Rank Jim Hendry's offseasons in terms of fake optimism.

[Omar]

Greatest to least.

2004 - Many said the team improved 30% from last year. SI helped.

2007 - A whole bunch of signings.

2008 (So far) - Fukudome.

2006 - Pierre, Howry, Eyre. You can't go wrong.

2005 - Clubhouse cancers are all gone. Welcome to Chicago, Burnitz.

2003 - In Dusty We Trusty.

[CubColtPacer]

Is this how excited people were about the offseason itself, or the team as a whole going into the season?

 

I'm going to assume the former for now, and with that in mind:

 

2007

2004

2008 (at least moves up to #2 with a Roberts trade)

2006

2003

2005

[Omar]

Is this how excited people were about the offseason itself, or the team as a whole going into the season?

 

Pretty much the same thing. A little more "The team as a whole going into the season."

[forbez18]

I would think that 2004 would have to be at the top of either of these lists. After coming just a few outs from going to the World Series the year before, and everything that went on that offseason, it was impossible to get a ticket to a game or hear anything about chicago with out someone bringing up the Cubs.

 

So my list would go:

 

2004

2003

2008(even with the Roberts trade)

2007

2005

2006

[TruffleShuffle]

i guess i would put the 2006 team at the bottom, i knew they'd be absolutely horrible. they had several glaring problems and bumbling jim addressed none of them.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

2004

2008

2007

2003

2005

2006

[frostwyrm]

2004 is tops. I think we were all fooled by that one. It was the only season that engendered false hope of Cubs greatness in me. The 2005-7 teams were all pretty much exactly what I expected them to be, though the 2007 team won a few more games because I underestimated the stinkiness of the NL Central.

[jersey cubs fan]

Is this how excited people were about the offseason itself, or the team as a whole going into the season?

 

I'm going to assume the former for now, and with that in mind:

 

2007

2004

2008 (at least moves up to #2 with a Roberts trade)

2006

2003

2005

 

I guess if you are assuming the former (offseason itself), 2007 might beat out 2004, but expectations were not all that high even with the improvements. And most everybody realized all they did was spend a ridiculous sum to just become respectable (plus, they mortgaged the hell out of the future). I think 2004 optimism, for both the offseason and the team as a whole, was considerably higher.

 

I think 2006 is clearly at the bottom.

 

2004

2008

2007

 

2003

 

2005

2006

[jersey cubs fan]

i guess i would put the 2006 team at the bottom, i knew they'd be absolutely horrible. they had several glaring problems and bumbling jim addressed none of them.

 

What on earth are you talking about? He solved the leadoff hitter problem and found the much needed left handed power bat. And how about all those bullpen arms.......

[GoCubsGo1679625768]

2007 - Texas$

[CubColtPacer]

i guess i would put the 2006 team at the bottom, i knew they'd be absolutely horrible. they had several glaring problems and bumbling jim addressed none of them.

 

What on earth are you talking about? He solved the leadoff hitter problem and found the much needed left handed power bat. And how about all those bullpen arms.......

 

This is why I didn't put 2006 at the bottom because I thought that fake optimism we were talking about was coming from the fanbase as a whole. There were definitely expectations coming out of many fans in 2006 because of Pierre, Jones, and the relievers that simply wasn't there in 2005 with Burnitz and the Sosa trade being the major moves. Now the 2006 debacle could have been easily predicted from many fans on here, but the general fanbase loved the Pierre trade and really thought that it was the answer to the problems of the team.

[frostwyrm]

Even before opening day I hated the 2006 team so much that I posted on NSBB saying I wanted a quick fall from contention. If I had a false hope it was that Hendry would be smart enough to get some good returns on a mid-season firesale. He wasn't and he didn't.

[CubColtPacer]

Even before opening day I hated the 2006 team so much that I posted on NSBB saying I wanted a quick fall from contention. If I had a false hope it was that Hendry would be smart enough to get some good returns on a mid-season firesale. He wasn't and he didn't.

 

I don't think that the 2006 deadline was badly managed even with the debacle that was Maddux for Izturis. The Cubs managed to get both Ceda and Harben during the 06 season as part as their firesale, and instead of trading Pierre for small value they held onto him and got Josh Donaldson in the draft because of that decision. Obviously the Izturis thing was a huge flop, but Donaldson and Ceda is not an awful return for the players the Cubs had to trade.

[CubinNY]

My memory is pretty bad so I don't know about ranking this team, but I will say this; I'm very optimistic that they will win the division again and I think they have a decent shot a making it to the World Series. The NL is pretty weak.

 

Edit: The bolded part is probably not a good sign. :wink:

[Guest]

My memory is pretty bad so I don't know about ranking this team, but I will say this; I'm very optimistic that they will win the division again and I think they have a decent shot a making it to the World Series. The NL is pretty weak.

 

Edit: The bolded part is probably not a good sign. :wink:

 

Heh. The last time a lot of people were very optimistic was 2004 and we saw what happened that year. Hopefully the team does better than they did that year.