Harry Chappas

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Oct 1, 2007 -> 10:22 AM) Nice finish... too bad it didn't mean anything. I disagree, it meant he can still be a productive major league player. Something I am sure was in question in June and even July.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 28, 2007 -> 12:04 PM) The Cubs beat the Reds 4 out of 6 times over the last 15 games of the season. That Reds lineup had Freel, Hummel, Jimenez, Casey, Pena, LaRue, and Olmedo. I remember D. Stenson being one of the most dangerous hitters on that roster at that time (he tragically died a few months later). That team had a pretty easy ride the last month and still only won like 87 games to get to the playoffs. If Robert Fick did not play in that NLDS the cub do not make it out of hte first round. I hate Robert Fick.

I think I have paid attention to baseball enough over the last 30 years to know that I am getting really tired of speed guns and pitch counts. I have no clue how hard Lamar Hoyt, Richard Dotson, Jack Morris or Joaquin Andeujar (sp?) threw nor how many pithces they threw in a game. If you watched the game last night with neither stat you would know Lance Broadway gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. The Royal hitters need to prove they are worthy of the majors as does Broadway. I think it was agood match-up. He, Floyd and Danks appear to be able to be servicable 5th starters at worse and possibly average number 4's. Trade Garland and Contrearas and get me some A-Rod.....that's what I'm talking about!!!!!

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Sep 28, 2007 -> 08:25 AM) DUDE. He's a rookie with a 4.30 era and a 1.31 WHIP... cut the dude some slack! Pitching in Arizona, we see how that works with Sox pitchers.

Broadway looked really good. Yes the Royals sucked but as was pointed out earlier his ball moved all over the place. Guillen pointed out his emotional outbursts at times as a positive. The problem with all of this is that Floyd is out of options and if not traded will be the numebr 5 starter. Trade Contreras this afternoon to make one start to get an NL team in the playoffs then help them for next year.....I know he couldn't pitch in the postseason. Livan is in AZ nad El Duque NY...........Get on the horn Kenny!!!!

As for the death of Mr. Wirtz, I feel the same as I do for any other person in the obit's today, nothing really. As for hockey in Chicago, I think it will help the situaton and I look forward to how the organizational view may improve. I am not happy he passed away but I look forward to a new future in Blackhawk hockey.

Ned Yost should have packed his bags and left after the mangerial decision in last night's game. I am sure that purpose pitch really meant a-lot and served the purpose of.........oh yes, starting a late inning rally. When you have a s***ty bullpen.............. That game last night epitomized the baseball season. The Brewers bullpen is 0-3 in the last 5 games.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Sep 25, 2007 -> 01:09 PM) Actually you can alternate between Motrin and Tylenol. We know all those tricks. I still get scared that I am going ot f*** something up on that cycle and kill the guys but that is really the way to go. The older guy is out of this stuff, younger guy a year more. Every two hours one or the other. Side note, I spent innings 5-9 of WS Game 3 in the Emergency Room waiting room with my son, when he finally fell asleep before seeing the doctor we left and I saw the end at home and woke him up with a scream courtesy of Geoff Blum and an asshole for Uribe on the error. Motrin and Tylenol took care of the issue. I was on edge watching the game and this gave me something to do. We probably didn't even have to go. Watched the game with a couple of hot nurses though, I was dad of the year.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 03:20 PM) Howry throws straight fastballs down the plate with no movement at 94 mph. I always get happy when he comes in, as I think the opposition will crush him. Dempster at least has a good splitter. That is a strike once less then half of the time. The fact that they are at home and could not put away Cincinnati or through today the Pirates does give me much faith htat they will all of a sudden turn it on.

I still do not get how no team can hit Dempster, Howry, Eyre or anyone other than Marmol in the cub bullpen. I still do not think they are that good of a team to be taken seriously in the postseason but then there is no team in the NL that is a real baseball team.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 02:26 PM) No reason to get excited about the early lead now, as Malholm has no chance of holding the Cubs down. Soriano'll end up hitting a grand slam. Tracy sucks as a manger too.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 02:16 PM) It's almost guaranteed that the Padres games will matter for them. The ironic thing is it's very possible that we'll be cheering for the Brewers to lose to the Padres in less than a week. I'm grateful that if the Cubs clinch the playoffs, it won't be at Wrigley. MLB.com is all f***ed up I may have to turn on Santo here it looks like it could be anywhere from 5-2cub to 7-5 Buco's. I need to know when the game is over as I work in Lincoln Park and need to beat the trafffic. I hate the cubs

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 01:45 PM) Malhom was absolutely brutal in his last start, and is following up with another horrible start. The Cubs get to face Duke tomorrow, and he'll likely be rusty and inefficient as well. WHarris....are you in the acceptance stage like I am right now? Brewers get Hudson and Smoltz..... The bright side is Milwaukee comes home next week and the cub hit the road. The fact that the cubs can not hit consistently leads me to believe they can lose any given day to any team. If the lead is 1.5 on Monday I think it could be an interesting week. Especially if the San Diego games do not mean anything next weekend. If the race is close and Zambrano and Lilly are not bumped up next week they could both be unavailable for game one .

