While you were all eating too much, holding hands and telling everyone what you were thankful for, the Cubs were doing much of the same. We did hear about a few things that went on over the Thanksgiving holiday, including the migration of Bryan LaHair to Japan.
The SoftBank Hawks are close to an agreement with Bryan LaHair, according to a Sanspo report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The Cubs designated LaHair for assignment yesterday, announcing that the team and player were “pursuing an opportunity” for LaHair to sign with a Japanese team.
MLBTR reports that the value of LaHair’s contract is $4.7MM over two years with the signing bonus and buyout included. Maybe Bryan can become the next Tuffy Rhodes. We also heard of a trade between the Cubs and Rangers, wherein the Cubs traded back a pitcher they received in the Geo Soto trade.
The Cubs dealt Jacob Brigham (acquired in the Geovany Soto trade in July) back to the Rangers, receiving Loux, a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher, in return as a sort of re-do on the Soto deal after Brigham was limited to just two appearances for the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate in Tennessee. The Cubs will also receive a player to be named later.
Loux reached Double-A in 2012 and made all his starts without incident, showing a simple, repeatable delivery and an idea of how to pitch. He works downhill, sits 90-92 mph and commands his fastball to both sides of the plate, though neither his velocity nor his secondary pitches separate him from the pack. His average slider and curveball blend together, but most scouts like his changeup best and think he knows how and when to use it. He profiles as an innings-eating No. 5 type on a good team.
That’s a much better ceiling than most of the arms in the Cubs system.
Finally, for all our Tony Campana fans out there, he’s working hard at being the Tony Campana we know and love.
Tony Campana went 1-for-3 on Friday for Leones del Caracas in Venezuela Winter League play. Campana is 2-for-15 (.133) in four games so far.
If he can get on base, he’ll be the greatest player in MLB history! Why not give him a chance?!
“Casablanca” premiered 70 years ago today.
My favorite movie ever.
Skyfall debuted 17 days ago today.
My favorite movie this month.
It was OK.
OK?
Just OK?
Where is that thumbs down button?
Casablanca is one of those films I have seen 20 times, but will still tune it no matter what point the film is at. There are so many good lines in that film;and Sidney Greenstreet,Peter Lorre, and the rest are so good. There is a book that came out last year about the filming of Casablanca, and it talked about how so many of the actors in that movie were refugees from Germany. I meant to buy,but will track it down and definately get the book this year…
I have to admit…I do like Casablanca quite a bit. It’s probably in my top favorite 20 movies of all time.
Hmm….I used to have a list of my top 25 favorite movies…I’ll have to find that and update it some time.
That’s on the list with Star Wars and the Bond movies (until Skyfall) that I’ve never seen.
It might be easier to just list the movies you actually have seen.
It’s one of my top 5 favorites. 70 years ago today, huh? I guess I know what I’ll be watching tonight . . .
I can’t believe the Rays have extended Longoria through 2022.
That guy gets injured all the time. They’re going to pay this guy to basically play about 90 games a year for each of the next 10 years. That’s silly.
I’d pay him to play 90 games of something . . .
ugh
I may be forced to put up christmas lights outside my house this year. My daughter keeps asking me why our house is the only one on the block without any lights up. Arguments like “pointless” and “waste of time and electricity” and “I don’t like Christmas” don’t seem to be working.
Can you use a timer? Just put up a string across the roof? You don’t have to go all out, maybe just decorate the roof and the door?
You are only addressing one of my three arguments.
Look at it this way: the lights will help to scare away burglers.(takes care of ‘pointless’) and a string of lights can also help SAD( I don’t like Christmas) I’m not a Christmas fan, but since Christmas itself was stolen from pagan/earth religon harvest festivals, I kind of like house lights. The rest of it, carols and the like I’m not fond of,because in CA, we don’t have snow, it’s usually 90 degrees and disgusting,and growing up they shoved the religous aspect down my throat. Also, since I work in a multi-cultural workplace, we also celebrate The Festival of Lights, Bodhdi Day,Diwali, and sometimes an Eid. This means potlucks,and people being a little more smiley. so I tend to stick to my “bus station” theory of religon, and like the fact people are a little nicer/less greedy…
Dammit.
Now I need some new arguments.
sorry, your daughter saying “please dad, can we have lights this year?” will counteract all your arguments
Nope.
That would work on my wife…but I’m too mean of a daddy to cave like that.
He is the Ernie Banks of the Rays…they have to keep him around healthy or not.
Then make him the mascot.
Sorry, I forget…how many World Series titles did Ernie Banks lead the Cubs to?
I didn’t say it was logical or merited.
I hate to tell you all this, but we’re not getting Giancarlo Stanton. And the to-do about him all weekend on other blogs was ridiculous.
I just assumed they weren’t getting him. You look at what the Cubs have done over the last 13 months and it just wouldn’t be consistent with their policies. And nothing in their actions has shown they will deviate from that in the near future.
Agree. That, and good things don’t happen to us.
I kind of don’t want a big trade for the Cubs, because look at how the Angels/Dodgers big trades blew up in their faces. I would rather get 3or4 good players with potential, than just one “superstar”type of player…
I’d love a big trade….
