series" anymore now that the U.S. lost the WBC, so that title isn't really important to anyone, so who cares 3.DVD and record 4.pass 5. How a batter should be able to appeal a check swing call, just like the catcher can 6.3, unless more (for a dropped third strike) or less (for the bottom of the 9th when home team is ahead) 7. anything except late for dinner 8. The Place Where The Next Great Phenom Stands For Three Years Until Everyone Starts to Hate Him 9.Look, he's the manager 10. I stare at pretty girls in sundresses, to improve their self esteem

Guys, If you've got a second, head to ESPN.com and watch the little Baseball Tonight blurb about Verlander's no hitter. Dusty is unbelieveable. He contradicts himself about 3 separate times, and he even gives a shout out to "my man, Neifi." It's priceless.

"The unintentional comedy resulted from the fact that Ms. Pickler has roughly the intellectual capacity of a loaf of bread." Unlike, other guest conductors like ... say ... Devin Hester? Thanks, Vorare.

Len Kaspar is delivering on what the Cubs wanted in an announcer after the Chip Caray affair, mainly a vanilla, non-controversial, cliche-riddled schmuck. It's not that I don't like Len, it's that Len and has baseball voice could make me sleepy in the midst of the Cubs putting up a 10 spot in an innings while Lou Piniella was simultaneously kicking his hat across the infield. He's not good. And he has a bad effect on Bob Brenly, who I happen to really respect. Nowadays Brenly is often caught up in the babbling fests initiated by Len Kaspar on the dullest and most uninteresting topics on the planet. "Bob, why is it that some ballclubs prefer green seating as opposed to another color?"

Apologize for the several typos and grammatical butcherings in the previous post. Need an edit feature.

"Trans: I think, at least amongst sports reporters, there’s an inverse relationship between amount of ego and amount of talent." Which reminds me of my favorite (only?) actual Confucius saying, one that is real but doesn't fit on a fortune cookie: "Arrogance is a sign that a person has reached the end of his potential." Now, back to the show!

...roughly the intellectual capacity of a loaf of bread ----- I've been a part of both of them, and the bread is definitively smarter

i agree that len is mainly a vanilla, non-controversial, cliche-riddled schmuck. i also agree with his affair with chip carrey. the video was disturbing, though. I also agree that he has a bad effect on bob. maybe murton can work a mic?

Chicago is starved for quality sports reporting talent. I can count on one hand the number of writers and radio personalities I truly admire...Don Pierson, Barry Rozner, Dave Van Dyke, Dave Kaplan.

Post # 181, by the yeast, just vaulted to the top of the Message Board Post of the Year contenders.

Re: earlier question about reaching Jay Blunk, the current stepfather of the 7th Inning Stretch Farce (though it sprung from John McDonough's loins and he couldn't be prouder): Email [email protected]

I can count on one hand the number of writers and radio personalities I truly admire Yea... I agree. But you are leaving out Bruce and Bruce (Miles and Levine).

ohhhhh, thanks, Cubnut. Will pester him about this, too. I need to run, may or may not get back for the second half of the game, so no recap from me tonight. You've all been a fun distraction from work, thanks!

Bruce Levine is okay, but I don't bump into his stuff too often. I refuse to listen to WSCR or WMVP, other than the Mike and Mike show which, in my opinion, is outstanding. Bruce Miles? Not my cup of tea even though we subscribe to the Daily Herald. His reporting is too schizophrenic when it comes to the Cubs.

“Arrogance is a sign that a person has reached the end of his potential.” Reminds me of Paul Sullivan.

e.dukes got a 17 year old pregnant...yeah...wow. maybe one day he'll realize he has a job to do and he dont work at the club.

Why is Elijah Dukes permitted to walk the streets? Seriously, he is a two-bit gangsta that needs to be locked up behind bars. If Bud the Dud Selig had any sort of spine, then he would severely penalize Duke after the episode where he threatened his wife/girlfriend/ho whatever the case may be. It's just like baseball turning the other cheek when Bret Myers was arrested for slapping his wife around. Pathetic.