QUOTE(Vance Law @ Sep 21, 2007 -> 12:30 PM) As Northside mentions, With runners on base, the double is more valuable. With no one on base, the ability to steal a base (an indicator of good speed) is clearly more valuable, than the ability to slug a double. Not just for the base he stole, but for his ability to advance and score on various other hits, sacrifices, groundouts, passed balls, etc. What about the ability of a baserunner to mess with a pithcer's psyche/approach.

The point to each side of the argument here is that the players behind a given hitter dicate to a degree that hitters performance. Fields sees better pitches when Owens is on base with Thome behind him. If nobody is on base for Owens (which is hte case this year), a double is the same as a hit and SB. If your OBP is high at the top of the line-up that is fine as compared to the 6,7 or 8 guy in the line-up. Owens with a .350 OBP and .350 SLG is servicable if the guys behind him do their job.

BBTN stated that the GM in Houston is a figurehead for Drayton and somebody else I forget.

GM's do not appear willing to take risks anymore. How good would say a Contrearas and Dye look on a team right now? The economics have really f***ed up baseball on so many different levels. I know hindsite is 20/20 but you put them on any team in the NL and they are odds on favorites to win it. Ned Yost is terrible.

QUOTE(fathom @ Sep 20, 2007 -> 07:15 PM) If Gold Glove means misreading fly balls in the 9th inning or hitting the pitcher's mound with every throw home, then Rowand should have been a Gold Glove winner in 2005. I love it when you analyze.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Sep 20, 2007 -> 03:54 PM) Who paid for the hotel room? John Shurholtz

Not caring about a season is weird I actually do not even pay attention to it.

I think the gist of the whole argument has to do with selection and signability. With the #1 pick the White Sox can select an impact guy that is signable as well. They will shy away from the Jared Weaver's and JD Drew's as will 20 other teams. I am not sure if this is right or wrong but they will have the highest revenue stream of any tema in front of them unless Houston or San Fran pass them. Therefore they may still have a look at Alvarez or another player that is expecting big bucks but they can weigh the cost with the reward better at 1, 2 or 3 as oppossed to 10. There is no right or wrong view here but he discussion should end in a little over a week thank god.

No NL team should lose more than 90 games. If the cubs get hot they could really f*** the Sox as they play Florida and Pittsburgh.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Sep 19, 2007 -> 10:13 AM) No. That's a cute way to disparage Podsednik but he has a lot of male fans at the cell and the place goes nuts for him. Sure, there are a lot of teenage girls who like him but a lot of guys have Podsednik shirts and jerseys at the ballpark. It's kind of a weird phenomena. Chicago is different not necessarily more stressful nor are the media and fans as harsh as Phillie or New York but it is different. Sosa was a god and Thomas was a jerk. The reality of the two players is that the treatment should have been much different. I am not exactly certain what it is but I believe that Chicago baseball fans are either well informed or they are the....."chic to been seen fan" who feel they should boo whenever something happens they do not like. A player dogging it or being an asshole should be boo'd. Ryan Dempster blowing one save after 14 straight successful apperances should not. Cory Patterson was boo'd because of expectations. That is the situation as it sits with Chicago. The Chicago media fans this stupidity with their uninformed flip flopping. The casual fan relies on this information to a large degree to get a sense of a player. Somebody like Bobby Jenks should be an icon in this city as well as Mark Buerhle, Derek Lee and Aramiz Ramirez yet Carlos Zambrano is the highest paid of all of them. The baseball scene is really weird and I beleive it is the media spin that creates it. Simply put, why Sox fans boo Frank Thomas is a mystery to me and why cub fans turned on Sosa so quickly is the same.

I look like Eddie Einhorn with better glasses and a more stylish yet inexpensive wardrobe. When unshaven I am often confused with the Skipper from Gilligan's Island and when exercising and wathcing my weight I resemble to a modest degree Denzell Washington. I gaze often into the mirror and think I lookl ike either Jet LI or Jackie Chan. Please feel free to come up and say hi if you see me at the ballpark.

This team needs its all-stars to be all-stars. The Indians went into the season with the same questional players at second and third and a worse outlook in the pen as the Sox will have next year. If the players that are paid to produce produce and there is more health they will be fine. They need to sign some bench players that can produce for modest salaries not the Mackowiak's of April and May and Alex Cintron of the whole season. I feel the entire division will regress next year and if the Sox make some moves, they will be right back near the top. I think A-Rod and Rowand sit atop their shopping list along with a couple of Japanese players.