SB Nation User Blog: Poloplaya14

ESPNChicago's top ten Cubs of the decade.

Poloplaya14 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:36:36 -0000

ESPNChicago's top ten Cubs of the decade.

ESPN Chicago made their list of top Cub players this decade. How they ranked Ryan Dempster over Sammy Sosa is a mystery to me, but nevertheless, check it out and debate.

Lovie Smith iz Stoopid and Fire Him We Should

Poloplaya14 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:22:48 -0000

Lovie Smith obviously needs to be fired. Just look at the Bears performance today. Getting shellacked by the Cardinals is completely unacceptable, and it is completely Lovie Smith's fault. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and co. from one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL. And it's also obviously Smith's fault that our highest-paid d-lineman decided to get himself ejected by punching another player in the face. It's also Smith's fault that two of our starting linebackers, including the longtime face of our franchise ended up with season-ending injuries. Ditto for the fact that half of our starting secondary had to leave the game early due to injuries.

Oh, and before I forget, Jerry Angelo is an idiot too. What was he thinking giving so much money to guys like Harris, Urlacher, and Vasher? He should have foreseen that they would have devastating injuries/significantly decline. He obviously should have cut those guys loose right in the middle of their prime. That's what every Bears fan I know was suggesting 2-3 years ago. And Orlando Pace? C'mon, signing a 7-time pro-bowler is obviously a terrible idea. And I can't begin to start on Angelo's failure to upgrade the receiving core. TO, Marvin Harrison, and Matt Jones were all out there, and we didn't sign a single one of those elite receivers. With those guys, we'd be beating Arizona for sure. And then of course, there's the Cutler trade. What was Angelo thinking trading proven winner in Kyle Orton for a bum with a losing record (Cutler)? If we'd kept Orton, we'd be 6-1 right now, obviously.

White Sox shut down by two former Cubs.

Poloplaya14 — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:48:13 -0000

White Sox shut down by two former Cubs.

I think we could all use a laugh and the White Sox' futility provides just that.

Who should be the Cubs Closer?

Poloplaya14 — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:02:06 -0000

Okay, a quick synopsis and a poll. I know there's another poll, but I think that leaves out two very good, very reasonable options. I think that the fact that 25% voted other indicates that that was a flawed poll.

Kevin Gregg

The argument for: All things considered, he hasn't been that terrible this year. He certainly hasn't been good, but he's the only player on the team with recent closing experience.

The argument against: He has sucked this year. He's given up way too many HRs and the Cubs will not make it anywhere with him as the closer. There is no possible way anyone could do worse than Gregg. Plus, I'm no fan of the goggles.

Carlos Marmol

The argument for: When he's on, he is capable of being absolutely dominant. He has unhittable stuff, and also wants to be the closer. No matter what happens this year, I think Marmol will and should be the Cubs closer of the future. Why not let him start this year? And who knows, maybe the the added pressure of pitching in the 9th inning will snap him out of his funk.

The argument against: He has sucked this year. His BB/inning is just beyond bad. If he pitches like he has this year, he will be terrible in the closer's role. And if he fails as closer this year, you may destroy his confidence and ruin what could have been a great career. And who knows, maybe the added pressure of pitching in the 9th inning will overexcite him and make him even wilder.

Angel Guzman

The argument for: He has, without a doubt been the Cubs' best reliever this year. It's only natural that he should be the closer. He has tremendous stuff, and appears to have the poise necessary to be the closer. And if he can stick, the Cubs have solved the closer problem for years to come.

The argument against: He's been amazing as a setup man, so why mess with what's working so well? It's clear he's found one hell of a groove as a setup man, and there are numerous examples of amazing setup men becoming absolute failures as closer (Latroy Hawkins, anyone?). Just let him keep on dominating the 8th inning, which is just as important as the 9th anyways.

John Grabow

The argument for: I don't see why nobody's suggested this guy be the closer. He's been as steady as the come the past couple years out of the bullpen, and he's got the stuff to be a good closer. He's no LOOGY either, as he actually has pitched better against RHBs than against LHBs.

The argument against: He really doesn't have a lot of experience pitching in high-pressure situations, of which there were very few in Pittsburgh. Throwing him into the fire of a late-season playoff race for a team with high expectations like the Cubs could be a recipe for disaster. In addition to that, he's got a pretty high BB/inning, which is a bad sign.

Ryan Dempster

The argument for: He is the only player on the roster besides Gregg that has closed before at this level. He has the stuff to do it, and somebody's gotta be the odd man out of the rotation. It only makes sense that it would be the guy with a history of being an effective reliever. And John Kruk will eat you if you don't vote for this option.

The argument against: He wasn't exactly stellar the last time he was the Cubs' closer. If he can return to the level he was at last year, he will be infinitely more valuable as a starter than as a closer. Plus, the Cubs are paying him 15 million dollars a year, a reasonable amount for a 17-game winning starter with an ERA under 3, but an obscene amount for a mediocre closer.

Poll

Who should be the Cubs closer?

Kevin Gregg

2 votes

Carlos Marmol

40 votes

Angel Guzman

106 votes

John Grabow

22 votes

Ryan Dempster

16 votes

186 votes | Poll has closed

Lou Just Inspired Me To Revolutionize Baseball

Poloplaya14 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:16:03 -0000

Okay, maybe this isn't going to revolutionize baseball, but to my knowledge, nobody's thought of this before.

Anyways, after Lou's decision to put Marshall in LF the other day, I got to thinking. Several random tangents later, I came up with the following idea. When playing in the National League, the visiting manager should, instead of putting the starting pitcher in the starting lineup, put in some player that definitely isn't going to play that day (i.e. last night's starter). That way, if by some chance the pitcher's spot came up in the top half of the first inning, the manager could use a pinch hitter. And then the starting pitcher for that day could just come in as a "reliever" in the bottom half of the inning. Now I know this idea would rarely have any effect since the pitcher's spot is rarely going to come up in the top half of the first inning, but I don't see any reason not to do this. Unless there's some rule that prevents this, I think all National League managers should start doing this. And if there is a rule against, well I've just wasted my time and yours. What do you guys think?

