Predictions?

[Soul]

What's wrong with you people? Wishing for 100 loses for...what again? What purpose?

 

This is a prediction thread. Not a wishing thread.

 

 

Oh in that case 81-81 total for the year.

 

Explain how ending the season 81-81 would be good for this team in the long run.

[RynoRules]

What's wrong with you people? Wishing for 100 loses for...what again? What purpose?

 

This is a prediction thread. Not a wishing thread.

 

 

Oh in that case 81-81 total for the year.

 

Explain how ending the season 81-81 would be good for this team in the long run.

 

When did he say it would be?

 

BTW, I preditc 94 losses. We always magically avoid 100 some how.

[Caryatid]

They will go 34-40 the rest of the way, end up 68-94, and Hendry will offer Baker an extension because "he really righted the ship in the second half." Baker will decline, or make it look like it was a money dispute, and-best case scenario-Hendry looks like a complete fool and gets a quick hook immediately after 2007.

 

Woo hoo.

[Scott G. F.]

What's wrong with you people? Wishing for 100 loses for...what again? What purpose?

 

This is a prediction thread. Not a wishing thread.

 

 

Oh in that case 81-81 total for the year.

 

Explain how ending the season 81-81 would be good for this team in the long run.

 

 

Explain to me how 100 losses or 110 losses helps this team?

 

Getting to 0.500 after being 23 games below means the players are playing great baseball. The pitchers are pitching great, defense, hitting. Cedano and Murton are doing what they should be doing J. Jones is hitting JP is getting on and scoring. The Cubs will be winning which appearently is the last thing people want on this thread.

 

It would give the Cubs something positive to build on for next season. Right now they have holes all over the place, but if LF, 3B, CF, RF and SS solidify and Z, Marshall, Marmol, and Prior pitch well we only have to replace Maddux next year. The needs of the club would be a solid 2nd baseman after T. Walker gets traded. Do we need a power bat? As of right now yes but Am Ram has been crap so far, D Lee is coing back and Murton hasn't hit the power numbers expected. That's what I see for the second half not gloom and doom and chanting "fire Dusty" Fire Dusty" like most poster do!

[Caryatid]

 

 

Explain to me how 100 losses or 110 losses helps this team?

 

1. Higher draft pick

2. Dead weight veterans get traded off.

3. Baker will be gone; potentially a better manager is there

4. Hendry under pressure to actually get something done

5. Young players get opportunity to show whether they belong; if they don't, the Cubs know in the offseason who they need to replace.

6. Clines/Matthews "aggressiveness at all costs" is gone.

7. Slows ticket sales for next year; MacPhail may begin to ask for accountability.

 

 

Getting to .500 is a step back, because it simply tells these idiots in the front office and coaching staff that what they're doing is right, and it was only "injuries" that made this team bad. So they do the EXACT SAME THING next year, and this team is screwed for the foreseeable future. Its already happened two years in a row--why can't you see that?

[Banedon]

What's wrong with you people? Wishing for 100 loses for...what again? What purpose?

 

This is a prediction thread. Not a wishing thread.

 

 

Oh in that case 81-81 total for the year.

 

So you actually logically think that the team that has played .386 ball for the first half of the season will play around .650-ish ball the rest of the season? Really?

 

The Cubs will be winning which appearently is the last thing people want on this thread.

 

 

Don't tell me that I don't want the Cubs to win. That's crap.

 

The difference is, you're all about the short term. Win a little now, even if it means we don't have greater success in the future. I disagree with that outlook.

 

I'd rather lose big now if it means reorganization such that the Cubs are more successful in the future. Getting to .500 is extremely unlikely at this point. Winning only prolongs change. I want change, not losing. But losing appears to be the only way to achieve that.

 

Call it doom and gloom if you like. It's realism. This is one of the worst teams in the major leagues. It's not going to magically turn into one of the best because you wished hard enough.