It was his wife, not his "ho." And would your job "severely penalize" you for doing something, off the clock, that was completely unrelated to your job?

interesting... houston is saying that Brad Lidge is unavailable. i guess they are still holding out hope that he will bounce back and be dominating again.

"Wow, I thought I was alone in thinking Len was utterly boring." He is boring - but not nearly as annoying as Chip Carey, the guy who now works for Fox on the second team (forget his name), and Milo Hamilton. In other words, it could be a lot worse. Brenly was much better when he was initially on the radio team - maybe Len does bring him down. But Stone was the best, and wasn't afraid to call players out when they stunk up the joint - these guys rarely say anything negative, even when the play on the field is obviously terrible.

and don't get me wrong... I am not defending Dukes. But I am not sure how an employer should and would respond if one of its employees does something immoral or illegal. I am also not sure why the Dukes story is really a story. It was legal. He is only 23, and the girl was 17. If the two were 25 and 31, no one would care. Of course - the man is still married as far as I know, and it is reprehensible to me for someone to cheat on his wife. But it is not like it doesn't happen all the time in professional sports. It just seems that there are many other issues to attack Dukes for other than this one.

Yes, many jobs can fire you for something like threatening to kill your wife. Really, anything that comes with a lot of bad PR would be grounds for dismissal. As a paid political activist, if I get in the sort of trouble Dukes has gotten in, I can expect to never get a job again in my field.

I'm convinced that Len Kaspar brings Bob Brenly down because Brenly used to be witty, insightful and downright fun to listen to. I get the impression that Brenly feels like the guy stuck talking to the life insurance salesman at a cocktail party for 4 hours. Steve Stone? Well, I always loved the Stone Pony. But now he just comes across as bitter.

I know that many jobs can - but all cannot. It depends on the state and the agreement that you sign when you are hired. And I didn't know you were a political activist. Are we allowed to know what for?

I actually like Len and Bob much more than average MLB TV broadcast team. Some of those guys are awfully bad. It's almost painful to watch Extra Innings sometimes.

Isn’t there a law against an adult having sex with somebody under the age of 18? It depends on the state... but it is either 16 or 17 in most states I believe.

dave, you have to be kidding. I don't know what you do for a living, but if you brought shame to your ENTIRE INDUSTRY, you would get fired. The problem here is that most people who post here are not powerful enough to have a job that can do that. But just about any CEO knocks up his babysitter, yeah, to quote Hawk, "He gone!"

Chad... you may be right. But did/does Dukes really bring shame to the entire baseball industry? I don't know. I am not trying to start an argument... I am just throwing somethings out there. I do not think that I would be fired for spousal abuse, and I am pretty sure that I would not be fired for getting a woman pregnant as a result of legal and consensual sex.

Are you saying that nothing should happen to Elijah Dukes for threatening his family in the manner in which he did? Or that nothing should happen to Bret Myers when he used his 230 pounds to punch around his 125 pound wife? What a sad, sad indictment on professional sports if they turn the cheek on this bullshit too. It's bad enough that Bud the Dud has buried his head in the sand in terms of steroid abuse. He's done nothing to Giambi, Bonds, Sosa, etc. But a slimebag like Dukes or Myers?!? You've got to send a message that there is professional code of conduct that members of the club shall abide to.

Are you saying that nothing should happen to Elijah Dukes for threatening his family in the manner in which he did? Or that nothing should happen to Bret Myers when he used his 230 pounds to punch around his 125 pound wife? No... not at all. I am just not sure that their employer should be the one doing something about it. I am not saying they shouldn't either - I am just saying that they are not sure. Is that allowed on here? To not see everything in black and white? But yes, something should be done. They should be arrested and charged with assault and spousal abuse, etc.

