Baseball 2011

[beantownbubba]

Truck day!!!!

For those of you who do not live in baseball obsessed cultures, this is the day that the equipment truck leaves for spring training. In Boston, this is front page news and an established tradition, marking the start of baseball season.

[cortez the killer]

[Zip City]

I canceled my Extra Innings package this year. That's how well I expect the Cubs to do

[njMark]

Even with Petite retiring and the Yanks rotation questionable at best I still think they will compete for the AL east and the WS. I'm sure they will pick up someone to fill out the rotation by the All Star break.

[Clams]

Let's get this party started!

[ScottyC]

Glorious glorious baseball.......the start means that the world is going to be all right.

Here is all you need to know:



The NL Central title is headed to Milwaukee, because if they dont win this year we are screwed for the next 4 to 5.

[cortez the killer]

[LuthierJustin]

[Cubfan06]

I canceled my Extra Innings package this year. That's how well I expect the Cubs to do

Yeah pretty much. Looking forward to seeing a few of the youngs groomed though. Starlin Castro will continue to get better and one day will be a batting champ. Whether he can get stronger to pop 25 homers is another question though. And I'm really hoping that Andrew Kashner can win that #4 spot. That kid has a lively arm and if he can either break out or make great strides the Cubs may at least hang around until August.

And next year we'll either grab Pujols or we'll drive up what the Cardinals have to pay him.

[Flying Rabbit]

Digging that we picked up Vlad.

[Cubfan06]

Digging that we picked up Vlad.

The AL East is obviously the toughest division in baseball to compete with. But I do like the moves that the Orioles have made. Not only did they get Vlad, but they got Derek Lee on the cheap coming off of a bad year.

[Slipkid42]

And we got Mark Reynolds & J.J. Hardy @ SS. Continuing maturation of Markakis, A. Jones, Weiters & Pie; plus some studly young pitchers should mean we claw our way outta the cellar.

[Cubfan06]

And we got Mark Reynolds & J.J. Hardy @ SS. Continuing maturation of Markakis, A. Jones, Weiters & Pie; plus some studly young pitchers should mean we claw our way outta the cellar.

Agreed on most, but you can have Pie. So much wasted talent there. I expect Weiters to break out this year. Mark REynolds would be a superstar at 3B if he didn't strike out so much.

[Tequila Cowboy]

And we got Mark Reynolds & J.J. Hardy @ SS. Continuing maturation of Markakis, A. Jones, Weiters & Pie; plus some studly young pitchers should mean we claw our way outta the cellar.

Agreed on most, but you can have Pie. So much wasted talent there. I expect Weiters to break out this year. Mark REynolds would be a superstar at 3B if he didn't strike out so much.

I think the Cubs totally mismanaged the development of Pie (as they've done with so many others). I still think he might become something.

[Zip City]

And we got Mark Reynolds & J.J. Hardy @ SS. Continuing maturation of Markakis, A. Jones, Weiters & Pie; plus some studly young pitchers should mean we claw our way outta the cellar.

Agreed on most, but you can have Pie. So much wasted talent there. I expect Weiters to break out this year. Mark REynolds would be a superstar at 3B if he didn't strike out so much.

I think the Cubs totally mismanaged the development of Pie (as they've done with so many others). I still think he might become something.

Like most of their hitting prospects, they brought him up too fast, then gave up on him too fast.

[WSPDBT]

I will be at Red Sox Opening Day to buy my Gonzo, Crawford and Jenks t-shirts. At the end of the year this will be coming back to Boston. GUARANTEED!

[Tequila Cowboy]

Just heard a baseball expert predict 70 wins for the Cubs.

Not so sure I disagree...

[cortez the killer]

I will be at Red Sox Opening Day to buy my Gonzo, Crawford and Jenks t-shirts. At the end of the year this will be coming back to Boston. GUARANTEED!

Dude...

[SeanP]

I canceled my Extra Innings package this year. That's how well I expect the Cubs to do

Yeah pretty much. Looking forward to seeing a few of the youngs groomed though. Starlin Castro will continue to get better and one day will be a batting champ. Whether he can get stronger to pop 25 homers is another question though. And I'm really hoping that Andrew Kashner can win that #4 spot. That kid has a lively arm and if he can either break out or make great strides the Cubs may at least hang around until August.