[cubfan]

I predict that the Cubs will have lost 99 games with 1 game left to play. Baker will start Rusch on short rest and have Nefi bat lead off. Baker will be quoted saying that he felt that this decision gave the Cubs that best chance to win and it is not fair to the integrity of the league to start younger players when other teams are fighting for a playoff spot. "You have to put your best team on the field when the game matters for your opponent"

The Cubs lose the game in a blow out and Baker is fired the next day.

[abuck1220]

81-81 overall at the end.

 

I see a good second half.

 

100 losses.

 

I was about to say a few less losses, like 91, but that would take a .500 record the rest of the way, and I don't see that happening. That is hilarious, they have to play above .500 just to avoid 90 losses. A couple games under and they flirt with 95 losses. How can Hendry possibly think this is acceptable?

 

He will continue assessing how Baker, his staff and his players respond in the final three months and only will take action if he sees the situation declining.

 

don't worry...if things start to decline, hendry's all over it.

[USSoccer]

It's a good thing that Hendry is only in charge of a baseball team. If he's waiting for a decline from 34-54 I think the earth is going to have to swallow the team for him to notice something is amiss.

 

And FWIW, I see 93 losses.

[goonys evil twin]

I got your predictions right here:

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/gennaro_filice/07/13/fiveup.fivedown/1.html

 

Gennaro Filice from SI came out with a 5 up and 5 down article about guys he's expecting improvement from and guys he sees hitting a downfall. Then he went to a psychic for his take on each one.

 

Here is the Pierre version.

 

My vibe: True, Pierre is second in the NL with 30 steals, but his overall performance as Chicago's leadoff has been lacking (though he has heated up recently). A career .302 hitter, Pierre has hit just .275 thus far this season. And his current .321 OBP doesn't measure up to his leadoff-worthy career mark of .351. There's no need to fret, though -- this is how the hardworking Pierre rolls every year. Prior to the break he's a career .288 hitter, but after the break his average jumps to .320. Also, his slugging percentage increases from .358 to .394. With Pierre en route to free agency in the offseason and the Cubs in shambles, there's a good chance the center fielder will be donning new duds come August. The excitement surrounding a move to a contender could jump-start Pierre's second half.

 

Alex's vibe: Terrible. Very bad.

[Mark Priors Calves]

I got your predictions right here:

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/gennaro_filice/07/13/fiveup.fivedown/1.html

 

Gennaro Filice from SI came out with a 5 up and 5 down article about guys he's expecting improvement from and guys he sees hitting a downfall. Then he went to a psychic for his take on each one.

 

Here is the Pierre version.

 

My vibe: True, Pierre is second in the NL with 30 steals, but his overall performance as Chicago's leadoff has been lacking (though he has heated up recently). A career .302 hitter, Pierre has hit just .275 thus far this season. And his current .321 OBP doesn't measure up to his leadoff-worthy career mark of .351. There's no need to fret, though -- this is how the hardworking Pierre rolls every year. Prior to the break he's a career .288 hitter, but after the break his average jumps to .320. Also, his slugging percentage increases from .358 to .394. With Pierre en route to free agency in the offseason and the Cubs in shambles, there's a good chance the center fielder will be donning new duds come August. The excitement surrounding a move to a contender could jump-start Pierre's second half.

 

Alex's vibe: Terrible. Very bad.

 

Are those writers 16 years old?

[goonys evil twin]

Are those writers 16 years old?

 

The writer talks about himself as a 23 year old at the end. I wasn't much impressed with his analysis, just liked the psychic's take on Pierre.

[Scott G. F.]

 

 

Explain to me how 100 losses or 110 losses helps this team?

 

1. Higher draft pick

2. Dead weight veterans get traded off.

3. Baker will be gone; potentially a better manager is there

4. Hendry under pressure to actually get something done

5. Young players get opportunity to show whether they belong; if they don't, the Cubs know in the offseason who they need to replace.

6. Clines/Matthews "aggressiveness at all costs" is gone.

7. Slows ticket sales for next year; MacPhail may begin to ask for accountability.

 

 

Getting to .500 is a step back, because it simply tells these idiots in the front office and coaching staff that what they're doing is right, and it was only "injuries" that made this team bad. So they do the EXACT SAME THING next year, and this team is screwed for the foreseeable future. Its already happened two years in a row--why can't you see that?

