It Is Going To Be A Long Winter
Well, as much as it pains me, I have to offer my congratulations to the Chicago White Sox. They went out and did it. I have a lot of friends that have suffered with their team just as much as I have suffered with mine. So, I am happy that they finally get to get that monkey off of their back. I hope they enjoy it and realize just how special it is to win the World Series. I am truly jealous.
As a Cub fan the upside to all of this is that maybe this will light a fire under the Tribune and Jim Hendry’s ass. The Red Sox and White Sox have won the last two World Series. That makes the Cub's the only pathetic team left. I hope this will teach Cub fans to not settle for mediocrity. We deserve to celebrate and we have paid more than enough dues to do so. Now that the post season is upon us, let me play general manger for a minute.
First thing we need to do is shore up that bullpen. I don’t want to see Roberta Novoa and Michael Wuertz next year. I think Dempster is fine in the ninth but we need at least three new arms for setup roles in the pen. It has been proven over and over again, if you don’t have the bullpen you are not going anywhere.
Also, we cannot just go into next year blindly having faith in Wood and Prior. Neither one can stay healthy so, we need to address the rotation. A front line starter would be a nice pickup. Matt Morris from the Cardinal’s is a free agent and I think he would be a nice addition. He won’t cost a lot of money and I think all he needs is a change of scenery.
After the pitching has been addressed, we will need to look at the lineup. Johnny Damon is a free agent and would be a perfect fit for the Cub’s. He’s 31 so he is not over the hill and should have at least a couple of good years left. He fills two needs as he bats leadoff and plays center field. It is time to admit that Corey Patterson is never going to be the star we thought so dump him and get what you can. Murton looks legitimate, so I like him in left. Right Field is a question mark. Burnitz did an admirable job but an upgrade would be nice. I’ve heard that Darin Erstad is going to be available and while he is no star he is the perfect number two hitter.
As for the infield, we are set on the corners with Lee and Ramirez. I like Todd Walker at second and see no need to upgrade there. I personally would sign Nomar, if I could to another one-year deal with an option that automatically kicks in with a certain number of games played. I think he has something in the tank and he quietly had a nice September. If he gets hurt again you have Ronnie Cedeno who might be ready. Barrett is serviceable behind the plate. So, Nick’s new Cub’s lineup would look something like this.
CF Damon
RF Erstad
1B Lee
3B Ramirez
SS Garcipara
LF Murton
2B Walker
C Barrett
With a Rotation of,
Prior
Zambrano
Wood
Morris
Maddux
That seems like a good structure. The only question is what will Hendry do. It is going to be a very interesting off season on the north side.
As a Cub fan the upside to all of this is that maybe this will light a fire under the Tribune and Jim Hendry’s ass. The Red Sox and White Sox have won the last two World Series. That makes the Cub's the only pathetic team left. I hope this will teach Cub fans to not settle for mediocrity. We deserve to celebrate and we have paid more than enough dues to do so. Now that the post season is upon us, let me play general manger for a minute.
First thing we need to do is shore up that bullpen. I don’t want to see Roberta Novoa and Michael Wuertz next year. I think Dempster is fine in the ninth but we need at least three new arms for setup roles in the pen. It has been proven over and over again, if you don’t have the bullpen you are not going anywhere.
Also, we cannot just go into next year blindly having faith in Wood and Prior. Neither one can stay healthy so, we need to address the rotation. A front line starter would be a nice pickup. Matt Morris from the Cardinal’s is a free agent and I think he would be a nice addition. He won’t cost a lot of money and I think all he needs is a change of scenery.
After the pitching has been addressed, we will need to look at the lineup. Johnny Damon is a free agent and would be a perfect fit for the Cub’s. He’s 31 so he is not over the hill and should have at least a couple of good years left. He fills two needs as he bats leadoff and plays center field. It is time to admit that Corey Patterson is never going to be the star we thought so dump him and get what you can. Murton looks legitimate, so I like him in left. Right Field is a question mark. Burnitz did an admirable job but an upgrade would be nice. I’ve heard that Darin Erstad is going to be available and while he is no star he is the perfect number two hitter.
As for the infield, we are set on the corners with Lee and Ramirez. I like Todd Walker at second and see no need to upgrade there. I personally would sign Nomar, if I could to another one-year deal with an option that automatically kicks in with a certain number of games played. I think he has something in the tank and he quietly had a nice September. If he gets hurt again you have Ronnie Cedeno who might be ready. Barrett is serviceable behind the plate. So, Nick’s new Cub’s lineup would look something like this.
CF Damon
RF Erstad
1B Lee
3B Ramirez
SS Garcipara
LF Murton
2B Walker
C Barrett
With a Rotation of,
Prior
Zambrano
Wood
Morris
Maddux
That seems like a good structure. The only question is what will Hendry do. It is going to be a very interesting off season on the north side.
posted by 10withmop at 9:27 AM
2 Comments:
I like your line up with the exception of Nomar...I think he's had it. Don't know if any SSs are out there but I would look hard at relacing him.
Kerry Wood should be dumped. 1998 was a helluva long time ago. I am tired of waiting for him to "blossom."
The bullpen needs a big over haul. And my I say it is time to dump Dusty....bring on Sweet Lou Pinnella.
I could not agree more with your feelings on Rusty, I mean Dusty Baker. He's a joke. Pinnella would get the most out of this team and he could care less offends their fragile millionaire ego's.
The Nomar thing if you bring him back for the right price could be wise. Sure, he is injury prone but I like the Cedeno kid and he would provide insurance in case Nomar gets hurt again.
Wood, sadly can't be dumped. He is under contract and no team is going to take on 10 million for a sore-armed pitcher. I do agree that his time is up and he will never be more than what he is. An average injury prone pitcher, with flashes of brilliance.
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