Cubs draft Jeff Samardzija!

[Irish Envy]

5th round (149th overall) to the Cubs. Congrats Jeff!

 

[KMac151993]

Go Cubbies!

 

[jjsccer2]

What does that mean to his future in football? Can he still play this season even if he signs?

 

[AZIRISHFAN]

Lets hope he is a 1st round Pick for the Bears! Then he can play 2 sports without the travel!

 

[Irish Envy]

What is so ironic is he is a huge White Sox fan. LOL... what do you think about this jigga?

 

[Fitzgerald]

If the Bears also draft him he'd be the first player to ever play for the 3 teams I follow. That'd be odd. Hope he makes it to the bigs with the Cubs.

 

[jiggafini19]

What is so ironic is he is a huge White Sox fan. LOL... what do you think about this jigga?

I think the Cubs are total buffoons.

A) He can't enter the farm system because he is going to be a senior this year. Not like the Cubs are stacked enough that they can wait for him.

B) His future is in football and now that the most dysfunctional team this side of the Kansas City Royals has drafted him, Samardzija would be wise to stay the hell away from the Cubs forever and play football.

The Cubs didn't have many picks because they lost them due to all of the old, overpaid free agents they signed this winter. Meanwhile, Atlanta, Cleveland and Boston had a slew of picks to keep them busy today. THOSE are good organizations.

Top to bottom, the Cubs might be one of the worst franchises in MLB right now and maybe all of sports. Putrid big club (Tony Womack and Phil Nevin? BARF) and the farm system isn't much better.

The White Sox? Drafted 5 of 6 college players, three of them pitchers. Took 4 pitchers overall, a catcher from Texas Tech and Second baseman from Kentucky. Thank you, Kenny Williams. If I had to deal with the Cubs mismanagement, I'd kill myself.

 

[Fitzgerald]

Blah blah blah. Cubs are 3 years removed from being 1 game away from the World Series. Their team's been hamstringed by investment in Prior and Wood (and in Dusty Baker, who while a good name is a horrible manager) and by the Lee injury this year. They'll be fine. They might even, despite having a horrible offseason this year (looking better however as Cedeno outhits and outfields Furcal, and Jacques Jones sizzles), make a run at the division. They're getting hot and getting their players back at the same time the Cards, whose lineup is putrid without Pujols, begin up to six weeks without him. The rest of the division, except possibly the Reds, sucks. So the Cubs are in a much better spot than they were a week or two ago. Your information is outdated.

As for the Sox, they'll finish third in their division this year. Quote me on that.

Oh, and as for being "well run," look at the revenue and look at the playoff appearances. The Cubs and Sox have the same number of playoff appearances and division titles the past few years, with the Sox winning 5 more games in their playoff year, and a title. As for attendance and revenue, the Cubs remain among the strongest teams in MLB, and really in all of professional sports in the USA. Ask the TV execs who they'd rather have in the playoffs, the Sox or the Cubs. And that'll tell you all you need to know about where the Cubs stand. The Sox/Stros world series was ratings death.

 

[wrigley1]

As to why the Cubs would draft him, I've read that Cubs GM Jim Hendry is good friends with ND Baseball coach Paul Mainieri. Hendry may know more than we do about which sport Samardzija really wants to pursue. Say he is planning on picking a career in baseball. He's better than a 5th round talent, but he plays a half season in the minors this summer, then picks baseball full-time after next football season. In sum, the Cubs have essentially only lost a few months development time for a top prospect, who they picked much later than his talent deserves. Could be a good deal for the Cubbies.

 

[BradyQuinn10]

A swing and a miss i would say what are they thinking this sounds like somthing Isiah Tomas would do

 

[Irish Envy]

As to why the Cubs would draft him, I've read that Cubs GM Jim Hendry is good friends with ND Baseball coach Paul Mainieri. Hendry may know more than we do about which sport Samardzija really wants to pursue. Say he is planning on picking a career in baseball. He's better than a 5th round talent, but he plays a half season in the minors this summer, then picks baseball full-time after next football season. In sum, the Cubs have essentially only lost a few months development time for a top prospect, who they picked much later than his talent deserves. Could be a good deal for the Cubbies.

