Jacque Jones

[Laura]

It's a lot easier to hear the boos and heckles when no one is cheering for you.

 

I sense a vicious cycle at play here.

[GoCubs1982]

I agree, it is a vicious cycle. He's played 14 games, in his first 7 games he was bad, but in the last 7 he's 7/21(.333) with 2hrs and 5 rbi's. For those who's said he's terrible have reason for some optimism. Another thing is, if people think he's terrible, then why boo him? Usually boos come when you expect more from a guy who's underproducing. I think you can make a stronger case that he's bad after he's had 200 abs or so. I mean he's clearly not as bad as the first 7 games, and maybe not as good as the last 7. Obviously we're gonna have this guy for 3 years barring trade, we might as well give a chance before condemning him.

[badgercub]

What he should be doing is apologizing to the fans for his godawful start and he is not happy with his performance thus far, but point to the fact he has been picking it up as of late. And that he appreciates the fans intensity and that he is working his tail off to live up to his contract. Now that would probably generate him some good PR, instead of biting the hand that feeds you. What an idiot. I will cheer for him to succeed, but if he doesn't he gets what he deserves.

[badger1679666666]

I agree, it is a vicious cycle. He's played 14 games, in his first 7 games he was bad, but in the last 7 he's 7/21(.333) with 2hrs and 5 rbi's. For those who's said he's terrible have reason for some optimism. Another thing is, if people think he's terrible, then why boo him? Usually boos come when you expect more from a guy who's underproducing. I think you can make a stronger case that he's bad after he's had 200 abs or so. I mean he's clearly not as bad as the first 7 games, and maybe not as good as the last 7. Obviously we're gonna have this guy for 3 years barring trade, we might as well give a chance before condemning him.

 

Hey, I didn't like the Jones signing ONE bit. If he would have been signed for one year with a team option for the second, I might have been more OK with it since there weren't that many legitimate alternatives. Hendry was a moron for giving him a 3 year deal NOT based on incentives, particularly after the last two years.

 

That being said:

 

1) I won't boo him personally, because I think 3 and half weeks is an awful short time to give someone

2) If he turns it around, I will be happy for him. I don't think Cubs fans (at least NSBB fans) are going to be neifiesque on jones. If Jones does well they will be happy. But he has to earn that especially after the last couple years and now him yapping his mouth being whiny and denigrating Cubs fans. Go back to some place where you're not under the microscope if you can't stand the expectations and pressure.

[cheapseats]

Welcome to the board, GoCubs1982. It's nice to have you on board.

 

I do disagree with the idea that fans should give Jones time before making a decision about him.

 

I agree, it is a vicious cycle. He's played 14 games, in his first 7 games he was bad, but in the last 7 he's 7/21(.333) with 2hrs and 5 rbi's. For those who's said he's terrible have reason for some optimism.

 

Why would anyone base optimism on 7 games? He's played nearly 1000 major league games in his career that serve as proof of his mediocrity. I'm sure no one thinks he'll hit .300 this season.

 

Another thing is, if people think he's terrible, then why boo him? Usually boos come when you expect more from a guy who's underproducing.

 

If I ever see Jim Hendry at a restaurant, PTA meeting, or church service, I will boo him loudly. However, since it is unlikely that I will get a chance to express my displeasure with the Jones signing so directly to Hendry, booing Jones is the best indirect way to show disapproval of the GM.

 

I think you can make a stronger case that he's bad after he's had 200 abs or so. I mean he's clearly not as bad as the first 7 games, and maybe not as good as the last 7. Obviously we're gonna have this guy for 3 years barring trade, we might as well give a chance before condemning him.

 

Again, he's already had 3500 career AB. Why should we give him 200 at bats before we label him a mediocre player? Just look at his career stats. Insiders claim that the Tribune Company imposes a very strict ceiling on Hendry's budget, so perhaps he doesn't deserve all the blame for failure to sign top-tier free agents, but it's all the more reason to be upset with him for consistently paying way too much for middle-of-the-road veteran talent.

