Cubs to work out Yoennis Cespedes

Do we know his real age is 26? Guess I’m interested because he might need some minor league time.

[quote name=Rodrigo Ramirez]Do we know his real age is 26? Guess I’m interested because he might need some minor league time.[/quote]No idea if he’s actually 26. Don’t know if they’ll ever know.

How long was Aroldis Chapman’s deal for? I’m cool with a similar gamble. If he has more power Cubs can probably stick him in a corner with Brett Jackson staying in CF. Cool.

Aroldis Chapman lhp
6 years/$30.25M (2010-15)

6 years/$30.25M (2010-15)
signed by Cincinnati as an amateur free agent 1/11/10
$16.25M signing bonus ($1.5M at signing; $1.5M each Nov. 1, 2010-13; $1.25M each Nov. 1, 2014-20)
10:$1M, 11:$1M, 12:$2M, 13:$2M, 14:$3M, 15:$5M player option
Chapman must decide whether to accept or decline 2015 player option within 5 days after end of 2014 World Series
if Chapman qualifies for arbitration after 2012, $5M is converted to a bonus and he becomes arbitration-eligible
if Chapman qualifies for arbitration after 2013, $3M is converted to a bonus and he becomes arbitration-eligible
defected from Cuba to Netherlands 7/1/09
agent: Rodney Fernandez, Hendricks Sports

Weekly Tebow update: can’t pass for shit, but Denver wins anyway.

The 26-year old Yoenis Cespedes

No need to insult him like that.

I like that Thom Brennaman intimated that the Lions got screwed on that fumble. Yes, the team that does not pick the ball up is clearly entitled to it.

Best pass by Stafford all game! (dying laughing)

[quote name=Rice Cube]Best pass by Stafford all game! (dying laughing)[/quote]Correct x2

[quote name=Berselius]Fukudome already had dibs on that one.[/quote]I think that one came from Lou.

[quote name=Berselius]Aye, but Cuey used it too[/quote]Indeed.

I want to see Stafford throw another INT-TD.

[quote name=Rice Cube]Ryno —-> not the manager in STL[/quote]Mike Matheny —-> the manager in STL

I’ve decided that Johnny Knox is pretty shitty.

[quote name=fang2415]Did you know that I know somebody else named Bixler? Or did you just think I might find it interesting? (dying laughing)[/quote]Right, got your email. (dying laughing).

Matt Stafford ————-> fat, whiny

[quote name=Rice Cube]I can’t argue with you today.

Although his receivers have been off.[/quote]Yes. Pretty funny how the Lions are doing whatever they can to get Pettigrew and Johnson matched up on Conte’s side of the field. But now that he’s Lovie’s Guy™, he’ll play out the string.

Might be time to take Cutler out. DET’s line are, to a man, dirty fucking players.

The weeniefication of the NFL continues. Fucking Gooddell and his mamby pamby BS.

The Lions are dirty, weakassed motherfuckers. Fuck that team. They can dish it out, but they can’t handle it. Fuck you, DET.

Stafford ——–> fat, whiny, bitchmade cheapshot artist

Looks like the Bears guy started that fight. But Stafford still sucks.

[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Nope. Stafford yanked Moore down by his fucking helmet, then got punched his fat face, as he deserved. He could have broken Moore’s neck with that shit.[/quote]Huh. I just realized they didn’t call a foul on Stafford. That’s baffling.

Bears playing today?

[quote name=Rice Cube]Huh. I just realized they didn’t call a foul on Stafford. That’s baffling.[/quote]And they ejected Moore, but gave Stafford no penalty. But when the league looks at that tape, best believe Fuckpants Fatface is gonna make a significant donation to the league. I’m guessing 25-50K.

[quote name=mb21]Bears playing today?[/quote]Yessir. They seem to be the only ones who showed up in this one.

