Most programmers/math wizards, myself included, may have a problem with the 55 lbs. It seems like an odd requirement given the rest of the skills.

Do arbitration cases really take team metrics like fan attendance and won-loss record into consideration?

I second this.

I remember aruing with my college roommate about Bagwell circa 2001. I think he was saying that Bagwell was not a "power hitter". That's when I realized he didn't know much about baseball.

Has Byrd served his suspension for PED use yet? If not I would think that might deter teams from giving him another shot.

Even better they even had their own baseball cards. http://www.checkoutmycards.com/Cards/Baseball/1989-90_Pacific_Senior_League

As an Iowa resident I can say that MLB.TV is great in theory but their arcane blackout policy makes it akin to watching your brother open his presents and get an Xbox 360 and you only getting socks. The crushing disapointment!!! Yeah, you still have access to the Xbox which is better than no Xbox but your brother gets to lord the fact that he owns the Xbox over you. It makes your life miserable and you can only dream of what could have been.

The funniest McCarver line I heard was when Buck said something about Barry and McCarver thought he was talking about Barry Manilow not Barry Bonds.

He was the first name that came to mind when I saw the premise of the article.

Pretty sure the Phillies would jump all over that proposal. Heck the Cubs can offer Bryan Lahair. He was an All-Star this year so using John's logic maybe the Yanks should pay Granderson's salary as well.

The Giants have the ex-Cubs factor working against them.

I agree that Baker gets too much hate from many bitter Cubs fans but I wonder if he could have learned anything about start hook in elimination games. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 but would it have been outrageous to bring in Chapman at that point? I was thinking at the time of Posey's at bat I would've gone to Broxton. In elimination games I don't think you can afford to let your starter try to pitch through trouble. Cincinnati has 3 pretty good relievers in Marshall, Chapman, and Broxton. Maybe the 5th is too early to bring one of them in but it was a critical point in the game.

This seems like somewhat of a pattern with Dusty where he sticks with his starters a little too long in the playoffs. Prior and Wood in '03 and now again with Latos.

I doubt the union will ever agree to harsher penalties for first time offenders. They would argue the possibility of false positives would make a 1 year suspension too harsh if even 1 player fell victim. They can even point to Braun's case as an example.

Reinsdorf is probably his own worst enemy. I'll always remember him as having a hand in the dismantling of the Bulls dynasty.

I was going to comment that the Reds and Cubs colors are too close together to be able to tell them apart. But then I realized the Cubs could be white and we'd know what their odds were.

I'm a Cubs fan now but my dad and brother are Cardinals fans. I remember being a Cardinals fan until about 5 years old when I switched to the Cubs. I can't really remember why but I think it had something to do with their success in 1989 and our proximity to their AAA team. In retrospect I wish my dad had taken the stance of the dad in the vid. It would've saved me a lot of pain and suffering.

I was hoping when I first heard the Zambrano to the Marlins rumors that the Cubs could land Dominguez.

I will always remember GWRBI as they were listed on the backs of Topps baseball cards in the late 80s.

Anything on Jason Knapp?

I seem to remember something about Mike Remlinger cutting his finger while attemting to recline in a clubhouse recliner. I guess the Cubs really are cursed.

Did Young also set the tone in spring training when he demanded a trade?

Did I really just read an article on BP talking about how many wins Wandy has in relation to his success as a pitcher?

This needs a "This article is useless without video" icon. MLB needs to get with the times and allow video replays of its games to be posted.

I was at the Sox game last Thursday and Konerko was favoring one leg then as well.

Sammy Sosa is one. His career with the Cubs ended on such bad terms that I doubt it will ever happen.

Coco's real first name is Covelli so we can't blame his parents.

I disagree. I'm sure there are a number of teams willing to pay Pujols more then what the Cardinals can afford. If it is all about money I don't think Pujols resigns with STL. I personally think he would look great playing first at Wrigley for the next 10 years. I figure we can lose without Pujols so we might as well lose with him and stick it to the Cardinals at the same time.

I'm trying to figure out who to keep for my last rotation spot. My 3 options are Jorge De La Rosa, Randy Wells, and Jake Peavy. Peavy is the best pitcher but I'm not sure how many innings he will throw this year. De La Rosa seems to have more upside then Wells but Wells seems like more of a sure thing. I should add that I had the best record in the league last year so I'm a contender again this year and not rebuilding.

Re: #11 Is it too eary to say wait until next year? I'm not holding my breath for success this season.

I still regret trading Tim Lincecum for Webb in my keeper league in late 2008. I remember thinking that Webb was a better injury risk then Lincecum. I guess I was wrong.

I'm not old enough to remember Santo the player but I loved listening to him on the radio. He was a fan sitting in the announcer's booth who wore his heart on his sleeve. I'll never forget his call in '98 when the Cubs were trying to clinch a playoff spot and Brant Brown dropped a flay ball to cost the Cubs the game. Listening to games just won't be the same without Ron.

I might add Marlon Byrd (4.1 WARP) to the discussion. I'm hoping the Cubs sell high on him this offseason.

