Christmas In August

Dusty must be in the dumps today, but I'm sure Freddie Bynum is encouraged.

ITS ABOUT FRICKIN TIME!!!!!! HE IS GONE, BOY IM SO GLAD.....MAYBE WE CAN FINALLY SEE CEDENO GET SOME UNINTERUPTED PLAYING TIME....THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST NEWS FOR A CUBS FAN SO FAR THIS YEAR

This explains why Neifi wasn't starting today.

This redeems the entire season for me.

twinscubsfandon: "This redeems the entire season for me." This is a little extreme, isn't it?

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Maybe Dusty will resign in protest that his "Team MVP" has been traded.

Is Ronny trying to make us miss Neifi?

Does anybody else get the feeling that Hendry is taking away Dusty's favorite toys?

Bye-bye, my hero. We'll always have the West Coast 2005.

I don't think it redeems the season, but it's certainly the high point of it.

It looks like Hendry may actually be taking control of who Dusty is playing each day. I would imaging Mabry is gone this week with Rusch gone sometime this winter. This is season is such a waste but if Dusty gone things may look decent for 2007.

I don't know about you guys but I'm starting to very much dislike Ronnie Cedeno. The ob%, the 11 doubles, the mental errors, the real errors. I'm pretty sick of seeing him play. I also noticed Epat is at Iowa now.

Robinson is only 22 btw.

cedeno playing a slick SS was his meal ticket...him being an average 2nd baseman who hits worse than neifi isnt really something to look forward to in 07. not that i wanna see lugo, or see them do something stupid like throw 6+m at loretta, but meh...if his learning curve involves the 07 cubs i hope they really do upgrade in the corner OF as far as the bats go.

so the cubs trade neifi and ALL of his contract and get back a guy who appears to have two legs and at least one arm? I am very confused...

no one's fully addressed the money situation...it could pop up within the next couple days, as par with more than a few trades. still...he was expendable. theriot's good enough for backup, though i'd prefer cedeno backing up...that's not an 06 option, though. well, unless they suddenly decide to give theriot a shot which would be...well, i dunno...sad or desperate, you can pick one.

If more than $1 million was changing hands, the deal would require league approval, right? I'm sure if that was the case, the Cubs press release would mention it.

Dusty wept.

yeah 22 years old, math is hard.

"so the cubs trade neifi and ALL of his contract and get back a guy who appears to have two legs and at least one arm?" - Bacon Until we see a current picture of Robinson I think it would be a mistake to assume he has as many as three working limbs..

I think it would be wise for Hendry to put Dusty on suicide watch. He's probably drunk by now...

believe so slack.

Fully agree with the Cedeno comments -- there is nothing that he does particularly well. He has no concept of the strike zone, and has no power, so he needs a high BA to have any offensive value. Also, he seems to panic in the field -- as Brenley says, some guys stay calm and slow the game down, Ronnie's a guy that unnecessarily speeds the game up. His unnecessary sliding play on Marquis' routine grounder Friday was a prime example -- no reason to do it, just pick the ball up, take your time, and throw the slow-footed pitcher out. Can't see them goign with 2 lousy offensive players at SS and 2B next year, and Izzy looks like a lock because of his defense. Odd to move Neifi move from Hendry's perspective -- he signed him for 2 years, and presumably liked him. To ship him off for some kid who we will probably never see at Wrigley is a big turn-around. Glad to see it, though!

"He's a legitimate everyday player and an outstanding utility player," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said. okay, pass the doochie pal. from "The Griddle": http://griddle.baseballtoaster.com/archives/4... With Placido Polanco out with a separated shoulder, the Tigers picked up some infield insurance in the form of Neifi Perez. I'm going to get a similar insurance policy for myself. I will pay AFLAC $10,000 a year and I will get $1,000 paid out to my heirs when I die. haha from cubs.com When asked about the Cubs trading Neifi Perez to the Tigers, a clearly distraught Dusty Baker was unable to speak as tears streamed down his cheek. okay I made that one up....

So did the Tiger's totally get screwed with that deal or what?

billybucks: Odd to move Neifi move from Hendry's perspective -- he signed him for 2 years, and presumably liked him. I agree, it's odd, but I'm still thinking Hendry signing Neifi had something to do with courting Furcal's agent. Odd or not, I like it, and I think it pretty much means Dusty won't be back next year...as if there were any questions remaining about Dusty's future. Sorry mannytrillo.

I can't think of another move in history that simultaneously helped both the Cubs and White Sox.

I hate to lose but today's loss didn't bother me. At least Mateo was able to continue to pitch and put up goose eggs, which in the course of his development is a good thing. Losing Nefi was another good thing, the only problem is, we'll probably see alot more Freddie Bynum.

"Until we see a current picture of Robinson I think it would be a mistake to assume he has as many as three working limbs.." Well, the tigstown blurb says "Robinson's arm is very strong... and very good foot work" They use the singular "arm" and singular "foot", so we are assured two limbs. That's one more then i really expected. Any thing else is just gravy.

So now we can see if Theriot is an everyday infielder, maybe Theriot-Cedeno is better than Iztirius(sp?)-cedeno. But YAHOOO no more Neifi. scooterÆ

Hendry says it's nice to have catching up and down the organization; the Tigers Web site claims Robinson projects as nothing more than a back-up catcher. It's a great trade, regardless. Is it too late to throw Bynum in the deal?

Robinson has been hitting the ball a lot better lately. Had a terrible April, but has improved each month since then and had a very good july. Still lacking power though obviously.

I'm as glad Neifi is gone as anyone, but I fail to see this as good news. Cesar Izturis is probably a carbon copy of Neifi Perez, but he's perceived as an everyday player. The Cubs have gone from having Neifi as a utility guy to having him as their starting SS.

This is so classic. You see boys people know baseball better than you. That's why they work in baseball and you don't. Yet people in baseball like Neifi Perez and want him on their team. Neifi has been around this league for what, 11 years? Maybe he's doing something right. So good luck Neifi I now am rooting for you and the Tigers to win it all. Cause it would burn all of your asses here if that guy got a ring.

if you can play SS/2nd/3rd well, not be a distraction, and hit the occasional homer while getting on base 1:4 (3+:10 pace) you'll work. the occasional homer/double pop outta that guy IS key to his suplimental worth (the fact he can play SS is the only reason he's got a job, reguardless of his 2nd/3rd work). as far as paying 2.5m for a guy they dont intend on starting...whatever...that's det's problem now. btw...neifi doesnt get enough credit for his knowledge and attitude. he really should give more interviews, but i dont blame him after pedro martinez (and other truely nice guys...yes, i remember the zim incident hehe) have been turned to crap in the press occasionally.

Thank you, dear Lord. Freddy Bynum will be back with the big-league club, which won't be great, and Crunch and Chad and Manny T et al will probably continue to bark about how solid Neifi is and how much real baseball people know and value him, which will be annoying, but I personally haven't been happier since Hendry DFA'd Jose F. Macias.