[goonys evil twin]

its like he almost doesnt know that he is a terrible player.

 

Unfortunately, neither does Hendry. Nor do the announcers for that matter. They were talking about Jones first pitch swinging and making lots of outs and one said "that's not Jacque Jones". Yes it is.

 

It baffles me how much baseball people like to pat each other on the back. There is no such thing as a bad baseball player (except for a guy who strikes out too much, no matter how productive he is) when these guys talk about each other. Everybody is just great and brings so much to the table. I realize that compared to the general public, these guys are the greatest ballplayers you could possibly conceive. But these guys compete against one another, so they should be compared against one another. The worst ones actually are bad major leaguers. Guys who have been around for a while but have consistently put up poor numbers actually are poor major leaguers.

[GoCubs1982]

hey cheapseats, thanks for the welcome and comments.

 

I agree that if anyone should be drawing the criticism it should be JH and not Jacque but that's how it goes. I really think JH knew what he was getting(as we all did) when he signed Jacque to his contract. Now Jacque is a career .280 hitter averages about 25/80 with a .330ish OBP, although admittedly he has worse than mediocre the last two years (.249, .251). When I was referring to the 200 abs I meant are we gonna see the Jones of the last two years, or the Jones that can hit .275-290, with a .330 OBP with 25hrs and 80rbis. If he can do that I think he certainly would be worth the money. Many people are not optimistic and I would suggest to them to wait before deciding. I just dont' like seeing Jones getting the Neifi treatment from some people when he's only played 14 games in a Cubs uniform.

[Mizzou]

hey cheapseats, thanks for the welcome and comments.

 

I agree that if anyone should be drawing the criticism it should be JH and not Jacque but that's how it goes. I really think JH knew what he was getting(as we all did) when he signed Jacque to his contract. Now Jacque is a career .280 hitter averages about 25/80 with a .330ish OBP, although admittedly he has worse than mediocre the last two years (.249, .251). When I was referring to the 200 abs I meant are we gonna see the Jones of the last two years, or the Jones that can hit .275-290, with a .330 OBP with 25hrs and 80rbis. If he can do that I think he certainly would be worth the money. Many people are not optimistic and I would suggest to them to wait before deciding. I just dont' like seeing Jones getting the Neifi treatment from some people when he's only played 14 games in a Cubs uniform.

Maybe I haven't noticed, but I haven't seen Neifi booed at Wrigley. Ever. And if anyone deserves to be booed, it's certainly him.

[badgercub]

hey cheapseats, thanks for the welcome and comments.

 

I agree that if anyone should be drawing the criticism it should be JH and not Jacque but that's how it goes. I really think JH knew what he was getting(as we all did) when he signed Jacque to his contract. Now Jacque is a career .280 hitter averages about 25/80 with a .330ish OBP, although admittedly he has worse than mediocre the last two years (.249, .251). When I was referring to the 200 abs I meant are we gonna see the Jones of the last two years, or the Jones that can hit .275-290, with a .330 OBP with 25hrs and 80rbis. If he can do that I think he certainly would be worth the money. Many people are not optimistic and I would suggest to them to wait before deciding. I just dont' like seeing Jones getting the Neifi treatment from some people when he's only played 14 games in a Cubs uniform.

 

I wouldn't boo him yet. But he isn't exactly endearing himself to the faithful with some of the comments he made.

[cheapseats]

hey cheapseats, thanks for the welcome and comments.

 

I agree that if anyone should be drawing the criticism it should be JH and not Jacque but that's how it goes. I really think JH knew what he was getting(as we all did) when he signed Jacque to his contract. Now Jacque is a career .280 hitter averages about 25/80 with a .330ish OBP, although admittedly he has worse than mediocre the last two years (.249, .251). When I was referring to the 200 abs I meant are we gonna see the Jones of the last two years, or the Jones that can hit .275-290, with a .330 OBP with 25hrs and 80rbis. If he can do that I think he certainly would be worth the money. Many people are not optimistic and I would suggest to them to wait before deciding. I just dont' like seeing Jones getting the Neifi treatment from some people when he's only played 14 games in a Cubs uniform.