Soriano, DeJesus, Garza for……
Alex Rodriguez.
Brian Roberts.
I keep forgetting to say this…but…
Congratulations to Julie!!!
She’s the proud new owner of a Galaxy S3!
Did she wait outside of Walmart? I know they had Galaxy phones for $48.00 with a 2-yr contract..
Julie probably got her’s for free. Samsung probably bought advertising space here on Aerys.
Pffft. I wish.
Rob Deer is the Cubs new assistant hitting coach.
This makes me ask the question…
If regular hitting coaches really don’t do much and make little difference on a team…what is the point of an assistant hitting coach?
And while I ask that question…
Do we really want an assistant hitting coach, whose career was defined by being the guy who held the single season strikeout record for almost 2 decades, teaching our young players how to hit?
From Wikipedia…
“He holds the dubious honor of having the lowest official batting average while still qualifying for the batting title when he batted .179 in 1991. He is the only player since 1910 to have a batting average less than .220 in at least 400 at-bats in at least four seasons. Deer held the American League record for strikeouts in a season (186 strikeouts in 1987) until being passed by Jack Cust in 2008, and had at least 140 strikeouts on seven occasions. Deer averaged a strikeout every 2.75 at-bats.”
It’s the “Cubbie Way”.
Then he is the consummate expert in what HOT to do.
He’s a TTO guy. He also walked a ton.
He walked a decent amount…to say he walked a ton is a bit of an overstatement. His walk rate was definitely above average.
He did have quite a bit of power…but I never thought he was much of a big OPS guy.
If they want this guy to teach some of these skills, though, I would think having him as a roving minor league instructor would be a better use. Having him as an “assistant hitting coach” is a pointless move.
To get to the point (which I keep forgetting to post), it seems to me that this was simply Dale Sveum giving a job to a friend of his. I’m pretty sure these two played together with the Brewers.
Don’t they just keep the charts on the players, and basically repeat everything the hitting coach or manager says?
No…they do more than than that. They teach a bunch of stuff to players as far as batting stances and better recognition of the strike zone while the players hit in the batting cage…but they do it in such a way that the players are able to easily revert back to their bad ways every time they bat in a real game. It takes real talent to be able to do that.
Unfortunately, there are some hitting coaches that players choose not to ignore….like Jeff Pentland.
Hey! It can take a lot of work ‘not doing much’.
I wear myself out doing it all the time.
Sometimes people will ask what I’m doing and I tell them “I’m thinking.”or
“You all don’t see the big picture. It looks like I’m not doing anything but really I have a hand in everything.” or
“Yea I’m helping him (or her).Next time they’ll know how to do it without asking for help.”
Come to think of it, I could use an assistant.
Looks like 435 Digital (my company) is going to be hiring someone to do our in-house IT. Doc?
hmm…..
Interesting. I’d be interested in finding out what they are looking for (though I’m not sure I’m quite the right person…but you never know).
BTW, I really need someone to start watching Homeland. Last night’s episode was cray-cray, and I’ve got no one to talk about it with.
Seriously? Cray-cray? Seriously. What are you…like 12 years old or something?
And I told you…I gave Homeland a shot. Not really interested.
And besides…I don’t get Showtime anymore.
I DIDN’T SAY YOU.
WTF!
That’s just cray-cray.
Yeah I don’t know anybody with showtime. I got HBO… but honestly, the only TV worth watching anymore is on AMC.
You people are crazy. Homeland is the best show on TV.
No way in hell is it better than Shipping Wars.
AMC?
Really?
What…because of Mad Men?
I kinda miss the days when AMC actually played classic American movies.
I’m a TCM guy myself. They still play good old movies.
“Mad Men” and “Walking Dead”
meh.
Uhhhh… Breaking Bad? THAT is the best show on TV
Still not better than Shipping Wars.
I quit watching AMC when they got into the pissing war with DISH network.
I got tired of their whiny adds about such-and-such not being available on Dish.
The sounded so much like a little kid it put me off almost all of their programming.
I’d rather watch MEtv than AMC. But what could they do? TMC bought up all the good movies, and Fox had all the crummy ones, so AMC is left with westerns and their original programming. Still don’t like AMC though…
I’m listening to the soundtrack to the movie Ben Hur in my office right now.
I’m not exactly sure why.
I’m not really sure about any of you people anymore.
I’m pretty sure you were never sure of us in the first place.
So you’re leaving then?????????
Here’s your hat in case you’re in a hurry!
Have you gone yet?
If you make Mark go away, I’m going to be pretty pissed at you.
Everybody left?
Is any of this worth a hill of beans in LOHO’s crazy mixed up world
But it’s certainly worth
a hill of hops
a hill of oats
a hill of barley
Hell! I’m thirsty!
MNF and a 22 oz RED(6.5%)
“Looks like the continuation of a beautiful friendship”
Everyone have a good evening.
Carolina and Philly?
O well, I think Notre Dame plays a basketball game tonite.
Maybe they”ll put that on.
You all are fucking nuts. Glad to know you all.