All Things Carlos Zambrano Discussion Thread

[CODE_BLUE56]

As usually I am just faster than you.

in some areas that isnt a good thing

 

[dabynsky]

in some areas that isnt a good thing

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWSmhNnO1so]Family Guy That's What She Said - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Diddy1122]

You want to ignore the things that he has done fine. I didn't say he was perfect, and I didn't say that my opinion couldn't change. However, he has done several things that teams like the Yankees and Red Sox do to remain competitive for a long time. The Cubs have spent more on acquiring amateur talent than at any point in time. A few outside sources have suggested that the Cubs draft might have been the best in baseball this year (rating drafts at this time is a little silly but it is worth noting). The Cubs are maintaining two teams in the DSL and are building a baseball academy there. Yes I know that doesn't make this debacle all better, but that is the point I am trying to make here. I don't think everything is great and I don't think the sky is falling. The truth I believe lies in the middle.

So they had a decent draft. Other than Castro, there hasn't been a top Cubs prospect in almost a decade who did anything worthwhile on the field. Now I don't know if that's the farm system or the organization as a whole, but it always seems like top draft picks come here to die.

And I'm talking about Ricketts, not the draft which he doesn't handle anyway. Give me something positive that Ricketts has done. Anything at all. Adding ads to the outfield? The big Toyota sign? So far, this has been nothing but strictly a business for him. I've never once seen this guy's "fan" side come out.

 

[dabynsky]

So they had a decent draft. Other than Castro, there hasn't been a top Cubs prospect in almost a decade who did anything worthwhile on the field. Now I don't know if that's the farm system or the organization as a whole, but it always seems like top draft picks come here to die.

And I'm talking about Ricketts, not the draft which he doesn't handle anyway. Give me something positive that Ricketts has done. Anything at all. Adding ads to the outfield? The big Toyota sign? So far, this has been nothing but strictly a business for him. I've never once seen this guy's "fan" side come out.

The reason we had this draft is because Ricketts let them spend more than they ever have in the past. And the fact that other Cubs top prospects failed doesn't mean that these will fail as well.

And I don't care about signs, statues, or any other nonsense except the results of this team. They are bad right now which is why things aren't great, but there are positive things that are being done to correct it. Now if the payroll goes down by more than 10 million and the status quo is maintained in the front office than my opinion has changed. But as of right now Ricketts is providing the financial resources needed to put a winning team on the field.

 

[DewsSox79]

A round of applause for discussion without name-calling and insults. Although we mostly agreed.

:clap:

I will get around to it when CO puts in his 2 cents in.

 

[Rice Cube]

The reason we had this draft is because Ricketts let them spend more than they ever have in the past. And the fact that other Cubs top prospects failed doesn't mean that these will fail as well.

And I don't care about signs, statues, or any other nonsense except the results of this team. They are bad right now which is why things aren't great, but there are positive things that are being done to correct it. Now if the payroll goes down by more than 10 million and the status quo is maintained in the front office than my opinion has changed. But as of right now Ricketts is providing the financial resources needed to put a winning team on the field.

The draft makes me think very positively. I don't think we'll know much else until they figure out the Z/Soriano/Ramirez situations and whether they bother bringing back Q and Hendry for real. Everything right now other than who's signed in the draft is speculation, and even some of the signees are speculative. So we wait and see.

 

[dabynsky]

The draft makes me think very positively. I don't think we'll know much else until they figure out the Z/Soriano/Ramirez situations and whether they bother bringing back Q and Hendry for real. Everything right now other than who's signed in the draft is speculation, and even some of the signees are speculative. So we wait and see.

Which is what I have been saying here. This offseason will be the first real showing of what Ricketts the owner is going to be like. There is substantial money coming off the books, his GM and manager are in the last year of their deals, and the team is coming off its third terrible season in a row. If he pockets the money coming off the books and keeps the status quo in the front office, then I am upset. If the payroll is maintained and we get an actual leadership structure with good, smart people then I will be happy about what Ricketts is doing.

