What about Yu Darvish?

Yu Darvish could be posted by his Japanese team this winter makng him available to all 30 MLB clubs. He turned 25 years old on August 16th so 2012 would be his age 25 season. That’s one year younger than Daisuke Matsuzaka who Darvish will often be compared to in the coming months. It’s an unfair comparison.

While Matsuzaka was an outstanding pitcher in Japan, he doesn’t come close to as good as Yu Darvish. That may seem difficult to believe given the hype surrounding Matsuzaka 5 years ago, but it’s true.  Matsuzaka’s best ERA in a single season was his final year in Japan (2006). His ERA was 2.13. The highest ERA in Darvish’s career is 1.88 in 2008. Matsuzak’s career ERA was 2.81, which was more than a full run higher than Darvish (1.72). Matsuzaka’s best WHIP was also in 2006 and it was .92. Darvish has pitched 5 professional seasons and only one time was it higher than .92. His career average is .89 (1.12 for Matzuzaka). Basically, Matsuzak’s best season is worse than almost any season Darvish has pitched and it doesn’t matter which stat you look at.

Stat: Matsuzka best / Darvish worst
H/9: 6.2 / 7.0 (only season worse than 6.1)
HR/9: .4 / .5 (only season worse than .4)
BB/9: 1.64 / 2.2
K/9: 9.7 / 8.3

Stat (career): Matsuzka/Darvish
ERA: 2.81/1.72
H/9: 7.1/6.1
HR/9: .6/.3
BB/9: 3.0/1.9
K/9: 8.8/9.5

While Matsuzaka was a very good pitcher, Darvish has posted numbers that are difficult to post on the Playstation. He was not only better than him in every way, Darvish has been far superior. Comparing these two is like comparing Roy Halladay to Ryan Dempster. Dempster has had some very good seasons in recent years, but he’s not even close to as good as Halladay. The same is true with Darvish and Matsuzaka.

Darvish isn’t going to come to MLB and post those numbers. I’d hope that nobody would expect that kind of production in the best baseball league on the planet. Baseball in Japan is similar to AAA here.

Prior to the Cubs signing Kosuke Fukudome I took a look at all the Japanese position players to play in MLB and compared their OPS in Japan to MLB. While this is by no means a conclusive study, but the results were clear: Fukudome would be considerably worse in MLB than he was in Japan. The same is of course true with Yu Darvish.

On RLYW, SG did something very similar, but focused only Japanese players who have pitched in MLB. I have little doubt that SG was more thorough than I was and his results were also similar. Applying those adjustments to his stats to we see that Darvish’s translated line is a 3.3 ERA or 3.8 FIP. That’s pretty damn good. SG focused on stats from the last 3 years.

SG narrowed the list of Japanese pitchers by focusing on guys who were primarily starters in both Japan and MLB. It’s a list of only 8 pitchers so sample size is an issue. Let me just quote the conclusion because, well, it’s the best part.

The first line here is Darvish’s 2009-2011 three-year weighed average.  Each subsequent line is what his stats would like if he saw the same % difference in his component stats that the average starter did, as well as how it would look if he ended up following the path of each individual starter.

Think about this.  If Darvish’s struggles to the same relative extent that Kei Igawa has, he’d have an ERA of 3.15.

I think Darvish very well might be one of the best pitchers on the planet right now.  He’s probably not, but the Yankees should really go all out for him.  Just in case he is.

Yu Darvish is good. I don’t have any more of an idea what the Cubs are going to do this offseason than you, but if they are going to spend some money, investing in Darvish makes a lot of sense. He’s still young and younger than any other free agent available by several years. He may very well be not only the best free agent pitcher available, but one of the best in MLB.

It’s definitely a risk. Signing any pitcher to a long-term deal is a risk, but this one has the potential to be worse because he may just not be suited for MLB. That’s entirely possible, but no pitcher in Japan coming to MLB has ever put up numbers anywhere close to as good as Darvish. The Cubs are in a tough position. They aren’t likely to contend next year so spending the kind of money it would take to sign Darvish sounds unreasonable, but at the same time this team will be trying to contend within a year or two. You don’t sign Theo Epstein if you want to completely rebuild. If Darvish works out, it could go a long way to helping the Cubs contend a lot sooner than they could have otherwise. The Cubs are in the position where it may be worth the risk.

Some of you may say that I’ve always been skeptical of Japanese players. I remain skeptical. Most of the players from Japan that have come over here have not played particularly well. Yu Darvish is different. His numbers are just so good that they can’t be ignored. Darvish’s numbers are almost identical to what Hayden Simpson was doing in his final year of college. Simpson posted those numbers in D2. Darvish has posted them in a league comparable to AAA.

The question is how much is it going to cost? It will certainly come at a bargain if Darvish is as good as expected, but it won’t come cheap. First, he has to be posted by his Japanese team. The posting fee is not likely to be as high as it was for Matsuzaka, but the Yankees are interested in Darvish so that could run the posting fee pretty high.


0 thoughts on “What about Yu Darvish?”