Chad, I'll be rooting for the Tigers (and Neifi) as well, but how exactly will it "burn all of our asses" if Neifi gets a ring? Because he was an six-week injury replacement for a 100 win team? Whatever.

David Geiser: Cesar Izturis is probably a carbon copy of Neifi Perez Ok, I'll bite. Neifi's superb defense is only imagined. As Public Enemy said, don't believe the hype. He has a great arm and is above average with the glove, but he's not going to win a golden glove. Also, Izzy will *at least* reach base every 1 out of 3 plate appearances. That's wishful thinking for Neifi. Anyways, I'd rather have someone like Furcal or Jeter playing for my Cubbies, but please, don't compare Izturis to Neifi.

In this F'ed up season, don't be suprise if Neifi is the World Series MVP.

Neifi has been around this league for what, 11 years? Maybe he's doing something right. He's got a good glove, if he never batted second or got 100 AB's a year not many people would care. Of course 2 other organization released him already. Since I doubt he'll be playing all that much or batting second, I doubt he'll have much impact on the Tigers season.

"Crunch and Chad and Manny T et al will probably continue to bark about how solid Neifi is and how much real baseball people know and value him, which will be annoying" know what's really annoying. when you dont say that, but if you dare to compare him to theriot/cedeno you get labeled as a lover of all things neifi...or dusty...or whatever the "thing" of the week/month is. guess what...comparing 1 player to another...and you dont like it...you need to sort it out why you don't believe it or you need to accept it. you can also dismiss it, but how about doing it to you insted of getting pissed at someone just brining you info and opinion...especially the info stuff. im not looking an appology...etc etc...none of this matters. we're all cubs fans, period...well most of us. seriously, though...just cuz i bring some bad news about player traits doesn't mean i fully support and root for the opposite. it just means there's gonna be a high probability of 2 flavors (or more) of crap...NONE OF WHICH i really care much about. it may upset some when they play, but i could generally care less when the alternative is crap. its all crap to me.

Neifi is a role player, one the Tigers could use. He's useful, if used correctly and in limited playing time. The Tigers needed a temporary SS, and the Tigers didn't have anyone to backup Polanco. If Placido does come back before the end of the season, Neifi is a good backup. Either way, he is an upgrade over the gaping hole that was created by Polanco's injury. That's the type of team Neifi should be on, one that could use him, instead of one that blocks young players from gaining major leage experince, hurting the club's future. If Neifi does get a ring from this, which is not improbable, it will be because he became part of a greater machine, which the Tigers are right now, rather than a useless part taking up space which he was on the Cubs.

Will Neifi bat second?

hey chad, I know he's been in the league for a few years, but believe it or not, some baseball organizations are not that well run, and Colorado, Kansas City and the Cubs are three of them. Neifi shows up to the park every day, makes few errors and puts the ball in play. This is enough for the casual fan to not hate him, and is enough for some GM's to think that they can still sell tickets with him out there. However, no elite team or GM has ever valued his services as much of anything, and I would suggest that if not for Dusty's blood oath to play him whenever possible Neifi would already be out of baseball.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/cu... "I don't play the excuse game. Nobody cares about excuses," Hendry says. "But Dusty shouldn't be sharing a higher percentage of the blame than anyone else. In reality, there is enough blame for all of us. I was the one who brought Dusty here. I have to bear the responsibility of the operations. "If we're not winning when my contract is up (after the 2008 season), I should get whacked myself." it goes on about all the racist letters Baker gets and some players saying that Wrigley isn't such a great place to play....

Crunch, I'm guessing that was aimed at me, but honestly I couldn't make heads or tails of what you said. If you were referring to our discussion of a few days ago regarding Neifi and Theriot, I'll agree that they're both crap. I personally am not convinced by Theriot's "resurgence" (or whatever you want to call it) since spring training, despite the reports from AZ Phil (whose opinion I of course value highly) and others. My only assertion in that discussion was and is that in nearly every case, if I have to choose between Neifi and some other player, I'm going to go with the latter. Unless it's Jose Macias.

scooterÆ what's with the registered "trademark" i.d. for Scooter? Is this trademarked for blog usage? I don't get it. I don't think that "Scooter" is unique to blogosphere...

I think, perhaps, Crunch has been drinking a bit. That last post was even less coherent than most.

Good news from the Tribune: "The Cubs will save about $500,000 on Perez's 2006 salary, and they're completely off the hook for his $2.5 million salary in '07." "Of the players who remain Cubs property in 2007, the team is committed to only $55 million: Lee ($13 million), Ramirez ($11.5 million), Ryan Dempster ($5.3 million), Jacque Jones ($5 million), Bob Howry ($4.5 million), Michael Barrett ($4.3 million), Cesar Izturis ($4.15 million), Scott Eyre ($4 million) and Glendon Rusch ($3.25 million)."

E-man, it's a gimmick that makes his moniker unique. Rob G.: USA Today: Hendry: If we're not winning when my contract is up (after the 2008 season), I should get whacked myself. That's pretty drastic. Maybe he could just get fired or something. I'd hate to see anyone getting whacked over baseball. That reminds me, anyone heard the latest on Urbina?

"My only assertion in that discussion was and is that in nearly every case, if I have to choose between Neifi and some other player, I'm going to go with the latter. Unless it's Jose Macias." and me, i could care less...that's cool. i just get put on "sides" sometimes when its not my intention to even have an agenda, hidden or otherwise. the things that piss me off sometimes arent the same things that piss off others...things that dont mean anything to me mean a lot to others and vice-versa. i got a LOT of hell when i brought some dubois info here and took a stand that he's worthless based on what ive seen, been told, and otherwise exposed to. after that and talk about hawkins, not caring about which scrub plays middle IF, etc...i got put in some pro-dusty camp...then i had to explain my view on managers which opened up another can of sh*t. that's just where im coming from on this...im not trying to single you out...just saying im not some neifi booster or whatever. as far as things like neifi/cedeno/theriot, i have an opinion on what flavor of crap i like the best, but ultimately i could care less who is there if theyre the only options to realistically put in play.

I'm scouring the internet looking for a picture of Neifi with a Detroit hat on. What a beautiful sight.

"The Cubs will save about $500,000 on Perez's 2006 salary, and they're completely off the hook for his $2.5 million salary in '07." GM OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!! kidding.... but wow, what does Hendry have on Dombrowski?

that's just where im coming from on this...im not trying to single you out...just saying im not some neifi booster or whatever. Gotcha, cool.

Yet people in baseball like Neifi Perez and want him on their team. Neifi has been around this league for what, 11 years? Maybe he's doing something right. Sure, he's been in the league 11 years. He's also been DFA'd - outright released, told he's not worth a roster spot - Twice, including once by the Kansas City Royals! If it wasn't for the Cubs, Neifi would be cleaning jocks as Assistant Clubhouse Manager for a Japanese League team. As for Detroit, I think this shows just how getting close to the post season for the first time in forever can lead even good GM's into making pretty desparate moves.