Maybe I haven't noticed, but I haven't seen Neifi booed at Wrigley. Ever. And if anyone deserves to be booed, it's certainly him.

 

If I hadn't just moved to Nashville :( , I'd print up "Neifi Sucks" t-shirts and sell them outside Wrigley.

[goonys evil twin]

hey cheapseats, thanks for the welcome and comments.

 

I agree that if anyone should be drawing the criticism it should be JH and not Jacque but that's how it goes. I really think JH knew what he was getting(as we all did) when he signed Jacque to his contract. Now Jacque is a career .280 hitter averages about 25/80 with a .330ish OBP, although admittedly he has worse than mediocre the last two years (.249, .251). When I was referring to the 200 abs I meant are we gonna see the Jones of the last two years, or the Jones that can hit .275-290, with a .330 OBP with 25hrs and 80rbis. If he can do that I think he certainly would be worth the money. Many people are not optimistic and I would suggest to them to wait before deciding. I just dont' like seeing Jones getting the Neifi treatment from some people when he's only played 14 games in a Cubs uniform.

 

I would suggest just looking at his career at not hoping he can have a career year (a cubs management specialty - that is hoping for career years, not getting them). Guys are not defined by their career years, they are defined by their careers. And Jones has had a long enough career and is at an age where it's perfectly reasonable to make assumptions about his abilities. It's not a matter of optimistic or pessimistic. It's a matter of realistic. Jones is not the .300/.341/.511 hitter he was 1 year, in 2002. Jones is much closer to the .268/.322/.443 hitter he's been from 2003-2005 combined, or maybe the .278/.326/.455 hitter he's been throughout his mediocre career.

[SonnyD]

If I ever see Jim Hendry at a restaurant, PTA meeting, or church service, I will boo him loudly. However, since it is unlikely that I will get a chance to express my displeasure with the Jones signing so directly to Hendry, booing Jones is the best indirect way to show disapproval of the GM.

 

Sorry to bust your bubble, but the BEST way to show your disapproval of the GM (and ownership) is to STOP GOING TO THE GAMES!!

[SouthSideRyan]

Not going to games is also the best way to punish yourself. Boycotting things that you enjoy doing is stupid.

 

And for the record there was some minor booing of Neifi last night.

[cheapseats]

If I ever see Jim Hendry at a restaurant, PTA meeting, or church service, I will boo him loudly. However, since it is unlikely that I will get a chance to express my displeasure with the Jones signing so directly to Hendry, booing Jones is the best indirect way to show disapproval of the GM.

 

Sorry to bust your bubble, but the BEST way to show your disapproval of the GM (and ownership) is to STOP GOING TO THE GAMES!!

 

I have a bubble? :?

 

Now that I've moved 500 miles away from Chicago, I have stopped going to games. But I don't at all agree that not going to games is the best way to show disapproval.

 

If one person stops going to games, the Tribune Company will not notice because demand for tickets is very high. If 1000 season ticket holders gave up their tickets, they would be snatched up by people on the waiting list.

 

As long as the public is enchanted by Wrigley Field (and I like it a lot, for the record), and as long as ownership puts a team on the field that's not absolutely wretched (Royals, Pirates, etc) the Cubs are going to sell tickets. The best way to effect change is to express displeasure publicly.

[Vinestal]

The best way to effect change is to express displeasure publicly.

 

By booing! I think alot of people boo JJ because they are disgruntled about him being signed in the first place, as much as they are booing his lack of production on the field. Its not like people have the chance to boo Jim Hendry. Not that I despise Jim, but I do dislike the JJ signing.

[goonys evil twin]

I don't think booing Jones serves any purpose whatsoever.

[sethuel1]

I don't think booing Jones serves any purpose whatsoever.

 

it allows us to examine the range of our vocal chords' abilities

[SouthSideRyan]

I don't think booing Jones serves any purpose whatsoever.