  1. I think Dice-K posted for something ridiculous like $50MM before they even did his salary. I’d put $50MM as the theoretical ceiling for Darvish’s posting fee.

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  2. yea, it’s the posting fee on top of the potential salary that makes him so expensive.

    I’m down with getting Darvish, and I’m changing who I want the Cubs to get for 1B next year: Carlos Beltran- he can be had on a 2-3 year deal, and put up 4.7WAR while missing time and having below avg. defensive numbers. Moving to 1B will protect his legs, and reduce the extent that he’s a defensive liability. By the end of his contract, perhaps someone will be coming out of the minor league system. I almost can’t wait for the WS to end just to see the moves and direction Epstein and Hoyer start to make.

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  6. Carlos Beltran is a good idea for 1st base. Never would have thought about that. Wonder if he’d be interested in making the move.

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  7. I think Darvish could be had for a total of $80 million or less for 5 years. I think the posting fee is probably $30 million and 5 years/50 million for the contract.

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  8. Dear Joe Buck, When the umpire calls a strike that is actually a strike, that’s not giving the pitcher a benefit. It’s follo0wing the rules, you pompous, biased sawed off little prick. You are the lesser son of a greater sire.

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  9. Jackson’s got no feel for his breaking stuff so far. Lucky Napoli didn’t take that out.

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  11. Rangers squandering some chances.

    [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]TOOTBLAN[/quote]Theriot’s probably telling stories on the Cards bench about his TOOTLBLAN exploits.

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  12. I thought Napoli’s was out, but I also thought Murphy’s would get to the wall. Ball seems like its getting crushed, maybe the camera angle or something.

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  13. Holland looking really sharp so far. Texas needs to tack some more onto Jackson and get some breathing room.

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  15. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Jackson is really playing with fire. He’s missing up with regularity.[/quote]I definitely thought that last one was gone. I’m afraid TLR is gonna yank him after he gets thru lineup the 2nd time no matter what.

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  17. [quote name=Berselius][Q(f,f)(v) = int_{mathbb{R}^d} int_{S^{d-1}} B(|v – v_ast|,cos theta) (f(v_ast’)f(v’) – f(v_ast)f(v)) dsigma dv_ast ][/quote]
    [quote name=Berselius]Anyone who recognizes the operator in my mispost above gets a free 3-year subscription to OV[/quote]
    R ?

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  20. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]yea, it’s the posting fee on top of the potential salary that makes him so expensive.

    I’m down with getting Darvish, and I’m changing who I want the Cubs to get for 1B next year: Carlos Beltran- he can be had on a 2-3 year deal, and put up 4.7WAR while missing time and having below avg. defensive numbers. Moving to 1B will protect his legs, and reduce the extent that he’s a defensive liability. By the end of his contract, perhaps someone will be coming out of the minor league system. I almost can’t wait for the WS to end just to see the moves and direction Epstein and Hoyer start to make.[/quote]
    +1 LSA Rec’d on the Beltran idea. Hope Epstein et al feel the same way.

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  21. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]If it’s anything like formal logic, it’s B.[/quote]Yeah I have no idea (dying laughing). I’ve never seen that programming before, which I think I learned is LaTeX?

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  23. [quote name=WaLi]Yeah I have no idea (dying laughing). I’ve never seen that programming before, which I think I learned is LaTeX?[/quote]
    Yeah, it’s LaTeX. Writing a seminar talk for later this week.

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  24. NFL should just hand the MVP trophy to Peyton Manning right now. It’s clear how valuable he is watching the Colts try to play football

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  27. why do you give up an out to a pitcher who has walked 5 dudes in 4 innings. This shit really isnt that hard

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  28. B, why are you writing the talk in LaTeX? I keep hearing people talk about using it, but I have no idea what it is or why I should.

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  29. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]why the hell is Washington fucking bunting in the 5th inning?!?!?!?[/quote]He’s trying to out-TLR TLR.

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  30. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]why the hell is Washington fucking bunting in the 5th inning?!?!?!?[/quote]Because the Stupid has drifted over from the Cards dugout and infected him.

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  31. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]B, why are you writing the talk in LaTeX? I keep hearing people talk about using it, but I have no idea what it is or why I should.[/quote]
    It’s what you pretty much have to use to typeset anything scientific. Fantastic natural environment for equations, figures, macros, etc. There’s a package that you can use for making pdf slides.

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  33. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]why the hell is Washington fucking bunting in the 5th inning?!?!?!?[/quote]
    He has to be worried. Texas only has the second best offense in all of MLB, so they have to scratch out runs somehow.

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  34. [quote name=Berselius]It’s what you pretty much have to use to typeset anything scientific. Fantastic natural environment for equations, figures, macros, etc. There’s a package that you can use for making pdf slides.[/quote]Ah. Yeah there’s even people in humanties using to typeset now, I guess. I’m kind of a luddite. (dying laughing)

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  35. NO JOE BUCK THE CUBS NEVER HAD HAMILTON, NOT EVEN FOR ONE MINUTE LEARN A FACT, YOU OVERLY COIFFED FUCKLICK.