According to a MLB draft show, Samardzija would be a 1st round pick if it weren't for him playing football. Found that interesting.

 

[jiggafini19]

Blah blah blah. Cubs are 3 years removed from being 1 game away from the World Series.

This is hilarious. You blah blah blah me and that's what you come up with? Yawn.

Their team's been hamstringed by investment in Prior and Wood (and in Dusty Baker, who while a good name is a horrible manager) and by the Lee injury this year.

Triple yawn. Wood and Prior, Wood and Prior. I've seen more of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny than I've seen of them. Baker sucks, but is only part of the problem. They blew with Lee. Derrick Lee's injury does not constitute poor base running, terrible fundamentals and the most abysmal on base percentage this side of Buttermaker's Bad News Bears team, pre Kelly Leak.

They might even, despite having a horrible offseason this year, make a run at the division

Do you work for the Cubs? Because other than them, they're the only people on this planet that seem to believe this. I'd seek serious psychological help if you really believe this.

So the Cubs are in a much better spot than they were a week or two ago. Your information is outdated.

They only way they could have been worse was if they went 0 for June.

As for the Sox, they'll finish third in their division this year. Quote me on that.

Consider it done. Cubs win their division, Sox finish third. This is truly great stuff. Where do they serve the Peote lunch?

Oh, and as for being "well run," look at the revenue and look at the playoff appearances. The Cubs and Sox have the same number of playoff appearances and division titles the past few years, with the Sox winning 5 more games in their playoff year, and a title.

Way to slip that in at the end. Revenue? What does that have to do with results? Wins and losses. That's all I want to know.

As for attendance and revenue, the Cubs remain among the strongest teams in MLB, and really in all of professional sports in the USA. Ask the TV execs who they'd rather have in the playoffs, the Sox or the Cubs. And that'll tell you all you need to know about where the Cubs stand. The Sox/Stros world series was ratings death.

Typical Cub crap. Attendance, ratings, crickets chirping.

Anyone want to talk baseball? Real baseball?

I'm all ears. Back up the truck and do your best to dump the old, overpaid, crappy players on this team. Time to overhaul and get serious about winning baseball games. Not selling tickets to suburban college kid morons that eat urinal cakes for $5.

 

[jiggafini19]

As to why the Cubs would draft him, I've read that Cubs GM Jim Hendry is good friends with ND Baseball coach Paul Mainieri. Hendry may know more than we do about which sport Samardzija really wants to pursue.

He doesn't know his ass from his elbow. Complete dope. Does he have any concept of on base percentage? None. Three years removed from ALMOST winning the NL. Might as well be three million years ago.

They had a shortage of picks and rather than take a college SENIOR that doesn't play another sport, he rolls the dice on Shark with a first day pick. All the simplistic Baker haters fail to realize that Jim Hendry sucks as a general manager. He got rid of Todd Hundley. That is the highlight of his resume.

BACKED into Ronny Cedeno because his winter master plan to overpay Rafael Furcal fell through, so Ronny Cedeno is an accident. And thank God. Imagine Pierre, Jacque Jones and Furcal as one big overpaid underachieving trio. Nice. Matt Murton was a nice hitter until they started tinkering with his swing and hitting philosophy.

"Matt, we know you like to take walks because Theo Epstein drafted you at Boston. But we want you to take the Cub approach. You know, sucking?"

As a White Sox fan that has no ill will for the Cubs (but I hate everyone that runs this team), how can you stand this crap anymore? I have friends that are Cub fans, TRUE Cub fans, BASEBALL people that know the game that have written this team off. Die hard, stress the DIE. I want to see the Cubs do well, but it won't happen with the Tribune, Andy McFAIL (F-A-I-L), Jim Hendry and Johnny Cakes Baker.

I feel sorry for the utterly clueless people that care more about attendance and atmosphere than winning games just as much as I feel sorry for the people that actually love this team and BASEBALL.

 

[jiggafini19]

this sounds like somthing Isiah Tomas would do

He and Jim Hendry belong on a tropical island together. Thomas is WORSE than Hendry is as far as the concept of value and team building go.

 

[Guest]

I read that even though Shark was picked in the 5th round he'd get 1st round money. If he did choose to play baseball it could be a steal for the cubs in the 5th round.

