Is Wrigley the problem?...

[bleedcubbieblue]

 

Which is why the Yankees have won the last 6 World Series.

 

Oh, wait a minute!

 

Which would also be the reason they have 13 winning seasons in a row, with multiple WS championships to show for it, during that same time period. Add to that, 6 WS appearances, with 4 WS championships.

 

 

Oh, wait a minute.......this last statement is true.

 

Slice it anyway you like, having a larger payroll usually correlates to a better team, and one that will contend for a WS championship, unless of course you are the Cubs. Right now, I would take just making a WS.

 

BCB

Edited June 19, 2006 by bleedcubbieblue

[gus_dog]

No!!!!!

 

The building can't pitch, play defence, or hit, (apparently, neither can the Cubs) and both teams are playing in the same venue, at the same time.

 

Please, there's no excuse for bad basebal & bad management, plain and simple.

[erik316wttn]

No stadium has ever been responsible for a team winning or losing.

 

The Cubs could play in a shiny new state-of-the-art stadium with all the best of everything, and they'd still stink.

[kevigre]

No!!!!!

 

The building can't pitch, play defence, or hit, (apparently, neither can the Cubs) and both teams are playing in the same venue, at the same time.

 

Please, there's no excuse for bad basebal & bad management, plain and simple.

No [deleted] the building can't pitch, etc. And I'm not making excuses for bad baseball, etc. You are missing my point.

 

Recap: The reason why the Tribune/MacPhail aren't motivated to win is because people happily flood Wrigley Field simply because it's Wrigley Field. And the Tribune/MacPhail have absolutely no motivation to put a winning team on the field because Wrigley continues to sell out and be extremely profitiable for the Tribune. Thus I have a love/hate for Wrigley because I want a World Series right now!!!!

[Wild_Cubs04]

No!!!!!

 

The building can't pitch, play defence, or hit, (apparently, neither can the Cubs) and both teams are playing in the same venue, at the same time.

 

Please, there's no excuse for bad basebal & bad management, plain and simple.

No [deleted] the building can't pitch, etc. And I'm not making excuses for bad baseball, etc. You are missing my point.

 

Recap: The reason why the Tribune/MacPhail aren't motivated to win is because people happily flood Wrigley Field simply because it's Wrigley Field. And the Tribune/MacPhail have absolutely no motivation to put a winning team on the field because Wrigley continues to sell out and be extremely profitiable for the Tribune. Thus I have a love/hate for Wrigley because I want a World Series right now!!!!

 

With the Cubs, what ya want and what ya get are usually two different things.

[Chocolate Milk]

No!!!!!

 

The building can't pitch, play defence, or hit, (apparently, neither can the Cubs) and both teams are playing in the same venue, at the same time.

 

Please, there's no excuse for bad basebal & bad management, plain and simple.

No [deleted] the building can't pitch, etc. And I'm not making excuses for bad baseball, etc. You are missing my point.

 

Recap: The reason why the Tribune/MacPhail aren't motivated to win is because people happily flood Wrigley Field simply because it's Wrigley Field. And the Tribune/MacPhail have absolutely no motivation to put a winning team on the field because Wrigley continues to sell out and be extremely profitiable for the Tribune. Thus I have a love/hate for Wrigley because I want a World Series right now!!!!

 

How does the fact that people go to games make the Tribune company not try to win? Our payroll is adequate and we actively try to aquire people who will improve the team. The problem is that our management believes that certain players will improve the club and they won't (See, JJ, Neifi, Rusch, etc...). Do you think the Tribune company issues some sort of directive to only 'kind of try' since they are making money? If you don't succeed, no big deal? What's the sense in doing that? The Tribune Company has spent money trying to get the right people in the right places (See Dusty's contract). They just don't haven't done a very good job at identifying and hiring people who will actually help this team win.

 

We need to stop blaming inanimate objects as the source of our failure. Every time we point to stuff like Wrigley, day games, the wind, the neighborhood, or dead goats we are glossing over the real issue which is bad management. We're giving the people with control over our winning baseball games a free pass while we blame a bunch of bricks held together by mortar. It's nuts.

Edited June 19, 2006 by Chocolate Milk

[BigbadB]

No!!!!!