"but wow, what does Hendry have on Dombrowski?" I do believe Hendry was one of Dombrowski's top assistants with the Marlins so maybe he knew that he went Harlod Reynolds one of his secertaries. The cost of going through a divorce is the only reason I can think of to pay Neifi 2.5 MIl instead.

Somewhere in a corner Manny and Dusty are rocking each other to sleep....

Is it me or is Neifi the worst .276 hitter in Cubs history? I was walking down the street today listening to the game, happy that I had missed the John Fogarty interview,but sad I still had Andy Mazar ahead. Anyway, when I heard that the rumor in the SunTimes was true, I literally did a fist pump and yelled, "yes." Despite being in downtown chicago, there was no one around, must have been the damned airshow. A lot the comments on here are great. I thought Al Yellon over at bleedcubbieblue made a couple of good points, that sort of crystalize (other posters here made similar points) my feelings. I did everything I could to love Neifi, you really (this was 2004) that Mr. perez would be a great pickup. As the months passed, Dusty showed his bizarre neifi addiction. He refused to go to NA and it made me sick. I often wondered if Nefifi had some kind of info that he blackmailed Dusty with for playing time. Chicago turned on Dusty really fast--and I did too. He deserved it. Part ofexcitment over this trade was that Dusty lost his favorite player and it seems his stay will indeed end soon (sorry Phil Rogers). I've been watching the Cubs since 1981--Ken Reitz is still missed-and have rarely felt such intense anger at a Cubs manager. WE've had some awful men here (not as people, managers) and I can't help but put Dusty among the worst. NOt Jim Essian for sure. But, bad. I didn't pay much attention to his failings until the famed Game 6 (and I still blame Alou's tantrum more thatn anything). He, somehow, has no clue how to handle a pitching staff. I met Dusty in a bar with Dick Pole (who I talked to about his first tour with the Cubs) and he couldn't have been more gracious. But on the field--jesus. Neifi was a symbol. We will always be indebted to him for the 1998 wild card. I will never forget the catch he made last July in St. Louis on an Albert Puljos smash up the middle to win a game, or grandslam the night before. ANd I hopehe does well--a good guy. Anyway, Dusty's complete inability to give guys who deserve playing time, their playing time. Hendry makes his mistakes and this RObinson could be another Bo Flowers...buit, I'll give him another year. Questions, questions: LaTroy Hawkins -- successful middle reliever who should have stayed there. Why doesn't Murton play every single day? The over reliance on certain guys--Novoa, the entire crap bullpen in '03 in the 'pen. He couldn't juggle properly--made to many switchs based on the percentages. I loved the way DOn Zimmer did it--why I don't know. This goes to the entire business of what SCott Williamson courageously called, "Dusty's Boys." I wish the Cubs till had him. He was honest. For some unknown reason Dusty used Novoa before him. Walk, love him or hate him, spoke out too...shipped out. Again, made sense to trade them, but I loved them because they had the balls to criticze the most overrated manager in baseball. And, then, today Hendry quits shaping the roster to make Dusty happy. There really is a God. See, this is a terrible post, I know. I just have all this pent up frustration. I hate how Dusty played favorites. ANgel Pagan? Bynum? Macias? What the heck? I am now repeating myself. What I think I hate even more is the constant stream of cliches and excuses. I'll be fine dude. I don't have the horses. Yeah? You do your best--you maximize value. Would Mabry has been ok in May at first? Who knows? Why not try? Ok, bad example. And, then the Rothchild-Dusty issue. Is Rothchild really overrated or is it that Dusty can't get anything out of these guys? I never was a big believer in pitch count stuff. Yet, now I wonder. I will not join the chorus of people who blame him for Wood's injuries. His high pitch counts go back to Praire View Texas. Prior? I think fans are idiotic to want him to go away, is it Dusty's fault. Not likely, Prior's stubborn belief in his own perfection and refusal to entertain a new troutine. Maybe high pitch counts though. I said that either Howry or Eyre would end up on the disabled list given how Dusty thought they were Catfish Hunter and could go everyday. And Z? I pray fpor that arm. YOu rest guys and save an arm and then choose a decent reliever. Russ Ortiz where are you now? And Hawkins as closer, over and over and destroying his fragile confidence. Hendry? Yeah, blame him fairly. Bad decisions, bad spending,etc. No steroids could help Dusty's men. Dusty might well win in the futur ewith a team devoid of rookies and filled with vets. No question he is beloved by many of his players. Ahh...Steve Stone. I'll never forgive Dusty for that. And then the Cubs only have $55 mil for next year? The most crucial year of the Hendry era. Money to spend (even with the Trib stock in the toilet) and a manger to hire. I know nothing about Fredi Gonzalez and don't know if GIradi or Pinella would work. I hope. I hope Pierre won't walk just because (wait, he doesn't walk anyway) Dusty is gone. We need something to show for the idiotic dumping of RIcky Nolasco. I just hope he doesn't sign one, say a Jason Marquis, assume that guy is a #2 and give us three rookies again. Carlos Lee? Barry Zito? Please. The cubs once offered Mike Hampton 90 mil and always seem to come in second. So, good luck Neifi, I'll replace you with Freddie Bynum and then it will all be over. At least, according to Pat and Ron, we will have names back on the uniforms next year--we will need them. What the hell did I just write about? I have no idea--a blog that no one will read. I just hope we don't become the Blackhawks.

Great Trade by Hendry!! Frees up $2.5 million next year and getting rid of a player who we already have two duplicates of already (Cedeno and Izzy). It is good to see Hendry get rid of one of his mistake contracts. Maybe he is turning over a new leaf. Also, it is good to see that he admits he should be fired by the end of 2008 if he doesn't win, it is long overdue, but that means there might at least be a light at the end of the tunnel. And as for those of you that feel the need to bring me, or others, personally into this Neifi trade, I feel very sad for you, but if makes you feel better, I guess its all good. Go Cubs fans!!!

sorry for the double post--bad wifi connection. P.S. Will the CUbs take a real walk next year or two?

Here is Callis view on the trade though its most regirguation of what everyone else has said: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/n...

The Red Sox blew the game tonight in the 9th and have now lost 4 straight to the Yankees this weekend. They are now 5.5 back. I wonder if that reporter that asked Schilling the other day about the Wild Card will ask him again. Schilling snapped at him, and I pointed out that maybe they are feeling the pressure in BOST if Schilling reacts like he did to that kind of question. Well, after this weekend, there is no question the pressure is mounting.

no worries mandel about the double post, I got rid of one for you. There's some odd thing with our server here, but if you get a connection error after hitting post, just don't hit "Reload". The comment always goes through. Just go back to the TCR homepage and open up the comments again, you'll see it.