This isn't good, from the Tribune: Lou Piniella told the Seattle Times no more kicking dirt, no more throwing things, no lie: "I wrote the guy [umpire Mark Wegner] a note, and I apologized to him. That will be the last time I ever kick dirt. Ever again. I’m done. My sandbox days are over. No hat, no dirt, nothing. I never did it to degrade anybody. I just did it to put on a little show. I used to see Billy Martin and Earl Weaver, in my era. That’s what they did. It never had been brought up to me that if someone kicked dirt on me, I wouldn’t like it. This time, it was. I thought about it. They were absolutely right. I said to myself, ‘No more.’ " My note: sounds like dusty promising - and following through - never to challenge any call again after his son heard him curse at umpire c.b. bucknor. Kind of also explains him not going out after the Renteria slide. http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/rosenblog/2007/06/catchas…

a little more on that... Their employer should be doing something about it. I am not sure that the employer should be doing something punitive. I would rather see the employer doing something to actually help Dukes (and Meyers) (i.e. something rehabilitative).

"I do not think that I would be fired for spousal abuse, and I am pretty sure that I would not be fired for getting a woman pregnant as a result of legal and consensual sex." You wouldn't but the CEO of GM would. It's all different levels of the game. "He’s done nothing to Giambi, Bonds, Sosa, etc." Please remove the name Sosa from this list. There is no evidence by which Sammy could have been suspended. No admission of use of illegal substances or grand jury testimony linking him to anything. The only place where Sammy Sosa is guilty is in the court of public opinion. You cannot get suspended for that.

dukes has already been suspended in the minors...fought with the manager...blah blah blah. he's baggage...he's TB's baggage. let them deal with him. if mlb really wants to punish him they'd probably ask the team to do it for them. there's not much of a reason to send a message or anything cuz there's not a climate of players like dukes...especially now that milton bradley has grown up a bit.

Aaron B isnt a real doctor, but I do play one on TV. As a certified health professional I have to admit. Getting an underage girl knocked up could be a real career killer. Word of advice for future reference Mr. Dukes.......... Pull out. 60 % of the time. It works every time.

"Their employer should be doing something about it. I am not sure that the employer should be doing something punitive. I would rather see the employer doing something to actually help Dukes (and Meyers) (i.e. something rehabilitative)." How about an employer saying, "We don't want to do business with lowlifes"? How about that? And rehabilitative? There is no rehabilitation for a man that puts his hands on a woman like that. Either you are a man or a scumbag wifebeater. You don't ever change EVER.

The Tampa Bay Devilrays will forever be a loser franchise. To sit there a turn the other cheek on Elijah Dukes is despicable. I just looked up his stats and he hasn't done jack shit. If I were the owner down there (Friedman, or Friedberg, or Freidrosen or whatever it is) I'd cut his sorry ass on the spot.

Regarding statutory rape in FL according to Deadspin.com- "while the age of consent in Florida is 18, if the other person is 24 or younger, age of consent is only 16. The Devil Rays outfielder was born on June 26, 1984, so ... and Dukes gets in under the tag!"

mlb has seen worse than dukes...on a level that actually impacts the game no one is calling for giambi to retire immediately.

Jason Giambi has to look himself in the mirror each day. If he had any shred of human dignity he would walk away from the remainder of his ridiculous contract. But of course he won't. By the way, I make zero apology for lumping Sam-me Sosa with Giambi and company. Sosa is more guilty than Tony Soprano, and everyone knows it. He got a way with lying in front of the U.S. Congress, which is criminal in my book. Particularly when he isn't even a citizen of this country and should count it as a blessing that he is able to live and participate in our democracy. Sosa makes me want to vomit.

I was thinking of Thom Brennamen as the former play - by - play announcer of the Cubs. He now bores the hell out of the Fox audience who get the second tier games on Saturday.

There is no rehabilitation for a man that puts his hands on a woman like that. Either you are a man or a scumbag wifebeater. You don’t ever change EVER. If you say so. Is that the "end of discussion?"

