Expert Predictions

[JGalt73]

I know that the Cubs were picked to beat the Snakes last year, but it's always interesting to see the pundit's picks:

 

ESPN crew:

 

Cubs Sweep

Neyer

 

Cubs in 4

Law

Stark

Clapisch

Cransnik

 

Cubs in 5

Kurkjian

Nelson

Phillips

 

Dodgers in 5

Caple

[bhogg]

You forgot Gammons. That turd burglar predicted the Dodgers.

 

I saw it on the video on the Cubs' ESPN team page.

[Cynosure]

You forgot Gammons. That turd burglar predicted the Dodgers.

 

I saw it on the video on the Cubs' ESPN team page.

 

LOL @ Turd Burglar.

 

From a REAL Cubs expert... Cubs in 4.

[Guest]

I give the Cubs about a 59 percent chance to win the series as follows:

 

in 3: 14%

in 4: 28%

in 5: 17%

 

The Dodgers to win:

in 3: 11%

in 4: 23%

in 5: 7%

[UMFan83]

I think BP has them around 61%

 

For a short series, thats about as good of odds as you can get.

 

Crazy to think, you play awesome baseball for 161 games, and then all the sudden you have a 39% chance of being eliminated within 5 games.

[bhogg]

They won about 61% of their games this year, right?

[David]

I think BP has them around 61%

 

For a short series, thats about as good of odds as you can get.

 

Crazy to think, you play awesome baseball for 161 games, and then all the sudden you have a 39% chance of being eliminated within 5 games.

 

Is there a similar article to last year's series analysis by Silver?

[KPet]

I think BP has them around 61%

 

For a short series, thats about as good of odds as you can get.

 

Crazy to think, you play awesome baseball for 161 games, and then all the sudden you have a 39% chance of being eliminated within 5 games.

 

 

 

I whole heartedly agree with you. Come this time next week, the board is collectively going to be saying things like "What a great team", "They are unbeatable", "They really showed up to play", or the complete opposite, such as "They looked pathetic", "I can't believe they choked like this", "What an awful performance", etc...

 

It's really remarkable to think that we are going to judge this season based on the outcome of the playoffs, which could possibly be as little as three games. These past few days my mind has been racing back and forth between thoughts of when the Cubs were super hot (multiple winning streaks) and when they were really cold (swept at the cell, early to mid-September performance).

 

I pray that the Cubs turn out to be on one of their hot spells, but I have absolutely no clue if it'll happen or not. I can actually see in my head the Cubs blowing through the competition on an 11-1 run or something like that, yet at the same time I can actually see them getting swept in the first round, and all of us falling into deep depression.

 

Damn, I"m nervous.

[Ski]

The Playoffs were more fun when the Cubs weren't in them.

[Guest]

The Playoffs were more fun when the Cubs weren't in them.

 

Nope.

[Ski]

The Playoffs were more fun when the Cubs weren't in them.

 

Nope.

I wouldn't call the Cubs in the playoffs this year "fun." Exciting, very nerveracking, yes. Fun, no.

[David]

Wait until the games start and we start winning.

 

Fun as all hell, believe me.

 

I have not had more fun (and agony, of course) watching baseball than fall of 03.

[Ski]

Wait until the games start and we start winning.

 

Fun as all hell, believe me.

 

I have not had more fun (and agony, of course) watching baseball than fall of 03.

I was going to add something along the lines of "If we win."

 

Also, a kid at school who is a Mets fan (moment of silence, please) said he's going to root for the Cubs. Awesome.

[TMan92]

You forgot Gammons. That turd burglar predicted the Dodgers.

 

I saw it on the video on the Cubs' ESPN team page.

 

Gammons thinks Derek Lowe is still on the Red Sox.

[17 Seconds]

By the way, all 8 "experts" picked Philly over Milwuakee, and only one of them picked the series to go more than 4 games.

[17 Seconds]

The Playoffs were more fun when the Cubs weren't in them.

 

Nope.