As a Sox fan, I feel no pressure and don't feel the players should be pressured. The ones they ask questions of, Papi, Papelbon, Schilling are all doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Pressure on those guys? No. Pressure is all on those who have tanked it since the ASB. Watching this team, it's clear that they don't have what it takes to succeed in the postseason, but short of David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez heroics in 25-30 of our remaining schedule, this team will not make the playoffs anyway. The only way in which I think there should be pressure is on the FO to settle in, get our best AAA players up, and see what we have there. Pedroia, Edgar Martinez(who is in AA, I think), heck, give David Pauley another start. We had a good run and came up short. Can't count on the Yankees to run off a losing streak of about 10, can't count on the same from the White Sox. Cubs fans, have to echo all your sentiments. Dusty seems like a fine person, but his refusal to play players who aren't 30+ MI with above-average gloves was killing your team. Neifi Perez was not, but the way in which he was used didn't help. Girardi has gotten a LOT out of his young players in Florida. They like playing for him and he's not afraid to let them try, try again should they fail for a little while. That kind of faith can do as much for a player sometimes as their natural ability. Personally, I feel Cedeno was ruined for the short-term because he knew his job was not set for any period of time. Most of his errors seem done out of nervousness. Gold Glove material given the right manager? No. Productive hitter with passable glove in the MI given chance to succeed with a little less pressure? Possibly. And that's just Cedeno. Look to the future Cubs fans. A brighter future with another manager (incredibly likely), though you all probably know more about that than me.

"If it wasn't for the Cubs, Neifi would be cleaning jocks as Assistant Clubhouse Manager for a Japanese League team" TOTALLY MADE UP. You have no idea who was making him offers when the Cubs called. Minor league deals. Veteran minimums. Who knows? You don't. The fact remains that he'll being playin pro ball next year. Maybe for the defending World Champs maybe not. But the fact remains that some team will find space for him. Good luck Tigers, I hope Neifi is crowned World Series MVP.

Chad, You seem to have missed the point. Maybe some team will find space for him, although he has been cut several times in the past, but HE WAS ON PACE TO GET 300 AT BATS with the Cubs. The only players with around that many ABs who are worse hitters are Brad Ausmus and our own Cedeno. Neifi is a horrible hitter, but that's not really his fault. He knows he can't hit, that's why he tries ninth inning 2 out bunts. Dusty and Hendry are the real ones to blame because they kept sending him out there to hit. So maybe some team will find space for him, but if that team gives him more than 100 AB's that team will be, like the Cubs this year, a horrible team.

a little trouble in paradise for joe girardi......hmmmm maybe comin to the cubs next year??? \

Marc you missed the point. Neifi was signed as a backup. Last year he was our starting shortstop due to Nomars bum leg. This year DLee got hurt. We had no one to really back him up. Walker went to first and VIOLA! Neifi!!!! If Lee didn't get hurt Neifi would still just be a bench player.

hairston flopped, too... shame...he was hitting well in spring (not for power, though)...speed was back. then he hit the regular season and his bat slowed to craptastic speed. at least womack had a nice run in his limited cubs experience in the majors.

how long are they gonna keep theyre mixup uncorrected? heheh...i do believe that 'why' in this article is supposed to be a 'when' but WHOEVER inputed it on the website had a brainfart...heh. --- Reply to where Perez is playing: Detroit By Paul Sullivan Tribune staff reporter August 20, 2006 The oft-asked questionó"Why is Neifi playing today?"ófinally was answered Sunday when the Cubs dealt Neifi Perez to Detroit for a low-level catching prospect. --- http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sport...

"'why' in this article is supposed to be a 'when'" uh...make that a "where" insted of a "when" =p

epat adds to his 1:4 (HR) and error debut with a 2:4 (2 singles) and a SB tonight. pie 1:4 2k, btw...and bynum 1:2 (played LF)...removed early and probally on his way to chicago if not already there.

"Whooping boy"?

368 Sign, Neifi has had a wet, hacking cough for the past year or so.

btw, Trib says cubs home jersies will have names on them next year. kinda sucks, but the cubs cited the huge amount of roster turnover/rookies this year. kinda makes sense. great trade to get rid of neifi and free up more salary for next year....watch the cubs blow it by signing sidney ponson to guaranteed money for no reason. he can have eating competitions with rusch.

OK, I'll be the first to say it: What the hell is Freddy Bynum doing batting second?!?!? Damn you, Dusty!!! Gotta have a "whooping boy".

Crunch: i do believe that 'why' in this article is supposed to be a 'when' but WHOEVER inputed it on the website had a brainfart...heh. It wasn't a brainfart. The point was, that on Saturday, there was finally a legitimate answer to the question. Q: Why is Neifi playing today? A: Because the Detroit Tigers are scouting him. I agree it's confusing though, because it doesn't jive with the headline. But, I don't think the reporters come up with the headlines, typically.

its a pretty bad flow if that's not just some web flunky typing fast than he thinks. ive seen errors show up in articles before...misspellings, weird characters inserted in text, straight up weirdness. i guess that's just bad collective presentation if its not been changed by now =p

The "Why is Neifi playing today?" thing is sort of stupid. On one hand, Sullivan is acknowledging that it is curious; on the other, he admits that it was to evaluate him for a trade--that initiated on Saturday. In other words, Neifi's playing time earlier in the year made no sense. He says that without ever drawing the full conclusion--and going after Baker.

Chad: Marc you missed the point. Neifi was signed as a backup. I think the point is, Neifi is only somewhat useful on a team where the manager is not an imbecile and can use him correctly. On the Cubs, this was not the case, he was batting second and starting anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the games. Green Lantern: great trade to get rid of neifi and free up more salary for next year....watch the cubs blow it by signing sidney ponson to guaranteed money for no reason. lol, that's so funny, because I've been saying the Cubs need to find 5 arms just like Ponson. Guys who will not win a Cy Young, but will at least go out every 5 days, give up their 4 runs and give your offense a chance to win. They are also guys that won't break the bank. The White Sox, Cards, Red Sox have all put together pretty good offensive teams around rotations like this.

Wow, I see Ponson has pretty much sucked lately, so maybe he's a bad example. My point remains about the pitching rotation, though.

Glavine may be done for the season, you think they would want "Tits" Rusch? If Hendry could pull that off he would be up for a Nobel Prize.

"Good luck Tigers, I hope Neifi is crowned World Series MVP." Chad-What are you, Neifi's agent?? Try to sound more bitter or something...geez.

This is the best day in at least two years. Neifi is history.

Hendry is a god!! Only question is why he couldn't throw Glendon into the deal. I was actually expecting a bag of waterlogged balls with broken seams so a name that is tracable to stats is much better. Anyone verified the limb count yet? 10 days left until the playoff rosters hit concrete, who else moves? Mabry? Nevin? Murton? Izzy?

Oh yeah, does this mean there will be some pictures published soon or is going to a contender enough to prevent that?

