Weirdos19

leaving for Vegas at 6am Saturday morning!!! Going from 15 degrees to 70 degrees in about 4 hours. Supposed to be 70-75 everyday we are there.

I have a Chocolate Lab and he loves to kill rabbits. I get the bonus plan though. He eats about 90% of the rabbit, and leaves the head on my deck by my back door. He caught 9 or 10 last spring. Our Dachshund, Schnitzel, likes to get his head into the rabbit holes and drag em out, then Hunter (the lab) chases em down. Pretty unfair of the two, eh? They're like a well oiled machine.

Doesn't it seem ironic that Ned didn't like playing the backup catcher when he was a backup catcher his whole career??? I love the idea that Macha is puting his foot down. Come in and take control of this young team. Although, I still kinda wish they would offer Pudge a one year deal. He'd jump at a contender offering a deal.

88-74 winning the division. Age will take it's toll on the Cubs this year.

Very nice. I got to design a bathroom in our house. It's very small and dedicated to UW. Three white walls, one red wall, shower curtain, pics, books, decals, Big Ten helmets, etc. Teri put a T-shirt over the toilet and the flusher is in the armhole. Classic. The finishing touch is being done soon, I hope. I want to put indoor/outdoor carpeting and paint yard lines on it to look like Camp Randall. Have a nephew that was an art major.

Who knows what will happen with the bullpen. None of us do. But, another quality arm is exactly what the doctor ordered. We all agree on that. Also, it may give us a chance to move a reliever that is out of options. Sort of off topic- Does anyone remember late last year when it was McClung that was brought in to get big outs? He was the best reliever we had last September, bar none. To think that he may be DFA'd is crazy. A trade would happen first. McClung is actually my sleeper pick to be the closer in 2010.

My slant on this is that Peavy could well become a Brewer in June or July, so the Brewers would only have to pay half of his 2009 salary. Just like the Sabathia deal. Then, after 2009, Cameron is a free agent and we only have one more year to pay Suppan. So, here's the idea: On July 1st or so, trade Escobar, Salome, and McClung to San Diego for Peavy and 10million over the remainder of his contract. Then, in the next offseason, trade Prince for a Jacoby Ellsbury type centerfielder and Gamel or Hart can play first base.

Pretty general question. But, we all knew that both teams weakness last year was the lack of left handed hitting. Sure the Cubs added Milton Bradley, a switch hitter. But, they lose Edmonds, who was the only left handed bat in their lineup most days. Cubs '08- Edmonds, Fukudome, Hoffpauir, and Fontenot Cubs '09- Bradley, Fukudome, Hoffpauir, and Fontenot I just don't see the big improvement that makes them better than last year. You could argue that Edmonds actually was better than Bradley will be this year. Not only offensively, but with the glove too. Then you have to consider that they gave up DeRosa, which mystifies me. I just don't get that. And, the big question. Do Fontenot, Theriot, Johnson, Bradley, Dempster, Marmol, Lilly, and Harden all have huge years again?? All of them outperformed expectations. 88 wins could win the Central this year.

I really think the 5 year deal offered to CC was offered with the intention that it would be outbid. Saving face a bit. I still think a trade and a free agent signing is the way to go. Hart has huge value. A promising 2 or 3 starter could be had for him. Hard to believe that he and Jeffress couldn't land an ace right now. I would think that Halladay, Cain, Kazmir or Shields, or Verlander could be had this Spring. Then bring in Dunn or Abreu. or Cameron to the Yanks for Cabrera and Igawa. Then sign Dunn or Abreu. The Brewers need a left handed bat, bad. Pretty obvious about the Brewers and Cubs weakness last year.

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Think you may have forgotten Braun. Actually the only time we'll have to worry about that is when a lefty starts. Against RHP, Hall will be on the bench. I have a feeling Hart may be once in a while too, with Nixon getting a start against better right handed pitchers.