Gotta admit that the cubs are a real mess right now, but if they can ever get these pitchers healthy they could be good. I thought Dusty was a great hire but he's pretty much been a disappointment.

How about Don Mattingly's kid going 31st overall, he was projected to go in the 4th to 5th rounds. Yanks and red sox had alot of interest in him, but the Dodgers must really love him to take him that high. Seeing how he's from Indiana does anyone know if ND offered him a schollie? He has an offer from Tennesse

 

[nayers]

im not familiar with the MLB draft, is the 5th round a good round to be drafted at? or is it comparable to being drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft

 

[Guest]

Thomas is REAL bad, but the real asshole is the owner James Dolan.

 

[Guest]

Manship went in the 14th round, so I guess its safe to assume he'll be back at ND next year. Surprised thought he'd go higher than that....

 

[luckofirish8]

Ask the TV execs who they'd rather have in the playoffs, the Sox or the Cubs. And that'll tell you all you need to know about where the Cubs stand. The Sox/Stros world series was ratings death.

Yes, because TV execs are what determines champions. Go Soxs. The Cubs suck, just admit it.

 

[Win4Gipper]

I would love to get a Cubs Jersey with 'Samardzija' on the back!!!

 

[Fitzgerald]

I'm sorry, I'm still trying to figure out how a franchise three years removed from a deep playoff run, with winning seasons in 2 of the past 3 seasons, annually top 5 in revenue, garnering high ratings on nationally televised games, and selling out their stadium even during one of the worst months of baseball anyone has ever seen, is a complete mess.

If they don't rebound in the next two or three years, call them a mess.

And, again - Sox will finish third this year. They've peaked. They will now go back to being an afterthought, and life will go on.

 

[luckofirish8]

life will go on.

You are right about this. Life will go on...with a White Sox Championship from 2005. Even if the White Sox do finish 3rd this year, sports are about rings and the Cubs haven't won one since 1908. You keep your deep playoff runs, tv ratings, and whatever else you feel makes the Cubs such a great organization; just remember there's always next year!!! Cubs Fans have been saying this for 97 years now.

 

[Pete]

he can play minor league baseball and still play football in the fall.

 

[jiggafini19]

I'm still trying to figure out how a franchise three years removed from a deep playoff run

Three years ago. It has nothing to do with right now. How many guys on the 03 roster are on the 06 roster?

with winning seasons in 2 of the past 3 seasons

I'm 28 years old. They've had 8 winning seasons since I've been alive. 8.

annually top 5 in revenue, garnering high ratings on nationally televised games, and selling out their stadium

Has ZERO to do with player personnel. Nothing. The place is full of Greyhoud bus loads of Iowa senior citizens and suburban college kids that just turned 21 and want to "experience" Wrigley Field. $80 for a bleacher seat. What does it have to do with baseball? What does it have to do with giving a 5th round pick, that will in all likelihood play another sport professionally and go in the first round of the NFL Draft, first round money?

If they don't rebound in the next two or three years, call them a mess.

My baseball history tells me the Cubs have been trying to rebounds for DECADES. About 100 years, to be exact.

2003. They won 88 games. They clinched the Central on the next to last day of the regular season. It took them all 5 NLDS games to beat Atlanta. They lost a 3-1 lead in the NLCS becasue Johnny Cakes overworked his pitchers all year. How was this such a juggernaut team? Thank God Pittsburgh had to dump payroll at the trade deadline otherwise they would have been sitting at home for those 12 extra games watching Houston or St. Louis.

Fitzgerald, I don't know if you're a Cubs fan or not but keep a few things in mind. I've lived in Chicago my entire life. Don't think for a second that the real Cub fans care about these things of which you speak. I don't care about Wrigley Field, attendance or how much Cracker Jack the Tribune sells at Wrigley Field. From a BASEBALL PERSONNEL standpoint, this team is tremendously bad from the farm system all the way to the Majors. And they can allow it to be as much because the people keep showing up by the tens of thousands to watch this horrendous team that can't field, can't draw a walk to save their mother's life and have a manager that is an overpaid asswiper that would rather be "liked" by his players than hold them accountable for not doing their jobs.

