Also

Barney having a game tonight!

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

This doesn't deserve a thread, but I really don't remember this happening.

David Kaplan ‏@thekapman 4m
#teamkap 15 yrs today Mike Piazza traded to Mets. Cubs runner up they wouldn't give up 2 prospects who never made it.

ATLANTA — The Cubs played a waiting game and lost out on catcher Mike Piazza Friday when Florida traded him to the New York Mets for three prospects.

Piazza's agent, Dan Lozano, said the Mets and the Cubs were the final two teams in the running for Piazza.

"I don't know about that," Cubs President Andy MacPhail said. "We'll never know how close we came."

Sources in Miami said the Marlins tried to package both Piazza and third baseman Todd Zeile for the Cubs, but the Cubs had no interest in reacquiring Zeile with his $3.2 million salary, even with Kevin Orie struggling at third.



Though they were very interested in Piazza, the Cubs were looking only to "rent" him for the '98 season and didn't believe they could re-sign him beyond this year because he wants a six-to-seven-year deal worth around $16 million a season.

Because Piazza would have been a quick-fix solution, they were reluctant to part with their top catching prospect, Pat Cline, and their top pitching prospect, Todd Noel. Without either of those two in the mix, the Cubs couldn't match the Mets' offer of outfielder Preston Wilson, pitching prospect Ed Yarnall and, reportedly, pitcher Geoff Goetz.

MacPhail declined to say which players the Cubs offered the Marlins, but conceded the Marlins got more talent from the Mets than the Cubs were willing to give up.

Several Cubs watched the news of the deal on TV in the visitors' clubhouse before Friday's game, and when the names of the Mets' prospects were shown on the screen, one player stood up and said with disgust: "You have to be kidding."

Translation: Couldn't the Cubs have offered more?

MacPhail said he wasn't disappointed and he knew the organization would be criticized for not making the big move.

"We'll have plenty of opportunities to improve," he said.

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There was enough juice and burritos in that clubhouse already. No need to add another.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Todd Hundley worked out fine

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What the? Is the story on this exactly what it looks like; a screaming liner behind his head? Who is that?

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Another fail with runners on for Castro and Rizzo tonight. Way to fall over striking out. A base hit works too guys. Stop swinging for the god damn fence.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Now Soriano strikes out on a pitch that ends up in front of the dugout....and he is on first.

Does Rob Deer serve any purpose other than to throw a round of BP and drink his face off with Swaimer??

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Come on now, unfair. Deer does more than drink with Der Svuem, he buys the shots!

McFail was such a conservative fuck. Just goes to show how risky it is to trade proven talent for "prospects". I vaguely remember Noel but not Pat Cline.

It's a wonderful day for an Edwin Jackson shit show. Already getting lit up in the first though a tolerable throw from Sori would have nailed McCutch at the plate.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

I remember it.

I had Piazza on my Cubs like team in Baseball Stars

Pittsburgh's a good team and I don't see them fading down the stretch this year. They have some reserves to call up from the minors or they can trade some of it for veteran players. They have the 9th and 14th picks in this years draft so it will be easy to reload the farm system. They're going to give the Cardinals and Reds a run for their money.