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  36. Not-so-subtle dig at the Cubs for their involvement in the Hamilton trade to the Reds. You’d think they’d have that story straight by now.

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  38. [quote name=Berselius]It’s what you pretty much have to use to typeset anything scientific. Fantastic natural environment for equations, figures, macros, etc. There’s a package that you can use for making pdf slides.[/quote]There are a couple of integrals in there (int).

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  39. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]why do you give up an out to a pitcher who has walked 5 dudes in 4 innings. This shit really isnt that hard[/quote]I’d fine my manager if he pulled some shit like that.

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  40. [quote name=Rice Cube]Not-so-subtle dig at the Cubs for their involvement in the Hamilton trade to the Reds. You’d think they’d have that story straight by now.[/quote]Joe Buck is as worthless and vacuous a sportcaster as there is.

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  42. I have a feeling the Cards are gonna find a way to win this one. Texas has failed to take advantage of too many opportunities

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  43. [quote name=josh]There are a couple of integrals in there (int).[/quote]
    I need to stop pretending my field is so widely known (dying laughing). That term models particle interactions in dilute gases.

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  44. [quote name=Mucker]Hamilton having a shitty series.[/quote]Playing with a pulled hammy and a sports hernia will do that.

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  45. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Ah. Yeah there’s even people in humanties using to typeset now, I guess. I’m kind of a luddite. (dying laughing)[/quote]TeX was invented in 1978. It’s a good way to make sure your equations look consistent, and it has some other nice features, like easier references, generating tables of contents, and the flexibility in cross references. Once you learn it, it’s way easier than Word, and produces more consistent results.

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  46. [quote name=Berselius]Nope, though that is an input to this term[/quote][Q(f,f)(v) = int_{mathbb{R}^d} int_{S^{d-1}} B(|v – v_ast|,cos theta) (f(v_ast’)f(v’) – f(v_ast)f(v)) dsigma dv_ast ]

    Okay last try. integral from s to r of B cos theta? (obviously I have no idea what an operator is, which I guess I should (dying laughing))

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  48. [quote name=Berselius]I need to stop pretending my field is so widely known (dying laughing). That term models particle interactions in dilute gases.[/quote]I took some of a class in functionals. I was a terrible mathematician/student. An operator maps a Banach space onto another or something, right?

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  49. [quote name=josh]TeX was invented in 1978. It’s a good way to make sure your equations look consistent, and it has some other nice features, like easier references, generating tables of contents, and the flexibility in cross references. Once you learn it, it’s way easier than Word, and produces more consistent results.[/quote]Ah, yeah that makes sense. I should probably check around school for a class.

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  51. [quote name=josh]TeX was invented in 1978. It’s a good way to make sure your equations look consistent, and it has some other nice features, like easier references, generating tables of contents, and the flexibility in cross references. Once you learn it, it’s way easier than Word, and produces more consistent results.[/quote]
    Ugh, Word. I hate word like MO hates bunts.

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  52. [quote name=Berselius]http://www.csnne.com/blog/redsox-talk/post/Selig-to-intervene-SoxCubs-negotiations-?blockID=581840&feedID=3352

    Selig: get this shit done before 11/1 or I get involved.[/quote]I love that Sullivan has once again been proven to be thoroughly and absolutely wrong about something it would have taken him 5 seconds to google.

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  53. [quote name=josh]I took some of a class in functionals. I was a terrible mathematician/student. An operator maps a Banach space onto another or something, right?[/quote]
    You can do all sorts of shit analyzing them in Banach spaces, but simply speaking an operator is basically just a rule for doing something to a function. Derivatives are operators, for example.

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  54. [quote name=Berselius]Ugh, Word. I hate word like MO hates bunts.[/quote]Me too. All the engineers I work with are 100% married to Word. Most of my job ends up being telling them how to fix the problems they’re having in Word.

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  55. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Ugh. Jay’s plate mechanics are shit.[/quote]
    If he were a better leader, it wouldn’t be a problem.

    /wrong Jay

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  56. So in less nerd related talk, my wife had a funny yesterday.

    Wife: I don’t care who wins, I just want it to go to game 7 (this is becuase our friend has tickets to the game)
    Me: Yeah, luckily for [our friend] the NL won the all star game so StL has home field advantage
    W: What? StL has home field advantage because of the all-star game?
    M: Yeah
    W: It doesn’t have anything to do with either of the teams records?
    M: Yeah
    W: That is absolutely rediculous

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  57. [quote name=josh]Me too. All the engineers I work with are 100% married to Word. Most of my job ends up being telling them how to fix the problems they’re having in Word.[/quote]
    +1 LSA Rec’d NAMBLA

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  58. [quote name=josh]Me too. All the engineers I work with are 100% married to Word. Most of my job ends up being telling them how to fix the problems they’re having in Word.[/quote]I write everything in Word. It’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but it’s what I know.

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  61. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]I write everything in Word. It’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but it’s what I know.[/quote]
    My wife was a Word partisan until the second she saw Apple’s word processing program. She despises Word as much as I do now (dying laughing)

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  62. [quote name=Berselius]My wife was a Word partisan until the second she saw Apple’s word processing program. She despises Word as much as I do now (dying laughing)[/quote]What has made me hate Word is the fucking plethora of .docx documents I get sent that I can’t open.