[quote name=mb21]What channel is that one? (dying laughing)[/quote]69

[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]I’m not sure Chris Conte knows what he’s supposed to do when the ball is thrown.[/quote]Luckily the opponent is self-destructing to bail him out.

[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]69[/quote]Is that like one less than 70?

[quote name=mb21]Is that like one less than 70?[/quote]Depends on whether you want or need the answer.

b, did Carimi play any LT at WIS?

Stafford and Raiola talking over the finer points of cheapshotting.

[quote name=Berselius]IIRC that’s all he played at WI. I think he stepped in around when Joe Thomas left, though my perception of time is pretty terrible.[/quote]That’s good news. I think when he come back, he might take over for Webb at LT, with Louis playing so well at RT.

[quote name=Berselius]I was really surprised when I saw that the Bears were going to play him at RT earlier this year. When you have 2 shitty tackles, why not play the rookie you drafted at the position he’s used to playing.[/quote]Because he was the only one they viewed as competent at RT.

Chris Williams messed up his wrist during the game. Having surgery as we speak. No timetable on return. Damn, just when the OL was becoming respectable.

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7231973/sources-dale-sveum-gets-2nd-meeting-boston-red-sox
Boston likes Sveum. Wonder if this means Cubs will get Sandy.

He’s realistic, but maybe less likely than Alomar and Mackanin.

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2011/11/cubs-hire-shiraz-rehman-as-an-asst-to-the-gm/

[quote name=GW]http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2011/11/cubs-hire-shiraz-rehman-as-an-asst-to-the-gm/[/quote]The Randy Bush vs Shiraz Rehman assistant GM vs assistant to the GM will be grist for plenty of jokes (dying laughing)

The NFL could use Lance Briggs’ hit on Calvin Johnson as an instructional video on how to properly make contact per their own rules. Led with the shoulder, didn’t contact his helmet, didn’t launch himself off the ground.

Naturally, he was still flagged. The NFL is a joke.

[quote name=Suburban kid 22]No need to insult him like that.[/quote]So, nobody else copped that this guy’s name is Yo Anus.

[quote name=Dr. Aneus Taint]In the Texas/Mizzou game, a Texas DB dropped a PERFECT form tackle on a Mizzou runner on third down. Wound up, put his head down and launched right at his sternum.

Right as he did that, the Mizzou runner dipped down, resulting in a helmet to helmet hit.

Personal foul, defense, No. 4. 15 yards. Next play, TD.[/quote]
Cool story, bro.

[quote name=Suburban kid 22]So, nobody else copped that this guy’s name is Yo Anus.[/quote]Although it would still be amusing to see him, Kosuke, and Pujols end up on the same team.

Can anyone with chemical background explain why sulfuric acid solution has a freezing point that looks like this?

[quote name=WaLi]Can anyone with chemical background explain why sulfuric acid solution has a freezing point that looks like this?

[/quote]Because that is how God intended it.

Cool interview of Hellickson:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/qa-jeremy-hellickson/

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7233005/mlb-labor-talks-sides-close-oking-draft-tweaks-sources-say
me ———> sad

[quote name=ACT]http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7233005/mlb-labor-talks-sides-close-oking-draft-tweaks-sources-say
me ———> sad[/quote]Eww. If going above bonus restrictions is going to result in a penalty tax, I wonder how much that tax will be as the Cubs may still be willing to pay that penalty to get someone they really want.

[quote name=ACT]http://www.insidethebook.com/ee/index.php/site/article/future_managers_discuss_numbers/
Huh. Not a lot to go on, but Alomar’s comment about matchup data makes me like him less.[/quote]I thought of all the candidates he was the one who said some dumb things. I thought the others sounded OK all things considered, but it was like Alomar went out of his way to disqualify from himself the job. Based on the bits I heard I cannot imagine that is who Thoyer wants leading this team. Maddux sounded the best overall, but Thoyer has worked with Sveum and know that he’s statistically inclined (more so than most coaches anyway). I’d be surprised it’s not Sveum, Maddux or Francona.

