With the Winter Meetings upon us, obviously, 98.3% of the discussion the last few days has been about who the Cubs should sign, who they shouldn't sign, and how in the world can we unload Kosuke Fukudome and his massive money eating contract. 

Perhaps outside of pitching, the position of most primary concern to the Chicago Cubs, and all of there beloved fans, is first base.  While I  the love the idea of adding Brandon Webb on an incentive laden contract, pitching is already being discussed elsewhere.  It's time to take an in depth look at first base. With the Cubs missing out on the top two suitors in Adam Dunn and Adrian Gonzalez, let's examine who's still out there.

First off, let me clarify, I do believe the Cubs missed out on the two best fits in Dunn and Gonzalez.  Dunn has been extremely consistent and extremely reliable throughout his entire career.  Sure, his defense is suspect, but the Cubs would have got the lefty power bat  they've been looking for and you could lock it in for say 35 home runs and 90 RBI. At least.  With Gonzalez you get one the league's premier hitters who's been playing half his games in the cavernous Petco Park.  I was unsure how serious the Cubs were, but wow, a deal for Gonzalez would have been huge.  But I digress, those two are off the board, so let's take a gander at who's still out there.

Carlos Pena - According to MLB TradeRumors the Cubs met with Pena's agent as recent as last night. UGH. I hate this idea and I hope that Jim Hendry and crew do not follow this route. Yeah the route that too often has lead to despair and heart ache. Despite some home runs and RBIs, what do you get here? Not much besides a bad OBP, a terrible average and overall decling numbers.  Pena hit 11 fewer home runs last season, batted .197 on the year and he isn't getting any younger either. Again, all I can say is UGH.

Adam Laroche - This might be the best overall fit and seems to be Al's first choice.  I can see why and tend to agree (to some extent). Laroche is a notoriously slow starter, but always posts good numbers by years end.  The past three year's he's averaged 24 long balls, 85 runs batted in, and a .273 average.  He may not be the best fielder, but on a one or maybe two year deal he might be the best match. The only question is who will be available next year, and if the money is right, should the Cubs try and sign him on a longer deal?

Paul Konerko - Hmm. Nice numbers last year and a solid career. Let him finsih it out on the south side.

Chris Davis -  Al seems to like this option as well, and it may not be a bad road to take. However, Davis has not produced much at the big league level.  Some might say it's due to a small sample size, but in 120 at bats last season Davis was less than impressive, hitting only one home run and four rbi to the tune of a .191 average and one way ticket back to the minors. But Davis is only 24 and in 2009 he did hit 21 homers, as well as raking during his entire time in the minors last season. Is he a left handed stud waiting to break out or is he just the next Micah Hoffpauir?  

Yonder Alonso - This might not be much of an option, as I doubt the Reds would want to move an elite prospect like Alonso, epsecially to a rival in the same divsion.  However Cincinatti has superstar Joey Votto locked in at first base and might listen to offers for Alonso. The first baseman has hit the ball well in the minors and is only 23, perhaps the Reds would listen if we included a top pitching prospect.  Probably a long shot, but at least worth exploring.   

Derrek Lee - I loved Lee during his time with the Cubs. But that time is over, let the Diamondbacks have him.  

Daric Barton - This might be a dark horse candidate, but it was mentioned in another post and I think it's absolutely worth looking at. Barton is not a power hitter and is not going to post numbers like Dunn or probably not even like Laroche. However, Barton is a solid contact hitter, an on base machine and at only 25 the power could come. Last season Barton hit 10 homers, had 57 RBI, and 79 runs to go with a .273 average and .393 OBP. He also led the majors with 110 walks.   He just plays baseball and he plays it well, doing the small things right.  His UZR last season 12.1 and his WAR was 4.9.  He is a pure Billy Beane numbers type player, so it would take a lot to pry him away.  But if we could package a deal including Fukudome (eating lots of the contract ofcourse) and maybe Gozelanny, since we're shopping him, I think this would be a good move for the Cubs.   

Just like all of you here at Stampede Blue, I'm on a little bit of a football high right now.  With the draft complete and many undrafted players signed, it's fun and exciting to dissect the draft grades, watch some you tube highlight reels, and predict how the roster will ultimately look when all is said and done.

I know there are lots of questions heading into the 2010 season and even a few areas of concern.  But beyond these concerns there are some intriguing position battles to take a look at.  I'd like to examine a spot that has been mentioned briefly now the draft is over, and it's my absolute favorite position - the tight end.

Continue reading this post »

Now that the Milton Bradley era is over in Chicago and the waters have started to calm a little bit, let's move on from the whole fiasco and look ahead at the future of our Cubbies.  Clearly the main focus at this point for Jim Hendry and Lou Piniella is center field.  With Mike Cameron no longer available (and whom Lou and the Cubs really wanted) there are still some players out there who could help the Cubs in center field and the outfield overall.

