Cleaning Out The Inbox: Five Things That Needed To Be Addressed

Our TBDS intern checks the mail.

You probably thought your computer was broken.

There was so much to blog about this weekend, and all yours truly could muster up is the following:
  • SIU was good, but not good enough.
  • Sam Bradford and Richard Seymour are screwed in their own respective ways. 
So, this is me, remembering that I have a blog, cleaning out my inbox.


C-Lo Loves Notre Dame

Let the speculation begin on where SIU head basketball coach Chris Lowery will be collecting his next pay check.  Of course, I say that in jest, en lieu of recent tweets by Lowery -- who apparently is a Notre Dame fan.

Before someone goes AWOL over Lowery's allegiances, take note that CL is an Evansville, Ind., native.  Have the Purple Aces even ever had a football team?  And if not for Antwaan Randle-El, you could have asked the same question about the Hoosiers' football squad.  As for Indiana State, well, they're the Detroit Lions of college football.

Lowery and I had a pretty good coach-reporter relationship when I covered the Saluki beat. I'm kind of glad I never busted out with the Charlie Weis fat jokes, I'd hate to lose a source over a misplaced joke at Weis' expense.

Debunking DeRosa


Not an inbox message, but something I felt the need to address.  After the Cubs' 4-2 loss against the Mets on Sunday, I flipped around Chicago radio stations as I tried to find some good post-game banter.  Eventually, I came across a caller who favorably compared Mark DeRosa to Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg's career numbers vs. DeRosa's career numbers.  I can see where he's coming from ... it looks like the loony bin!


In fact, Another Cubs Blog (fitting title for a blog)a Jeff Baker/Mike Fontenot platoon would have outperformed DeRosa this year.  Despite my inner hatred for Fontenot, he was put in a position to fail by manager Lou Piniella from day one this season.  The only way Fontenot should have seen a left-handed pitcher should have been from the dugout.


You know who else has been better than DeRosa?  Milton Bradley.  It's easy for DeRosa's Chicago fan boys to note his 21 homers and 69 ribbies while ignoring his .260/.331/.445/.777 line overall and his .244/.313/.425/.738 line since joining the Cardinals.  "But he's so clutch" fans will cry out.  He's got one more go-ahead hit than Bradley does this season.  When he starts, his teams are 55-57.  When Bradley starts, the Cubs are 52-49.

Cubs fans need to find a new player to crush over before DeRosa breaks their hearts again when he signs in a city other than Chicago.

Speaking of Bradley...


Lots of "let's trade Milton Bradley" rants recently.  And while he might be a certified nutjob, I'm not sure how trading a right fielder with an .801 OPS makes your offense better.



Speaking of the certifiably insane, what's up D. Lee?


Tell me if this sounds familiar.  Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee is having an other-worldly season despite starring for a team mired in mediocrity being run by a manager who seems to be losing touch with the game.


It's 2005 all over again.  Lee is absolutely mashing the ball to the tune of 31 homers, 96 ribbies and a .954 OPS.  The Cubs need to win 21 of their next 25 games just to reach 90 wins -- which would mean the team would come seven wins short of last year's grand total.  But despite a disappoint season, MV-Lee doesn't see a need for big change.


"It could be totally different [in 2010]," the first baseman said. "There are so many variables in baseball. I don't think it's like other sports where you can kind of 'talk things up.' Guys have down years. You see it all the time. This year, it just happened we had a few guys be hurt or have bad years. But you fully expect those guys to be back and rebound."

Lee has a point.  Kind of.  For example, Carlos Marmol is 6-for-6 in save opportunities since taking over for the beleaguered Kevin Gregg, who has four blown save losses this season and six blown saves overall.  Avoiding the Kevin Gregg Experience has cost the Cubs at least four games in the standings.


If Bradley posts a .294/.400/.456/.856 line for a full season instead of a half, Geovany Soto returns to his Rookie of the Year form and Alfonso Soriano's legs are completely healthy for the first time since 2006, the Cubs might not suck next year.

Don't tell me that Micah Hoffpauir & Jake Fox are the answer

My mom likes Micah Hoffpauir because of his name and thinks he should start in left field in Soriano's absence.  I'd like to keep Micah Hoffpauir out of the starting line-up because of his .226 batting average.  Baseball talk among the family over Labor Day, you can' t beat it.


Jake Fox has put up Milton Bradley type numbers in 250 fewer plate appearances, but the red flags are there.  If you put too much stock into the extrapolation of his splits over a full season -- which would turn out to be a 24 homer, 96 RBI season for those of you too lazy to click on the link -- you might find yourself saying the same things about Jake Fox that you once did about Mike Fontenot.


The funny thing is, there is still more to talk about.  See later blogs for details.  And if you've got a tip, send a message to bigdeadsidebar@gmail.com.

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