We were ahead in the wild card chase last year without CC, while missing a month of Cameron. Gallardo may not be Sheets yet, but he isn't far away either.

Counsell is a good glove at 3 infield positions. We needed a utility player and he came cheap. Pretty happy he's back.

Yes, but this is looking at things in a vacuum in my opinion. There are other factors. Dunn is in his prime while Cameron could decline. Cameron is under contract for one more year while Dunn could be signed to a multi-year deal. Finally, Dunn's value would be much higher if he was at first base as opposed to the outfield because his bad defense wouldn't be nearly as detrimental. I'm only interested in Dunn as a first baseman though, which would make comparing Cameron and Dunn a moot point. The point is people keep talking about signing Dunn and trading Cameron to free up money. That just makes the team significantly worse next season. Not against RHP. We need a solid , left handed bat in the worst way.

Having a left-handed pull hitter in the 2 spot is a good thing for the Crew. Especially, one that gets on base. I would have no problem with Dunn hitting third or fifth with Prince in the other spot. I prefer Dunn in front of Braun because he walks a ton and Prince has proven that he can hit .280 with Hart behind him. Also seemed to me that JJ hit better lower in the lineup. And he serves as protection for Corey, which is needed big time. Hart would never see a strike if he hit in front of Kendall and the pitcher. Maybe Kendall bats second and puts Rickie at second with Dunn, Braun, and Fielder coming up.

In that scenario I would be terrified of our OF defense. But Cameron is probably the only tradeable guy that could free enough salary unless Fielder or heaven forbid Suppan is traded. Cameron just seems to be the most plausible. And the lineup would be much improved. The Brewers have done nothing to improve the offense yet. Weeks 2B Dunn LF or RF Braun RF or LF Fielder 1B Hart CF Hardy SS Hall/ Lamb 3B Kendall C Lots of walks in the 1 and 2 holes.

I think signing Dunn to a 3/24 and Sheets to a 2/20 with incentives would make sense. Then you can move Cameron to NY.

My mother called me last night and said that she couldn't get the basketball game off of my TV. She was babysitting my 3 year old. I had to tell her to hit the back button to get the remote back to her CSI show. Also, I have an internet, touchscreen jukebox at my bar. Need I say more?

Those questions are silly. They could apply to any team. 1. How does Yovanni Gallardo hold up after only 134 MLB IP the last 2 years? 2. How long before Mannay Parra and Prince Fielder get into it again? 3. Who plays SS when JJ hardy gets hurt? 4. How does Trevor Hoffman pitch at the end of his career? 5. What do the Brewers do when the 3B duo is hitting .240 in the middle of June? 5a. What do the Brewers do when the 2B duo is hitting .240 in the middle of June? BTW, in answer to your questions... 1. There is no reason to necessarily expect Dempster can't handle the load again. 2. Who cares? 3. I assume Aarobn Miles could handle 3B for a couple weeks. 4. Legitimate question, but again, no reason to think he won't handle it just fine. The guy has pitched plenty of innings in both minors and majors. 5. Maybe nothing. If they are catching the ball, they have plenty of offense everywhere else that it might not matter much. Here's where we disagree Naivin. Questions like this do face every team, every year. Last year, the questions asked of the Cubs were all positive answers. Everything fell the right way for them. Wood, Marmol, DeRosa, Edmonds, Soto, Theriot, and Dempster were question marks going into the year, the only disappointment was Fukudome. To say that all question marks will be answered positively 2 years in a row is laughable. Every team has it's pitfalls, the Cubs had none last year. I am not saying that the Brewers don't have question marks either. The difference with the Brewers is that they aren't expected to win 100 games this year. My answers to the questions are as follows. 1. Yo can replace Sheets this year. He can pitch 180 innings this year. Another starter would be nice. 2. So what? The Brewers didn't sign a clubhouse cancer that has been on 8 teams in 9 years to a 3 year deal. 3. Hardy was very healthy last year. 4. Hoffman is a step up from Torres, hands down. 5b. As long as the OBP is still .340, it's acceptable. 5a. Praying for a Wigginton signing.