 

[Diddy1122]

Which is what I have been saying here. This offseason will be the first real showing of what Ricketts the owner is going to be like. There is substantial money coming off the books, his GM and manager are in the last year of their deals, and the team is coming off its third terrible season in a row. If he pockets the money coming off the books and keeps the status quo in the front office, then I am upset. If the payroll is maintained and we get an actual leadership structure with good, smart people then I will be happy about what Ricketts is doing.

The signs aren't looking good for Ricketts thus far. And though most people crap all over Hendry, he's really not the biggest problem. The problem is and always has been Crane Kenney. And the fact that this clown was kept from day 1 of Ricketts-era is not comforting at all. If he is still here next season, every Cub fan can expect more of the same.

 

[dabynsky]

The signs aren't looking good for Ricketts thus far. And though most people crap all over Hendry, he's really not the biggest problem. The problem is and always has been Crane Kenney. And the fact that this clown was kept from day 1 of Ricketts-era is not comforting at all. If he is still here next season, every Cub fan can expect more of the same.

I agree that keeping the leadership structure intact is and has been Ricketts biggest mistake. That is the other half of what an owner can do. I am hoping, without real evidence to the contrary, that he will fix that. It is just as likely that the opposite occurs and the FO is maintained with a significantly lower payroll. However, we won't know til this offseason which is why I am reserving my judgement on the issue right now. The only thing I bristle at is this notion that everything is negative and that we are doomed to be bad for years and years. And I've explained in numerous threads and posts why I feel that way.

 

[Rice Cube]

As an aside, while the draft and signings have been very promising, they won't help the club if Hendry and crew trade them all away for mediocre starting pitching :lol:

But I doubt that happens...

 

[dabynsky]

As an aside, while the draft and signings have been very promising, they won't help the club if Hendry and crew trade them all away for mediocre starting pitching :lol:

But I doubt that happens...

Are we really calling Matt Garza mediocre?

 

[Rice Cube]

Are we really calling Matt Garza mediocre?

Wasn't talking about Garza, just in general. Garza is a solid pitcher. But with Hendry, that's probably what he'd do to try to snag an extension if he's retained.

 

[dabynsky]

Wasn't talking about Garza, just in general. Garza is a solid pitcher. But with Hendry, that's probably what he'd do to try to snag an extension if he's retained.

Ah okay, generally speaking Hendry has done a decent job with pitching. Granted he was mostly given incredible talent through the farm system for years, but very few of the contracts he handed out to pitchers were bad (Zambrano and Jason Marquis the two exceptions I can think of).

 

[poodski]

Breaking News:Carlos Zambrano Cleans Out Locker, Walks Out

Marquis ended up being a good contract IMO.

 

[dabynsky]

Marquis ended up being a good contract IMO.

Eh I think that is very debatable, but all right then the move to trade him for Vizcaino in the last year of his deal was clearly bad. So either acquiring Marquis or getting rid of him was a bad pitching move made by Hendry.

 

[dabynsky]

Kevin Gregg as well. Okay there is more now that I think about it, but generally speaking pitching moves haven't been the problem for this team. Overpaying for position players is what got this team where it is now.

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

Wasn't talking about Garza, just in general. Garza is a solid pitcher. But with Hendry, that's probably what he'd do to try to snag an extension if he's retained.

as rice said, garza is a very good pitcher(demp and zam werent too shabby either overall)

but overall, our pitching is not really great(not well rounded by any means, the back of the rotation is a question mark and the bullpen has some issues as well)

 

[dabynsky]

Our pitching is bad. I was just saying that the moves Hendry has made to acquire pitching on a whole has been decent. Clearly the Cubs did a poor job evaluating the pitching situation at the beginning of this season, and did not provide enough depth for this team.

 

[Rice Cube]

Hendry did fleece the Pirates a couple times so that was pretty cool. Once for A-Ram, the other time he gave them two mediocre pitchers (who I think ended up being injured) for Gorz and Grabow. I was happier with Gorz than Grabow, obviously :lol:

 

[CODE_BLUE56]

Hendry did fleece the Pirates a couple times so that was pretty cool. Once for A-Ram, the other time he gave them two mediocre pitchers (who I think ended up being injured) for Gorz and Grabow. I was happier with Gorz than Grabow, obviously :lol:

i miss gorz

and silva