Rich Hill? He will be 4 years removed from an effective season but someone might take a shot.

Not to beat a dead horse but you could also make more money by getting rid of local blackouts. I'm in Iowa and I'm blacked out from watching 6 teams which means I have zero interest in MLB.tv or MLB extra innings. If it weren't for the blackouts I would probably subscribe to one if not both packages.

When I first saw the headline I thought it said the Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

Just out of curiosity I went and did a quick Dusty Baker All-Stars. If only he had better options at C and CF this team could probably any of the manager all star teams a run for their money. Tav C 2006 Michael Barrett .292 1B 2005 Derrek Lee .343 2B 2000 Jeff Kent .336 SS 2001 Rich Aurillia .317 3B 2004 Aramis Ramirez .305 LF 2002 Barry Bonds .451 CF 2003 Corey Patterson .281 RF 2000 Ellis Burks .340 DH 2009 Joey Votto .335 SNLVAR/WXRL SP 1993 Bill Swift 7.7 SP 2003 Mark Prior 7.6 SP 2003 Kerry Wood 7.4 SP 2001 Russ Ortiz 7.1 SP 2004 Carlos Zambrano 6.9 CL 1993 Rod Beck 7.4

I'm glad I DVRd the game last night. I think I watched the whole thing from intorductions to the end in about 1 hour 30 min.

I noticed that along with the high AVG this month that Hak-Ju lee also has a BABIP over .400 and a LD% around 10. Has he made real progress or is this just a lucky month?

As an Iowa resident I'm thinking of starting a support group for baseball fans. The local cable company (Mediacom) only carries Fox Sports Midwest in terms of baseball channels so as a Cub fan that means I can watch Cardinals games and the Cubs if they are on WGN which is about 1-2 times per week. I have no access to Royals, Twins, Brewers, or White Sox (other then WGN) even though I'm considered their local market. I hate it and I refuse to give MLBAM any of my money until they resolve this problem.

I know the feeling. I first discovered OOTP during finals week in college. I didn't get any studying done but I still passed all my tests. I've tried to limit how much I play since then but it isn't easy.

Every spring when The Show comes out it makes me regret buying an Xbox.

I'm assuming that was sarcasm.

I'm in the same boat being from central Iowa. I'm blacked out from the Cubs, Royals, Cardinals, Twins, White Sox, and Brewers. I would have no problem giving MLB $120 for MLB.tv but not if I can't watch what I want when I want.

At first I was surprised they were only projected for 77 wins but when you look at the projections by player you can't argue with alot. Maybe more PT for Aramis or Lee and a little bit better pitching but flat out the Cubs aren't very good.

They got 2 mil in savings which is most likely better then the gamble that someone signs him for more then the min.

MLB is reporting 6 mil. I'd believe MLB.

Fukudome's 2008 to 2009 is comparing RF to CF which are very different positions.

Stejskal loses all credibility with me the minute he quotes scripture.

It's funny I was just wondering about this after Len Kasper said Helton was a first ballot HOFer during Sunday's Cubs-Rockies game. I thought he was a bit off base when he said it and after I looked at his home/road spits it confirmed my suspicions. I wish broadcasters would look a little deeper instead of only glancing at the surface.

All I will ever remember about Loney is the grand slam he hit of Dempster in game 1 of the NLDS last year that seemingly ended the series for the Cubs.

Who did you mean when you said call up Jay Bruce?

Is Travis Snider not a viable option in LF or is he being saved for DH?

I would be very interested in MLB.tv if it weren\'t for their overly broad blackout policy. I live in IA and would be blacked out from Cubs, Cardinals, Royals, Twins, White Sox, and Brewers games. My local cable company only carries the Cardinals on a regular basis so I would be tempted to cancel cable and subscribe to MLB.tv if I could actually watch the games I want.

I want to say it was up in mid February last year.

So if Greg Maddux played for a bunch of crappy teams and had no run support he isn\'t a Hall of Famer?

Looking at draft history it listed Murray as being drafted as a C/1B. I read a quote from Ozzie that Murray played all over the diamond so he may have played some 3B.

I know Ozzie Smith and Eddie Murray were teammates but I\'m not sure what positions they played.

Yankees, 6/162, 11/28

Very well written article. On a related note, I\'ve always been amazed at what managers/coaches can get away with. If I displayed similar behaviors when arguing with my co-workers I would be unemployed and facing lawsuits.

I would be shocked if the Cubs trade Fukudome. They aren\'t going to get anything in return for him unless they eat 80% of his contract. They either have to release him or make him an overpaid 4th OF.

Who would play CF for the Cubs? I don\'t think they have much of a need for another corner OF.

I still don\'t think Theriot is a ML SS so I think the Cubs need to pursue one this offseason. How about Rich Hill, Jeff Samardzija, Jose Ceda, and Jason Marquis or Sean Marshall for JJ Hardy. I realize that the likelyhood of the Brewers helping the Cubs in any way is slim to none but I can dream can\'t I?