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Author Topic: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)  (Read 51063 times)

Reb

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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1065 on: September 20, 2015, 09:12:36 pm »
Quote from: davep on September 20, 2015, 08:45:14 pm
You may think that 2015 will be the only chance the Cubs have to get to the world series.  I don't.  I would rather have a reasonable chance for a dynasty than a 6.5 percent chance to win the world series once.  Increasing the chances to 9.5 doesn't impress me very much.

But go ahead.  Play to the jury.

Says something about your interpretive skills to read my post and conclude that I may be saying 2015 is Cubs only chance to get to World Series.

I had left the Torrez-Price nonsense alone for good weeks ago but today you topped yourself with the silliness in this topic and the absurd distortion in the other thread about what I've said about Schwarber/Bryant. Don't like to get personal but words and phrases have a meaning and you don't respect that. You should try harder.



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Reb

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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1066 on: September 21, 2015, 02:32:55 am »
Quote from: JeffH on September 20, 2015, 08:42:45 pm
This is true.  I was reading an article a few days ago suggesting that it might be better for the Cubs if the one game playoff was played at PNC rather than Wrigley.  The premise was that, since the fan base carries so much baggage, Wrigley might turn deathly quiet should the Pirates get out to an early lead.

I assume - and fervently hope - that Maddon and the team would dismiss that as absolute nonsense.

If I had a chance to say one thing to Cubs players it would be: just forget about every fan who has told you how much it would mean to them and their family to win a World Series. Cubs players don't need that baggage in the post-season. Would tell them to play for their teammates and themselves, not somebody's Aunt Ida who is waiting to arise from the dead when Cubs win it all.

None of that helps. Maybe a road game is preferable. Hard to say.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1067 on: September 21, 2015, 06:06:53 am »
Still wish game 7 was anywhere but Wrigley in 2003...... That felt like a heavy situation.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1068 on: September 21, 2015, 07:01:03 am »
Maddon seems to have done a really good job at instilling the mindset of focusing on today's game and on playing every game the same.  I suspect that some of the vets have helped as well.  The much maligned David Ross has been given a lot of credit by people on, and close to, the team for his leadership role.  Up to this point the pressure of making the playoffs (and more) along with the fact of becoming one of the three best teams in baseball does not seem to have fazed the players. Pretty impressive, I think.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1069 on: September 21, 2015, 07:41:54 am »
Not sure anyone on the 2003 team documented that feeling although Glanville and Karros might have, but DeRosa sure did for the 2008 team.  Dempster giving up the slam in the first and the whole team went into a daze.  It may be why a lot of ex-Cubs were passed over for jobs and a few were even released. 

The best thing that ever happened to that Red Sox team was going down 3-0 to the Yankees.  At that point that crew said to hell with it and just went out and played.  I think we've assembled a similar crew.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2015, 07:44:06 am by CurtOne »
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1070 on: September 21, 2015, 08:38:13 am »
Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS may have been affected by a carryover from all that happened in game 6.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1071 on: September 21, 2015, 08:43:31 am »
I will admit that back around the all-star break, I didn't really think the Cubs were serious for this year.  A chance to get in?  Yes.  But I thought Giants and Nationals/Mets both had good chance to catch us.  I didn't think our offense was realistic, so I didn't think it was very strategic to spend really high for a rental.  The market for July pickups is always heavily seller-favored and buyer-disfavored, so I didn't really want to pay market price.  I thought Hamels or Tyson Ross or guys like that would cost Baez plus, etc.  So, given my doubts about the Cubs offense, and given how buyer-disfavored the July "market prices" are and are expected to be, I did not believe paying July-market price was wise. 

If I'd know what August and September were going to bring offense-wise, and had the crystal ball that Theo didn't have, I'd have certainly supported pushing harder and being more willing to pay July-market price, or perhaps a bit more, for a starter and/or a reliever. 

I was wrong, you were right. 

I didn't anticipate Fowler's fabulous turnaround.
I didn't anticipate that Schwarber would come up and be good.
I didn't anticipate that Bryant, who'd seemed to be struggling some and not hitting a lot of HR's, would click in and be hitting up around .270 now in late September. 
I didn't anticipate that Russell would hit a bunch of HR's.
I didn't anticipate that Baez would be competitive offensively this year.
I didnt' anticipate that Castro would get benched, or get a bunch of hits and some crucial HR's. 
I didn't anticipate conjuring up Cahill out of thin air and having him pitch really well.
I didn't anticipate converting Clayton Richard into a reliever and having him give us a bunch of effective outings. 
I didn't anticipate Chris Coghlan becoming the starting 2B during a historically successful month. 

I just didn't anticipate so many things going right.  It still seems almost too good to be true, too much improvement too quickly.  It's been really, really fun. 
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1072 on: September 21, 2015, 09:16:36 am »
craig - You did a good job of listing a lot of the things that went right. Can't imagine why do didn't expect all those things to happen. 
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1073 on: September 21, 2015, 09:25:01 am »
Afraid of the Blue Kool-Aid?
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1074 on: September 21, 2015, 09:41:08 am »
I thought the most likely scenario would be for the young Cubs to struggle with the pressure of contending, and for the Giants to get on a roll and finish ahead of them.  The Giants have been hampered by lots of injuries, but the poise and grit of the young Cubs have been a marvel to behold.  The flexibility of their roster has allowed Maddon to focus on optimizing matchups without compromising in a significant way the offense or defense.  And the spirit of the team seems to be sky high.  It has been truly remarkable.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1075 on: September 21, 2015, 11:17:59 am »
Just gotta keep the fun going as long as possible, and enjoy every opportunity they provide for us while it's here.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1076 on: September 21, 2015, 12:23:48 pm »
Forget Daury Torrez.  What was the Cubs equivalent of what the Tigers actually got for Price?  I expect that if I had it to do over again, I would have paid it.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1077 on: September 21, 2015, 12:25:33 pm »
I think it was the equivalent of Daury Torrez AND Davep.   The Tigers balked at taking Davep.
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Reb

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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1078 on: September 21, 2015, 12:38:28 pm »
I did not project the upward swing for Cubs.

My beef with some posters months ago was the lack of respect for the unpredictability of baseball, the history of surprising things that can happen, and the confidence some had that 2015 was just a trial for the future when the "real" Cubs rebuild would appear. "Nice to have a good 2015 but we won't win." One guy is still playing that line.

Cubs have 3rd best record in MLB. Unfortunate we have to play a one-and-out wild card game with that record but this is a really good club. Every single team, not just Cubs, has unfavorable odds to win it all. We know that.

Theo has said from day one going into 2015 that each season is important and Cubs players felt they could win it all. Some fans lagged behind because of the losing mindset baggage we all have. Said months ago that we should at least try to throw off that baggage and think like Yankees fans with that history. The lovable losers are dead, dead, dead. This is a new era. Time to think like winners.

Be Here Now.
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Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
« Reply #1079 on: September 21, 2015, 01:09:44 pm »
Quote from: DelMarFan on September 21, 2015, 12:23:48 pm
Forget Daury Torrez.  What was the Cubs equivalent of what the Tigers actually got for Price?  I expect that if I had it to do over again, I would have paid it.

There isn't a great analog to the Cubs system.

It would be roughly Baez/Torres (SS), Pierce Johnson, Tseng, but that might be a little light from the Cubs end.

I wish the Cubs would have done better than Haren at the deadline, but I'm ok with them holding onto their higher end and not trading them for rentals.  Overall I think the post-deadline deals have been done pretty well to strengthen some of the holes.  The 5th starter remains the weak point, but a lot of the guys I would have traded for have been awful too.  Only Happ has really done well.
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