At this point, with Bradley out of the picture and after looking over the free agent outfielders still available, I think the overall best option for the Cubs is to sign outfielders Marlon Byrd and Ryan Church.  Personally, I'd love to see this happen and think it would help the Cubs both offensively and defensively. 

But the question is, can it be done? And well, I'm not sure, I don't know if the team has the money to sign Byrd to a multi year contract and sign Church and still go for a guy like Matt Capps. But if they could, I'm all for it. I like a starting outfield of Soriano, Byrd and Fukudome with Fuld and Church as the number four and five guys.

Let's take a look at Byrd and Church and some other options for the outfield.

Marlon Byrd - Had a solid 2008 with 70 runs, 10 HR and 53 RBI to go with a .298 average.  Had a very good 2009 with 20 HR and 89 RBI and is probably the best CF still on the market.  Byrd is a career .279 hitter, but if you look at a three year sample from 2007-2009, when he was a starter, you get a better picture of what the guy can do.  Over that span he has averaged 65 runs, 13 HR, and 70 RBI to go with a .296 BA.  Those are not Curtis Granderson like mind blowing stats, but I will take it out of an everyday centerfielder.  The real question is how much money does he want? He made just over 3 million in 2008.  Oh yeah, he also has a .986 fielding percentage. 

Ryan Church - The other guy I like.  Nothing in this guys stats is going to wow you.  He's a career .272 hitter, not too shabby, but not too great either.  However, when given the chance I think he can be a very servicable reserve outfielder.  He had a solid 2007 knocking 15 HR and 70 RBI in regular AB's and still hit 12 HR and 49 RBI and hit .276 in just over 300 AB's in 2008.  Last season was kind of a wash going from the Mets to the Braves and battling injuries, but still produced 46 runs and 40 RBI in part time play for both teams.  The catch: he made 2.8 million last year, but with not alot of teams showing interest, he could probably be had for a great deal.  The other catch - in six years of major league service he has a .992 fielding percentage - yeah that's only 8 errors in his entire career. 

And the others ...

Coco Crisp - I say the Cubs even looking at this guy is probably a waste.  He's a great fielder and has great speed, but offensively he doesn't bring alot to the team.  He had decent years in 2007 and 2008, but did not do much in 2009 in limited playing time.  He strikes out alot, his stolen bases are down and only has a career .331 OBP, not overly great for a CF/speed type of player.  And he made over 6 million last year - crazy money for his production.

Rick Ankiel - A feel good story for sure, but struggled in 2009 after a great 2008 where he smacked 25 HR and 71 RBI.  Last year in 372 AB he only hit 11 HR and 38 RBI and struck out 99 times to go with a .231 average.  I just say pass on Ankiel.  He might have the power still in there somewhere, but also in three years in the outfield - none full time - he has 15 errors.  And he's a Scott Boras client as well, so he'll be pushing for the biggest contract possible.

Scott Podsednik - Apparently the Cubs are really high on Podsednik (via MLB trade rumors ... I think) and I don't really know why.  He'll be 34 this season despite a decent .277 average he offers nothing offensively.  Despite a resurgent 2009 season, where he did hit .304 and compile 48 RBI and 30 SB,  overall he has not been good since 2004-2005.  The last five seasons he has averaged a .270 BA, 3 HR, 29 RBI and 61 K's, to go with a solid 30 SB (really an inflated stat due to 2005 and last year).  He can still play the field, so maybe the Cubs think they can get him on the cheap. 

Reed Johnson - As a Cubs fan, I love Reed Johnson and I'd love to see him come back.  I love his 2008 season where he hit .303 with 21 doubles and 50 RBI.  However, he just turned 33 and has back issues.  If he is back as a fifth outfielder to go with Fuld or Church or whomever, I'm down with it.  He has a .991 career fielding percentage, I just don't know if he's my top choice.  He would certainly have to take a pay cut from last year's $3 million paycheck.

The Dark Horse's - Jonny Gomes.  We know he has the power, so would I take him as a reserve despite the career .241 average.  Yeah I still would. He's 29 and could improve on defense still.  Rocco Baldelli. A career .279 hitter and had a solid 2006 when healthy, hitting 16 HR and 57 RBI.  If he's healthy he might be worth the shot.

I think those are the main names the Cubs are looking at, or should explore, but there might be some I missed or maybe a few more I think would be worth checking out ... so ... I think Byrd and Church presents are best option.  What do you say? I'll throw in the poll to see your thoughts. GO CUBBIES!  

From mlbtraderumors.com:

Notice the third bullet down: The Pirates are in regular contact with the Cubs. I like this.  But my question is with so many other teams talking with the Bucs and so many teams scouting Freddy Sanchez (including the Tigers and Twins) why don't we make a move??

When Al mentioned going for Freddy Sanchez several weeks ago, I thought no way it could happen.  I even thought it sounded silly, but now it just seems to sound more and more like a good idea.  With all that has happened, i.e. Sanchez rejecting his extension and the Cubs moving into first,  I really think we move for a deal for Sanchez and reliever John Grabow.  Hopefully Hendry is working on a move like this as I type. 

