Shocked that Demp is still in. Goes to show how little Lou thinks of his pen

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Team Cutler.

God dammit lou. Do Not even consider putting shark in the game. Sit him back down right now. Back on the bench. Sit down.

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

109 pitches ain't that bad so far. THis will certainly be the last inning though. Schmarzidas is coming in in the 7th if needed!

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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

Russell better make sure he is not needed.

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

Edmonds has taken some really bad hacks in this game. Looking bad.

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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

Cmon bob
"If this were a closer game you would see Smardja in there to face Braun"

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

Just saw a sign in outfield that said I like Happy Endings.....I'm sure that will end up on deadspin.com.

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Marmol should not be pitching today unless it was a save situation.

What is with Soto's storm trooper chest protector?
That was a nice DP.

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

It may be.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

He took a bad route on a ball to center, too. Fell on his face, looked like an ass. We were very lucky to squeeze what we squeezed out of him in 2008. I don't think he's really a starting center fielder anymore.

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He only pitched in 1 game out of the first 6 and needs to work more to stay sharp. You see how he struggles with control often anyway. Without pitching regularly, thats only gonna be a bigger problem. With tomorrow an off day, pitching him today was a good idea.

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Go Cubs!!!!

There's also a school of thought that suggests that after warming up x amount of times, you might as well just put a guy in a game. I think Marmol is more of a workhorse type closer than most.

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

I wanted guys like J.J. Putz, Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito to name a few. But Hendry got none of the free agents that could have been of use. Now the only way to upgrade the bullpen is through trade. Trading Lee is NOT something I would be giddy about. But with Nady, they have a good hitter that has no position open for him to play (and playing 1st would be easier on his arm) and Lee is a guy that might bring a decent set-up man in return. They don't just need a middle relief pitcher, they need a set-up guy. Grabow and Caridad should not be set-up men.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Trading Lee for a setup man was a little crazy.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

Lee was the Cubs best hitter last season, after the first 6 weeks. He is in the last year of his contract and if the club wanted to retain him, discussions about an extension would have taken place. They did not. He's older and yet because he's still productive and is on the last year of his deal (teams know he's gonna want to produce on a contract year AND they would not be on the hook long term) he has decent value. GOOD set-up men are very difficult to find, so saying that someone might get one in return in a trade, is really a compliment. Lee is a team player and a guy who never causes problems. He wants to play everyday and is an outstanding defender. But to get something of value, you must give something of value. What other piece of this team do they have a good replacement (Nady) for? Thats the point...you find the position where you have a player that could replace someone rather well and determine if the starting player could bring much in return. the only other guy might be Theriot, if they thought Starlin Castro was truely ready. But I think they are better off moving Theriot to 2nd if they brought Castro up. Plus, you have to see Castro perform at that level for a while to see if he's really ready. If not Theriot would be returned to SS. I suppose that when Lilly returns, they could try trading Gorzellany. If Silva keeps going well that might be an option. They can't trade Silva, because his contract is so high, it's doubtful anyone would want to make the deal. But if Gorzellany pitches well in his remaining 1-2 starts before Lilly returns, they might find a team in need of a starter that has a decent set-up man to offer in return.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Gorzelanny has only one season in which he's had an ERA under 5 as a starter (excluding his 11 game season in '06 so I guess that should count.. ok 2 seasons)
Since then... .6.66, 5.55, 5.19, and 5.63.
He might be better served as a reliever with the Cubs than as trade bait. I can't see getting a damn thing for the guy.

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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

There really are no dependable dominant set up men. The consistently good ones become closers and the other ones usually have one good year, one bad year.

Might be...but if he manages to pitch as well in the 2 starts he should get prior to Lilly's return, he might be of interest to some teams needing a starter. He makes a fairly low salary and had a nice spring, followed by a very nice start in his season debut. Should he continue strong, he might have enough value to bring a decent relief pitcher in return, in a trade. No, he will not get the Cubs the kind of guy that Derek Lee might, but if they don't want to trade Lee, Gorzo (I went Teinowitz there) is a guy that will be expendable soon. The numbers suggest he wouldn't be very attractive. But if he has 3 strong starts, maybe teams look at him as a guy thats figured things out (with Rothschilds help?) and with a low salary, might be a good solution for a team needing a starter.

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Go Cubs!!!!

I am just waiting for the embarrasment of riches that comes when the Cubs trade HoffPower

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After Nady and Millar were signed, it would have made sense for Hoffpauir (that's the correct spelling) to have been dealt to a team that needed a 1st baseman or a DH. Getting a minor league prospect for him and giving him the opportunity to make another club, would seem to have been the thing to do. Given an everyday opportunity to play, I believe he could put up decent numbers. But the window of opportunity for him is closing fast. After a rash of injuries early in his career, he finally got 100% healthy and got untracked. But with Lee, there was no spot open for him here and now with Nady here, that chance (opportunity to play due to a Lee injury) no longer exists. I know many people think the guy is not that good and not good enough to be an everyday player. I do. The fact that he did not produce all that well coming off the bench, mostly pinch-hitting, is not surprising. Without regular, consistant at bats, it's hard to be sharp. I'm not saying he would have been a star player, but I think he could be pretty solid.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Did you think Phil mis-spelled it unintenionally?

i dont like the idea of trading anyone of value on offense for a setup man. theyre so hit and miss. just because they had a great season last year or even for a few months stretch this year doesnt mean theyll come to this team and do jack shit. look at someone like latroy hawkins or mike remlinger, or bobby howry. the cubs get these guys because theyre so dominant and having great years shutting guys down and they come to the cubs and basically do nothing but shit all over themselves. ill pass thanks

Thanks Elmhurst SHARK.....HoffPower is no Jayke Fawx

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LULL

Gotta like the pitching match-up today....Bush is a guy that the Cubs have seen/hit many times and Randy Wells looked very good in his 1st outing of the season. I think he's a very under-rated starter. When you look at his ERA from last season (3.05) he really doesn't get as much credit and praise as he might be deserving of. Though he did need a few double plays to get hiself out of jams, he did not surrender a run in 6 innings. With the weather expecting to be very warm and the bats looking good in the last game, I'm hoping for another good outcome. I just hope Wells can keep Brewer hitters hitting ground balls rather than fly balls. Nady should be at 1st base today for Lee (thumb). I'll be interested to see how good Nady does at 1st. He really does not have a lot of experience there. I think only something like 30-35 games at the MLB level.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Lineup:


Theriot
Fukudome
Ramirez
Byrd
Nady
Soriano
Fontenot
Soto
Wells

Jeff Gray called up to the big club with Caridad going to the DL with a 'right forearm strain'

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Team Cutler.

Can't throw strikes disease

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My jeff gray prediction has been realized. Right forearm strain my ass .

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

fixed