I was really expecting/hoping for a "Our Long National Nightmare is Over" Headline...

Why all the Neifi hate? I've never understood why Neifi gets the blame for everything from the billy goat curse to the assassination of JFK. Neifi was a decent bench player. He was a good guy to have as a late inning defensive replacement. Unfortunately, Dusty and injuries forced him into roles he was not cut out for. You can blame Dusty for misusing him, but you can't blame Neifi for showing up everyday ready to play. I never blamed Neifi for the Cubs problems and I don't think the Cubs are a better team today without him. He was just one of the symptoms of a GM who places too much value on the "Neifi Perez" skill set and a manager who is prone to misuse/overuse his players.

Right on, Sweet Lou. As I said earlier. Ryno: I think the point is, Neifi is only somewhat useful on a team where the manager is not an imbecile and can use him correctly. On the Cubs, this was not the case, he was batting second and starting anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the games.

I believe most of the posters feelings against Neifi were in the misuse file rather than Neifi himself file. Like I said do you think he will bat second in Detroit? Or sixth?I believe he will bat in the spot made for him-9th.

You can't hate a player whose main problem is swinging at the first pitch and then grounding into a double play? If you can't hate that, then you will never hate any player in MLB. Seriously, maybe Neifi would be a better hitter if hejust STOPPED and took a few pitches. Because apparently what he has done for the last 10 years isn't working. Neifi and Baker were made for each other, they are both retards who keep going back and doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

It's always interesting to analyze the skills of a newly acquired Cub like Robinson, but this is one time where I just don't care how good he is. At all. If the Cubs had waived Neifi and a team had picked him up and agreed to pay his full 2007 salary, I would have been elated. That by itself would have been a good thing. So to have added a player (any player!) as part of the deal is pure gravy. So, sure, let's look into how good this gravy is. But let's not forget that even if his arms fall off this afternoon, this deal is great for the Cubs.

Ok, I'll bite. Neifi's superb defense is only imagined. As Public Enemy said, don't believe the hype. He has a great arm and is above average with the glove, but he's not going to win a golden glove. Izturis makes some spectacular plays, but the numbers don't show him to be the second coming of Ozzie Smith either. Also, Izzy will *at least* reach base every 1 out of 3 plate appearances. That's wishful thinking for Neifi. It would seem to be wishful thinking for Izturis too, whose .295 career OBA is actually lower than Neifi's, and whose single season career high is .330. And yes, I know there are opposite park factors at work here, but a .295 OBA sucks in any context. Furthermore, his injuries have limited his mobility, which will probably translate to a lower BA, which is really his only potential strong suit. What Izturis has going for him is his age, and the possibility that he could blossom and put together a genuinely good year or two. More likely, we have what I said: a carbon copy of Neifi Perez, but instead of having him as a utility player, we have him as the starting shortstop.

What are the chances of the Twins not picking up Luis Castillo's 2007 option? (5.7MM or 500K buyout) That would be a prime option at 2B and give cedeno a year or so to learn 2B in the minors. Also, does anyone have an educated opinion on how Chris Robinson is developing in the minors? How long has he been in high-A?

TOTALLY MADE UP. You have no idea who was making him offers when the Cubs called. Minor league deals. Veteran minimums. Who knows? You don't. You're right, I did make that up. Instead of being an assistant clubhouse manager in a Japanese League, he might have become the pool boy at the home of a real major league baseball player. Or maybe he could have even found an Independant baseball league where he could have become an effective bench jockey. The fact remains, Neifi owes his career to the Cubs. After being DFA'd for the second time, not only are there few teams that would have been interested in picking him up, but there are almost no teams that would have given Neifi nearly as many opportunities to "prove" himself. and mark my words: Neifi will be DFA'd again before the end of next season.

With Neifi, as with pretty much everything on TCR, the hatred/hyperbole is overboard. No question, the guy's OBP was terrible. And while we all know OBP's importance, it's not everything about the game. This year, batting second, he hit .294, his highest average in any spot in the order. He hit .302 with RISP, .438 with a man on 3B and two out. Etc. Of course, now I will be labeled a Neifi Lover or a Dusty Supporter, when all I'm trying to point out is that the guy wasn't nearly as satanic as people here made him out to be...while also noting that, yeah, in an ideal world, he would've played less often. While he did hit into a whopping 22 DPs last year, he hit into only three this year. But let's complain about last year, as that does a lot of good now.

After 45 years of watching slugs like Elder White, Jose Arcia, Dave Rosello, Rob Sperring, Steve Dillard, Dave Owen, Tom Veryzer, Angel Salazar, Domingo Ramos, Manny Alexander, Augie Ojeda, et al as the Cubs back-up middle-infielder, I found it impossible to hate Neifi Perez. Heck, I can think of maybe a couple of back-up Cubs middle-infielders since 1961 who were as good as Neifi, and they are Paul Popovich (who rarely played) and Jose Vizcaino. And neither of them could play defense like Neifi can. So I did not find fault with Neifi Perez as the Cubs back-up middle infielder. My problem with Neifi had to do with Dusty starting Neifi more often than was necessary and hitting him second in the order when he was in the starting lineup, and with Hendry giving him a $5m two-year contract, none of which was Neifi's fault. I wish the Cubs had had somebody like Neifi as their back-up middle-infielder in 1968, 1984, and 1989.

What did people here think of LaRussa walking Cedeno to load the bases for Nevin on Saturday? I understood LaRussa what wanted to do, but I thought it was a terrible move. I pitch to Cedeno in that situation.

I don't think people hated Neifi because he sucked, or even how he was used. I think a lot of people hated him because he was the prime example of Hendry's misguided spending philosophy. He wastes multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts on replacement-level guys and then wonders why he never has the money to go after big name free agents. If Neifi were a 23 year old major league minimum player, people wouldn't care so much that he sucks. But since he's a veteran with a bloated contract, he's seen as a larger problem.

Tito, typical La Russa. Ronny hitting .276 v. righties this year with Nevin hitting .247 I bet you Tony La Russa knew those splits when he made that decision, too. I hate the Cards as much as the next guy, but you have to awe over La Russa's baseball genious.

Recent Deadline Trades: Have you seen the Great Scott Williamson stats lately? 5.21 era? 15 day DL TWalk is at .275? What position is he playing THIS week? Now the Neifi watch begins. BTW, RFurcal carries the 11th best average for SS in MLB @ .285 - and an OBP of .360 If only we had signed he AND Pierre!