This deal helps the pitching and lets Sean Marshall move back to the rotation and gives us a solid lefty if the BJ Ryan experiment does not work out.  I don't think trying for another lefty starter would be a bad idea; Zach Duke being the first choice, then Ian Snell and lastly Tom Gorzelanny.  The Pirates said they wanted a "gaggle" of prospects for Duke, (which is too much, a gaggle is almost always too much) so I doubt that happens and I'm not really sure if Snell is any sort of upgrade over Marshall or even Kevin Hart if he continues to improve.

Offensively, this move could benefit us greatly as Sanchez could become the everyday 2B, putting Fontenot back into a reserve role where I think he did very well last year. Sanchez has hit nearly .300 all year, has decent speed and could thrive hitting 2nd after Fukudome leading off. This allows us to follow  with Lee-Ramirez-Bradley-Soriano, making Soto the #7 hitter when he returns to the lineup with Theriot wrapping it up.  

I know I am dabbling in being overly excited and optimistic, but I think a move for Grabow and Sanchez could really, really help the club and help us stay in first place down the stretch. The only question is who would the Pirates want in return - and honestly - I don't know.  I won't pull any Eric Hanna or "Bulls Fan" ideas, I'll just leave that up to Jim Hendry to decide and ofcourse for you to discuss here ...

good deal ?? terrible idea ?? who would we have to give up ?? your thoughts ????

Last night I had to work until 9pm.  So, as soon as I clocked out I only had one thing on my mind - race to the bar and catch the end of the Cubbies game.  I have been fortunate enough to watch quite a few games on tv this year, but hadn't caught one in several days, so I was pumped to watch the Cubbies in action.

Ofcourse, I had motivation in the fact that I had just acquired Randy Wells in my 12-man, NL only fantasy league.  Being National League only, picking up a guy like Wells at this point in the season is huge, I mean huge.  I must imagine it's a lot like John Daly getting a free pizza and then finding the last case of keystone light at the 7-11 after a long day of swinging the clubs.  It's something to get excited about.  In short, I was stoked to see how he was doing.

So after cruising out of work and down the road to the local tavern, which is actually very nice and has plenty of huge tv's, I hurrily find a parking and run in.  Looking up at the tv's I pump my fist when I see the Cubbies are up 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th!! Alright Cubbies we got this one !! - is what I was thinking to myself. 

I find a seat at the bar, watch Marmol get the third out and then quickly get the recap.  A couple Cubs fans are sitting pretty close and they fill me in on what happenned.  And that Randy Wells had a no hitter going into the 7th !! No forking way !! And then I'm told about Lee's error and then Marmol - oh wow - oh the Carlos that I used to love where have you gone ??   But none the less, we still have the lead and Wells is in line for the win - everything is gravy right ??

Ladies and gentlemen, enter stage left: Kevin Gregg.

The guys next to me start cursing Lou and say he never should have taken out Wells and how Gregg is terrible and he'll give up at least one run.  I say "Hey, we'll be ok he'll get three outs, but honestly I'm still not completely sold on Gregg."  They agree and then I mention I miss Kerry Wood.  They ofcourse agree again and then talk about how we should have not got rid of Wood or Mark DeRosa.  I know it cleard up tons of money, but hard to argue with them there.

So Kevin Gregg is in the game and he gets the first out and there are scattered claps and cheers around the bar.  Then he lets a guy get on and I think to myself, "Oh no - this could really happen - these guys could be right on about Gregg."  But then he gets the second out and there are more claps and more cheers.  But then Jeff Francouer comes to the plate, I see he only has three home runs all year, so I say to myself - Gregg, just don't give up the long ball.  And then out loud I say, "Francouer does not hit ground balls, he's gonna hit a deep fly ball somewhere."

And we all know what happens next.  My heart sinks (along with Cubbie fans everywhere).  The guys next to me curse and rant and say they've had enough and leave.  I stick around, but I know what's going to happen.  I know we're going to lose.  There is no way around it. 

When the game was finally over I went to the restroom and as I'm standing at the urinal, I'm thinking to myself what many are - "the F#$king Cubs."  Just then a couple more guys walk in and as they stand there one guy actually says out loud with a saddenned voice "the F*&king Cubs."  I laughed and said that was exactly what I was thinking. 

As I walk out of the restroom and I'm about to head home, one of the guys said, "Kevin Gregg, that guy needs to be unemployed."  And dangit if all morning I've been thinking to myself he might be right.

So i was looking over an old Sporting News today, the NFL Draft Preview isssue - dated April 13, and i noticed a couple interesting things ...

A former NFL scout put together his top 100 picks list and had the Colts taking DT Peria Jerry in the first round,. Then he has the Colts taking WR Austin Collie in the second round and ILB Jason Phillips in the third round with the 92nd pick.