 

 

 

1. Higher draft pick

 

Because the draft in baseball means so much of course.

 

2. Dead weight veterans get traded off.

 

Like whom did you have in mind?

 

3. Baker will be gone; potentially a better manager is there

 

Not going to happen Bakers staying until the end of the year live with it.

 

4. Hendry under pressure to actually get something done

 

It's he every year? What's changed?

 

5. Young players get opportunity to show whether they belong; if they don't, the Cubs know in the offseason who they need to replace.

 

Young players like Murton Cedano, Marmol, Marshall? Their already on the team.

 

6. Clines/Matthews "aggressiveness at all costs" is gone.

 

Not going anywhere unless Dusty is.

 

7. Slows ticket sales for next year; MacPhail may begin to ask for accountability.

 

Slow ticket sales? You must be kidding me. ever heard the term CUBBERNECKING? They sell out just like before.

[Scott G. F.]

The Cubs will be winning which appearently is the last thing people want on this thread.

 

 

Don't tell me that I don't want the Cubs to win. That's crap.

 

81-81 overall at the end.

 

I see a good second half.

 

100 losses.

 

 

Then I guess your prediction of 100 losses is an indication you want them to win some how? How obvious I must have missed that.

[abuck1220]

just because you predict something doesn't mean you want it to happen.

 

or maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team plays.

[Scott G. F.]

just because you predict something doesn't mean you want it to happen.

 

or maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team plays.

 

Maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team will react when lossing 100 games either. I prefer winning to retooling and cutting and slashing the current team. I guess other don't.

[imb]

Scott, I think that literally your brain may not work correctly.

 

Let's make a prediction. Lots of people die in the middle east due to this war stuff. That doesn't mean that I want a lot of people to die, it just means that it is likely that they will.

[Banedon]

Then I guess your prediction of 100 losses is an indication you want them to win some how? How obvious I must have missed that.

 

You're right...you're missing the entire point along with it.

 

Prediction: What I think will happen, not what I want to happen.

 

What I want to happen: New Cubs management and team-building philosophy.

 

What will happen if the Cubs go better than .500 the rest of the way: Management decides that things are going in the right direction, and don't make the necessary changes

 

What (I hope) will happen if the Cubs tank: Management will look for a new direction, as the current one is currently not working. They will get a manager that can help young talent grow into their potential.

 

Granted, the last paragraph is wishful thinking, but it's the best "future" scenario that I can come up with, and because I want the Cubs to win long term, it's what I'm hoping for.

[Caryatid]

1. Higher draft pick

 

Because the draft in baseball means so much of course.

 

Ask the A's how much the draft means.

 

2. Dead weight veterans get traded off.

 

Like whom did you have in mind?

 

Jones, Pierre, Maddux, and to a lesser extent, Perez, Rusch, et. al.

 

3. Baker will be gone; potentially a better manager is there

 

Not going to happen Bakers staying until the end of the year live with it.

 

And if they go 81-81, he'll be here LONG after that to do this same dance.

 

4. Hendry under pressure to actually get something done

 

It's he every year? What's changed?

 

His job will be on the line. It hasn't been to this point.

 

5. Young players get opportunity to show whether they belong; if they don't, the Cubs know in the offseason who they need to replace.

 

Young players like Murton Cedano, Marmol, Marshall? Their already on the team.

 

No-Guzman, Hill, Theriot, Restovich. These are guys who could play a cheap utility role for the team next year-instead the Cubs will stick with playing overpriced garbage veterans and then cry poor.

 

6. Clines/Matthews "aggressiveness at all costs" is gone.

 

Not going anywhere unless Dusty is.

 

THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT!

 

 

7. Slows ticket sales for next year; MacPhail may begin to ask for accountability.

 

Slow ticket sales? You must be kidding me. ever heard the term CUBBERNECKING? They sell out just like before.