I wouldn't call the Cubs in the playoffs this year "fun." Exciting, very nerveracking, yes. Fun, no.

 

lol wut? The playoffs didn't even start yet. Did you watch the 2003 playoffs? Like David said, they are extremely fun once you start getting deeper and you're winning.

 

I'll never forget 2003, and I don't mean that in a bad way.

[cbbryan]

By the way, all 8 "experts" picked Philly over Milwuakee, and only one of them picked the series to go more than 4 games.

 

It would be different if Sheets was healthy.

[JGalt73]

I think BP has them around 61%

 

For a short series, thats about as good of odds as you can get.

 

Crazy to think, you play awesome baseball for 161 games, and then all the sudden you have a 39% chance of being eliminated within 5 games.

 

Is there a similar article to last year's series analysis by Silver?

 

I haven't seen any numbers (or analysis) from BP. Though, Joe Sheehan from today's chat suggests a Cubs sweep.

[Ender]

As a Brewer fan I'm sure I'm biased as hell but I pick the Dodgers as well. They are a much better team than the record suggests now that they aren't playing Andruw and Pierre and now that Furcal should be healthy. I'm a firm believer in the crappy version of Zambrano and not the isolated no hitter version and Harden has slid a bit lately as well. If the Cubs are going to win it is because Lilly and Dempser step up big, not because of the aces. I also think all the little nagging injures to Soto, DeRosa, Soriano catch up to the offense somewhat.

 

PS. if money were on the line I'd pick a Dodgers vs Phillies NLCS, so it isn't 100% bias at work.

[Bote McBoteface]

By the way, all 8 "experts" picked Philly over Milwuakee, and only one of them picked the series to go more than 4 games.

 

It would be different if Sheets was healthy.

 

 

The thought of Sabathia - Sheets - Gallardo all 100% healthy in a playoff series is still disturbing to me. That's like Prior - Wood - Zambrano from 2003, except twice as good.

[halplm]

Cubs fans will always expect to lose deep down... until we win.

 

The Cubs are a vastly superior team to the Dodgers... it's not even close, even with improvements to the Dodgers recently. If the Cubs lose, it's an abberation. The Cubs have had a lot of abberations. The odds favor them, and that's as much as can be expected going into a 5 game series.

 

This is the best Cubs team in my lifetime, I fully expect them to win the World series. If they don't, it's unfortunate, but i'll expect it of them next year then.

[cubsfan26]

By the way, all 8 "experts" picked Philly over Milwuakee, and only one of them picked the series to go more than 4 games.

 

It would be different if Sheets was healthy.

 

 

The thought of Sabathia - Sheets - Gallardo all 100% healthy in a playoff series is still disturbing to me. That's like Prior - Wood - Zambrano from 2003, except twice as good.

 

 

Lucky for us, that won't be the case this year. Sheets said he's out for the season. Sabathia is gonna run out of gas at some point, and Gallardo probably won't be back at full strength to the NLCS or World Series. I don't think Sabathia/Sheets/Gallardo is twice as good as Prior/Wood/Zambrano either. Prior was every bit as good as Sabathia is right now. Sheets and Wood were pretty simliar, and Gallardo might be as good as Zambrano was then. But we don't really know yet, because he hasn't had a fullseason in the majors yet.

[MasterBlaster]

Losing Gallardo for virtually the entire season did not keep the Brewers from making the playoffs, he's not going to single handedly win it for them either. I can't believe we are talking about being worried about Brewers pitching when the 'real' Cubs hit the likes of unbeatable Sabathia and Sheets better than anyone else.

[David]

... Edited September 30, 2008 by David

[MembersOnlyJacket]

You forgot Gammons. That turd burglar predicted the Dodgers.

 

I saw it on the video on the Cubs' ESPN team page.

 

Gammons thinks Derek Lowe is still on the Red Sox.

 

This is probably Lowe's best season since his big 02 season with the Sox. Can't take anything away from Lowe. He's been good. But, he's like anyone else on the road.