 

The building can't pitch, play defence, or hit, (apparently, neither can the Cubs) and both teams are playing in the same venue, at the same time.

 

Please, there's no excuse for bad basebal & bad management, plain and simple.

No [deleted] the building can't pitch, etc. And I'm not making excuses for bad baseball, etc. You are missing my point.

 

Recap: The reason why the Tribune/MacPhail aren't motivated to win is because people happily flood Wrigley Field simply because it's Wrigley Field. And the Tribune/MacPhail have absolutely no motivation to put a winning team on the field because Wrigley continues to sell out and be extremely profitiable for the Tribune. Thus I have a love/hate for Wrigley because I want a World Series right now!!!!

 

No cussing, please!

[gus_dog]

How does the fact that people go to games make the Tribune company not try to win? Our payroll is adequate and we actively try to people who will improve the team. The problem is that our management believes that certain players will improve the club and they won't (See, JJ, Neifi, Rusch, etc...). Do you think the Tribune company issues some sort of directive to only 'kind of try' since they are making money? If you don't succeed, no big deal? What's the sense in doing that? The Tribune Company has spent money trying to get the right people in the right places (See Dusty's contract). They just don't haven't done a very good job at identifying and hiring people who will actually help this team win.

 

We need to stop blaming inanimate objects as the source of our failure. Every time we point to stuff like Wrigley, day games, the wind, the neighborhood, or dead goats we are glossing over the real issue which is bad management. We're giving the people with control over our winning baseball games a free pass while we blame a bunch of bricks held together by mortar. It's nuts.

 

=D> =D> =D>

 

I love it when folks say the Trib doesn't want to win. They want to win very badly. They just don't know how to go about it in a consistent manner.

[kevigre]

We need to stop blaming inanimate objects as the source of our failure. Every time we point to stuff like Wrigley, day games, the wind, the neighborhood, or dead goats we are glossing over the real issue which is bad management. We're giving the people with control over our winning baseball games a free pass while we blame a bunch of bricks held together by mortar. It's nuts.

 

We are mostly in agreement. I point at Wrigley not as an excuse for losing or an inanimate object but as the source of revenue that is padding the pockets of the Tribune. Even though MacPhail has failed miserably as President he get's a pat on the back because he has squeezed Wrigley for every possible cent, not for running a successful baseball team. It all starts at the top.

[kevigre]

[quote="gus_dog

I love it when folks say the Trib doesn't want to win. They want to win very badly. They just don't know how to go about it in a consistent manner.

 

How do you back up this statement? The Tribune is a faceless corporation who's goal is to make money for investors. As long as the stock goes up the investors are happy. If the Cubs make money for the Tribune it doesn't matter if they win or lose. Win's and losses are not listed in the Tribune Annual Report.

[gus_dog]

This quote pretty much sums it up for me:

 

Again, aside from not removing any or all of the MacPhail/Hendry/Baker trio, you can't fault the Trib. They put up a good payroll and don't threaten to slash it if the team falters. They financed the addition to Wrigley. Getting mad at them for being the greedy corporation is misguided.

 

A couple of years ago, the brass was embarrassed by the team, so they gave Baylor the axe.

 

They want to win alright - just as much as we the fans want them to win.

[Jon]

Winning means more ticket sales, more merchandise sales, etc. They have very little reason to field a losing team when they're spending as much money as they are. If they had a good team with this budget, their expenses would remain the same but their revenue would increase a significant amount.

 

The Tribune Co., Andy MacPhail, Jim Hendry, and Dusty Baker all want to win. Money, job security, and pride are all on the line for them. While they're all making money now, it will not last at this pace. And despite their current job security, it cannot last and this kind of failure will be detrimental to all of them in the long run.

[Pinktermite]

I love this. How can anyone possibly blame the stadium for the Cubs demise? And the Tribune, whether they are good guys are not is irrelevent, have given Jimbo the resources to field a good team. It's the men on the roster that suck, that's why the team sucks, and the man that put the team on the field sucks. Dusty is partially to blame, as he probably loses them 10 or so games a year, while managers like LaRussa WIN their team 10 or so games a year, solely through their leadership qualities.

 

Stop blaming the Trib and the stadium...geez.