OK, Peria Jerry in the first round, ok fair enough, and even Phillips in the third I'm ok with.  Besides being an injury risk, i think he looks like a solid pick with plenty of potential.  But Austin Collie ?? Who ?? With all the depth at WR this year i'm not sure of this pick ... Collie is only listed in one fanpost on all of Stampede Blue (Bamock's Big Board - in the Fifth round !! ). He seems to have had a great career at BYU and might fit in nicely with the Colts, possibly much in the mold of a Brandon Stokley.  But i'm not sure he warrants a second round pick, if we can grab him later on great, but the second round with the 61 pick ??

Then, in the actual team overview, it says the Colt need depth at LB and James Laurinaitis could slip to them at 27 ... yet he went at pick 33 on their top 100 picks and seems to be going in that general area in most mock drafts.

So this leads to a couple questions .... one, are the guys at Sporting News on to something SB is not ??? And if we do pursue a WR in the early rounds, who does Polian go after ??? With the news on Percy Harvin and Brandon Tate, is Collie really a possibility there ???

I am hoping the Colts are able to add depth at LB and snag a WR, so love to hear your current thoughts ...   

Note:  This is a fictional piece that I wrote for a laugh (hopefully). This is in no way truth, but as Colts fan I strongly dislike Philip Rivers and a tiny piece of me deep down inside thinks this could be accurate. However, this is just a joke and who knows, Rivers might actually be a great guy (But I doubt it).  Merry Christmas to all, I hope you have a great day!! (And Go Broncos !!)  

Philip Rivers hates Christmas. 

But hey what do I know? I’m only a ball boy for the San Diego Chargers. I’m not a big wig coach or team psychologist.  I can only call it like I see it.  And how do I see it, you ask?  Well, the way I see it is simple:   San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers hates Christmas.

I always thought Christmas was supposed to be a time of cheer. Everyone I know – including family, friends and most co-workers – seem to be full of happiness and smiles this time of year.  Christmas time is an opportunity to put a smile on children’s faces, to buy gifts and to put aside the past year’s troubles.  It’s a time to put others first, to go to parties, and to spend time with those you love.  But not for Mr. Rivers – because Philip Rivers hates Christmas and all it stands for.

I know what you’re saying to yourself … “Oh what do you know kid? You’re 17 and still have acne. You’re a nerd. You collect Star Wars Legos and you have never kissed a girl.”

Yeah I know what you’re thinking … “Why in the world should we listen to you, kid? You’re a teenager and still wet the bed, so what the hell do you know about Philip Rivers? ”

Well I will tell you what I know:  Mr. Philip Rivers is a straight up, hardcore, grade A, no good Grinch. 

I was thinking that this year Mr. Rivers would be giving out some awesome Christmas presents to his teammates and fellow Chargers organization co-workers.  You know some gifts for all the little people – like me!  I mean after all, he is becoming one of the league’s better quarterbacks and the offense was taking more of a focus around his arm this season.  Despite the team’s record, overall I thought Rivers had played well and that a nice gift was in the works.

Boy was I wrong.        

We all thought last year he just forget and chalked it up to him being in an uncontrollable psychotic rage.   Apparently it’s just how he does Christmas, because again this year the guy did not buy a present for a single person. Not even LT!  I hear at the very least the QB’s are supposed to buy something for the offensive line. Oh, but not Mr. Rivers.  Just the other day I heard him yelling at them, saying something like if they did their job he might have two good knees.

I mean it might be different if we were talking about a third string DB, but come on!  I mean he’s the quarterback and he didn’t buy a single gift!

Some players bring in gifts for everyone or at least do something to help spread the holiday cheer.  Antonio Gates brought in home-made Christmas cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.  What a guy! They were delicious! And Darren Sproles gave all the equipment guys a $50 gift card to Best Buy.  Even Shawne Merriman was handing out GNC pill packs.

But not Ol’ Philip Rivers. That guy is just too good for Christmas. I even heard one year when he was walking into a store a Salvation Army bell ringer asked for a donation and Rivers walked up and punched him right in the face.  And last year when A.J. Smith gave him a Christmas card, with a little post season bonus, he just tossed it in the garbage.  Rumor has it when he found out there was money inside he went and dug it out of the trash and used the money on expensive vodka and cheap hookers.

But is it too hard to spend a little money on the people that try to help you be successful?  I hear Kurt Warner hands out bibles with a nice little note and Christmas check inside.  I even hear Sage Rosenfels hands out presents, a back-up quarterback, a back-up for heaven’s sakes!

Oh well, I guess it could be worse.  And who knows, maybe next year I could get traded and work for Jay Cutler or even Donovan McNabb, I hear he once gave a towel boy a car. That would be the life.

But for now I’m stuck with what I got. And that’s not good, because I’m stuck with Philip Rivers. And I can tell you first hand that Philip Rivers hates Christmas.  

So being overseas is not much fun ... there are plenty of negative things to get you down and make you blue.

Bad food, 12 hour guard shifts, no beer and rocket attacks, just to name a few. But for me ... perhaps the worse, most disheartening and most saddenning thing is no Colts games !!  