Didn't know we had that many Cub fans on this board. 1. Harden did tear something in his shoulder, but it had to be after the trade to the Cubs. No way the Cubs trade for a pitcher that is damaged goods. The way he was throwing, there is no way he got hurt until the end of the year. 2. Comparing fifth outfielders makes no sense. Very few at bats, barring injury. Mostly on teams for defense, and Gathright is poor defensively. Pie is as good, with alot more upside. 3. DeRosa was arguably the Cubs MVP. Who plays third this year when Ramirez has his annual 15 day DL trip? Hoffpauir is more of a first baseman than an outfielder too. 4. Edmonds getting replaced by Johnson/Fukudome is a step back. Sure, he didn't hit 280 last year, but he was the left handed stick in the lineup. Now, Bradley is replacing him. A step back defensively too, eventhough Edmonds isn't nearly as quick as he once was. 5. Saying Gregg replaces Wood is laughable. Gregg is going from Marlins stadium to Wrigley. Ick. 6. Hoffpauir is a step up from Ward. Suprised he didn't get a shot to play everyday. If anything the Cubs have taken a giant step sideways. If Peavy is acquired, he won't be any better than Harden was for them last year. My questions are: 1. How does Dempster's arm react from 200 innings? 2. How long before Zambrano and Bradley get into it? 3. Who does play third when Ramirez is hurt? 4. How does Marmol pitch after getting abused last year? 5. What do the Cubs do when their CF trio is combining to hit .240 in the middle of June? Play Soriano or Bradley in center?

My point is that you don't make that trade without at least a verbal commitment from a free agent. Plus, the $1000 TV debate. Let's make it a car instead. I would guess you would have to know how much you owe on that car and how much the payments on the new one would be. And, is that car in the rich neighbor's driveway after you pay it off??? If I had a $10000 car I had to make payments on and a guy offered me $2000 for it when I knew it would be gone next year and I'd have to replace it? I may sell it and turn the profit into a down payment on a new car.

I don't understand the idea of people getting all worked up about getting the right value in trades when a free agent signing would be imminent afterward. Example: Say the Brewers traded Cameron for Melky Cabrera, as was rumored. That wouldn't be the complete deal. The complete deal would be Cameron for Cabrera and say Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, or even Oliver Perez. Another example would be if the Brewers traded Prince for Bucholz and Ellsbury. It would actually be Prince and Cameron for Bucholz, Ellsbury, and Swisher, because there is no way that deal is done without a backup plan. Better teams have been doing this for years. We've just never been on this side of a deal like that.

Nobody seemed to argue when Sandy Koufax was inducted and he only played nine seasons. Rice was very deserving. He was the most feared hitter in baseball in the late 70's. You can say Reggie Jackson was, but I would argue that. The problem with baseball these days is that everyone focuses on power. As a Brewer fan in the AL East, I feared Rice more than Reggie Jackson, George Brett, and any other player in the AL. #2 on that list was Eddie Murray. How many HR's do you think a line drive hitter like Jim Rice hits if he isn't in Fenway? Normally, Fenway is an advantage. But to two Hall of Famers (Ted Williams and Jim Rice) it wasn't. Rice put many of those dents in the Monster, maybe more than anyone else. I don't know if there is a way to find out, but his line drive ratio had to be incredible.

It seems to me that the Yankees are in salary dump mode now. They should never have made the trade to bring Swisher in. I think we could take advantage of them. How about Cameron and Hall to NY with Igawa, Swisher, and a reliever coming back? Then the Crew signs Wigginton to a 3/18m deal. Weeks 2B Hardy SS Braun LF Fielder 1B Hart CF Swisher RF Wigginton/Lamb 3B Kendall C