 

They lose 100 games, they won't sell out for the year. Guaranteed. It won't drop a huge amount, but it will be enough for the suits to realize they're going in the wrong direction.

 

 

 

Or maybe we can just hope for 81-81 so we can go into next year....hoping to go 81-81.

 

 

"In sports, there's nothing worse than being mediocre."

[CubinNY]

This team will come close to 100 losses. If anyone else gets hurt and/or if Prior is sidelined for an extended period they will lose over a hundred. If Walker gets traded and they replace him with Neifi at 2nd and batting 2nd they will lose over a hundred games. If JJ cools off at all they will lose 100 games (he is on pace for his best season in a long time).

 

IMO, the best case scenario is between 95-100 losses.

[USSoccer]

just because you predict something doesn't mean you want it to happen.

 

or maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team plays.

 

Maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team will react when lossing 100 games either. I prefer winning to retooling and cutting and slashing the current team. I guess other don't.

 

I think we'd all prefer winning, which is why finishing at .500 isn't going to cut it. Not only is that, by definition, NOT winning, but it's ensuring that the current regime of excused mediocrity will be back, which in turn will lead to more not winning.

[Scott G. F.]

Then I guess your prediction of 100 losses is an indication you want them to win some how? How obvious I must have missed that.

 

What I want to happen: New Cubs management and team-building philosophy. .

 

What makes you think this will happen long term? So we have to sit through 3 or 4 years of a youth movement to put team-philosophy in place. Great plan.

 

What will happen if the Cubs go better than .500 the rest of the way: Management decides that things are going in the right direction, and don't make the necessary changes.

 

What necessary changes are that? Like I posted before if the Cubs get to the 0.500 mark that would mean the rookies, Murton, Cedano, Marshall, Marmol all did great job, along with Ar Ram coming out of his funk. The Hendry has a good start on what needs need to be filled. Right now there are to many needs to be filled because not one player is doing really great, Jones, Barrett maybe.

 

What (I hope) will happen if the Cubs tank: Management will look for a new direction, as the current one is currently not working. They will get a manager that can help young talent grow into their potential..

 

So the 3-4 year plan . Your okay with. 3 to 4 years just to be competitive and maybe sniff 0.500 in those year. Again good plan.

 

Granted, the last paragraph is wishful thinking, but it's the best "future" scenario that I can come up with, and because I want the Cubs to win long term, it's what I'm hoping for.

 

If they clean house and fire everyone and trade evryone that doesn't have a .400 OBP the only thing that'll be long term would be the Cubs World Series drought.

 

I respectively disagree with you on the prediction thread, you and a lot of others. I would like to see good baseball in the second half by the Cubs. Not bad baseball.

[Scott G. F.]

just because you predict something doesn't mean you want it to happen.

 

or maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team plays.

 

Maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team will react when lossing 100 games either. I prefer winning to retooling and cutting and slashing the current team. I guess other don't.

 

I think we'd all prefer winning, which is why finishing at .500 isn't going to cut it. Not only is that, by definition, NOT winning, but it's ensuring that the current regime of excused mediocrity will be back, which in turn will lead to more not winning.

 

I get the feeling you were not saying this in 2003 or 2004. Both winning seasons.

[abuck1220]

just because you predict something doesn't mean you want it to happen.

 

or maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team plays.

 

Maybe you don't realize that a prediction on an internet message board will have no bearing on how a team will react when lossing 100 games either. I prefer winning to retooling and cutting and slashing the current team. I guess other don't.

 

the current team is not capable of winning. that's the problem.

[Caryatid]

So the 3-4 year plan . Your okay with. 3 to 4 years just to be competitive and maybe sniff 0.500 in those year. Again good plan.

 

Tell that to the Detroit Tigers (43-119 in 2003, 20 games OVER .500 2006). Or this year's Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, or LA Dodgers. All of which have relied HEAVILY on young players they received in trades, while gutting veteran players from last year.

 

Or you could ask all those Boston Red Sox fans if they were satisfied that their team "won a lot of games" in the 75 years before they won the title in 2004.