MarlinAddict

hey Addict... you know Lance Frazier? I know of him. He's the DB from Spanish River High.

Once again West Virginia University is left off the list because NCAA rules prohibit the ranking of professionals.

Wrath.....iffy (he did blow up on a couple umps Wrath - he blasted the FO for not being willing to keep the team together.

December 22 Chicago Sun Times Barrett is projected as the Cubs' starting catcher, with Paul Bako as his backup. The only thing that could change the scenario is if Pudge Rodriguez is in need of a short-term deal in January. The Cubs understand that's a long shot but are willing to talk about a one-year contract. January 9 Chicago Sun Times Hendry thinking long-term with Wood January 9, 2004 BY MIKE KILEY STAFF REPORTER For fans waiting to hear whether Hendry will sign free agents Pudge Rodriguez and/or Greg Maddux, it will come as no surprise to learn he has been talking to agent Scott Boras about both players. Boras is trying to convince Hendry they would be good fits, but the Cubs' under-the-radar position on both players hasn't changed. While they privately contend that they still have interest in both, they also are quick to temper any expectations by downplaying the chances of signing either one. The Cubs toyed with Rodriguez last offseason, too, never willing to risk much investment in him. A good year for the World Series champion Florida Marlins hiked Rodriguez's stock, but the Cubs also improved their image under Dusty Baker. Because so many players now want to play for them, they can be choosy. Maddux may yet become a Cub -- if he wants his old team so badly that he is willing to give them a discount and forget about a two-year, $20 million deal. That would seem a dicey proposition for a player with bad memories of Tribune Co. economics. The guess here is that the Cubs will sign Maddux sooner or later and let Rodriguez walk away again. But Maddux has to make it happen and want it to happen, with money not being the bottom line. Few suitors out there can offer Maddux a true chance at the World Series, though the St. Louis Cardinals are one. That's something to chew on.

Nicest that I've met is Art Monk, formerly of the Redskins. He's also one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Monte Coleman, also formerly of the Redskins, gets an honorable mention. I've met Pete Rose, Joe Theisman, and Gary Carter, but Brooks Robinson is still the biggest jerk I've ever met.

also, ownership DOES have the money, its wether they are willing 2 spend it or not. so like i said, it would have been nice if loria really wanted 2 make a statement to fans by opening his wallet and showing everyone hes willing to do it for the fans and the team We have one of the least wealthy owners in the game. Most estimates of Loria's net worth are in the $120-$150 million range. By contrast, the Angles owner, Moreno, was listed in Forbes with a net worth of $1 billion, and is the wealthiest owner is baseball. A $20 million loss sounds reasonable for the Marlins for last year, and loses are virtually guaranteed under the current lease. At this rate, if there is no new stadium, Loria will be bankrupt in a couple years. Signing Vlad to a long-term contract would have committed most of Loria's wealth. It would have also shortened the the amount of time he could afford to wait for a new stadium. Frankly, I think he'll have trouble holding out until 2007. It doesn't matter at all where a player wants to play if the franchise can't afford him. Quite simply, we couldn't commit for more than a year. If we had, that would have guaranteed an even bigger loss this year and given us that much less time to get a stadium. As much as Vlad may have wanted to play here, a one year commitment wasn't enough.

Three Stooges Addams Family Knots Landing Hill Street Blues Looney Tunes I guess I should say Hee Haw since Grandpa Jones was my great uncle.

Pudge won't be around by the time May 1 comes around. The Tigers are slowly creeping into the picture with him. Probably wouldn't be able to pay him what he wants, but would give him a multi-year deal, and a guarenteed starting catcher position. Here is what Dombrowski said about why he is not interested in Pudge: "We've had three offensive main needs: shortstop, second base and a bat in the outfield," Dombrowski said. "Those are the areas we wanted to address. In addition, we want to continue to give Brandon the opportunity to grow." That's Brandon Inge, who hasn't established himself at catcher for a full season but improved last season after a trip to Triple-A Toledo. The Tigers have signed free-agent second baseman Fernando Vina and free-agent outfielder Rondell White. They continue to search for a free-agent shortstop and a starting pitcher. The reluctance to pursue Rodriguez or Lopez could indicate that the club would make a Tejada-type bid only for a star who plays a position where the Tigers lack a visible incumbent. That was from the Detroit Free Press last month, so the status may have changed. I screwed up the link and didn't save the article number. I have no idea what he sees in Inge.

