8/27/2003 08:46:00 AM by Rob

I have been told that I am not insightful

Whoa...big fucking surprise.

Actually, to tell the truth, I think one of the major problems with life today is that people make things out to be more than they need to be. I can't even fucking read Baseball Prospectus anymore, because having to look at a statistical regression chart on the number of pitches AL left-handed sluggers take makes my eyes droop.

Baseball really is an easy game. For the first half of this year, the Cubs had two major holes: third base and catcher. Since there is so little catching talent available these days, I ignored that hole, and concentrated on the third base hole. Sure, Mike Lowell was going to be expensive, but the two things the Marlins need, we have in abundance: ca$h and prospects. Lowell is one of the best 3B in the game, and he's in the prime of his baseball life. Voila, a perfect fit!! No, I didn't bother doing the analysis on whether Corey Koskie would have plugged the hole as nicely as Joe Randa, because I see no reason to go with second-best.

I also underestimated many of my readers' need for postseason play THIS YEAR, even at the cost of the future. Some of you, God bless you, have followed right along with my desire to build a Cub dynasty even at the expense of this year. If you wanted a one-shot winner, tell you what we shoulda done before he got hurt. We coulda traded Patterson and Wood, and prospects, for A-Rod. Then we coulda done what we did to get Ramirez and Lofton. We coulda have had this:

CF Lofton
2B Grud
SS A-Rod
RF Sofa
LF Alou
3B Ramirez
1B Simon/Karros
C Outs Du Jour

Rotation: Prior, Z, Clement, Cruz, and tEstes when needed.

OK, that there is a lineup, mister. Too bad, when Lofton disintegrates into dust, our CF will be gone, along with Bobby Hill, and Choi is held back another year in his development. I don't advocate trading Patterson for a minute. But he is not a leadoff hitter, while it seems that at least for the immediate future, Kenny Lofton is.

Finally, why, you must be wondering, am I bitching after last night? God, that was enjoyable. Almost better than sex. Thank you, Mark Prior. God bless you, Meat-beater, and Erroris, for your back-2-back action jacksons. An vicious beating, made closer than it should have been by Kyle Farnsworth.

I steamed all night last night...WHY TAKE OUT PRIOR? Then it hit me today...last night had a playoff-type atmosphere. We had a six run lead, but there was still pressure to finish it. What better time to ease the "closer of the future" into a finishing situation? So, even though he had a six-run cushion, Kyle knew that this was a vital game, and he fucked it up. I tell ya, he can't finish. Nobody throws harder, and he certainly seems to be sturdy enough, but he has no mental fortitude whatsoever. Maybe it will come. Even though he is a male slut loser, his teammates love him and support him. I guess you keep him, and someday, somehow, he is going to grow up and take his role. Not now. He pooped himself, and Remlinger had to come bail him out. Thank God the lead was so large.

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