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Tag Archives: rich harden

Three problem areas

The Cubs have improved in some areas this winter but there are still three trouble spots. First, they haven’t created an opportunity for Micah Hoffpauir. Hoffpauir was a lefthanded power bat that the Cubs should have gotten into the lineup, even at the expense of Derrek Lee. Fontenot is an additional lefty bat, sure, and [...]

Posted 26 January 2009 † Phil § Hendry § Lefty-righty § lineup § Piniella § prospect ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Keeping an eye on Pie

Jim Hendry worries me. He thinks of his job as finding a few missing pieces in a large jigsaw puzzle, and he has no qualms about trading prospects to acquire those pieces. I disagree with that philosophy. I think a GM’s job is to make deals that increase the aggregate value of the players on [...]

Posted 23 November 2008 † Phil § Hendry § prospect ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , ,

Four number threes?

Since Lou maybe picked a guy with the wrong makeup to start Game 1, I’ve been trying to figure out who the ace is on this staff. Personality issues aside, the case against Zambrano rests on his wildness. He was 43rd in the league in K-to-BB ratio among pitchers with 140 innings. Zambrano’s number was [...]

Posted 07 October 2008 † Phil § pitching ace ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged: , ,

How to solve Marmol’s problem (and Wuertz’s)

I wrote recently that Larry Rothschild had a one-dimensional view of pitching. Here are some recent comments of his (from Cub Bits by Paul Sullivan over the weekend) that can be placed in evidence: Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Michael Wuertz needs to work on his slider after being demoted to Triple-A Iowa. “He needs [...]

Posted 15 July 2008 † Phil § coaching ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , ,

Relax, Jim, you’re trying too hard

Not a good trade. I wouldn’t trade Gallagher, period, and certainly not for a pitcher who, Broglio-like, comes with duct tape included. The argument that “this is the year” and we have to pull out all the stops, etc., is a child’s argument–or a sportswriter’s. Its logic dictates that the Cubs should have traded Soto [...]

Posted 09 July 2008 † Phil § Hendry § prospect ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: , , , , , , ,