Are the Cubs going to allow someone to bat sub 220 like Fuk did from August thru the playoffs (100 BA in the Playoffs)?
Seriously, the Cubs lack of offense and quick playoff dismissal have a LOT to do with Fuk. I don't care if you can catch 'em if you never drive 'em in. He had 4 RBI in September, and 13 in August. Terrible. Cubs don't need that if they're going to compete in fall.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

The Cubs offense as a whole, not getting on base and when somebody is on base, not driving them in, has been the problem. You can point the finger at everyone, a lot moreso than Fukudome (who was not here vs. Arizona).

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I agree that he was bad at the end of last year but I don't know if he can't turn it around. It is in the Cubs best interest to see if he can figure it out because right now he has 0 trade value and paying someone 10 million a year to play for Iowa doesn't make much sense. I am sure if by June if he still cant hit the ball with any authority you will see the Cubs start contemplating a future without Fuku and move towards a Gathright/Johnson platoon with the possibility of adding a piece via trade. Hell at that point they may even give Edmonds a call again. All of that being said I do not think that what Fukudome does is the biggest concern of the Cubs heading into this season and the depth within the lineup should be able to carry them while you trot him out there for a few months to see if he can figure it out.

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There were a few guys that got hits in that series. For example it's not fair to say the offense as a whole when Lee batted something over 400 in the playoffs.
Anyone batting 100 in a series is part of the root cause. He's not exclusively to blame, but he sure as hell did not help. Guy was worthless after 7/31. I don't need to see a batter flailing away and looking absolutely embarassing when batting because the guy grabs an extra ball or two in the outfield.
I hope to hell he can turn it around, but anything less than .270 ain't cutting it.
A deep lineup doesn't disguise the fact that this guy can't hit.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yeah, I sure hope that he gets his shit together 'cuz we're most definitely stuck with him at this point - Maybe he'll have a decent 1st half again and the club can move him in a timely manner...

I guess you loved that 1 RBI he had.

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Yeah I hate to agree with Frank here. Boy do I hate to agree with Frank but the blame for the Cubs playoff failures can be spread to just about everybody on the team and the manager.

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Yeah, well, unless he was hitting dingers there was no one to drive in.
Point I guess I'm making is that anyone can have a bad 3 game series. That's fair right? And it can even coincidently happen to 5 players at a time too, coincidently. That's fair too.
Fuk batter like shit in his last 300 or so at bats. I mean progressivly shittier. It got worse each month. Every see his splits? Check it out... here's his average and OBP by month...
April .305 .416
May .293 .388
June .264 .387
July .236 .306
August .193 .293
Sept .178 .288
Pitchers have figured this guy out. Something tells me that pitching in Japan ain't anywhere near as good as pitching in MLB. He's basically a AAA star, but can't hit in the biggs, which was something that made the Cubs bail out on their last two centerfielders of the future.
This all boils down to this... I don't expect Fuk to earn a spot as opening day starter unless they play him simply because they overpay him, which means that we're not putting the best product on the field, just the most expensive one.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

You are a wise man, Darkside...

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Seriously?

I agree with what you're saying about Fukudome. So far, he has been a terrible bust.

But you can't pin the lack of offense in the playoffs sqaurely or mostly on him. If Lee had nobody to drive in, you blame everybody (including #1) for not getting on base. If Lee had a lot of runners LOB, then you can point a lot of blame at him. If Lee was on base a lot, blame Aram the guys directly behind him for not driving him in.

And now you are talking about him making the 2009 roster, not the 2008 playoffs.

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Fortunately I never said that. I said he had a lot to do with it, and I stand by that.


I'm not sure what you mean by that. The opening day lineup was the subject of the thread. I just used the playoffs as an example of why I don't think Fuk gets on or remains on this roster this year.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Semantics. There are others who had a lot more to do with the lack of offense.

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Whatever dude, you know what I'm trying to say. Anyway that point was only a peripheral point to the main subject of this thread.
What I'm trying to do is make the case that Fuk does not belong on the Opening Day roster, and may in fact, not belong on the roster long term. I am trying to show that he had regressed significantly over the course of the entire season, and specifically in his last 300 at bats which is a much more significant sample size than the 3 games in the playoffs.
That leads me to believe that the pitchers have found a significant vunerability in Fuks swing. He's bloody embarassing at the plate. I just think you have two other guys, also guys who can "go get 'em" in CF and who don't look like a Tballer at the plate.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

You're trying to say Fukduome sucks. I'm trying to say Fukudome is far from the main guy to blame for the '08 playoff woes.

We're both right, except that while he might be a bench player, he won't be playing in AAA this season (barring an injury rehab)

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I agree that he might very well suck but for the amount he is getting paid the Cubs owe it to themselves to find out if he is salvagable. There is no value to be gained from shipping him to Iowa before giving him a shot to figure out his swing in the majors. He does look lost at the plate but there is a chance that he figures it out and becomes a productive......260 to .280 hitter in the major leagues which would not justify his salary but would probably secure him a spot as the cubs 4th outfielder and a chance to platoon in CF.

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he will likely be with the team all year, but i dont think it is impossible that if he is truly horrid like he was at the end of the season that he could get benched, but i find it highly unlikely they would demote him in any circumstance. the league caught up with him last year, and i have never seen a guy press like he was after the all-star break last year, it was hard to watch. that being said, i think he gets a honeymoon season this year, and if he doesn't perform, they look elsewhere from that point on. like it or not, they paid a lot for the guy, they are going to give him EVERY chance to play everyday.

i know he was bad, but for some reason i still think he can play. it is nothing more than a hunch, but i think he rebounds a bit this year. all he has to do is hit a consistent .270 (none of this hitting .350 through may and .100 thereafter) with a OBP in the .350 range, and he can bat 7th or 8th, and i am good. its not my money they are paying him.

Yes it is...salary = ticket revenue + concessions + MLB licensed products.

If you go to one game, buy a beer or a hot dog, or buy anything with a Cubs logo (at the game or not), you are paying their salary. Demand quality work from your employees, dammit!

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Seriously?

MOFO'S CONTRIBUTION TO CUBS PAYROLL - 2008

you got me on a couple things:

TICKET REVENUE = 0 (1 game attended - free tickets)
PARKING = $6 (parked at DeVry)
CONCESSIONS = $20 for hot dogs and drinks for kids (wife and i starved)
MLB LICENSED PRODUCTS = $20 (2 mini-bats for kids, cant remember exact cost so i will stretch and say $10 each)

for my $46, i say give fuk another chance.

well played!

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Seriously?

you can make a serious argument Dempster deserves the opening day start.

since he got fucked and missed the pitching in the playoffs last year after pitching very well down the stretch, i say start ted lilly opening day. "opening day starter" is ridiculously over-rated anyway.

The lineup I would like to see

Theriot
Fontenot/Miles
Ramirez
Bradley
Lee
Soriano
Soto
Fuku/Johnson

Dempster starting game one.

While I am somewhat curious about seeing soriano batting down in the lineup, I won't throw a fit if Soriano does indeed bat leadoff. The cubs did score the most runs in the NL last year by a wide margin, so Soriano batting leadoff could not have been that big of a detriment.

I guess i am tired of all this hand wringing about Soriano batting leadoff. Every day there is an article or column about, IMO, one of the most overblown controversies involving the cubs.

I think Lee batting third was more of a problem last year than soriano batting leadoff.