With Vlad going into the AL West, I am looking for some movement for Pudge from that division. Since the A's are so frugal, I don't think it is them. Texas - no way. The Angels have to be done with Vlad's contract, and its sounds like they made trade away some payroll. The Mariners want to win, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them replace Dan Wilson . Wilson turns 35 this March, and made 3.5 last year. If they can get Pudge for $7-8, for between $3.5 - $4.5 they could signifcantly upgrade that position.

well i dont see how u let a player like guerrero just slip out of your hands after he WANTED 2 come here. That's probably a little out of context. He may have wanted to come here for the right price and right number of years. We probably couldn't deliver the price, years, or both. I would be surprised if we could have offered the security he wanted.

I don't really trust Don Smiley, and Don King is an idiot. How about Mark Cuban? I'm sure having Cuban own like 20% of the team would do wonders. Plus, he's got the right name AND the right personality for this city (even if not the right ethnicity). Don Smiley's CPA is in Boca, goes to FAU baseball games, and violates confidentiality ethics. I doesn't sound like Smiley has anything to contribute.

If the traffic is that bad in Miami, then nobody would be able to get to the games in a downtown stadium. You've just made the arguement for keeping it near PPS.

See! 40% from Dade but the stadium is as far from Dade as it is from PBC. Time for that geography lesson.

I can't find the link, but I'm think they had about $42M to spend on FAs this offseason. That being the case, even with Tejeda, Javy, and these others, they still have quite a bit left. Anyone have the 2004 salaries for their FAs?

Here is another spin on the O's & Vlad O's Still Reaching for the Stars Surhoff Signs; Palmeiro, Guerrero Could Be Right Behind By Dave Sheinin Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 9, 2004; Page D03 BALTIMORE, Jan. 8 -- While the Baltimore Orioles continue to chart an exhilarating future course that could return them to prominence, on Thursday they moved to restore a pair of links to the franchise's last period of glory: B.J. Surhoff is back in the fold, and Rafael Palmeiro could be right behind. The Orioles reached agreement with Surhoff on Thursday night on a one-year minor league contract, and were close to finalizing a one-year deal with a one-year option for Palmeiro. At the same time, the Orioles maintained contact with Vladimir Guerrero's agents and continue to express optimism privately that the free agent slugger will be theirs in a matter of days. Surhoff and Palmeiro, both 39, were integral parts of the Orioles' last playoff squads in 1996 and 1997. Palmeiro left via free agency following the 1998 season, while Surhoff was traded in 2000 and returned the Baltimore in 2003. Surhoff's contract is similar to the one he signed last winter with the Orioles. He made the roster out of spring training and hit .295 in 93 games between stints on the disabled list. The Orioles envision him as a fourth outfielder and as part of their designated hitter rotation in 2004. Palmeiro, who hit 38 home runs, batted .260 and drove in 112 runs last season (he has hit at least 38 homers in nine straight seasons), would split time at first base and designated hitter in a newly fortified Orioles lineup that already includes shortstop Miguel Tejada and catcher Javy Lopez, and could also include Guerrero. The glacially paced negotiations with Guerrero's agents -- Fernando Cuza and Diego Benz, who also represent Palmeiro -- continued to plod forward Thursday. The agents spoke at length again with Orioles co-general managers Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan. Some industry observers believe Guerrero's hesitancy to accept the Orioles' standing offer of five years and $65 million is an indication he does not want to play in Baltimore and is waiting for another team to give him a reason to go elsewhere. Most speculation has centered on the New York Mets, who fit Guerrero's presumed preferences of being a National League team in a city with a large Latin American population. However, the Mets are not believed to have made a formal offer and have expressed reluctance to discuss anything more than three years. Orioles sources say Guerrero's agents have given them the impression Guerrero wants to play in Baltimore. "Unless [the agents] are lying," said one team official, "I don't think there's a problem. I think [the agents] are just trying to get the best contract they can for their guy." Another team source said the Orioles were preparing to place a deadline on their offer to Guerrero and have begun focusing on alternatives, including trade possibilities such as Minnesota's Jacque Jones. Orioles Notes: The team's astonishing offseason overhaul has gotten the attention of ESPN, which has moved the team's season opener at Oriole Park at Camden Yards against the Boston Red Sox to April 4 at 8:05 p.m. for its "Sunday Night Baseball" season debut. The game, originally scheduled for the afternoon of April 5, will mark the Orioles' first appearance on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" since July 18, 1999. The game is expected to be called by former Orioles radio play-by-play man Jon Miller.