Actually, i've got to see several games this year, and will catch Thursday night's game cause AFN plays them ... but i've missed the last 3 games ... and it's been terrible !! Following a game on yahoo or espn game center is ... well it's not good !!

Ok, sorry about the rambling ... long story short i did not see yesterday's game ... and with that i did not get to see Dallas Clark's awesome game, Rhodes TD's or anything else ... including some thing i wanted to see, like Buster Davis at LB and Chad Simpson getting some reps at RB ... 

Which brings me to my question/point/query/semi-coherent thought ... how does Chad look ?? Minus the fumble it seems like he played ok.  And he did get his first NFL touchdown, so congrats to him for that. I have been a fan from the get go and Dungy seems to like him, so what's the consensus at this point ??

I remember seeing the Titans game and i thought he played very well, he picked up some tough yards and had a couple nice catches.  Seems like he could develop into a nice change of pace back back for us or also come in for receiving downs.

I guess at this poing i'm just curious what the projection is for him ... is he good enough to stick around ?? 

And is he good enough that next year (not factoring in the Dom situation) that we  could be ok with Addai - Simpson - Hart ?? Or at least after all the RB talk on the huge draft post, that we could at least push RB to the later rounds ??

Curious on your thoughts since i could not see him play ... thanks ...

and GO COLTS !!!

I once had a dream.

A dream of living in a world where things were good for mankind: everyone could afford to buy a house, neighbors respected and cared for one another, there was little crime and common sense and logic prevailed.  Yes, people generally would be alive and happy. And ofcourse, you could punch idiots in the forehead whenever they say something so stupid that it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Oh what a dream.

And then I wake up to a nice dose of reality and realize that homers like Bill Simmons are alive and well and are pleased to say whatever they want, actually are paid large sums of money - i might add, to say whatever they want. No matter how stupid, outlandish, far fetched or just plain ridiculous.

Now I have always been a fan of Simmons, his book on the Bo Sox is great reading for any baseball fan, really any die hard sports fan and (most of the time) i love his column in the Mag. I was even starting to like him a bit more when he was giving Peyton some props this year. 

But then today i was online at work and was reading his mostly funny ramblings about week 14, but then i found it ... his prediction for the Bengals at Colts game. I am suprised this little chicken nugget of stupidity has not been highlighted yet, but without further ado, here it is ....    

Bengals (+13.5) over COLTS
Some things to consider with the Colts...

1. I would rather have my fantasy team killed instantly by Tom Brady's knee injury then killed slowly over the course of 13 weeks by Joe Addai and Reggie Wayne. I don't like to suffer.

2. If you noticed how the Cleveland Cromeos defended Manning last week, they stacked the line of scrimmage, pressured him and dared him to throw deep ... and he couldn't do it. Not a good sign for the Colts' playoff hopes. Even if they're the luckiest football team in the history of the planet.

3. Which reminds me, the Colts are five plays away from potentially being 3-9: Tarvaris Jackson's second dumb turnover in Week 2; Sage Rosenfels trying to leap two guys for a first down in Week 5; Dave Thomas' stupid late hit in Week 9; Marvin Harrison's fourth-down catch in San Diego (Week 10); and Derek Anderson fumbling away the lead (and the game) in Week 12. If those five plays had gone the other way, the Colts would be 3-9. I watched all five of those games and say that with complete certainty. So there.

Ok, ok ... so Mr. Bill "I'm going with the 1 win team to beat the Colts at home, who have actually won 5 games in a row" Simmons might have some words of truth with his first thing on the Colts ... However, last time i checked fantasy stats don't determine the outcome of the game ... and no matter how Addai or Wayne are playing, this team is still winning football games .... SO ... this point has absolute no bearing or relativism at all in choosing the Bengals to win ...

And then meander on to point number two ... and well ... it starts to make at least about .0278 % sense ... and then he talks about the Colts playoff hopes - and then calls the Colts "The luckiest football team in the history of the planet" ....

Umm .... well .... I don't even know what this means !!!!

We have a great quarterback who makes plays when we most need it, two DE's who come up with huge plays, a greatly improved special teams and a number of players who step up and make plays when the game is on the line. Not to mention simply one of the best teams in all of the NFL the past  several seasons ... or five or six.

But apparently if you live in New England and have homo erotic dreams about Tom Brady, would defend Spygate to the point of public execution, collect bottles of David Ortiz's sweat and locks of hair from Dustin Pedroia's oddly balding head and privately stalk Paul Pierce in the wee hours of the night ... this is all just luck.

So i guess having a great team with great coaching and ownership is all just luck.

And apparently when you're team starts to slip some you are supposed to throw in the towel.  And to have a team that sticks together, fights to the end and pulls out some gutsy, heart wrenching wins in the final minutes of a game ... well, i guess that's just having the luckiest team in football.

I won't even go on to point # 3 because it's evident ...