Based on some of the quotes Tango highlights, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Alomar isn’t getting the job. For one thing, he has the least amount of coaching experience of any of the four candidates. He’s obviously less interested in using statistics than any of the others.

It’s worth noting that this is what MacKinan said:

‘‘Any tool you can use to succeed, you better use it,” he said. ‘‘Video. Statistics. Let’s face it – statistics mean something. It’s not just a number. If a guy’s a .300 hitter, if he’s a .250 hitter, that’s what he is. That gives you an overall general look at what kind of hitter he is, and then you can delve deeper into leveraged indexes and ways of looking how he’s been used and his replacement value and things like that.

I don’t know if that’s the answer that they were exactly looking for. A .250 hitter is a .250 hitter as he says, but that .250 doesn’t tell us a whole lot. If all the information we had was a player’s batting average then we could probably get a pretty good idea of who the best players were. We’d miss a lot.

It sounded like Mackanin was trying to sound very on board with the advanced analytics without actually knowing much about them.

Like when my users always ask if the problem they are having with their computer could be the “firewall.”

[quote name=mb21]It’s worth noting that this is what MacKinan said:

I don’t know if that’s the answer that they were exactly looking for. A .250 hitter is a .250 hitter as he says, but that .250 doesn’t tell us a whole lot. If all the information we had was a player’s batting average then we could probably get a pretty good idea of who the best players were. We’d miss a lot.[/quote]Sounds like the rest of the quote implies that he knows that BA is insufficient, but thinks of it more like a starting place? I assume that’s what “leveraged indexes” and “replacement value” imply. I saw some discussion on Facebook between a friend and a guy I didn’t know where the guy was saying he didn’t want Sveum at all. He didn’t give any reasons. To me, it’s a tossup. I’m fine with them picking Sveum or Sandberg or Antonio Sabato, Jr., if they think he’s the right guy. Lou was already old when they brought him in. He did an okay job, I thought. Toward the end he maybe was phoning it in, though.

[quote name=Aisle424]It sounded like Mackanin was trying to sound very on board with the advanced analytics without actually knowing much about them.

Like when my users always ask if the problem they are having with their computer could be the “firewall.”[/quote]The people my wife has to work with don’t even get this far. One lady thought the mouse with the “square connector” was only for laptops.

[quote name=ACT]Then again, it’s hard to know what to make from such short soundbites, and I think that being open to statistics is far more important for a manager than having a deep understanding of them.[/quote]If he’s willing to learn, that could be good. Everyone has to start somewhere. Maybe he doesn’t know it as well at the moment, but is delving. It took me a long time to figure out what the hell WAR and especially FIP meant. I had to look it up every time. I’m starting to get it now.

[quote name=ACT]Personally, I have no a dog in this hunt. I doubt the difference between the best and worst candidate is significant enough to get worked up over.[/quote]I just wish they’d pick so we could move on. I know the off-season probably goes way too fast for GMs and way to slow for fans.

[quote name=ACT]Then again, it’s hard to know what to make from such short soundbites, and I think that being open to statistics is far more important for a manager than having a deep understanding of them.[/quote]Exactly. All I can safely say is that Alomar sounded much dumber than you’d think Thoyer would like to hire. Sveum has been known for being fond of sabermetrics. Maddux is known as a great pitching coach and is apparently open to all information. MacKanin said something interesting, but he may have just been throwing out key words on purpose.

[quote name=ACT]Personally, I have no a dog in this hunt. I doubt the difference between the best and worst candidate is significant enough to get worked up over.[/quote]No, definitely not. I would like it to be one of the 3 I mentioned above. I really don’t want Alomar. MacKinan would be OK. I’m not going to get worked up over the Cubs hiring any of them.