... i would like Cookie Rojas to coach 3B. Too conservative. If he'd been coaching 3B this year, Cabrera wouldn't have hit a first career game homer because Rojas would have held him at third.

The Marlins refuse to go more than 2 years(I was also told 3 but no more) without it being tied into a stadium deal. When did the Marlins even make an offer?

At least we now know Berardino's "Industry Source"

just so it's clear.... the figure 3 years / 21 mil is false. he was offered that amount yesterday and he turned it down. the poster who mentioned it was mistaken. That may have been me quoting from the Washington Post news alerts, but the $21 was (apparently) the guaranteed figure after all. Today's Baltimore Sun clarifies it better: "They have been in serious negotiations with Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, and several industry sources yesterday were predicting that the Orioles would sign Rodriguez to a three-year contract with a base salary of $7 million a season and incentives that would allow Rodriguez to earn $10 million a year." Link

It doesn't matter how many teams he's interested in. Heck, I'll limit my choices down to 30 teams. Still, like Pudge, none are expressing an interest in me. It sounds like the Cubs are out of the picture. Baltimore is the only team that seems to be any real possibility, and he's not even on their "A" list. Only if they fail to get any of the four they are interested in, Vlad, Tejera, Nomar, and Javy, does he have a chance at getting his asking price.

Today's Chicago Sun Times: Cubs thinking small in Big Easy December 11, 2003 BY MIKE KILEY Staff Reporter NEW ORLEANS -- General manager Jim Hendry raised the expectations of Cubs fans in recent weeks by adding first baseman Derrek Lee and reliever LaTroy Hawkins. So when Hendry arrives in New Orleans today for the winter meetings, a convention of trade rumors and gossip that bridges the gap to spring training, anticipation will be high that the trend of high-profile activity will continue. But marquee free agents such as catchers Ivan Rodriguez and Javy Lopez and pitcher Greg Maddux aren't on Hendry's shrinking radar screen, according to team sources. His $85 million payroll for the 2004 season doesn't leave the kind of money to even consider Rodriguez's desires for $10 million a year. Less flashy names who could become Cubs in the next several weeks are outfielders Jose Cruz Jr. and Todd Hollandsworth, left-handed relievers Ricardo Rincon, Gabe White, Ron Villone, Sterling Hitchcock, Glendon Rusch and Kent Mercker and perhaps left-handed starter Kenny Rogers. Hendry has had discussions with Pittsburgh Pirates officials about catcher Jason Kendall, but he has put Kendall on the back burner for the moment because of the complex money issues. Kendall is due $42 million over the next four years, and the Cubs would want to pay only $20 million of that at the most. Perhaps the biggest new name that could arise over the next few days is Rogers. He fit into the Minnesota Twins' budget last season by accepting a $2 million salary, down from $7.5 million each of the previous three years with the Texas Rangers. At 39, Rogers presumably would know that is his price range. But word is he might be looking for $5 million to $6 million per year after going 13-8 with a 4.57 ERA in 2003. If so, the Cubs will pass and stick with right-hander Juan Cruz as the No. 5 starter, as badly as they want a competitive left-hander after the Shawn Estes experiment failed. Hitchcock is a lefty who could start or relieve. Rogers is strictly a starter. Hendry will listen to any trade discussions of big-name players, just as he jumped into the Lee talks at the last moment after the Baltimore Orioles dropped out. But chances are, his priorities are down to adding important backups in the outfield and infield and a left-hander for the bullpen and possibly the rotation. Here is a breakdown of areas that will be part of the banter in New Orleans: Fourth outfielder Corey Patterson's rehabilitation is progressing optimistically, and the Cubs think he has every chance to be in the Opening Day lineup in center field. But what if he experiences a spring-training setback? What if the cold April weather keeps him from being as agile in his return from left knee surgery? Hendry has said the fourth outfielder will be extremely critical and is focusing a lot of his energy on that spot to find either a left-handed bat or a switch hitter. Free agents Cruz, Hollandsworth, Ben Grieve and Chris Singleton will be discussed, as well as trade possibilities. Cruz won a Gold Glove with the San Francisco Giants last season, and the switch hitter batted .250 in 158 games -- and there is the rub. He definitely wants a starting job, which the Cubs can't promise, the reason Kenny Lofton jumped ship. If no starting offers come along, Cruz could be persuaded to consider the Cubs. As for the left-handed Hollandsworth, he is the kind of productive pinch hitter the Cubs lacked last season. He finished third among National League pinch hitters with a .350 average in 20 at-bats for the Florida Marlins. Lefties How much money Hendry spends elsewhere will affect which left-hander he adds to the bullpen. Rincon made $1.7 million last season, White $3.3 million, Hitchcock $6 million and even the lamentable Rusch (1-12 for the Milwaukee Brewers with a 6.42 ERA) made $4.25 million. Villone, who earned $900,000 in 2003, and Mercker, who made $550,000, would come much cheaper. Backup infielders The Cubs hope to re-sign Ramon Martinez by Dec. 20. If not, Tony Graffanino and Miguel Cairo would get a lot of consideration. With Randall Simon not expected to return, Martinez also could back up Lee at first base; otherwise, the new backup outfielder might have to handle that chore. Catcher Hendry continues to look for ways to upgrade after Damian Miller was subpar offensively last season. The Cubs like Miller's defense and might have to settle for that again, but they are searching for creative ways to make a change. Wood and Lee Hendry plans to talk with the camps for both Lee and starting pitcher Kerry Wood in New Orleans about multiyear contract extensions. It's just a first step toward what the team hopes will be agreements with both players. Link