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  63. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]I write everything in Word. It’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but it’s what I know.[/quote]I used to write all my papers in Word. It’s fine if you know how to use it. I usually run into problems because the engineers need every figure reference and so forth linked, but they don’t know how to make cross-references, so it can be a mess.

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  64. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]What has made me hate Word is the fucking plethora of .docx documents I get sent that I can’t open.[/quote]
    What made me hate Word was working for a department website while an undergrad. People would dump absolutely everything in a word document, and it was impossible to get out.

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  65. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]What has made me hate Word is the fucking plethora of .docx documents I get sent that I can’t open.[/quote]I think they made a patch so older versions of word could open docx. FWIW, I’ve found Word 2007 an 2010 have actually been easier to work with than 2003

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  66. If you’re just going to write a pile of text Word is fine, it’s when it tries to do other stuff that it absolutely fucking blows.

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  69. 7 walks. I’m not sure what’s more unbelievable – that Jackson is still in this game or that Texas has only scored one run.

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  70. [quote name=Berselius]7 walks. I’m not sure what’s more unbelievable – that Jackson is still in this game or that Texas has only scored one run.[/quote]TLR heard you. Both of these myths may be dispelled soon!

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  71. [quote name=Berselius]7 walks. I’m not sure what’s more unbelievable – that Jackson is still in this game or that Texas has only scored one run.[/quote]Yes.

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  77. [quote name=josh]Is it just me, or is “Darvish” the least Japanese-sounding name ever?[/quote]I think he’s part Iranian.

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  81. [quote name=Rice Cube]Umpire is really giving Holland that far inside strike based on the FOX montage just now.[/quote]From my view, that crosses the plate in the zone, but finishes out.

    Also, Berkman gets Marmol’s clown shoes.

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  82. Holland is having a great game.[quote name=Rice Cube]Umpire is really giving Holland that far inside strike based on the FOX montage just now.[/quote]
    yeah, but I think he was giving it to Jackson too.

    Am I a bad American if I mute it everytime they sing God Bless America?

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  84. [quote name=josh]Holland is having a great game.

    yeah, but I think he was giving it to Jackson too.

    Am I a bad American if I mute it everytime they sing God Bless America?[/quote]I don’t think having a distaste for sunny day patriotism makes anyone a bad American.

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  86. [quote name=Recalcitrant Blogger Nate]why the hell is Washington fucking bunting in the 5th inning?!?!?!?[/quote]Because defenses play bunts less aggressively in early and middle innings.

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  87. [quote name=ACT]Because defenses play bunts less aggressively in early and middle innings.[/quote]Doesn’t actually work if the guy is showing bunt all the way.

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  88. This is why I thought the Rangers would start Holland in game 3. If the series goes 7 Harrison is lined up to start game 7

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  90. [quote name=GBTS]The fact that a potential Game 7 would be held in St. Louis pisses me off to no end.[/quote]The all-star game thing is bullshit. Give the winning league a million dollars to charity or something, if you want it to mean something.

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  91. [quote name=josh]The all-star game thing is bullshit. Give the winning league a million dollars to charity or something, if you want it to mean something.[/quote]I like that idea.

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  92. [quote name=josh]The all-star game thing is bullshit. Give the winning league a million dollars to charity or something, if you want it to mean something.[/quote]Or every year pick an AL team and a NL team to host next year’s ASG. Whichever league wins, that’s who hosts next year’s.

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  93. I mean, they already have the gold ball thing for the Home Run Derby, wouldn’t be that hard to set up a winner’s fund to Stand Up 2 Cancer or something. They could just alternate homefield like they used to do, or once realignment occurs and interleague happens all year, just give homefield to the best record in MLB.

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  94. [quote name=josh]Give the winning league a million dollars to charity or something, if you want it to mean something.[/quote](dying laughing) Winner adds $10 million to the Astros payroll.

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  95. [quote name=GBTS](dying laughing) Winner adds $10 million to the Astros payroll.[/quote]
    Dammit, you beat me to it (dying laughing)

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  96. [quote name=GBTS](dying laughing) Winner adds $10 million to the Astros payroll.[/quote]If that happens, the only guy who will actually try hard is the Astros’ lone representative.

    Or maybe I just totally missed the joke as I am sometimes apt to do.

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  104. [quote name=Rice Cube]So…the Colts really suck.[/quote]They’re a case study in how much difference a guy like Peyton Manning can make.

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  107. [quote name=Rice Cube]Feliz is in Marmol mode.[/quote]And finished it in true Marmol style. Joe Buck gave Napoli the “big swing of the night” but Josh Hamilton is the one who drove in the winning run.

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  109. [quote name=Rice Cube]Feliz is in Marmol mode.[/quote]He’s had Marmolesque control all year. Without the Marmolesque strikeouts.

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  110. (dying laughing)

    I like that SNF just basically ran a commercial that said, “Sorry about tonight. Better games are coming.”