Even if that happens, Jackson should push his way to Wrigley Field in short order. He has the upside of Jim Edmonds at the plate, if not the same Gold Glove ability in center field.

sign me the fuck up

http://ht.ly/7sTur

here is the link for subscribers.. chat at noon

[quote name=mb21]I’m guessing Jackson hits closer to .250/.350/.450. If he can play average or better defense in CF that’s pretty damn good, but that .250 average is going to drive fans nuts.[/quote]That .250 doesn’t tell us a whole lot.

/Mackanin’d

Javier Baez

The Future: Baez has the highest ceiling in the system and could move quickly. His bat eventually should fit into the No. 3 slot in Chicago’s lineup and should provide enough offense for any position. He’ll head to low Class A Peoria at age 19.

.

The Future: McNutt remained inconsistent in the Arizona Fall League, and he could wind up as a late-inning reliever if he can’t improve his changeup and command. If it all comes together, he could be a No. 2 starter, similar to what Chicago hopes for from 2008 first-rounder Andrew Cashner. Ticketed for a return to Tennessee, McNutt could finish 2012 in the majors.

.

Scouting Report: Maples has a pair of plus pitches in his heavy 92-96 mph fastball and hard curveball. There’s little question about the quality of his arm, though many scouts worry about his mechanics. Though he’s athletic, he has a non-athletic delivery with a short arm action and a stiff, upright finish. That could lead to problems with his command—he locates his curve better than his fastballءnd stress on his shoulder. For their part, the Cubs don’t have any significant concerns and won’t make any major adjustments. They’ll have him focus on improving his fastball location and developing a changeup.

.

I need to get on twitter to kill all the optimism generated by BA (dying laughing).

We need to write an OV handbook where we list the top 10 players and say they will all fail (dying laughing)

[quote name=Berselius]I need to get on twitter to kill all the optimism generated by BA (dying laughing).
[/quote]That’s one reason I think those “projected lineups” do more harm than good.

[quote name=mb21]Vitters still in the top 10? (dying laughing)[/quote]Top 10 in this system is no great shakes. Vitters is still expected to be a big leaguer at some point, so the lower end of the top 10 seems about right.

[quote name=Berselius]I need to get on twitter to kill all the optimism generated by BA (dying laughing).

We need to write an OV handbook where we list the top 10 players and say they will all fail (dying laughing)[/quote]I’m on board with that.

Scouting Report: Dolis reminds scouts of Marmol, and the similarities became more striking when Dolis became a full-time reliever in 2011. He can make hitters look silly with a 93-100 mph fastball with heavy sink and a mid-80s slider with hard bite. His stuff should have played up in shorter stints, but Dolis’ strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 5.9 per nine innings. That’s because he focused so much on his command, his biggest shortcoming, that he pounded the bottom of the strike zone and generated groundouts rather than strikeouts. He has a clean, high three-quarters delivery that gives him good downward plane with his pitches, but he still needs to throw more strikes.

.

(dying laughing) @ every team in the AFC West having negative pt differential

From what I’ve seen of Jackson, which is actually a pretty fair amount, I’d say BA is right on with that scouting report. Honestly, I’m not sure if I would quibble with anything about it. Glad to hear they’re as high on Jackson as I am. Even if he’s a .260 hitter, I think he’s gonna be a very valuable player. His impeding promotion is easily what has me most excited about the 2012 season.

[quote name=Rodrigo Ramirez]Cubs 1st round picks from 02-05 (dying laughing)

Year Player, Position 2011 Org.
2002 Bobby Brownlie, rhp Out of baseball
2003 Ryan Harvey, of Red Sox
2004 Grant Johnson, rhp (2nd round) Out of baseball
2005 Mark Pawelek, lhp Out of baseball[/quote]Why stop at 2005? The LULZ continue through the Hayden Simpson pick!

2006 was Colvin (turned out better than expected, but was dumber than shit at the time), Vitters (still could work out), Cashner, Jackson, Simpson and Baez.

2001 was Mark Prior.

Ignoring Bobby Brrownlie since he was a 2nd round pick, here are the good picks at the time: Prior, Vitters, Jackson, Baez.