This all started because supposedly a Fox 10 report out of Phoenix. Fox 10 denies the report. Then is turned into a radio station in Arizona, and WSCR 670 AM in Chicago then supposedly picked up the story. Well, 670 WSCR isn't exactly reliable. Not only do they not carry the story, but as of Monday they still have the Cubs going after our second baseman, Juan Castillo. Link...

I refuse to believe a whole war where we spent millions is about Cheney making 800,000 grand a year. The budget being passed, which drastically alters our future, and the existence of the military industrial complex (no one denies that, the military is instrumental in our economy) seems to be the more valid reasons if Iraq truly is no threat. You've obviously never worked in the White House. I have.

I actually have a friend who thinks that Oswald was the assassin, however it would have to be contrary to the laws of science for that to be possible. How so? Actually, the laws of physics and bulletistics point to shots from the book depository. Whether Oswald actually fired the shots might debatable. And, even if he did, I still believe he was part of a conspiracy. If you are talking about the "single bullet", all conspiracy therories that attempt to make a mockery of it conveniently ignore the fact that the back seat was several inches higher than the middle seat (Connally's seat) and that the the Zapruder film and trajectory of the wounds together match up perfectly with the 6th floor window. Still, the bullet found on the stretcher -- no way will I ever believe that was the actual bullet. To me, that is the best evidence that there was a conspiracy. Connally was buried with fragments of the actual bullet still in his wrist. Back to the topic of the thread, I'm not convinced one way or another. I heard an Army officer a few weeks ago state that we still hadn't examined 10% of the known sites. I'd believe him over any politician. Still, I call this Cheney's war. The Halliburton contract, and the fact that they still pay Cheney $600,000 - $800,000 a year for "consulting" just doesn't pass the sniff test.

Since Berardino stated that the Cubs bid came from another "industry source" (we used to call them imaginary friends), I went to the Chicago Tribune and found nothing. I did a search there on any mention of Castillo in the last 7 days - nothing. So I went to the Chicago Sun-Times. The closest thing I could find is that the Cubs are backing off a little bit from Castillo and looking at an outfielder as their highest priority. This is from Wednesday: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/ds.../pro/261sd5.htm