Saturday, September 29, 2007

My 25-man playoff roster

Here is my 25 man playoff roster-
1.Soriano
2. Theriot
3. lee
4.aram
5. floyd
6. Soto
7. jones
8.Derosa
9. Ward
10. Monroe
11. Murton
12. Kendall
13. Pie
14. Cedeno
15.Zambrano
16. Lilly
17. Hill
18. Marquis
19. Marshall
20.Dempster
21. Marmol
22. Howry
23. Eyre
24. Weurtz
25. Wood

Men left out are Fuld, Blanco, Font, Ohman, Hart, Trachsel.... I was debating Hart over Marshall but we may need another lefty coming out of the pen.

Monroe over Font anyday. He could be very valuable off the bench or to start against a lefty. He has post season experience so you have to have him on the 25 man roster.

Soto proved he deserves to be in the playoffs in the last stretch. He is a power bat and a good backstop. He is also very clutch hitting .385 with RISP. Sorry Blanco.

The only thing that could change is adding a pitcher or position player if Ward cant go. But I think Ward will be on the roster for the mere fact even when not 100% he will be very valuable off the bench. He is the best pinch hitter in the league in my opinion.

Feel free to comment or put your 25 man roser down.

Cubs name first 2 starters in playoffs.

Thanks to cubs.com-

CINCINNATI -- The Cubs aren't sure who they're playing in the National League Division Series, but they do have their first two starting pitchers set for the postseason.
Carlos Zambrano (18-13, 3.95 ERA) will start Game 1 of the NLDS and Ted Lilly (15-8, 3.86 ERA) will go in Game 2. Lilly will make his final regular season start on Sunday against the Reds, but wasn't expected to throw more than 40 pitches.
Rich Hill (11-8, 3.92 ERA) and Jason Marquis (12-9, 4.43 ERA) are the Cubs' other two postseason starters, but what order they will go in the NLDS was likely to be determined by who the team's opponent is.
"We'll play it by ear," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "Right now, we're just waiting to see where we're going to go. Nothing has been decided on except Zambrano and Lilly will be the first two pitchers."
Zambrano notched his career-high 18th win on Friday when the Cubs clinched the NL Central.
"His last two games have been really good and that has to buoy his confidence," Piniella said. "He's our ace."
"I'm ready, I'm excited," Zambrano said. "After I went to the playoffs in '03, I got thirsty and hungry for that first game. Now that I have more experience in the big leagues, I'm ready for the playoffs."
Piniella and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry did meet on Saturday to discuss the postseason roster, which does not have to be finalized until Wednesday morning.

THE CHICAGO CUBS ARE DIVISION CHAMPS!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CHICAGO CUBS! YOU ARE THE BEST IN THE NL CENTRAL AND ARE HEADING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!!

YOU DESERVE IT!!!!

GO CUBS GO!!!!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Bonds a fit for the Cubs?? What???

According to MLBTR-

Cubs a Good Fit for Barry's Bat
Tim mentioned in this post that fielding know-it-all John Dewan thinks Barry Bonds can still play a tolerable outfield. Well, Bob Nightengale has broken the rumor-ice and brought two NL teams into the "Where Will Bonds Play Next" game:
Chicago and Florida.
The Cubbies, heavy in right handed hitters, would love a bat like Bonds' in the lineup. They probably have the money, though
they'll add $10MM in payroll for '08 just to maintain the current group. With Bonds' regular need for time off, there'd still be plenty of playing time for Matt Murton.
Bonds, meanwhile, just may be the apple of Jeffrey Loria's eye. The Florida Marlins owner was fined by the commissioners office last year for flying Bonds to New York in his personal jet. But if the Fish deal Dontrelle Willis in the offseason, it'd be hard to convince Bonds that they're a serious contender.

Wow I have to say this is a surprise. I wouldn't have thought Bonds would 1. Be interested in the cubs. 2. Cubs be interested in him. Barry as everyone knows has alot of baggage and could demand something like 8+ million a year from his new club. That's alot for a guy who doesn't play day games after night games. Having said all that man would I love his left handed bat in the lineup. He would be a great fit in the two hole hitting behind Soriano and in front of Lee or in the 4 hole in between Lee and Aram. Bonds would finally have a hitter friendly park and have guys in front and behind him that would protect him in the lineup.

I know saying I like Bonds will stir up alot of debate but if you look purely at his bat, you cant say you dont like the potential move.

My two cents worth he lands in Oakland or Seattle.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Arod to cubs spectulation raises!

It looks more and more arod will opt out of his contract whether the yanks win or lose the world series. The front runners you say???? The Red Sox and.... yes! the Chicago Cubs!

Thanks to MLBTR-

A-Rod, Partial Cubs Owner?

Deadspin's Will Leitch has an article in New York Magazine dissecting the Alex Rodriguez opt-out situation. Leitch, through a source, has a new piece of info for us sure to generate some discussion. He lists the Red Sox and Cubs as the teams most likely to lure A-Rod away from the Yankees, and lays out a unique Cub contract possibility:

Scott Boras knows which [ownership] group is most likely to be awarded the Cubs. The source says Boras has already been in touch with that group about the possibility of a contract that could reach $30 million a year over the next ten years while deferring a certain portion of money toward an eventual stake in the franchise.

David K. Li's source feels that this might constitute tampering. The group Leitch is likely referring to is the one headed by John Canning, who is currently a part-owner of the Brewers.
Pretty wild stuff. Cubs fans can salivate over a lineup featuring Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and A-Rod. Keep all of those guys healthy the next few years and they could have the league's best offense. Still, ten year contracts are pretty rare and quite risky. It's tough to project a player more than a few years out, but it's going to take at least eight years to sign Rodriguez.

The Cubs have roughly $110MM on the books for 2008 (more on that in a separate post). They entered the '07 season with a payroll right around $100MM. Even in a backloaded deal I'd imagine A-Rod would earn $20MM+ in his first year. So if the Cubs want to go past the $130MM mark, they could have Rodriguez. That'd put the Cubs third in payroll behind only the Yankees and Red Sox.

This would be the biggest pick up for the cubs next year! Every cubs fan would approve of Arod becoming a cub, if they don't then they must not watch any baseball. I would personally love to give Arod a share in the company and would love to give him a deal worth 30 million a year. He is above and beyond the best player in baseball right now. No one has equalled his numbers on a constant basis. He will hit 40+ homers( especially at Wrigley), he steals bases, drives in runs, and is all around a great guy. If this guy can produce in the Evil Empire he can produce in Chicago. He is a hall of famer, and wouldn't he look good cubbie blue???? Breaking Bonds homerun record in blue pinstripes??? Playing shortstop for out beloved cubs??? The answer is YES! YES! AND OH YESSS!!!!

The thought of Arod playing at Wrigley has me drooling at the lineup. If he does become a Cub, he would play SS, a place where he is comfortable and a place where he has success( 2 time gold glove winner).

If the Cubs got Arod, they would be the best offensive team in MLB!!!