Not all the rest were bad. I don’t think Ryan Harvey was a bad pick at all. Cashner wasn’t a bad pick either.

Still, you’d expect to have more than 4 first rounds picks in a decade that were good decisions at the time.

[quote name=mb21]2006 was Colvin (turned out better than expected, but was dumber than shit at the time), Vitters (still could work out), Cashner, Jackson, Simpson and Baez.

2001 was Mark Prior.

Ignoring Bobby Brrownlie since he was a 2nd round pick, here are the good picks at the time: Prior, Vitters, Jackson, Baez.

Not all the rest were bad. I don’t think Ryan Harvey was a bad pick at all. Cashner wasn’t a bad pick either.

Still, you’d expect to have more than 4 first rounds picks in a decade that were good decisions at the time.[/quote]Yeah, the Colvin and Simpson picks aside, I think this is a tale of player development FAIL rather than drafting FAIL.

I think I was just (dying laughing) at all the “out of baseball” statements attached to those picks.

K-State is going to own TX Ryno. Just accept it.

“You know, the only thing that scares me about Joe Walsh is his anti-worker ideologies, and his total disregard for facts,” Rakestraw replied.

(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)

[quote name=Aisle424](dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)[/quote]That would scare me too.

[quote name=Rice Cube]NL ROY —> Kimbrel

AL ROY —> Hellickson[/quote]Who?

Who?

[quote name=josh]Who?

Who?[/quote]
One of them allowed the Cardinals into the playoffs by blowing a save in Game 162.

Theo on compensation talks: ‘I’m just not worth that much’

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-theo-on-compensation-talks-im-just-not-worth-that-much-20111114,0,5826882.story?track=rss

(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)

[quote name=Rice Cube]Who #1 = Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta closer.

Who #2 = Jeremy Hellickson, Rays starter.

I’m not sure I’m okay with Who #1.[/quote]In my head I was thinking “Craig Kimbrel” but that’s exactly as much as I knew about him. I figured he was probably a pitcher of some sort.

[quote name=WaLi]Can anyone with chemical background explain why sulfuric acid solution has a freezing point that looks like this?

[/quote]
I don’t remember exactly. You’ve got the freezing point of water on the left axis and the freezing point of sulfuric on the right. The colligative properties of a solvent dictate that the freezing point depresses in proportion to the number of particles in solution. In the case of sulfuric acid, possible particles are H (x2), SO4 -2, HSO4-, and H2SO4.

Start at left axis. Addition of acid to the water will result in the more or less complete dissociation of the acid into two hydrogens ions and a sulfate. The absolute minima will correspond to the point beyond which the number of particles in solution decreases, as hydrogens are driven to associate with sulfates as HSO4 and H2SO4.

If we start at the right axis and add water, we will get severe acid burns. But conceptually, I’m guessing the two local minima correspond to maximal solvation of each of the protons. Insert some hand-waving here.

[quote name=josh]Pap ——-> Phillies.[/quote]READ THE PREVIOUS THREADS.

/Rob G.

Colligative properties are why salt, which forms separate sodium and chloride ions, is better than sand at de-icing the roads, btw.

[quote name=GW]I don’t remember exactly. You’ve got the freezing point of water on the left axis and the freezing point of sulfuric on the right. The colligative properties of a solvent dictate that the freezing point depresses in proportion to the number of particles in solution. In the case of sulfuric acid, possible particles are H (x2), SO4 -2, HSO4-, and H2SO4.

Start at left axis. Addition of acid to the water will result in the more or less complete dissociation of the acid into two hydrogens ions and a sulfate. The absolute minima will correspond to the point beyond which the number of particles in solution decreases, as hydrogens are driven to associate with sulfates as HSO4 and H2SO4.

If we start at the right axis and add water, we will get severe acid burns. But conceptually, I’m guessing the two local minima correspond to maximal solvation of each of the protons. Insert some hand-waving here.[/quote]Interesting, thanks. We handle 93% and sometimes 96% here. I was updating some safety information and had to find the freezing point for 96% and came across that graph and found it intriguing.