Rapada up, Murton down according to ESPN 1000. YAY! I can't wait to see who plays right against lhp.

Look dave, i don't care what kind of counseling a guy goes to, the rate of repeat domestic violence is way too high. Either you are the type of guy who slaps a woman around or you're not.

To sit there a turn the other cheek on Elijah Dukes is despicable. ---- Here's my punishment scenario: Have Elijah Dukes kneel in the on deck circle and have Cub 1st round pick from 1999, Ben Christensen warm up on the mound.

Really what they should do to Dukes is hang him. Ruining his career over one mistake made in anger (which by all reports may well have been self defense, because the abuse in the relationship goes both ways) is probably the best thing for everyone. Did you guys watch 'Running Man' and think we should do that to J-walkers? Back to Barrett: "A lot of pitchers have pitched a lot of good games when he's out there," Piniella said. "Let's not put this whole thing on the catcher, please. This is a game, it's a team game. There's 25 of us, including the manager, who have to get the job done. I wouldn't go overboard and put this load on him." Too bad the TCR gang can't keep the same amount of perspective.

Recent comments

  • crunch (view)

    morel triple to start the season....yeaaaaaaaaaaaaah

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    LHP Blake Weiman appears to have been the last cut from the AAA Iowa roster. He is with the Tennessee group at Minor League Camp.

     

  • crunch (view)

    bruce bochy is hobbling rather badly for a guy who's had 2 hip replacements.  his gait is extremely wonky taking the lineup card to the ump.

  • crunch (view)

    yeah, for me this isn't about who's better at 3rd.  it's madrigal, period.  for me it's about who's not hitting in the lineup because madrigal is in the lineup.

    occasional play at 3rd for madrigal, okay.  going with the steele/ground-ball matchup...meh, but okay, whatever.

    seeing madrigal get significant starting time...no thanks.

  • Dolorous Jon Lester (view)

    Yeah I am very disappointed Madrigal is starting. He has no business as a starter. He is AAA insurance, a back up at best. Sure his defense looks fine because he plays far enough in that his noodle arm isn’t totally exposed. It comes at the cost of 3B range.

    He’s garbage, and a team serious about winning would NOT have him starting opening day.

  • crunch (view)

    in other news, it took 3 PA before a.rizzo got his 1st HBP of the season.

  • Eric S (view)

    With two home runs (so far) and 5 rbi today … clearly Nick Martini is the straw that stirs the Reds drink 😳

  • crunch (view)

    madrigal at 3rd...morel at DH.

    making room for madrigal or/and masterboney to get a significant amount of ABs is a misuse of the roster.  if it needed to get taken care of this offseason, they had tons of time to figure that out.

    morel played almost exclusively at 3rd in winter ball and they had him almost exclusively there all spring when he wasn't DH'ing.

    madrigal doing a good job with the glove for a bit over 2 chances per game...is that worth more than what he brings with the bat 4-5 PA a game?  it's 2024 and we got glenn beckert 2.0 manning 3rd base.

    this is a tauchman or cooper DH situation based on bat, alone.  cooper is 3/7 with a double off eovaldi if you want to play the most successful matchup.

    anyway, i hope this is a temporary thing, not business as usual for the rest of the season.  it will be telling if morel is not used at 3rd when an extreme fly ball pitcher like imanaga is on the mound.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    There are two clear "logjams" in the Cubs minor league pipeline at the present time, namely AA outfielders (K. Alcantara, C. Franklin, Roederer, Pagan, Pinango, Beesley, and Nwogu) and Hi-A infielders (J. Rojas, P. Ramirez, Howard, R. Morel, Pertuz, R. Garcia, and Spence, although Morel has been getting a lot of reps in the outfield in addition to infield). So it is possible that you might see a trade involving one of the extra outfielders at AA and/or one of the extra infielders at Hi-A in the next few days. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season.