David Geiser: Izturis makes some spectacular plays, but the numbers don't show him to be the second coming of Ozzie Smith either. I have little to no faith in defense statistics. I consider Izturis a wiz with the glove. It would seem to be wishful thinking for Izturis too, whose .295 career OBA is actually lower than Neifi's, and whose single season career high is .330. That's a good point and nice observation. Still, if I had to put money on one or the other's OBP, I'd put it on Izturis, just based on recent trends. If I could really tell the future I'd be playing the stock market right now, not posting on TCR. In my opinion, though, Izturis projects to have an insignificantly higher OBP. Mike C: Seriously, maybe Neifi would be a better hitter if hejust STOPPED and took a few pitches. Because apparently what he has done for the last 10 years isn't working. Number of Pitches per Plate Appearance Neifi 2003 - 3.15 2004 - 3.39 2005 - 3.24 2006 - 3.17 2001-2006 - 3.28 Izturis 2003 - 3.21 2004 - 3.55 2005 - 3.64 2006 - 3.62 Career - 3.38 Pierre '05 - 3.70 D. Lee '05 - 4.03 C. Pat '05 - 3.37 J Jones '05 - 3.59 (Notorious free-swinger)

Who is replacing the mighty Neifi on the roster?

guessing that they will call up Bynum to replace Neifi.

Tito, you of course, are not a "Neifi-lover"...but you may be a Neifi-sympthasizer"..lol. Hre are a couple of other stats on Neifi: vs. RHP .241/.2234/.260 Home: .248/.265/.336 Day games: .189/.203/.311 Since All Star Break: .254/.260/.296 He played too much for a marginal, defensive-replacement type player, and was overpaid @ $2.5 mill. Sayonara Niefi!!!

Usa Today Article.. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/cu... Pretty much paints Chicago Cubs fans as racist.

2 virtual dollars on wade miller as the neifi replacement.

I was really expecting/hoping for a "Our Long National Nightmare is Over" Headline... I think we've killed that headline to death here, but it was an option. And much like the "whooping cough", Neifi was an irksome disease that you couldn't get rid of and eventually led to a slow, painful death:)

That USA Today article is brutal.

What did people here think of LaRussa walking Cedeno to load the bases for Nevin on Saturday? that he's a moron. With one out, Larussa was hoping for a double play i guess and loading the bases makes that easier, plus Nevin's slower. But Cedeno has hit pretty awful with runners on this year and chances of him hitting it far enough for a sac fly are slim.

Usa Today Article..... Pretty much paints Chicago Cubs fans as racist. - The article is terrible; it focuses on a handful of idiots who do not represent Cubs fans or Chicagoans as a whole. I'm disappointed that USA Today would print something of this nature as I always felt it was a good paper. Painting the situation that the family cannot go to Wrigley is ridiculous because a handfull of morons. With that said, I am also upset that people take it this far. I--like many of you--practically live for this team. Whether we feel Baker needs to go or that he isn't the problem can always be debated. I don't get how someone could somehow relate race to the shortcomings he (or Baylor) had as a manager. Haven't we all learned from the past? But you would think the paper would point out that only a dumbass would bring race into this, and while we don't have actual proof--these letters do not represent the city itself.

He hit .302 with RISP, .438 with a man on 3B and two out. Etc. This involves 55 PA in the former and a laughable 16 in the latter, so bringing that up will get you labeled as being statistically dishonest, not as a Dusty supporter. Although Neifi is best in small, infrequent doses, I doubt that was the point you were trying to make.

I think the fact that the fans who bring race into any of this are dumbasses pretty much speaks for itself. It's not a reporter's job to say, "By the way, most Chicagoans don't use the n-word." The Jacque Jones thing is bizarre to me. Here's a guy with a weak arm who should be the lefty half of a leftfield platoon brought in for a foolish amount of money and years to play 162 games a year in rightfield. He wasn't replacing a good player, and, while he started slow, was just one of many reasons the Cubs weren't winning in the first half. And yet, some racist assholes took it upon themselves to attack him verbally and in letters. I just don't get that one,

My point in bringing up those Neifi stats was not to be dishonest but to show that in the rare instances where he was in those situations, he came through...i.e., he wasn't the total disaster people here like to make him out to be. I could've also posted that he was like 8 for 58 with the bases empty, if that makes you feel better. His other shortcomings are pretty well-evident and discussed here ad nauseum.

Re: LaRussa I was elated to see him walk Cedeno. There is no way Cedeno would have gotten the run home from 3rd -- he never does. I would have had Isringhausen throw him nothing but sliders down and away and watch him chase each and every one. I agree Neifi can be a useful backup and was misused, but he still made one of the worst plays I have ever seen in The Neifi Game vs. the Braves. JJ catches the sac fly, relays the ball to Neifi, who stands still until the ball is right on top of him, then leaps, misses the catch, then picks up the ball, panics and fires the ball a mile over Barrett's head when a mediocre, catchable throw would have gotten the runner. All he had to do was back up a few steps and catch the relay throw. He wasn't nearly as bad as portrayed on TCR, but, Lord, he wasn't good.

USA Today- Always an abundance of great journalism. Do they still have Yanni doing the NFL for them? Anyways there's few ways of looking at it, one the Cubs were one of the last National League teams to intergrate, but nowhere as bad as Boston. But to look at the most popular faces of this team in the last 40 years- Banks, Williams, Fergie,Dawon, Sammy and now DLee you could hardly peg this fan base as being racist. And for the players who did receive threats and letters I apologize. Not that it makes it right but consider the sources of these accusations Dusty, Hawkins and JJ. Dusty-Never met an excuse he didn't like Hawkins- held press conference before he became closer saying he will not talk to press after that and he could do their jobs and not his. JJ-I haven't heard much on him except his mother will kick your ass if you bad mouth him. Like I said this untolerable and uncondonable behavior and I doubt anyone of those people who wrote were acctually Cub fans. And if they were get a life and a clue.

The guy put together 900 PAs (effectively one and a third full seasons of starting), posted a 295ish OBP, and no amount of August 2004s or April 2005s or clutchness here or defense there can salvage that. A great day for Chicago baseball; it's nice that the Cubs help the Sox out like this.

5m bucks isnt really too foolish for a lefty who can hit 25 homers, 30 doubles, and run a bit (when he's not being picked off...glad that flukey era is over for him).

I agree, with Crunch. Or better yet, had we coupled Jones with a lefty masher ( Eduardo Perez was my favorite option, .923 OPS vs lefties this year) we could have had an all-star hitting calibre platoon for about $7 million.

That's just like you crunch to be so pro-Hendry. I'm sorry, I just had to. :)

hah. blah blah blah rant rant rant. adam dunn.

personally, i'd love to see j.jones as the LF'r next year, but i have no idea where the RF upgrade would come from. its so wide open right now, from FA market to possible trade market.

Does Soriano have enough arm to play RF?

