anyway….Reed Johnson is obviously better than Pie at the moment, and there’s no real reason not to play him, except the fact that Felix has a lot of hype.

Soto seems to be good, but let’s be fair here, he didn’t come with half the hype Felix did. And bringing Theriot into any argument about Felix pie is absolutely silly. Sure, Theriot is crap, but Ronny Cedeno is only marginally better at the plate (at the moment), and is probably one of the most clueless middle IFs when it comes to defense.

I’m torn over Pie though. The kid has the defensive tools the patrol center field for years to come. He’s provided glimpses of speed and power. He’s hit at the minor league level and adjusted to each new level as he’s moved up. He seems to have a good attitude and is willing to work. He seems to really like Soriano whereas I would prefer he spent more time with our new right fielder with a Spanish to Japanese translator. Of all the goobers who have come up over the past several years, I really like this kid and want him to succeed, but not if he hinders our ability to compete. Thus the dilemma. Play him and hope his bat comes around or send him down where he can get consistent at bats and continue to develop. I do like the idea of the platoon with Johnson or putting him in as a late innings defensive replacement. Maybe if we actually win a WS this season (hah!) then we can fuck around and give the job to Pie and give him a chance to shine. Or maybe we need to trade him to a team like the Rays or Royals (neither of whom really need him either, I think) and give him a chance to play everyday for a team that’s going to play well, but probably not well enough to win anything this year. I’d hate to see him go, even if does look clueless at the plate sometimes. I guess that’s the mid 90s Cub fan in me showing through, the one that was happy with players he liked, even if they weren’t all that good. I’ve changed in that I expect guys who play for us to show results, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask that the players be somewhat likable as well. And the kiss of death is to be unlikable AND sucky. CPat and LaTroya Hawkins come to mind. At least Pie seems to be trying. Until he gives up or becomes a dick, I won’t give up on him, but if the Cubs need a better option in order to win a pennant and WS, then we need to utilize it.

Pie for McLouth even steven!!