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  111. [quote name=GBTS](dying laughing)

    I like that SNF just basically ran a commercial that said, “Sorry about tonight. Better games are coming.”[/quote]From the Colts? I won’t hold my breath.

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  112. Watching Feliz in the playoffs this year, I find it amazing that they were considering putting him in the rotation. All he seems to do is throw the ball really, really hard, without having a good idea where it is going. Typical late-inning reliever, in other words.

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  114. Padres farm system ranked 20th before Hoyer and McLeod came on board. After their first year it ranked 8th and Callis said it’s top 6 for next year (not sure of the spot yet).

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  115. [quote name=mb21]Padres farm system ranked 20th before Hoyer and McLeod came on board. After their first year it ranked 8th and Callis said it’s top 6 for next year (not sure of the spot yet).[/quote]
    Don’t know if this is true but I read that Hoyer will be at the press conference Tuesday. Kind of surprising because we haven’t heard anything official yet.

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  116. [quote name=mb21]Padres farm system ranked 20th before Hoyer and McLeod came on board. After their first year it ranked 8th and Callis said it’s top 6 for next year (not sure of the spot yet).[/quote]
    Stop getting our hopes up, dammit MB (dying laughing)

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  117. Nothing wrong with getting your hopes up now. It would be more troublesome if you don’t get your hopes up. That’s different, but that’s also how it is now. The Cubs have some really smart people in their front office and an owner willing to invest in amateur talent. The Cubs may never win a World Series under Theo/Hoyer, but they will have a good farm system. They may all get injured and have career ending surgeries, but it’s going to be a lot better than it’s been in the last 5 or 10 years.

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  120. [quote name=ACT]Good god, Yadi Molina is slow. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19941709&topic_id=25588886&c_id=mlb%5B/quote%5DAs I was watching that play, my initial thought when Kinsler hesitated was that he was going to eat it because Molina was already there, then he threw anyway and had Molina beat by a mile. Did Yadi forget to run on that play or what? He almost looked to be limping a little when he got to the bag. I still don’t know what happened on that play.

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  121. [quote name=josh]As I was watching that play, my initial thought when Kinsler hesitated was that he was going to eat it because Molina was already there, then he threw anyway and had Molina beat by a mile. Did Yadi forget to run on that play or what? He almost looked to be limping a little when he got to the bag. I still don’t know what happened on that play.[/quote]That is what I was thinking, that he was going to eat it then realized Molina was running so decided to throw it.

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  124. Sounds like West Virginia or Louisville ———-> Big 12 when Mizzou leaves. Hearing there’s a chance WVU, Louisville and BYU or Cincy could all join.

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  128. [quote name=josh]Ah! Clever. Still not worth $185, though.[/quote]Or maybe it is #12 which is his way of telling us that Soriano is going to be gone.

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  130. [quote name=WaLi]Or maybe it is #12 which is his way of telling us that Soriano is going to be gone.[/quote]This was my first guess. I don’t think he could outhomer Tony Campana though.

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  132. My favorite tweet from last night’s game: “Holland hasn’t looked this good on the mound since Bert Blyleven.”

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  144. [quote name=josh]What do you think they’re going to announce?[/quote]Bleacher tickets will be $10 for non-season ticket holders.

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  145. [quote name=josh]What do you think they’re going to announce?[/quote]Maybe they finally resolved the Who is the Executive Chairman issue.

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  147. [quote name=Yu Darvish]My name doesn’t really sound Iranian, either.[/quote]Apparently your Dad was Persian. My first impulse would have been Turkish, probably just because of how close it is to dervish.

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  148. In Japan, doesn’t the surname come first? So his last name is Yu, first name Darvish, which is probably a form of Darvesh which has an arabic background.

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  149. [quote name=WaLi]In Japan, doesn’t the surname come first? So his last name is Yu, first name Darvish, which is probably a form of Darvesh which has an arabic background.[/quote]Hmmm. Interesting theory about his my name.

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  152. [quote name=WaLi]In Japan, doesn’t the surname come first? So his last name is Yu, first name Darvish, which is probably a form of Darvesh which has an arabic background.[/quote]I’m almost positive Yu is his given name, and that Yu Darvish is his angelicized name. Besides, that rule would seem not necessarily to apply since his dad was not japanese, and therefore his name really isn’t Japanese.

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  153. [quote name=WaLi]In Japan, doesn’t the surname come first? So his last name is Yu, first name Darvish, which is probably a form of Darvesh which has an arabic background.[/quote]According to Wikipedia, Darvesh is a Persian word. His dad was Persian. Bingobango.

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  155. [quote name=josh]According to Wikipedia, Darvesh is a Persian word. His dad was Persian. Bingobango.[/quote]Ah, short for Darvishsefad. That sounds arabic.

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  156. In American baseball you have whites and browns. Whites are from the good ol’ United States of America and the browns are from Mexico. Therefore Darvish is Mexican.

    Blacks don’t count until Buck O’Neil is in the Hall of Fame.