Bill Simmons is a true homer ... and he is alive and well  

[Editors Note: added from FanPosts-- bbs]

Well ... I've got an amazing story for all of you at SB and it doesn't involve me ranting about bad run defense or my favorite #4 wide receiver

I'm a member of the Army Reserves and right now I'm in the middle of my second deployment to Afghanistan.  Currently I'm home for my two week leave, I returned to Indy last Wednesday and it's been crazy ever since.

My girlfriend and I are huge Colts fans, and we had tickets to Sunday's game against the Ravens.  Two days after I got home, as in Friday - as in two days before the Colts game - I went to Reis-Nichols in Indy to pick up the engagement ring I had picked out for my girlfriend.  At this point I still had no idea how i was going to propose, I had some ideas in my head, including the Colts game. 

Well I mentioned this to the jeweler (who was amazing in helping me pick out a ring via email from overseas) and this is the where the story gets good:  he says do it, and you should use the jumbo-tron !! We can make this happen !! and he gets on his cell phone and starts texting people at the Colts !! (they are the official jeweler of the Colts) ...  So it was to late to get in on the jumbo-tron, but long story short - after many, many phone calls - the Colts hooked us up !!

Here's what they did ... not only did they arrange for Blue the Mascot to come to our section with a sign and flowers for my soon to be fiancee, but they also gave us four complimentary tickets .... yes four free tickets ... in the lower level ..... section 141 .... second row on the 40 yard line !!!! The absolute best seats i've ever had at a game in my life, and the Colts gave us 4 of them - for free !! Unbelievable !!

It all happened so fast, but in the first quarter with about 6 minutes left, Blue showed up, held up the sign and the section went crazy .... and i proposed and it could not have been more amazing. My girlfriend was blown away and she absolutely loved it.  Ofcourse she called about 378 people and at the end of the game, with things winding down, I asked an equipment manager if our favorite player, Dallas Clark, could come over for a quick picture .... he couldn't come over ... but he did wave and yell at us and say congratulations.  It was an awesome ending to an awesome day.

I wanted to share this story with all you Colts fans out there and say a huge thank you and huge kudos to Reis-Nichols, Dallas Clark, and the Indianapolis Colts for being such an amazing organization and classy football team.    

So i'm watching Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN and by now we all know that Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark are not playing. Also out are Jacob Tamme and Roy Hall. And believe it or not, i'm actually worried because of the last two. 

With Clark out i was looking for Tamme to have a nice game, well now we have to rely on two first year TE's ... and neither really known for there recceiving talent. However, this might be a good thing to help shore up the line.  Now, obviously we will turn to the WR's, in which we are set with the big 3. But it would have been nice to see Hall out there trying to haul in some passes. But he's out with his third different injury.

Which leads to the bigger question .... is Roy Hall ever going to play WR ?? Shoulder, hamstring, and knee injuries to a guy who is physical beast, yet can't stay healthy (he was injured at OSU a lot as well). I was huge on Hall in camp this year and hoping for big things .... but have the Colts got their hands on a dud here ??  

On another note - ESPN reports that the Vikings coaching staff are confident they have deciphered Peyton's audible's at the line. They have studied tape and know what means what. The defense says now they know what each signal means. Yeah and last week i learned to speak Mandarin Chinese.

They also said the Vikings used WR's and RB's at defensive end in practice to simulate Dwight Freeney. Interest tactic, and actually maybe not a bad idea, but last time i checked Freeney was a lot bigger than most wide receivers.

And oh yeah, the wise folks at ESPN say the Colts need this game more than the Vikes ... kind of hard to argue with them ... i would hate to start 0-2 in our division.

And finally i hate ESPN. They have more commercials than any station ever.  They talk about one game, or one or two things and then break. I have seen previews on three games and 17 commercials.

OK .... that's all for now ... i need to breath ... i feel like a little school girl, i am getting giddy waiting for the game to start

Just wanted to take a moment to share this nugget of truth i found this week. 

After reading all of BBS's articles this past week naming all the various reasons and excuses for why we lost against the Bears, i found an interesting rant slipped in there. BBS, in one of his posts - maybe two, talks about the poor management of Peyton's knee injury. Mostly he wishes the surgery could have been done in May or sometime earlier.

I thought i remember reading on Yahoo Sports that the surgery was done as soon as possible, i.e. as soon as it became a major problem. And then i dug through some old issues of Sporting News and found this from an article dated August 11.

Manning woke up July 14 in excruciating pain.  He flew from New Orleans to Indianapolis, saw a doctor and had surgery to remove an infected bursa sac from his left knee.  All in the same day. 

Now to me, that's a pretty quick response. No more management excuses, no more injury excuses - Let's go out and win !!

Should be a great game today - so let's go out and make it happen - GO COLTS !!!

Wow ... I had no idea that Eyre would be on the market, I like him and thought Lou did as well, he seemed to be rather reliable when he pitched and was healthy, I recall a really nice scoreless streak he had going .... however, a few points:

- Marshall is good enough to stay on this roster and i think we keep him at all costs, if he doesn't go back to the rotation, he has been solid as long relief

- With Marshall and Neal Cotts performing as LH relief ... this makes Eyre expendable ...