Jim Hendry acquired Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez because two low market teams (FLA and PIT) did not want their salaries. Hendry should think about trading a lot of this crap that he's put together in the last year and do the same. Now he is going to give 5th round pick Jeff Samardzija first round draft pick money. And good for Jeff. I wouldn't say no either. Who would? Might as well take the Cubs for what they're worth. Everyone else has. A payroll of almost $100 million and they're closer to last than first? What gives?

The Tribune is losing money right now. But the Cubs are their cash cow. Big revenue. They are in no hurry to put any kind of winning team on the field because they fill the place 81 times a year. If attendance and revenue are the things that are important to fans, then the Cubs are the big winners. 2003 is a long time ago, my friend. I really don't think anyone cares about what "almost" happened.

There is most likely a Johnny Cakes Baker extension that has already occured (think silent verbal) and they're waiting for the right time to announce it (which is never). Maybe when they finally win 3 games in a row this year (has yet to happen). The inept baseball management of this team starts with the Tribune and trickles down to Andy McFAIL, his boy Jim Hendry and Hendry's boy Johnny Baker. But the Trib makes their shareholders money, so they could care less about the results in the win-loss column.

People that have stayed loyal to this team and are die hard Cub fans (like Svoboda, my uncle Rich, and countless others) should be insulted for people to talk about a season 3 years ago (No World Series) or attendance figures.

Good or bad, the stand are packed. Most dysfunctional team in sports.

 

[KMac151993]

I am sure you can have one custom done by them.

 

[Domer95]

He and Jim Hendry belong on a tropical island together. Thomas is WORSE than Hendry is as far as the concept of value and team building go.

At least Hendry hasn't destroyed a team AND a professional LEAGUE. Give him time tho.

Sox draft any KICKERS, Jigga?? I kid.

 

[jiggafini19]

Sox draft any KICKERS, Jigga?? I kid.

You guys just insist on torturing me, don't you?

 

[punishment]

Wow, I think this is the most excitement I've seen over baseball ever, even more so than the actual game itself.

But lets keep in mind what is important, and that is that the Oakland A's are the best team in baseball. Best ownership, best management, best farm system. The only problem, the fans, who don't go to the games and don't really buy the merchandise. But could you imagine the team the A's would have if they didn't have all their guys leave to bigger paychecks. Giambi, Tejada, Isringhausen, Mulder, Hudson, Damon, etc, etc.

O yea, I only went to Wrigley field once, just to say I went there. Didn't even stay for the whole game. But it is one of those things that you feel you "have to do." I guess it's just because it is the oldest stadium in the league.

 

[KMac151993]

Wow, I think this is the most excitement I've seen over baseball ever, even more so than the actual game itself.

But lets keep in mind what is important, and that is that the Oakland A's are the best team in baseball. Best ownership, best management, best farm system. The only problem, the fans, who don't go to the games and don't really buy the merchandise. But could you imagine the team the A's would have if they didn't have all their guys leave to bigger paychecks. Giambi, Tejada, Isringhausen, Mulder, Hudson, Damon, etc, etc.

O yea, I only went to Wrigley field once, just to say I went there. Didn't even stay for the whole game. But it is one of those things that you feel you "have to do." I guess it's just because it is the oldest stadium in the league.

It is the second oldest stadium in the league, The Big Green Monster has a couple more years on Wrigley.

 

[jiggafini19]

But lets keep in mind what is important, and that is that the Oakland A's are the best team in baseball. Best ownership, best management, best farm system

Injury riddled team right now, especially the pitching. Have had to rob Peter to pay Paul for starters out of the bullpen. If they can get healthy, they're going to win the AL West.

Ownership? Not really. But you're right about the fans. If they don't come, you can't spend. New park in the works, right? Management? Billy Beane. Say no more. The best in the biz. Someone from the Cubs should read Moneyball. They need to hire a guy like Beane or Theo Epstein. Farm System? Not right now. Reloading because most of it is in the Majors now.

Best current farm system goes to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Their farm system was built by former Sox Assistant GM Danny Evans and Moneyball/Billy Beane soldier Paul DePodesta. The Dodgers and D Backs will have some real battle with the Diamondbacks (also stacked) for years to come in the NL West. The D Backs GM is Josh Byrnes, who was one of Theo Epstein's guys in Boston.