From: jbs21045@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Joe Sterbenc)
Subject: Re: George Bell traded to White Sox!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 04:00:22 GMT

kirsch@ux.acs.umn.edu (Dave Kirsch) writes:

>  Well, the Cubs first game Jim Le'Jungle'Fever showed the ultimate wisdom in
>hitting Shawon 'North Wind' Dunston and Sammy 'As long as it ain't above my 
>head' Sosa 1st and 2nd in the lineup. Oooh. They could pull a .280 OBP
>combined. If this keeps up, at the end of the year everyone will be wondering
>why Ryne Sandberg hit .300 with 30 HRs and only has 70 RBIs to show for it. 

Yes - I agree wholeheartedly. I think that both of these guys should be full-
time starters - Dunston is obvious, Sosa not as much so. I think his defense,
speed and "potential" (gag) make it a wise move for the Cubs to play him every
day. Batting them 1-2 is insane, though - makes about as much sense as batting
Mark Grace - the only guy besides Ryne who can get on base - 5th. But, Grace
homered and Sosa had a big double, so what do I know?

>  To make matters worse, he's playing Luis Salazar in LF when Dwight Smith 
>is just *dangling* there on the bench. What if Gary Scott doesn't cut the 
>mustard and they have to go back to playing Salazar full time at 3B? (I fully
>expect it, having looked at his hitting numbers of the last two years.) It's
>kinda sick, but Cubs fans should be *begging* for the return of Jerome Walton,
>or else praying for divine intervention so that Jimmy has a dream where 
>Hector's in LF. An OF of Dawson, Walton and a Smith/Villaneuva platoon in LF 
>wouldn't be all bad, and you could get Hector time at C and 1B to get his bat
>in the order against righties. An OF of Dawson, Sosa and Salazar is downright
>pathetic. 3B is an offensive hole, as is C when Hector isn't in the lineup. 

No, no, and no WAY. Luis Salazar is NOT a bad hitter, and plays solid defense
at third and left. Well, that's a little too strong. A competent hitter. More
importantly, he's beat the shit out of LHP for three years running, and the
Cubs were facing Terry Mulholland today. There's no way you should play
lefty Dwight Smith (who has never hit lefties) over Luis today. 

As for Walton, forget it. How long does it take for the world to wake up?
Jerome has shown time and time again that he doesn't care about playing or
playing well - from daily pickoffs to week-long disabling bellyaches. The
Cubs will be better off, mark my words, if they just cut his ass now.

>  Lefebvre has occasionally shown that he knows *something* about how to
>handle a pitching staff, but can *anyone* figure out how he fills out a lineup
>card? I envision a naked man, sitting cross legged in front of an ivy altar, 
>"Oh great Kreskin of the twenty-sided die, who shalt I leadoff this year?" 

I agree with you as far as batting order. I have no beef with who he's putting
on the field.

-- 
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Joe Sterbenc - jbs21045@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu & joe-mama@uiuc.edu - U of Illinois
    "With today's gas prices, Marge, we can't afford NOT to buy a pony."
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