On another note, how the hell does freezing point and melting point mean the same thing (dying laughing)
Obviously it is because it depends on what phase you are coming from, but it is annoying when you are searching for freezing point information but can’t find it because you should be searching for melting point (dying laughing)

[quote name=josh]I went through the last three comment threads and didn’t see anything on this.

Who is Rob G?[/quote]You didn’t read every post.

[quote name=Rice Cube]You didn’t read every word.[/quote].

[quote name=Rice Cube]You didn’t read every post.[/quote]I did do a search for “pap” and “phil” but found nothing. and I just got the MLBTR rumor like 20 minutes ago, so I assumed I was breaking the story, Cubs reporter style.

Supposedly the deal was for 4 years/$50,000,058.

The $58 being a good luck thing for Pappy.

[quote name=josh]Supposedly the deal was for 4 years/$50,000,058.

The $58 being a good luck thing for Pappy.[/quote]That was probably the kicker. Think of how many Philly cheesesteaks you can buy with $58!

Mark Ellis signing on with the Dodgers. Unless that’s already been discussed, then I didn’t say anything.

[quote name=josh]Mark Ellis signing on with the Dodgers. Unless that’s already been discussed, then I didn’t say anything.[/quote]Nice snark.

[quote name=melissa]The political talk will stop now! (dying laughing)[/quote]
You lie!

[quote name=melissa]The political talk will stop now! (dying laughing)[/quote]I AM TIRED OF THIS CRAP! GIVE ME MORE COFFEE!

[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Nice snark.[/quote]I’ve been taking notes.

[quote name=josh]I’ve been taking notes.[/quote]Truly, you are Inspector Javert to my Ignatius O’Reilly.

I’m ready to get back to focusing on what’s important in the world, like Theo and the Superfriends. Any background info on the new Dwight Schrute of the Cubs?

[quote name=melissa]I’m ready to get back to focusing on what’s important in the world, like Theo and the Superfriends. Any background info on the new Dwight Schrute of the Cubs?[/quote]Sullivan, Gordo and Miles will have some info in about 6 months.

This reminds me of when the Springfield PTA disbanded.

[quote name=mb21]What purpose does disbanding the union accomplish?[/quote]Can now sue the NBA under anti-trust laws and challenge the lockout.

[quote name=Mish]This reminds me of when the Springfield PTA disbanded purple monkey dishwasher.[/quote]
fixed

[quote name=melissa]I’m ready to get back to focusing on what’s important in the world, like Theo and the Superfriends. Any background info on the new Dwight Schrute of the Cubs?[/quote]Fact: Bears like beets.

[quote name=Berselius]That currency is in danger of defaulting, thanks to the actions of Creed Bratton. In an uncertain economy, the only stable investment is Stanley Nickels. Or porn.[/quote]Creeds were discovered to actually just be sprouted mung beans.

[quote name=Aisle424]Fact: Bears like beets.[/quote]
Bears.
Beets.
Battlestar Galactica.

[quote name=Berselius]Bears.
Beets.
Battlestar Galactica.[/quote]
MICHAEL!!!

[quote name=Berselius]Astros ———-> AL in 2013

Crane ————–> got his $50m discount for agreeing[/quote]I should have bought the Astros. I could do so much with that $50 million.

[quote name=mb21]Any word on whether or not there will still be divisions?[/quote]www.willtherestillbedivisions.com

[quote name=mb21]No idea if he’s actually 26. Don’t know if they’ll ever know.[/quote]Cespedes is 26…listen Sir…nothing personal, but Cespedes is Cuban , not Dominican…Cubans from Cuba never ever had an Issue with Roids or Age….all of that comes from here and the Dominicans who are the biggest Cheaters in the world..about 600 of them in the minors since 2005 have tested positive for Roids.