Okay, it looks like I'm completely full of shit tonight. I don't know why I thought the Yankees got Kevin Brown. Blinded/stupefied by hatred I guess.

Still...

Wait a minute... they did get Kevin Brown. Nevermind.

What, am I on dope?

The yankees are paying a-rod 16million a year. The part that some folks are missing is that a lot of that money was all ready accounted for. The yanks 3rd baseman (Boone?Bell? I forget) wont get paid for the year because he broke the terms of his contract by injuring himself playing basketball, they give up Sorianos contract, and that prospect they were paying 12 million for up and quit to be a NFL quarterback. The Yanks got him for a steal, and with money that magically opened up.

I am not a Yanks fan, but all of you who hate on them would give your left nut in order to get Steinbrenner and his wallet to own your team. He just puts his money to win. Assholes like the Selig family here in Milwaukee don't give a shit about winning. Fuckers took our tax dollars for their stadium and field a team of shit and pocket the differance. I wish the "evil empire" would buy the brewers.

Why couldn't the cubs swing that 16 mil deal? Why couldn't they get Pudge?
They better bring Maddux home for his 300!

It's cool Steve, one bet I would take is that Kevin Brown makes less than 15 starts this season.

i don't understand why everybody's talking about the yanks vs redsox... what about the cubs? somebody said pitching wins games, right? don't the cubs have a better pitching staff, total package, than the yankees or the redsox? this is it, 2004 is the cubs year. i know people say that all the time, but in this case, if they all stay healthy (knock on wood) they'll kill either the yankees or the redsox. not that either of those teams will necessarily make the world series in the first place.

as far as maddux, that'd be a pretty sweet addition for the cubs. and according to MLB.com and Cubs.com a decision is expected from him this week. maybe he will end up with the yankees, who knows. a friend was telling me that maddux and pudge both have the same agent? i think that's what he was saying. i can see why the cubs wouldn't try to pick up pudge. the rest of the guys can put up decent enough offense to make up for a cubs catcher's lack of offense. and from the catcher, the defensive side (and ability to lead a pitcher through good pitches) is gonna be what makes the difference. with a pitching staff as good as the cubs have, with enough offense coming from the other guys, the catcher doesn't really need to do anything except catch the shit outta the ball and throw out smart pitch selections. and let's face it, pudge wasn't gonna come cheap anyways.

but seriously, for all the chicagans up in here, how come folks haven't started talking about how this truly is the year for the cubs? am i an idiot to think this is it?

and why would maddux wanna go to the suck-ass yankees when he could come win the championship with the cubs? what player wouldn't wanna jump at the chance to be on the cubs team that won it all? that's like, historic or some shit.

steve wrote:Hey, I got it all wrong. It's the Yankees who are paying $112 million and the Rangers are paying a mere $67 million.

Still, what the fuck? I'll give you $67 million dollars and my best player ever, and you give me Soriano and a go fuck myself. I don't get it.

This trade is based on true love.

You know how Pettitte and Clemens are cuddling their families in Houston? It's the same thing.

Now A-Rod and J-Dawg can rub each other's buttocks all day and night.

Bribery made this trade happen. The kind of bribery that involves (not base)balls.

HOT DAMN.
maddux is to sign to the cubs today, per espn.com. past his prime? maybe. still fucking solid as a rock? you betchum. well, don't know about his fucking. still PITCHING as solid as said rock.

capnreverb - would not, in fact, trade left nut for steinbrenner. hope he goes down in an enron - sized scandal asap.

steinbrenner blows

he throws his money around, which is, uh, good? i suppose. but he sucks the life out of that team if they are anything less than a juggernaut. what an unbearable creature.

but, you know, when the yankee team is a juggernaut, for a few years every decade, it's got to be a blast

i agree that kevin brown is getting to be toast. he doesn't have randy johnson's work ethic or smarts or guts, which is what gets rj around his cranky back etc. 15 starts is a good over/under.

maddux is a nice pickup for the cubs, but i don't think it's a present from jesus. he might teach clement and zambrano a thing or two, if they'll listen. maybe even wood. but prior is set--maddux slots as a number three/pitching coach. and they aren't hurting for pitching anyway. the cubs need offense, and they have picked up nothing on this front. they'll be lucky to win the central again. a lot depends on patterson coming back and borowski being able to get the job done.

i will spend most of my time in ballparks watching the sox lose games 6 runs to 5

tmidgett wrote:i will spend most of my time in ballparks watching the sox lose games 6 runs to 5

I have no expectations for the Sox of White this year. They could wind up 10 games over .500 and win the division, or they could just as easily finish 10-15 games below .500. Many, many question marks. Though I am in favor of the Ozzie Guillen hiring which will hopefully at least ensure more consistent effort, enthusiam & fundamentals (3 major shortcomings contributing to their recent disappointing seasons).

On the radio, on my way in to work today, I heard that Frank Thomas has asked to be traded to the Dodgers. At this point, if they want him and will give up even a halfway decent pitcher, they can have him.

tmidgett wrote:i will spend most of my time in ballparks watching the sox lose games 6 runs to 5

The White Sox win 93 games and take the AL Central. Jon Garland and Joe Crede have break out years, and Konerko goes nuts. Bank it! People have griped about losing Colon, Everett and Alomar. WTF?! Those guys were rentals. Besides, the Sox had serious raises due to Ordonez, Lee, Buehrle and Loaiza, and had to keep those guys in place. If any Sox fans want to gripe, then please get in line behind the Oakland A's fans.

I keep hearing rumors of a Konerko-Koch for Griffey Jr.-Reitsma deal with the Reds. I don't like it.

By the way, I don't want to hear anything more about the Cubs great pitching staff. Prior is the real deal (and strikes me as a psycho who come across as disarmingly normal, which I really like). After him, there is a steep drop off to the above-averageness of Wood and Clement, a largely unknown quantity in Zambrano, and a Greg Maddux who was seriously knocked around in '03. Seriously, if someone can make a straight-facted argument about the "greatness" of Kerry Wood that is supported by facts (apart from the splendidly pitched clinching game against Atlanta), then I'll eat my batting gloves.

Friggin' Cubs. Steve, may I borrow your acid spill for them?