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  157. [quote name=mb21]In American baseball you have whites and browns. Whites are from the good ol’ United States of America and the browns are from Mexico. Therefore Darvish is Mexican.

    Blacks don’t count until Buck O’Neil is in the Hall of Fame.[/quote]Yu does have a bit of a tan…

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  158. [quote name=josh]What do you think they’re going to announce?[/quote]McLeod: I’ve never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime.
    Hoyer: Most of these guys never had a prime.
    Epstein: The fact is we lost our best player to anger management class. We haven’t won a pennant in over one-hundred years, we haven’t advanced past the NLDS in the last eight. Obviously it’s time for some changes.
    McLeod: (Looking at Soriano’s name) This guy here legs are dead!
    Epstein: Cross him off, then!

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  159. [quote name=WaLi]McLeod: I’ve never heard of half of these guys and the ones I do know are way past their prime.
    Hoyer: Most of these guys never had a prime.
    Epstein: The fact is we lost our best player to anger management class. We haven’t won a pennant in over one-hundred years, we haven’t advanced past the NLDS in the last eight. Obviously it’s time for some changes.
    McLeod: (Looking at Soriano’s name) This guy here legs are dead!
    Epstein: Cross him off, then![/quote]”Major League” win. Now I gotta talk to this guy about some whitewalls.

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  160. [quote name=WaLi]Actually I have a chinese friend whose last name is Yu. I’ll ask her to call him and ask about his background.[/quote]
    Maybe they’re related. Japan is only an island, everyone must know each other.

    /pet peeve of a Hawaiian friend of mine

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  163. [quote name=Rice Cube]Theo —> Wrigley Field

    /purple-shirt-guy’d[/quote]They should consider interviewing him for the GM job.

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  166. [quote name=josh]At the end of this it mentions that Theo took out a $12,000 ad as a farewell message to Bostonians.[/quote]
    typical bad theo signing.

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  169. Does anybody think that Theo and pals might be a little reluctant to sign another Japanese pitcher for huge money? I know Darvish by all accounts seems to be a much better pitcher than Dice K but just curious if anybody else thinks Dice Ks struggles will make Team Hope think twice about it.

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  170. [quote name=Mucker]Does anybody think that Theo and pals might be a little reluctant to sign another Japanese pitcher for huge money? I know Darvish by all accounts seems to be a much better pitcher than Dice K but just curious if anybody else thinks Dice Ks struggles will make Team Hope think twice about it.[/quote]I feel like if Team Hope (very nice) wants to get the Cubs into win mode by 2013, they will just consider who would best fit that model and wouldn’t care that Dice-K sucked. The part where Dice-K didn’t actually suck that bad in 2007 and 2008 might attenuate some of the self-doubt, methinks.

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  172. [quote name=Rice Cube]I feel like if Team Hope (very nice) wants to get the Cubs into win mode by 2013, they will just consider who would best fit that model and wouldn’t care that Dice-K sucked. The part where Dice-K didn’t actually suck that bad in 2007 and 2008 might attenuate some of the self-doubt, methinks.[/quote]I know he’s had some injury issues and he did pitch pretty well to start his career so I didn’t mean to say he sucked but I think the resources spent on a negotiating window seem better spent.

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  173. [quote name=Mucker]I know he’s had some injury issues and he did pitch pretty well to start his career so I didn’t mean to say he sucked but I think the resources spent on a negotiating window seem better spent.[/quote]I understand. I think it would really depend on their timetable (even if they say they don’t have one). If they’re in contend-mode within the timeframe of Yu’s hypothetical contract, I think it’s a good investment. If not, save $.

    I’m hoping they don’t give Dempster a crazy extension and they don’t just flat out release Zambrano because they don’t like him. But they’re the guys getting paid the big bucks, not me, so I’ll have to assume whatever they do will be the smart thing to do by default (dying laughing)

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  175. [quote name=Aisle424]http://hirejimessian.com/2011/10/24/what-theo-really-needs-to-know/

    (dying laughing)
    (dying laughing)
    (dying laughing)[/quote]I liked the item he had about Al (dying laughing)

    Where does Pat Hughes go during that one inning? I figured it was his dinner or shit break.

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  176. [quote name=Rice Cube]I’m hoping they don’t give Dempster a crazy extension and they don’t just flat out release Zambrano because they don’t like him. But they’re the guys getting paid the big bucks, not me, so I’ll have to assume whatever they do will be the smart thing to do by default (dying laughing)[/quote]When you look at Darvish’s age, he is a very intriguing target. Like you said, if Team Hope really thinks this team can and will contend in 12 or 13, then it makes sense. If the Cubs sign Darvish, Wilson and Fielder, then tickle my taint, I might believe they can compete too.