Some Ideas for Moving Hinrich

Poloplaya14 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:11:09 -0000

These are some possible trades we could do to move Kirk for expirings. Hope Gar Forman's paying attention. What do you guys think?

1. Hinrich to Miami for Mark Blount and Dorell Wright. Miami could use a PG and Wright gives us a bit more depth at SG. Blount's not entirely useless either. With him in the fold, we could probably rescind the offer to Aaron Gray.

2. Hinrich and Roberson to the Lakers for Adam Morrison, Derek Fisher, and Jordan Farmar. The Lakers are a decent PG away from having one of the sickest lineups in NBA history. Hinrich, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Bynum? That's pretty sick. In return, the Bulls get cap relief and Farmar, who adds depth. We would then probably negotiate a buyout with Fisher allowing him to resign with LA.

3. Hinrich to Portland for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. This one's been said, but I like it.

Not a single one of these trades helps the Bulls in the short term, but the point is to clear cap space.

On the Cubs OF

Poloplaya14 — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:34:29 -0000

Just a few general comments on the Cubs OF

First off, Milton Bradley. He's struggled, we all know that, but he definitely picked things up in May, and if health permits, I still see him being a great addition to the Cubs. However, one thing stands out to me when I look at the numbers: he has a .303/.378/.485 line from the right side and a .186/.320/.349 line from the left side. Over his career, he has a 303/.387/.503 line from the right side and a .267/.361/.434 line from the left side. So he's clearly a better hitter from the right side; would he be better off hitting there permanently? Maybe it's a crazy idea spawned from Zambrano's HR the other day, but I'm throwing it out there.

Now Fukudome. Personally, I think this was a terrible signing right from the get-go. Giving a $48 million contract to a guy on the wrong side of 30 who's projected to hit fewer than 20 HRs a year is not a good deal in my opinion. That said, now that he is here, I'm pulling for him. However, he is definitely showing signs of slipping. His numbers this year: .338 in April, .277 in May, .214 in June. For comparison, in 2008, he hit .305 in April, .293 in May, and .264 in June. Now this year, he obviously got off to a tremendous start and wasn't gonna keep it up forever, and the June stats are a very small sample size, but given his track record, I'm worried.

I'm not gonna cover Soriano, because there was just a post on him, but his struggles have been well documented. Bottom line, all three Cub OFs have been underachieving lately, and we can't afford that with Ramirez out. Also, considering all three of them have big contracts with multiple years left, we may have a big problem if these guys don't right the ship.

The Real Problem with the Cubs' Offense

Poloplaya14 — Mon, 25 May 2009 06:34:19 -0000

Everyone's slamming Jim Hendry right now for putting together a roster that has limited depth and couldn't handle an injury to Ramirez. Well, I'm going to argue that the Cubs' bench is just as good as any other team's and the real problem lies elsewhere. You can wish we had DeRosa all you want, but there are maybe 2 or 3 teams in the league with a guy of that caliber off the bench. In my opinion, the Cubs' bench is better this year, with Hoffpauir an upgrade over Ward, Aaron Miles an upgrade over Cedeno, and Koyie Hill an upgrade over Hank White.

The real problem with the Cubs this year doesn't lie on the bench. The problem is the superstars just aren't hitting. Milton Bradley hasn't produced at all. You can blame Jim Hendry for that, but who honestly predicted that a few months ago? Soriano has hit a bunch of HRs, but a .260 average isn't up to par with his past production. D-Lee's struggles have been well-documented, as have those of Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot. Theriot has gone into a nosedive, and of course, Ramirez is out. That leaves Fukudome as the one hitter who has met or exceeded expectations this year. I don't care how good the bench is, your team won't produce offensively with all but one of your starters underperforming. Can we honestly blame Jim for that? The bright side is that there is no way all of these guys slump forever. Soto and Bradley will not hit .200 the rest of the way (Fontenot, on the other hand might). Lee's getting his average back up. Soriano will go into one of his patented hot streaks. The Cubs will start to score runs again. If not, well at least we'll know for sure the Cubs are cursed.

If the Cubs were to make a move...

Poloplaya14 — Sat, 23 May 2009 02:06:39 -0000

What would be the most help to the Cubs? The Cubs clearly need help hitting right now, but I'm still convinced Jake Peavy could be a difference maker at the end of the season and in the postseason, especially with Zambrano, Harden, and Dempster sporting ERAs in the mid-4s right now. The bullpen hasn't magically become better either. Gregg is still spotty, and other than Guzman and Marmol, there is little in the way of consistency. That said, the Cubs clearly need some more offense; the question is where to get it. Would a third-baseman be a good pickup right now, even though that move only adds a bat for the two months until Ramirez comes back (meaning the trade would burn prospects for a guy who might not factor signigicantly come the postseason)? Or would the Cubs be better served adding a second-baseman to take over for Fontenot? Or pick up an outfielder to do something creative involving moving Soriano to second? Or should we just stand pat and ride out the slump.

Poll

What should be Jim Hendry's priority right now?

Get Peavy now that we have a concrete comparable offer.

17 votes

The bullpen still sucks; find a good LOOGY and another setup guy.

16 votes

Get a third-baseman. The Cubs won't stick around for two months with Freel/Fontenot/Scales there.

17 votes

The league's caught up to Fontenot. Replace him.

16 votes

Let's try something fancy.

11 votes

The current roster is getting paid $125 million. They should be able to weather this storm.

23 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed