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Author Topic: Cubs in '11  (Read 57477 times)

CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #615 on: May 18, 2011, 10:29:24 am »
It's hard to be enthusiastic, that's for sure.  And I don't see what a new owner, new gm, new manager, or even a few new players would do to change it.  It's that bad.
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rjzebra

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #616 on: May 18, 2011, 10:49:25 am »
"going back to about 1980"  How would you rate the intensity of someone who began following the Cubs in 1943.  NEVERMIND!
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Keysbear

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #617 on: May 18, 2011, 10:56:49 am »
At least you saw a world series in 1945
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davep

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #618 on: May 18, 2011, 12:17:23 pm »
The Cubs defense and fundamentals this year have been horrible, but the most frustrating thing is where it is coming from.  Soriano is terrible in the field, and we have come to expect Castro to be erratic, but it goes far beyond that.

Last night, it began when their gold glover, Pena missed a ground ball that most first basemen would have gotten.  Then the pitcher threw wildly to home plate when he seemed to have plenty of time.  Then later old veteran Kerry Wood threw wildly to third base on one of the easiest plays he will have as a pitcher.  And, of course, the "fundamentally sound" Fukudome missed the cut off man for the 4th or 5th time in a crucial situation.

I think it is time to make some big changes.  Trade Byrd, (he is one of the few that is tradable).  Move Castro to CF.  Move Barney to short.  Play Baker at second (or bring up LaMehieu if he is ready).  Move Ramirez even if you have to eat his salary, and sit Soriano at least 3 times per week.

It probably won't make the team better, but it can't make it worse.
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Cubsin

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #619 on: May 18, 2011, 12:23:22 pm »
I've missed the last two games, and I'm glad I did. I've been a long-term Hendry supporter, but I've finally given up. Ten million to Pena was pretty much the last straw, and Pena's performance since was the clincher.

I was also very disappointed with the Garza trade. Mortaging the future when you're close to postseason is one thing, but this team is comprised of a bunch of fat, lazy underachievers, and is probably going to finish fifth in a weak six-team division.
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AZSteve

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #620 on: May 18, 2011, 12:35:59 pm »
There is no hope for a decent 2011 season for Cubs fans.  >:(
« Last Edit: May 18, 2011, 12:37:53 pm by AZSteve »
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Cubsin

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #621 on: May 18, 2011, 12:41:56 pm »
Quote from: AZSteve on May 18, 2011, 12:35:59 pm
There is no hope for a decent 2011 season for Cubs fans.  >:(

We could all start rooting for the Pirates. They have a decent chance to finish fourth in the division, and could even move up to third if Milwaukee falters.
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CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #622 on: May 18, 2011, 12:49:45 pm »
CubSin, fifth?  That high?
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davep

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #623 on: May 18, 2011, 12:55:07 pm »
You don't have much faith in the Cubs.  I think there is a reasonable chance that they can finish sixth.
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CurtOne

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #624 on: May 18, 2011, 01:01:32 pm »
Quote from: AZSteve on May 18, 2011, 12:35:59 pm
There is no hope for a decent 2011 season for Cubs fans.  >:(

What's depressing me is that I'm not sure how many years away from actual hope we are.  What could anyone do to make even NEXT year better?  Not much.  Yes, they could jetison bad contracts, but, realistically, who can take that kind of financial hit? 
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Cactus

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #625 on: May 18, 2011, 01:11:45 pm »
Bruce Miles blog

Will Cubs go winless on this trip?

Think it’s impossible? If so, you didn’t watch the two games in Cincinnati

The natives are getting extremely restless. Go to any media outlet, and you’ll find that out quickly. How many empty seats will there be at Wrigley Field next homestand?

Cubs fans have seen enough of it.


http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/5704
 
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mO

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #626 on: May 18, 2011, 01:27:24 pm »
Quote
But if you fire Hendry (and Fleita and Wilken follow him out the door) whom do you bring in, and do you trust Ricketts and team president Crane Kenney to hire the right people? Think about that for a sec.

That's the part I worry about.  For goc's sake, Andy MacPhail was once the hotshot exec that was going to turn the ship around!
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StrikeZone

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #627 on: May 18, 2011, 01:33:26 pm »
At this point, I think 2013 is really the first realistic chance the Cubs have at serious contention.

If everything breaks right next year (injuries and free agent losses in the division, career years for the Cubs, etc.) the Cubs could have a shot at the Central or wild card but they probably wouldn't have a realistic shot at 90+ wins unless they sign both Albert Pujols and CC Sabathia (if he opts out of his Yankees contract).

I don't think it's a total long shot for the Cubs to be better next season but they have to get rid of the coaching staff and the general manager as soon as possible.  This bargain basement, patchwork approach to assembling a staff for a team full of veterans is clearly not working.  The veterans don't respect them, don't respond to them and it shows.

Mike Quade seems like a great guy but he's over his head.  Mark Riggins is obviously out of his league here.

If the Ricketts want people to fill their ballpark, they're going to have to put a Major League product on the field and they can't do that with a bush league coaching staff or a GM that's proven he can't assemble a solid top-to-bottom Major League roster.

They need to hire a club president that will install an organizational philosophy and stick with it.  There can be no more of Hendry's constant changing of lanes from "guys who catch the ball" to "speedy leadoff guys" to "left-handedness" or whatever wild hair he finds the morning after the World Series ends.
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brjones

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #628 on: May 18, 2011, 01:37:58 pm »

Quote from: Cubsin on May 18, 2011, 12:23:22 pm
Ten million to Pena was pretty much the last straw, and Pena's performance since was the clincher.


I was also very disappointed with the Garza trade.


There is a lot to dislike about Hendry, and a lot he has done wrong over the years.  But I still don't really understand the outrage over these moves.  I think the Pena deal was the right move for a couple of reasons:
  • Frankly, the $10 million salary didn't matter.  The Cubs were going to pay somewhere between $6 million and $14 million this year for a first baseman, no matter who they signed...the exact amount was relatively unimportant.  What was important was limiting the deal to one year...and Hendry did that.  Of the guys who eventually signed a 1 year deal, would anyone argue that Overbay or Lee would've been a better risk?
  • Of all the first basemen that the Cubs could've realistically pursued this past offseason, Pena has been the best so far (with the possible exception of Berkman if you think he was realistic...I think his well-documented dislike of Wrigley probably took him off the list).  Pena has outperformed Dunn, Huff, LaRoche, Overbay, and Lee.  And Pena's May has been every bit as great as his April was awful.
As far as Garza goes...give him an average major league defense, and we're talking All Star Game/early Cy Young candidate right now.  He has pitched like a legitimate ace...and if he continues to do that, he'll be worth every prospect the Cubs gave up.


If you want to really blame Hendry for something recent, blame him for taking a month to replace Wells/Cashner with someone like Davis. I know spring training robbed him of a lot of the depth he expected to have (Wellemeyer, Looper, & Silva), but I have trouble believing it would've been hard to come up with someone who might be able to post a 5.00 ERA within a week.  Tim Redding, Rodrigo Lopez, Claudio Vargas, Jeff Suppan, Micah Owings, and Dontrelle Willis (among others) are all pitching in AAA right now...doesn't it seem like most of those guys would be available for a fringe player like, say, Jeff Stevens or Justin Berg?  Not that any of them would've been good...but I feel confident that all of them could've improved on what we've gotten out of Russell and Coleman.  If the Cubs win 2-3 more of those starts, they don't look nearly as hopeless right now.
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brjones

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Re: Cubs in '11
« Reply #629 on: May 18, 2011, 01:54:01 pm »
It sucks that the Cubs are digging themselves such a hole, because this division is weak.  The Reds are the only good team, and they have to overcome a manager who sacrifices with Brandon Phillips after 4 straight hitters reach base, plays for 1 run when he's down by 2 runs in the 8th inning, and regularly gets credited with shredding pitchers' arms.   

If the Cubs could get their heads out of their asses and not beat themselves for a 3 week stretch, there's enough talent on this team to get them back in the middle of the race.  But they have yet to keep their heads straight for longer than 2 games in a row, so 3 weeks is probably too much to ask.
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