Re: I Don't Get It

[riseinside]

I have been warned :thumbsup:

[weis21]

I'm 24 years old. In my life, I've gotten into a number of fights. I've undergone three surgeries. I've had more cuts, scrapes, bumps, bruises, sprains, muscle pulls, and migraines than I've cared to remember. I've had women rip out my heart. I've had friends and family stab me in the back. I've done more stupid, humiliating, and embarrassing things than I'd prefer to admit.

 

Yet, for whatever reason, in my life, the Cubs have managed to hurt me more than all of that combined. Why is that? Is there something wrong with me? I just don't get it.

I'd guess groupthink theory.

 

Since you're a mod, there is a cohesive quality to the group of cubs fans that you associate with. the more cohesive the bond, the stronger the relationship. Since you're a mod, you have a stronger quality of membership than others on this site.

 

Honestly...I don't know. I'm just joking around.

 

In reality though, if it was never brought up that the cubs haven't won in a 100 years, how big of a deal would it be? Certainly not that big of a deal. As KylJRM has mentioned unforgivingly, it's sometimes a crapshoot.

 

So basically, what I'm saying is don't count us out. Maybe that's not what he's saying, but that's what I'm saying.

 

LET'S DO THIS!

[illiniguy]

So what are we?

Are we always coming back each year because we are loyal, or because we are stupid? Tonight it feels like stupid. But for most of the year it sure didn't.

[Roast]

I'm in a state of disbelief right now. I'm not even mad. I just honestly can't wrap my head around the fact that we were the best team in the national league this year and are getting or clocks cleaned in the playoffs. I hate everything about this team right now. it sucks.

[Outshined_One]

I don't even get like this with the Bears or Badgers. It's mind-boggling.

[CubsBears29]

I think the reason it hurts so much, is because we allowed ourselves to believe that this could be the year that we go to the World Series, let alone win it.

 

I mean, cmon. 97 wins, best in NL, tons of great offensive stats, etc, and then we go and lay a complete goose egg in the first 2 games. As if its not bad enough to be down 0-2 (both games @ Wrigley), its how they lost. These weren't hard fought/knock-down-drag-out games... we just plain got our azzes handed to us. Pitching & lack of offense yesterday and errors & lack of offense today. Looked like complete Howry right out of the gate (save for DeRosa's wwind-aided HR and Z's performance on the mound tonight).

 

The ONE thing, besides starting pitching, we had going into this that we should have felt pretty safe in relying upon, has yet to even sniff a wake up call; the offense.

 

 

I'd be SOO glad to be wrong - and the Cubs, at the very least, force a G5 back in Wrigley - but I truly believe this "WAS great" season ends this weekend in LA.

 

 

Being a Cubs fan, I should be very used to the disappointment, but I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hurt any at all.

[mikeyt34]

If the Cubs can somehow find a way to send it to a 5th game at Wrigley, anything can happen, although I have absolutely NO CONFIDENCE this will happen with the way they are playing. If the "offense" (quotations on purpose) can somehow find themselves you never know. I do know one thing for sure though. I live in Arizona. I go to about 10 spring training games in Mesa every year (I'm a spring training season ticket holder). I go to all the Cubs games when they come out to AZ (God I hate Dbacks fans). I follow the Cubs up the coast on their West Coast swing when they go to San Diego and LA (5 of 6 games this year I made it to). I travelled to Wrigley and saw the Clinching game in person (lucky travel plans but I'll take 'em.) I have my Direct TV MLB package every spring ready to go (I would say I've seen about 150 of the 163 games this year but who's counting). The one thing I can be sure of is this... I will do NONE of these things next year! I will not commit myself to this team for an entire season ever again. Why should I? I plan to make a concerted effort to not watch many games during 2009, only to check the box scores and standings on a somewhat daily basis. I plan to never ever commit myself to this organization the way I have this year. Call me a whinnier, a fair weather fan, whatever. I have had it! IF they come back to win in 5, GREAT, I'm as happy as the next guy, but this is getting to the point of self mutilation.

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Cubs are like your alchaholic uncle. You have a lot of fun wih him most of the time, but he'll embarass you in front of your friends and when you really need him, he'l let you down.

[16greenhuskies]

West Side: Nice analogy. Spot on.

 

Why would anyone allow their children to think about becoming a Cubs fan.... only to be let down year in and year out.....

 

The constants of life:

Death, Taxes and Wait till Next Year

[hawkeyecub]

For some reason I was more upset/angry/disappointed during the playoffs last year. These first two games I've just almost felt numb, in a state of shock trying to figure out what's going on. This doesn't feel real.

[soapy]

i feel like one of those battered wives who just keeps giving her husband another chance thinking he'll change.

 

i get too upset about this crap. i need to get a life (and some Naproxen).

[chasinf5s]

You love the Cubs, but have the Cubs ever loved you back?

[kujay]

I quit watching in the 7th last night. Got a good night's sleep and just got in to work.

 

The whole time since I got up, I've had this scowl and blank stare on my face. Losses never effect me like this.

 

But it really is a matter of expectations. I really thought this was going to be the year. For my folks, for my grandma, aunts and uncles, for Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, for all the elderly (or even not so much) Cubs fans who are going to pass away without seeing a championship, and for me, I just feel disbelief.

 

All that said, Saturday night I will be watching. I will be skeptical, but I will be watching. And if they take an early lead, I'll jump right into "believing" mode. I'll think, "oh man, we win tonight, take tomorrow and get it back in front of the home fans!" And "what a scene Game 5 will be when we complete the amazing comeback!"

 

And I try to remember that someday, even if it's not this year, all of this emotional investment that we have made will pay off in the mother of all returns.

[Soul]

This is why I don't put too much weight on statistics and analysis. It's all great stuff, and I enjoy reading the analysis that goes on here. It is one of the reasons I love this message board.