Now all Hendry has to do is fleece...er flip Rusch to the Mets or Red Sox with zero dollars included in the transaction. For Baseball Tonight viewers and those who missed it, they're running down the top 3 All-time Web Gems from each team and the Cubs 3 were 3. Holly's attempt to leave his face on the RF wall in ANA of 2004 (interleague). 2. Sarge Jr's juggling act in 2001 vs COL 1. Rick Monday's US flag swipe from the idiots who attempted to flame it circa 1976... not exactly a web gem. Cubs top Gold Glove winners Sandberg 9 Santo 5 Maddux 5 Grace 4

"Anyways there's few ways of looking at it, one the Cubs were one of the last National League teams to intergrate" There's another factor too Jacos...Chicago was also the last northern city to desegregate. There's always been that stigma attached to Boston, but Chicago is just as bad if not worse.

Neifi DFA'd by the Tigers within a year? Don't even joke about that. We all know where he'd end up...

Yes Bogey, and also MLK called Chicago the most racist city in the North, but I would hope that in the last 40 years the city has progressed and what is happening to JJ and Dusty is not the norm. I can't speak for Boston but I understand that Jim Rice had a hard time there. IMO the Cubs could look like the old KC Monarchs if they would win the WS.

Chicago has made great strides, but it's still highly segregated. What it really boils down to is that there are still racist a-holes in every nook and cranny of the country, and then they breed and instill it in their children. It'll be generations before there's any real change, unfortunately. I think that USA Today article had a sort-of "it's just a few idiots" subtext, but it could've been made clear by adding one sentence to that effect.

The irony is that one of the most virulently racist communities in the city would be the Southside Irish, and it ainít Cubs tickets theyíre lining up for.

The Onion's take on the NL Central, in case you missed it: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51804 The last line is the best.

#129- "the Southside Irish" I am Southside Irish and a Cubs fan, I have scars for the fights I got in as a school boy. Your assement is mostly true, myself excluded, when Thomas was winning MVP awards they would bitch about him walking too much, as they sucked down Miller lites in their Robin Ventura jerseys.

chicago sports fans are brutal, period. the racist angle is a side effect of that; although it's not entirely undeserved. it's been kind of embarassing to be a cubs fan in the last 3-4 years, and not because of what's been going on the field. what happened to this fanbase? was 2003's success worth all the martyred whining and bitter hatred it has produced?

"chicago sports fans are brutal" I don't think their is hatred, none of the players need security, someone on this post mentioned they had a nice encounter with Dusty at a bar. If Dusty was afraid I'm sure he would have people around him to discourage this. The 86 Bears are treated like gods in this town, the 90's Bulls keep the UC still sold out, and even the Sox fanw acted classy, in their own way, when they won the WS. It's baseball. Not life and death. Whining on the other hand will tend to be loud when 100 years of futility is staring this fan base in the face.

I laughed my ass off when I say this on ESPN Tigers blow six-run lead |After dealing for IF Perez Even they know it

Sure, I feel bad for Dusty, Jacque, LaTroy, Corey, Baylor, etc., if they are subjected to this stupidity. But there's nothing most of us can do about it. If they don't want to read it, have MLB Security screen your mail for you. Guys SHOULD get booed when they're dogging it and/or showing incompetence. Baylor's so bitter about it. Maybe he should've been classy like Tony Pena and known when he'd lost his effectiveness. I would've booed his ass if he was an albino.

Man, that USA today piece has me pissed. I'm tempted to write a letter to Dusty, telilng him that I don't care if he was the king of spain, anybody who made the kind of decisions he does on a daily basis deserves every piece of hate mail he gets. Ugh. He's just doing it so that he has an excuse for not wanting the job next year when in fact he's being fired by the administration. He's been crying racism for years.

Dear god, Abreu saw 127 pitches in the Redsox series.

"Dear god, Abreu saw 127 pitches in the Redsox series." Why do I envision Hendry reading that and going,"Yeah, I agree MikeC, Abreu sucks." But hey, Neifi is gone, only a few more to go Nevin Mabry Rusch Baker Hendry McFail Tribune We are almost there

Neifi Perez traded !!! Christmas in August !!!

Racism is wrong. Sending hate mail is a federal crime. Dusty is a lot of things, but attacking the man based on the color of his skin is revolting. The comments from Don Baylor in the USA Today article are sobering in terms of Cub fans. If any of us ever sees somebody shouting out rascists comments in the stands, then they should quietly alert Wrigley security at once. I've only been to one game where I heard the "n" word shouted out. It happened this June in the right field stands. A couple of drunk frat boys were talking loudly over their opinion of Jacque Jones. Made me sick. Unfortunately, I didn't have the ambition to get up and find Wrigley security, but I wish I did in hindsight. Baseball is a sport and pastime. Dusty Baker isn't out there running a third world country or something. People need to get a grip. Dusty will be gone at the end of the season. Let the man finish his tenure in peace.

How many PA's was that? If it was 25, it's not that impressive.

Does anyone know if NEifi left for detroit yesterday (I know he was he traded), but did he actually land there yesterday. I might well sound like I'm on the crack pipe, but I swear I saw Neifi getting into a limo this morning. It was just before 9am and I was on my way to work. It was the 500 block of North Deaborn. There were a couple of people saying goodbye--a woman and what appeared to friends. He was wearing a brown cap turned sideways...maybe I was just thinking of the trade? If it is too true, I Really should have wished him good luck. Not my guy, but by all accounts a good one. I also would ?ave asked him what info he had on Dusty that allowed him to blackmail him for playing time. I could have then fed it to Steve Stone. AM I nuts (not the blackmail theory)?!? No matter if I agree with you, disagree, I love the passion of the fans here. And, none of you are racists. Jaque Jones strikes out too much. So did JEremy Burnitz. It ain't race, it is talent. Mandel

Yeah, seeing 5.08 pitches an AB isn't impressive at all. What would impress you? 6.08? 10.08? Give me a break Neal. Abreu lead the majors last year in pitches seen per PA at around 4.25. 300 more pitches seen than the next closest hitter. But hey 5.08 isn't impressive to you. So what is it 6+?

well if you saw him, hopefully he's in detroit by now cuz he's playing 2nd (batting 8th) tonight. for the ob% 2nd slot freaks...monroe (.319 ob% 22walks) is hitting 2nd =p

"for the ob% 2nd slot freaks...monroe (.319 ob% 22walks) is hitting 2nd =p" Yeah, they should bat Neifi 2nd and his .270 OBA.

carlos guillen, who's hitting 5th...would be most people's pick i'd imagine...

I'm glad to see so many people upset with the USA Today article. Unfortunately, sensationalism sells newspapers. If you have to sell out the entire Cubs fan base in the process, too bad. Millions of people identify themselves as Cubs fans, but because there are a handful of idiots who live in their mother's basement with nothing better to do than write hate mail, the USA Today decides paint all Cubs fans as racist. Plus, I'm sure that Dusty, Baylor, Jacque, LaTroy, & CPat get lots of hate mail. Some of it probably contains racial epithets. For these guys to then conclude that the fan base is racist is pretty intellectually dishonest. My guess is that black players in all cities have to put up with this. It's unfortunate, but there are idiots everywhere. The difference is, the guys mentioned in the article (with the possible exception of JJ) are looking for an excuse for their poor performance. I hate that there are still racist idiots out there, but as a Cubs fan, I'm insulted that the USA Today and the players/managers quoted in the article have lumped me (and all Cubs fans) in with those fools.