 

it allows us to examine the range of our vocal chords' abilities

 

No, booing is done in a low pitch, there's little differentiation in the range.

[SonnyD]

Not going to games is also the best way to punish yourself. Boycotting things that you enjoy doing is stupid.

 

And for the record there was some minor booing of Neifi last night.

 

How is it stupid and how are you punishing yourself? Last I checked, tons of people all over the US go on strike and don't go to work when there is a "general consensus" among employees that something in the workplace is "unfair" or "wrong". And we are talking about individuals' livelihood for God's sake, not a baseball game.

 

My point is, if 40k people stop going to the games, perhaps ownership will one day get the picture. It takes a collective effort, but someone has to start. That's the problem with Cub fans, they continue to go to games because of the atmosphere, down some Budweisers, join guys like Farnsworth after the game at the Cubby Bear, Hi-Tops and the like, and then boo a guy like JJ as if he was suppose to be the savior after going nearly a century without winning a WS.....

[sethuel1]

I don't think booing Jones serves any purpose whatsoever.

 

it allows us to examine the range of our vocal chords' abilities

 

No, booing is done in a low pitch, there's little differentiation in the range.

hmmmm

 

It allows us to gauge our lung capacity?

[A New Era]

Not going to games is also the best way to punish yourself. Boycotting things that you enjoy doing is stupid.

 

And for the record there was some minor booing of Neifi last night.

 

How is it stupid and how are you punishing yourself? Last I checked, tons of people all over the US go on strike and don't go to work when there is a "general consensus" among employees that something in the workplace is "unfair" or "wrong". And we are talking about individuals' livelihood for God's sake, not a baseball game.

 

My point is, if 40k people stop going to the games, perhaps ownership will one day get the picture. It takes a collective effort, but someone has to start. That's the problem with Cub fans, they continue to go to games because of the atmosphere, down some Budweisers, join guys like Farnsworth after the game at the Cubby Bear, Hi-Tops and the like, and then boo a guy like JJ as if he was suppose to be the savior after going nearly a century without winning a WS.....

 

NEVER going to happen. That's just the point. This is Wrigley, this is the Cubs. I don't agree with booing Jones. But what you suggest is not realistic at all.

[snoodmonger]

If I ever see Jim Hendry at a restaurant, PTA meeting, or church service, I will boo him loudly. However, since it is unlikely that I will get a chance to express my displeasure with the Jones signing so directly to Hendry, booing Jones is the best indirect way to show disapproval of the GM.

 

Sorry to bust your bubble, but the BEST way to show your disapproval of the GM (and ownership) is to STOP GOING TO THE GAMES!!

 

I have a bubble? :?

 

Now that I've moved 500 miles away from Chicago, I have stopped going to games. But I don't at all agree that not going to games is the best way to show disapproval.

 

If one person stops going to games, the Tribune Company will not notice because demand for tickets is very high. If 1000 season ticket holders gave up their tickets, they would be snatched up by people on the waiting list.

 

As long as the public is enchanted by Wrigley Field (and I like it a lot, for the record), and as long as ownership puts a team on the field that's not absolutely wretched (Royals, Pirates, etc) the Cubs are going to sell tickets. The best way to effect change is to express displeasure publicly.

 

If we have a GM who makes decisions based on fan reactions, then we have the wrong GM.

[SonnyD]

This thread is a perfect example of a typical Cub fan (75% of Cub fans fall into this category). The thread started off bitching about how JJ swung at the first pitch after a walk, how bad of a player he is, etc, etc......

 

He hits a 3 home run, and people start praising him. Also, I've gotten pretty tired of reading through all 10 pages, but I don't recall anyone mentioning anything about how JJ homerun was on a 1st pitch, fastball, out of the strike zone? Yet his other 1st pitch swings were stupid. :?:

[goonys evil twin]

I enjoy your unprovoked attack against Cubs fans in general and posters in this thread in particular.

[UMFan83]

I don't think Jones serves any purpose whatsoever.

 

fixed