 

But I just keep in mind -- it'll likely not matter in the end with this team. There's no curse, but there's psychology. There's undue pressure -- the kind of pressure that comes from a city of millions of people, neurotically hoping for the best but deep down feeling that the worst will happen. The Cubs have to bathe in that crap for 162 games, every year. No other city knows that type of weirdness, at least not since Boston broke through. It has an effect. It neutralizes hard facts, neutralizes advantages, makes it much more difficult to "cut through" and win these big games.

 

4 infielders. 4 errors. A starting pitcher who walked 7 guys in the month of September walks 7 in a couple innings. Just something to think about. You can't put it on the stat sheet. But it's there. I'm telling you -- it has an effect, even though it can't be quantified.

 

It's going to take a team that is beyond just "better" to win in this town. It's going to take a team of guys who truly just don't care -- a team of players who are probably hateworthy and callous above all else. Perhaps a team of Mannys. Something. Some kind of shield against the weight of all this "OH NO NOT AGAIN!" or "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO US?!?" or "THEY'LL FIND A WAY TO BLOW IT."

 

Something.

 

Alright, that's my post-traumatic stress syndrome rant. Enjoy.

[Old Style]

As I read each post on this thread, I started to hit the quote button and reply with "I couldn't agree more" until I read the next one and saw that the nest person added another great comment. I just feel so lost and betrayed right now. Most of all, I feel bad for guys like Santo and my dad. They deserve a championship. Yeah, I said. I have poured my heart & soul into this team for 30 years only to be disappointed time & time again. Those guys have been through the pain a lot longer, especially my old man. If the Cubs win Game 3, they better win Games 4 & 5, too. Don't get my hopes up any more this season if you're not going to finish the deal.

[BigbadB]

What is the likelihood that a team that has now lost 8 straight playoff games will now win 3 straight playoff games?

[Soul]

Derrek Lee, a few weeks ago:

 

"I just don't see a reason to panic, that's all."

 

Derrek, now you know why fans panic. They panic because they know this is coming, sooner or later.

[C.C.]

I hate when I woke up this Morning my Wife tried to cheer me up with saying things like other teams have come back. I don't have the heart to tell her that the Cubs don't break other teams hearts...Ever! We are incapable of historic comebacks. It's not in the Cubs DNA. When things go bad they continue to decline until the bitter end. There is no reversing. There is no silver lining. Just like Soul said stats don't make a bit of a difference for this team. We all know playoffs is a crap shoot, but how in the hell is this team always crapping?!?!

[Derwood]

For those of you who feared that 2008 would be a repeat of 2007, good news....it's not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad news: it's worse

[C.C.]

For those of you who feared that 2008 would be a repeat of 2007, good news....it's not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad news: it's worse

 

It depends what happens this winter and the current constructed team probably will win the division. Only to choke in the playoffs again.

[Soul]

It's clear after two straight years that this group of Cubbies are playoff chokers.

 

Now -- do you want to start over and risk sucking for another 20 years? Or would you like to continue on, be competitive in the division, but all the while knowing chances are good they will choke again when they get to the playoffs?

 

I can't decide. The regular seasons are fun with this group, but God the playoffs are just a joke.

[Willis06]

As I read each post on this thread, I started to hit the quote button and reply with "I couldn't agree more" until I read the next one and saw that the nest person added another great comment. I just feel so lost and betrayed right now. Most of all, I feel bad for guys like Santo and my dad. They deserve a championship. Yeah, I said. I have poured my heart & soul into this team for 30 years only to be disappointed time & time again. Those guys have been through the pain a lot longer, especially my old man. If the Cubs win Game 3, they better win Games 4 & 5, too. Don't get my hopes up any more this season if you're not going to finish the deal.

 

well said....

but is anyone really that suprised?

[C.C.]

It's clear after two straight years that this group of Cubbies are playoff chokers.

 

Now -- do you want to start over and risk sucking for another 20 years? Or would you like to continue on, be competitive in the division, but all the while knowing chances are good they will choke again when they get to the playoffs?

 

I can't decide. The regular seasons are fun with this group, but God the playoffs are just a joke.

 

What you going to do? Can't trade Sori or Fukudome. Dlee and Ram aren't going anywhere.

[C.C.]

As I read each post on this thread, I started to hit the quote button and reply with "I couldn't agree more" until I read the next one and saw that the nest person added another great comment. I just feel so lost and betrayed right now. Most of all, I feel bad for guys like Santo and my dad. They deserve a championship. Yeah, I said. I have poured my heart & soul into this team for 30 years only to be disappointed time & time again. Those guys have been through the pain a lot longer, especially my old man. If the Cubs win Game 3, they better win Games 4 & 5, too. Don't get my hopes up any more this season if you're not going to finish the deal.

 

well said....

but is anyone really that suprised?

 

I am. I thought at least we'd make it to the second round. Hell, I thought at least we'd win a game. I'm more then surprised, I'm shocked!

[Soul]

It's clear after two straight years that this group of Cubbies are playoff chokers.

 

Now -- do you want to start over and risk sucking for another 20 years? Or would you like to continue on, be competitive in the division, but all the while knowing chances are good they will choke again when they get to the playoffs?

 

I can't decide. The regular seasons are fun with this group, but God the playoffs are just a joke.

 

What you going to do? Can't trade Sori or Fukudome. Dlee and Ram aren't going anywhere.

 

You could get rid of Demp, Theriot gone, Fuku opts to return to Japan because, well, it's clear he can't play on this level. There's a dozen things you could.

 

You eat a couple contracts, start building your minors up, go a different direction. I hope you aren't pretending there's nothing the Cubs could possibly do to change. They can, it would just be painful at first.