Last summer I went to my first game at Fenway Park. I was told the only option would be to buy from the scalpers. Two hours before the game, a little old man approached me and asked if I needed tickets. I said "4 tickets". He said "$150 apiece". I said, "thats a little steep". He said "thats what you'll pay". I said, "you're the first guy I've talked to, so I'm gonna keep looking", He said, "don't worry about the scalpers at Fenway-no niggers"... Needless to say, I was blown away. One of the guys I took to the game was a customer of mine and has lived his whole life in Boston. I told him the story and he said "they really don't like black ball players here either". We ended paying $150 per ticket and the crowd was overwhelmingly white.

Hey Mr. Schilling, can I ask you a question? Now that you guys got your ass SWEPT in a 5-GAME SERIES at HOME against your MOST HATED RIVAL, do you think maybe now you realize you are a 2nd place team and be happy you still have a shot at the WC? Trouble is brewing in BoSox land....

Dusty does not deserve hate mail. People need to get a clue. He does deserve to be fired, however. I'll also say that the honky pitching coach needs to go too.

From the USA Today article: "Patterson, now performing the way the Cubs long envisioned but doing it in Baltimore, says: "There's only so much you can take there. You have the manager and general manager saying, "Don't worry about it,' but unless you're going through it personally, how can you not worry about it? You can only be so strong, so tough." I wasn't aware that CPat was performing the way that the Cubs always hoped he would. I also wasn't aware that Corey failed so miserably in Chicago because of the pressure racist fans put on him. I always thought it was because he was so undisciplined at the plate and refused to change his approach. It's good to see that Bob Nightengale, the author of the USA Today article, didn't allow the facts to get in the way of his sensational article.

Re: the Red Sox Looks like Theo Epstein, who I generally loathe, outsmarted himself. The Red Sox have problems all over the place. Still, I'd trade places with them in a heartbeat. If the Cubs can do what the Red Sox did in 2004 and win a World Series, I'll gladly accept another 98 years of futility and incompetence.

A lot of baseball people think that Varitek was the glue of that team. He kept the young pitchers cool headed, was a locker room leader and a tough out. They definetely miss him.

For the record, I don't like tonight's lineup. Pierre Izturis Ramirez Jones Pagan Mabry Blanco Cedeno Hill I guess Murton hit himself out of the lineup. Why Mabry over Nevin? Why not Theriot?

"Why not Theriot?" Because it will be difficult for Cedeno to gain experience playing 2nd on the bench.

"PA at around 4.25. 300 more pitches seen than the next closest hitter. But hey 5.08 isn't impressive to you. So what is it 6+?" My point is that a streak where he sees 5 a PA for 5 days isn't that impressive. Sorry if I was being obtuse. It's equavalent to a .300 hitter hitting .360 for 5 games, it doesn't make me want to soil my pants.

God, Manny you just wont let it go. Its a way of thinking that you simply can't comprehend and got to troll it to death. He doesn't think anything but being the best and being #1. To Schilling there is no such thing as 2nd place. To accept it, means you failed. The Cubs seem to just accept it, and they fail. When you have an attitude like Schilling it pushes you day in and day out to be the best. It's what pushes Clemens to be one of the best pitchers in baseball at his age. Its a state of mind that you can't understand Manny. So stop trolling it like a little child.

for the ob% 2nd slot freaks...monroe (.319 ob% 22walks) is hitting 2nd well Polanco was batting 2nd for most of the year, he's got a 325 OBP ......oh wait. At least for his career it was 343. Monroe in 54 AB's for some reason has a 373 OBP in the 2 slot this year, 319 though this year, 314 for his career.

MikeC- I wish the Cubs took 2nd place every year and making the playoffs almost every year. If that is failure, I will take it. I'm sorry you don't agree with my take and feel the need to react the way you do. I hope it makes you feel better though...

Ever stop to consider that maybe Hendry told Baker to switch off Murton and Pagan the rest of the way? That Hendry want equal time for both players? I dunno?

"Monroe in 54 AB's for some reason has a 373 OBP in the 2 slot this year, 319 though this year, 314 for his career." Sometimes players behave differently depending on where they bat in the lineup. Whether or not that's a good idea is up for debate, but it's definetly a possible factor in Monroe's splits.

Chad- Or that maybe Hendry wants Cedeno to play at 2B as they feel Theriot isn't as good as him? Nah that can't be it, its Dusty's fault...:)

Ever stop to consider that maybe Hendry told Baker to switch off Murton and Pagan the rest of the way? That Hendry want equal time for both players? Or that maybe Hendry wants Cedeno to play at 2B as they feel Theriot isn't as good as him? Nah that can't be it, its Dusty's fault...:) Yeah, because Hendry is such a micro-manager when it comes to the day to day of the team that is put on the field. Its really Hendry who is actually making up the line up card every day to. In fact, Dusty is just a puppet, he has no real job. It truely amazes me that the same people who will defend Dusty for EVERYTHING and ANYTHING, think he should take individual responsibility for NOTHING.

As a breather from the Neifi/Dusty/Hendry... I agree with you AZ Phil...from about 40 posts ago. I wanted to praise you for the Domingo Ramos and Angel Salazar references. I swear this one is true, back in school, we used to make fake ads for a domingo ramos shoe. We loved him in the way you might love Snakes on a Plane. You mentioned Jose Vizcaino...great. YOu missed Rey "The King" Sanchez who actually had a nice backup career. And, Miguel Cairo? Borderline. Cheers, AZ Phil.

Bleeding Blue: "Yeah, because Hendry is such a micro-manager when it comes to the day to day of the team that is put on the field." Quotes from Hendry when he said Dusty will finish year: "I just felt he needed some reassurance -- there are certain days I may try to make some decisions for next year that I need him to be on board with, and he didn't have a problem with that." "I told Dusty today, if you're not going to get to the postseason and not over .500, you certainly want to take the last couple months to evaluate some people, like the kid pitching tonight (Rich Hill)." "Maybe by Monday [and the trade deadline], if a couple guys aren't here, it could open up playing time for somebody else."

What about Dave Owen, the guy who was the featured guest on the Lead Off man the day after the Sandberg game for getting the game-winning hit?

Yeah, Hendry said that as a condition of Dusty not being fired, Dusty would have to go against his well documented history of giving preferential treatment to mediocre veterans, and keep playing the youngsters. Yeah, that's micro-managing. In fact somewhere in there, I'm sure Dusty was told, play as little of Matt Murton as you possibly can. Because that's certainly what those statements imply. Seriously, Why is it so hard for the Dusty Apologists (the same ones who think he's still doing a good job) to think that just maybe that Dusty actually has some individual responsibility to go along with his 4 million dollar a year salary?