- Despite his solid past, Bob Howry's recent troubles coupled with the Shark finally making it to The Show, also makes him expendable ...

- And if anyone is taking, i think Jason Marquis is also an option to go ...  

Now what we can get in return from an AL team for him makes all the difference, but a guy I say the Cubs pull the trigger on is Brandon Morrow from Seattle ...

We package Michael Wuertz, Micah Hoffpauir, and Marquis or cash or whomever else for Morrow and a MI .... Seattle is truly the only "seller" team out there who is willing to dump it all ... they have already dumped Sexson and put Erik Bedard up for sale ... they are in the cellar and going nowhere, plus J.J. Putz is back from the DL ...

This might make us RHP heavy, but i think a deal is worth it, Morrow has been money, with a stellar ERA and WHIP and 10 saves ... him coupled with the Shark, Gaudin, Marmol and Wood sounds about as solid as you can get ...  

Your thoughts ??

A day after an exciting win over the fish from Florida there are many exciting topics to discuss: most notably Soriano’s return,  Jeff Samardzija being called up for his first big league action, and the team’s offense being carried by the bottom of the order, again.

But I’m here to tackle a different topic folks.  One that is pretty popular on the fanposts right now ...    

As some of you might know, I recently wrote a fan post describing my love for Cubs left handed hurler Neal Cotts.  And well … I’m here to do it again … and while I’m at it, I might as well dig a little deeper into the Cubs bullpen.

After my last fanpost, one where most comments were of the joking manner, one reader asked an interesting question: what Cubs reliever has been better than Cotts? I’m here to say pretty much none.

Before I ramble on anymore, let’s take a look at the stats of the six most prominent relievers of the past several weeks.  I exclude Kerry Wood because he has been in the closer role exclusively and also hasn’t pitched in some time.  Jon Lieber and Michael Wuertz also don’t make the cut as they haven’t pitched since July 10th and Scott Eyre doesn’t make the list since he hasn’t taken the hill since June 26th. 

These stats only date back to July 10th as that’s the first day Chad Gaudin pitched for the Cubbies.

                                                      IP        ER        K          BB

The stats show (again sorry for my lackluster excel skills) that Kevin Hart is by far the lame duck of this crew which is why more time in the minors is needed.  Sean Marshall looked good in relief in Rich Harden’s first start, where he picked up the win, but he also gave up a long ball and 2 ER on July 22.  Marshall has stuff to pitch and pitch well; if Marquis is moved, Marshall should find a way back to the rotation.  Carlos Marmol … well … he got the save last night, but we all know how the month of July went for Marmol. 

It’s kind of like that one time where you met a girl at Sluggers after the game and about 23 Old Styles and 11 shots of SoCo later you wake up realizing that this girl just moved into your apartment and you still have no idea what just happened to the last three weeks of your life.  It’s a terrible nightmare you want to end.  Yeah it’s kind of been like that.

Howry’s month hasn’t been much better.  It’s becoming apparent the group’s resident elder (he turns 35 in less than two weeks) may not have his stuff of old. For the month of July, “Hot Bobby” as I love to call him, has given up 8 runs in 9.2 innings pitched and only delivered five strike outs.  However he only has one walk on the month and did help hold down the win in six straight appearances from July 2 – July 12. 

That leaves only Cotts and Gaudin, who has been quite impressive since the trade from Oakland. After the deal I immediately emailed a fellow baseball nut back home and said “Wow I can’t believe we also got Gaudin - he’s a huge part of this deal.”  So far I have not been let down, despite a home run in his first game and 1 ER last night, he has still been money.

Which leads us left with only Cotts … and well I can’t say much more than what I’ve already said: Cotts should stay exactly where he is and given the chance to put up numbers like he did in 2005.  And so far, he seems to be doing that. Since July 12 he has surrendered zero hits, zero runs, and zero walks - up to last night where he issued his first walk in weeks, which was on four pitches and was against the #4 hitter with men on 2nd and 3rd.  Cotts was immediately pulled and wasn't even given the chance to help diffuse the bases loaded  jam.         

Despite maybe Gaudin according to some, Cotts has been hands down the Cubs most reliable reliever in the month of July and his performance, along with the return of Scott Eyre should really help downspell any ideas that the club need to bring in another left handed reliever. Another lefty might be nice, but I say at this time, it's not a necessity.

Pulling in another pitcher would be nice, but the price for Huston Street or George Sherill will be to high and going for David Weathers or Damaso Marte would be a bad move. There are better options available, including some young righties, of course more on that soon ...      

A final note on Cotts numbers … a comment from the previous fanpost asked about Cotts numbers vs. lefties and righties. And not surprisingly, there’s not much difference.  He’s holding lefties to a .233 average and righties to a very nice .222 average.  And he’s also doing something many Cubs pitchers aren’t – doing well on the road.  Cotts is holding batters to a .209 average in 12.1 innings pitched away from Wrigley.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these numbers, despite how good they are, is that three times this month Cubs skipper Sweet Lou has yanked Cotts after 1/3 of an inning.  Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to let him go a little longer and see if he can keep this hot streak going. Because I, for one, think he can.          