    I agree about Zambrano. If they think he can still pitch well enough to help the team, I don’t want to see them releasing him either. A rotation of Garza, Wilson?, Dempster, Darvish?, Zambrano could be very strong, assuming they sign Wilson and/or Darvish. That can also give them another year to stretch Cashner out so he can be in the ’13 rotation. Who knows, maybe Hayden Simpson will have recovered from mono by then too. (dying laughing) (dying laughing) (dying laughing)

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  178. [quote name=Mucker]When you look at Darvish’s age, he is a very intriguing target. Like you said, if Team Hope really thinks this team can and will contend in 12 or 13, then it makes sense. If the Cubs sign Darvish, Wilson and Fielder, then tickle my taint, I might believe they can compete too.[/quote]I think the taint-tickling might cost you extra…maybe they’ll make you book a mezzanine suite. The other stuff might already have been discussed by Cubs brass though (dying laughing)

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  179. [quote name=Rice Cube]I liked the item he had about Al (dying laughing)

    Where does Pat Hughes go during that one inning? I figured it was his dinner or shit break.[/quote]I assume it is a bathroom break/ resting of his voice. I’m guessing he has something in his contract about it.

    It is amazing how long that inning seems no matter who has been doing it. The years when Ron did the play-by-play was painfully hilarious. Judd is just such an over-reactionary dillhole, I spent most of the inning screaming over his screaming to just shut the fuck up. Keith Moreland’s labored play-by-play has actually been music by comparison.

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  180. [quote name=Aisle424]I assume it is a bathroom break/ resting of his voice. I’m guessing he has something in his contract about it.

    It is amazing how long that inning seems no matter who has been doing it. The years when Ron did the play-by-play was painfully hilarious. Judd is just such an over-reactionary dillhole, I spent most of the inning screaming over his screaming to just shut the fuck up. Keith Moreland’s labored play-by-play has actually been music by comparison.[/quote]I have noticed that Keith has magic STFU powers when he takes over for that one inning now. Judd barely gets to speak anymore. Win.

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  181. [quote name=Rice Cube]I liked the item he had about Al (dying laughing)

    Where does Pat Hughes go during that one inning? I figured it was his dinner or shit break.[/quote]
    Yeah, I’m sure it’s to give his voice a break. He’s usually around and occasionally chimes in. It’s not as big of a deal with Judd but it was good to have it to try to attract better assistants for him to give better on the job training. I still miss having Cory Provus as his caddy, he was great. He sure landed a great job when he left WGN too.

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  182. [quote name=Suburban kid 23]I put on my Cubs hat for the first time this year. It didn’t look stupid.[/quote]
    (dying laughing) (dying laughing)

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  183. [quote name=Mucker] Who knows, maybe Hayden Simpson will have recovered from mono by then too. (dying laughing) (dying laughing) (dying laughing)[/quote]
    I can’t wait until he makes the jump to AA at the age of 32

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  185. [quote name=Mucker]Is that unicorn stuck in barbwire in the banner?[/quote]I never noticed that before, but it sure looks like it (dying laughing)

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  186. [quote name=WaLi]I never noticed that before, but it sure looks like it (dying laughing)[/quote]As a metaphor, it could mean that hope will never be able to escape the Cubs again…

    …at least not without pain and injury.

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  187. Why has Cam Newton never been treated the way Tebow has? Same skill set, only Newton is the more accomplished passer at this point and has an eminently stronger arm and is faster and is not nearly such an insufferable douche.

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  188. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Why has Cam Newton never been treated the way Tebow has? Same skill set, only Newton is the more accomplished passer at this point and has an eminently stronger arm and is faster and is not nearly such an insufferable douche.[/quote]I think this describes why…

    And he is white.

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  189. I don’t follow the NFL very much, but the last 8794 times I’ve heard Tebow’s name it was on this blog. (dying laughing)

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  192. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Why has Cam Newton never been treated the way Tebow has? Same skill set, only Newton is the more accomplished passer at this point and has an eminently stronger arm and is faster and is not nearly such an insufferable douche.[/quote]

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  195. [quote name=Rice Cube]Potential free agent item…Roy Oswalt’s option was declined. Worthy of pursuit?[/quote]
    I’d give him a 1-2 deal for around 10 annually. Not sure that would be enough however….

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  196. [quote name=mb21]I’m serious. If Tebow was never brought up here I’d just assume his career ended in college.[/quote]This the most perfect way of summing up Tebow’s actual talent level. A casual observer would assume that guy never made it. And he’s starting. And not because he’s good, because the exact same skill set you saw that led you to that conclusion is the skill set he now possesses! His game has not changed one bit and he’s been in the league 2 years now. Cam Newton has been in the league for 7 months, and unlike Tebow, came in after just one year in college, yet has already shown improvement.

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  197. [quote name=Rodrigo Ramirez]I’d give him a 1-2 deal for around 10 annually. Not sure that would be enough however….[/quote]He’d turn 34 middle of next season. I don’t think $10MM would be enough either. If he takes a pay cut he probably stays with the Phillies or might even go back to the Astros. I assume he’d be good for 2-3 wins for a couple more seasons before he crashes so was interested in what people thought he’d be worth and if he’d even fit with the Cubs’ plans.

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  198. I don’t know what Tebow’s talent level is. My only point is that I’d never hear his name if it weren’t for this blog. About the only place I read anything about the NFL is here and I skip those comments as best as possible. (dying laughing)

    The only other time I pay attention to the NFL is once a year I’ll check to see how some of the former Hawkeyes did.