And next year we'll either grab Pujols or we'll drive up what the Cardinals have to pay him.

wow...
guys...
full of hope !

i think they will be better than people are giving them credit for!
will they win the division...
no!
but they will compete hard and finish at are around 500!!
which will be prob 3 in the division behind cincy and st louis but hell i will take 500 ball over being like pittsburgh and just suckin up the joint !
they played great ball the last part of the year last year!!
they just got to keep that up...
the kids will be great...
castro.. colvin...
it should be a fun year!
i feel better bout them this year than i did last year...
i just had this crappy feeling going into last year!!

go cubs... go!!!!

[SeanP]

I will be at Red Sox Opening Day to buy my Gonzo, Crawford and Jenks t-shirts. At the end of the year this will be coming back to Boston. GUARANTEED!

Dude...

on paper ya boston should be great but i aint buying the hype just yet!!!
there bullpen should be killer..
got bard, wheeler, jenks, papilbon...
and the offense is loaded youk, gonzalez, crawford...
but..........................
there rotation behind buchholz and lester to me is weak....
beckett was not himself last year.
lackey sure as hell didnt live up to his contract...

they may win the american league...
but facing a team like philly r san fran in the world series.
when pitching is the key..
they can't hang!!
they'd get mowed down

[SeanP]

I still think he might become something.

he is what he is...
him and corey patterson too

[Zip City]

With a $130million+ payroll, .500 and "not stinking up the joint" is completely unacceptable

[Cubfan06]

With a $130million+ payroll, .500 and "not stinking up the joint" is completely unacceptable

Agreed. I think that our pitching staff will be alright, but we really need A-Ram to have a bounceback year. I wish we would get in talks for Michael Young. He is a subpar defender at third and short now, but I'd have no problem shifting him over to 2B. I think that he has played there a little bit in the past. And certainly beats the hell out of Blake Dewitt!

The Cubs pitching should be alright due to its depth and improved bullpen. I think an NL Central move for Garza will be excellent and besides Dempster and Zambrano I really, really like Andrew Kashner's lively arm.

I don't think that the Cubs will win the division, unfortunately I believe it will be the Cards or Brewers. But everyone seems to believe that the Brewers are shoe-in for the NL Central title. Yvanni Gallardo is awesome stuff but is oft-injured. Grienke has great stuff and will benefit from a move to the NL Central, but has never pitched in a pressure situation and has social anxiety disorder. I like Shaun Marcum a lot. But could somebody have provide any positive acculades about their bullpen? You can win division titles without any semblance of a bullpen. Well the Phils starters this year probably could, but that's about it.

[Zip City]

Why would the Bewers be favored over the Reds?

[cortez the killer]

there rotation behind buchholz and lester to me is weak....
beckett was not himself last year.
lackey sure as hell didnt live up to his contract...

I think/hope Beckett & Lackey will bounce back. Even if they have average years (based on their career numbers), this will be one of the top 3 starting rotations in MLB. On paper this team looks legit, I just hope Panic/Truckers didn't rile the baseball gods with his guarantee.

[beantownbubba]

If a guy can't play 3rd how the heck can he play 2d?

And yeah, that "guarantee" kind of spooked me too. But i spit and threw salt over my shoulder and all that shit, so hopefully we'll be ok.

[SeanP]

With a $130million+ payroll, .500 and "not stinking up the joint" is completely unacceptable

considering that most the players that take a good chunk of that 130 payroll...
are on the downside of there careers...
ramirez, soriano....
i will take 500

[Cubfan06]

Why would the Bewers be favored over the Reds?

The Brewers seem like the "hip" pick. I like what the Reds have brought to the table.

[Cubfan06]

If a guy can't play 3rd how the heck can he play 2d?

And yeah, that "guarantee" kind of spooked me too. But i spit and threw salt over my shoulder and all that shit, so hopefully we'll be ok.

We're talking about starting Blake Dewitt. I'll take Michael Young's offensive numbers and dainty arm at second over Dewitt any day. It's not a matter of Young's mobility. The deal for him won't be pulled off by the Cubs anyways. Its a moot point. We have Jim Hendry as our GM not Theo Epstein.

[Cubfan06]

there rotation behind buchholz and lester to me is weak....
beckett was not himself last year.
lackey sure as hell didnt live up to his contract...

I think/hope Beckett & Lackey will bounce back. Even if they have average years (based on their career numbers), this will be one of the top 3 starting rotations in MLB. On paper this team looks legit, I just hope Panic/Truckers didn't rile the baseball gods with his guarantee.

#2 for a regular season rotation. #3 for a playoff rotation. IMO. Hopefully Beckett stays away from that nagging blister problem. Pussy.