All this talk about the Cubs relief pitching has got me thinking.

I've thought about Kerry Wood's blister and Scott Eyre's groin and the hope that Carlos Marmol will return to his early year form so that I can sleep at night and that my blood pressure will return to that of a normal 24 year old.   

It's also got me thinking about how I wished Bob Howry was maybe a little bit younger and how sometimes it looks like it'd be nice to still have Will Ohman (I was always a fan of the south paw).  But it also makes me think that there is a certain relief pitcher that I am really starting to like. 

So maybe last year he spent most of his time in the minors, and perhaps two years ago he posted an ERA of 5.17 and ok, maybe worst of all, he spent the 2005 season on the south side.  Let me mention, it was on the south side where he happened to help a certain baseball team win their first world series in a long, long time.

Give up yet??? Well, I’ll give you a hint … it rhymes with Teal Potts.

Of course I’m talking about Cubs left handed reliever Neal Cotts.  I am beginning to think that I am possibly the only Cubs fan who is giving Cotts any love.  Recently on BCB it was noted that Cotts was “on the bubble” in terms of possibly being sent to the minors with the flurry of pitching activity – to include rumors surrounding all the possibilities involving Wood, Eyre, Marmol, Howry, Sean Marshall, Jason Marquis, Michael Wuertz, Jon Lieber, Lee Smith and Dennis Eckersly. Ok maybe not the last two …

I’m here to say that Cotts should not be sent to minors and actually shouldn’t even be on the bubble at all. I could ramble for a bit here in this space, but (for a moment) I’ll let the numbers do the talking.  So far this season Cotts has posted a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings pitched to go with 23 K’s and only nine walks.  Not too shabby at all, the earned runs might be a bit high to some, but you can’t be mad about that K/BB ratio or his 1.35 K’s per inning.

Now let us dig a little deeper, let us take a look at Cotts’ July stats.  In 6 1/3 inning pitched he has only allowed 5 hits, 1 ER and 10 punch outs compared with two base on balls. Ok, so maybe that doesn’t look overly impressive, but wait … take away one game and you take away three hits and the lone run. The game, you ask? None other than the Cubs-Reds slugfest on July 10 where every single Cubs pitcher gave up a home run (including Chad Gaudin on his first batter faced as a Cub) and every Reds hitter launched a home run (including Barry Larkin who came back and suited up for one at bat).

Even with one bad outing, Cotts is still looking pretty solid and actually rather consistent for a bullpen that has been rattled with inconsistency the past several weeks.  The lone run on July 10 is his only run dating back to mid-June.  But despite a nearly non-existent 2007 campaign Cotts has shown this brilliance before.  Once again, the numbers:

 Ok, so I apologize, that’s about as good as my excel spreadsheet skills get, but I included what I figure to be the four most basic stats for relief pitchers: Innings pitched, earned runs, strike outs and walks( I said basic, I’m not figuring stats like inherited runners, RISP, and etc..).

Ok, so 2004 was not great by any means, but it was his rookie season and he still put up 58 K’s in 65.1 innings.  And 2006, well 2006 was really a season to forget, 31 runs in only 54 innings for a staggering 5.17 ERA. 

But 2005, oh 2005, what a year. 

In just over 60 innings, Cotts sat down 58 hitters (once again), but this time around only gave up 13 ER for a stellar 1.94 ERA.  He was also magnificent down the stretch.  And that is exactly why the Cubs need to keep him on the roster. In AUGUST (as in next month) of 2005 Cotts gave up ZERO earned runs and only two more runs the entire season.  Including an outstanding post-season in which he helped the White Sox preserve their World Series win.  His playoff line included 2.1 innings pitched with one hit, no runs, and two strike outs.  He was pivotal in the White Sox championship, retiring nearly every batter he faced. 

And this is why the Cubbies need to keep him in the pen and keep sending him to the mound.  He has playoff experience, he has proven himself down the home stretch, and he has pitched in biggest of games – and came out on top.  He has risen to the occasion and shown he has the grit to get the big outs in the absolute toughest of spots.

Marshall is still young and could be put back in the rotation, Lieber has been less than impressive, Marquis has given the Cubs some quality starts, but could be shipped out soon.  Kevin Hart needs to be sent back to the minors, where hopefully Wuertz is recapturing his old stuff.  Eyre is coming off an injury, Wood has a blister problem and Marmol is still causing every Cubs fan to hold their breath when he takes the mound. 

Perhaps minus the added Gaudin (who has been very solid after that first batter), Cotts has possibly been the Cubs most reliable reliever.

I say keep him there. Let him do what he is doing. He’s getting hitters out and that’s what we need.  Let him do his thing and maybe we might just see another scoreless August.

Hope you enjoyed my first post, let me know what you think !!