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  200. MO, you’re forgetting that if you meet Tim Tebow and speak to him for just a few minutes, you become a completely different and better person. Can’t say that about Cam Newton.

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  201. [quote name=GBTS]MO, you’re forgetting that if you meet Tim Tebow and speak to him for just a few minutes, you become a completely different and better person. Can’t say that about Cam Newton.[/quote]He might be the best person ever. But he sucks at playing QB. I really don’t understand why the MSSM can’t just learn to make that distinction.

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  202. I don’t understand the Tebow love. The highlights shown yesterday showed a QB facing prevent defense for the last 5 minutes of the game. I saw one throw he made that was 10 yards down the field and the rest were screens and him running. He was complete fucking shit the first 55 minutes. Are they trying to say that Tebow figured it all out in the last 5 minutes? To me, the Dolphins gave that game away with the prevent defense at the end of the game.

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  204. [quote name=Mucker]I don’t understand the Tebow love. The highlights shown yesterday showed a QB facing prevent defense for the last 5 minutes of the game. I saw one throw he made that was 10 yards down the field and the rest were screens and him running. He was complete fucking shit the first 55 minutes. Are they trying to say that Tebow figured it all out in the last 5 minutes? To me, the Dolphins gave that game away with the prevent defense at the end of the game.[/quote]They probably realized that they needed to keep up with the Colts in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

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  205. [quote name=Mucker]I don’t understand the Tebow love. The highlights shown yesterday showed a QB facing prevent defense for the last 5 minutes of the game. I saw one throw he made that was 10 yards down the field and the rest were screens and him running. He was complete fucking shit the first 55 minutes. Are they trying to say that Tebow figured it all out in the last 5 minutes? To me, the Dolphins gave that game away with the prevent defense at the end of the game.[/quote]Well, and they’re bad. Like epically bad. They and the Colts are literally competing to see who ends up with a historically bad defense. And Andrew Luck. (dying laughing)

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  206. Denver had 2 passing yards in the fourth quarter, they have a shit defense of their own, and it was still a two-possession game. Just a laugher all around.

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  208. In two weeks, it’s going to be hilarious to watch teams play the Broncos, when all 11 defenders are in the box, and that guy still can’t get the ball down the field.

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  209. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]In two weeks, it’s going to be hilarious to watch teams play the Broncos, when all 11 defenders are in the box, and that guy still can’t get the ball down the field.[/quote]Yeah, once teams watch film, it’s going to be bad for Tebow. Especially when he faces good teams.

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  210. [quote name=GBTS]Denver had 2 passing yards in the fourth quarter, they have a shit defense of their own, and it was still a two-possession game. Just a laugher all around.[/quote]This week in the NFL was a slopfest. Shitloads of INTs, low scoring…just a lot of really bad teams playing really bad football for a really long time.

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  211. [quote name=Mucker]Yeah, once teams watch film, it’s going to be bad for Tebow. Especially when he faces good teams.[/quote]I think he’ll still be able to run a bit. He’s strong as a bull and has a good burst at the point of attack. Which is why he ought to be turned into a FB/TE, where he might be able to play at a pretty high level.

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  213. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]So Theo tomorrow but no Hoyer? Any chance this negotiation drags out, too?[/quote]Maybe Hoyer has cold feet about moving here. Has anyone dedicated a post letting him know the dos and dont’s of Chicago? He might not know what that big body of water is, or which door he would walk in at Wrigley.

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  214. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]So Theo tomorrow but no Hoyer? Any chance this negotiation drags out, too?[/quote]No, the Padres were just so happy the Cubs even knew who they were. They completely forgot to ask for anything in return.

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  215. [quote name=GBTS]Maybe Hoyer has cold feet about moving here. Has anyone dedicated a post letting him know the dos and dont’s of Chicago? He might not know what that big body of water is, or which door he would walk in at Wrigley.[/quote]If it tells him he should talk to trollish fuckwit Paul Sullivan, best tell him not to read it.

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  217. [quote name=josh]No, the Padres were just so happy the Cubs even knew who they were. They completely forgot to ask for anything in return.[/quote](dying laughing), just give them Camp and let’s move on.

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  218. [quote name=Mucker]MO, how do you feel about the Bears handling of Forte’s contract?[/quote]It’s stupid. His price goes up every week. Pay the man. He’s earned it. Fucking Angelo and Phillips have this ridiculous need to stand on principle. More balls than brains in that tandem.

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  219. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]It’s stupid. His price goes up every week. Pay the man. He’s earned it. Fucking Angelo and Phillips have this ridiculous need to stand on principle. More balls than brains in that tandem.[/quote]Agreed. Forte has been playing at an elite level this year. He’s only 25. He’s one of the better all-around backs in football. Seems like an easy decision to me.

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  220. [quote name=Mucker]Agreed. Forte has been playing at an elite level this year. He’s only 25. He’s one of the better all-around backs in football. Seems like an easy decision to me.[/quote]Angelo + Phillips :: MacPhail + Hendry

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