Why were we good in 2003?

[Schwarber Fan]

I was just thinking... does it really make sense that we were better in the playoffs in 2003 than 2007 or 2008?

 

We clearly has less talent.

 

I guess it's just a perfect example of momentum and the playoffs being a crap shoot. And we played tons more meaningful games that year

 

The 2003 Cubs were a better playoff team I guess. I miss them.

 

Prior

Wood the starter

Clement

Sammy

Alou

 

:(

 

God, I'm depressed

[Cynosure]

We were a playoff team this year too, just choked.

[ER Cub]

Sammy and Alou could hit good right handed pitchers. Apparently, Lee, Ramirez and Soriano can't.

:scratch:

[The Other 15]

2003 had loads more talent where it matters - starting pitching that controls the other team while your less talented team takes advantage of a few chances and breaks.

[C.C.]

Prior and Wood. Enough said...

[SoonerCubFan]

Yes, the dominance of Prior and Wood up to the 8th inning of Game 6 was the biggest thing. We also were facing guys like Russ Ortiz and Mike Hampton twice each in the NLDS, had a leadoff hitter who got on base, and a middle of the order (including Ramirez prior to the open stance) who delivered. But,it's still the dominating SPs that get it done, and we didn't have it this year.

[AlwaysaCub]

1. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior (They won 3 times combined in the 5 game series against the Braves).

2. Kenny Lofton made things happen.

3. We squeaked in to the playoffs with the worst record of any playoff team so we had nothing to lose.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Let me add: For a 101-win team (or a 96-pythagorean-win team if you prefer), the 2003 Braves had a pretty mediocre starting rotation.

[Tarver]

give Dusty his horses, and he'll win.

[Derwood]

may have been the one time when Dusty's laid back approach worked. The 2007 and 2008 teams were as uptight as any teams I've ever seen in the postseason

[Hairyducked Idiot]

may have been the one time when Dusty's laid back approach worked. The 2007 and 2008 teams were as uptight as any teams I've ever seen in the postseason

 

A proven playoff hitter like Alex Gonzalez would have been nice...

[Sosa21MVP]

I was just thinking... does it really make sense that we were better in the playoffs in 2003 than 2007 or 2008?

 

We clearly has less talent.

 

I guess it's just a perfect example of momentum and the playoffs being a crap shoot. And we played tons more meaningful games that year

 

The 2003 Cubs were a better playoff team I guess. I miss them.

 

Prior

Wood the starter

Clement

Sammy

Alou

 

:(

 

God, I'm depressed

 

The 2003 Cubs had a great month of September and entered the playoffs on a roll. I think that makes a difference too. The 2008 Cubs really struggled at the beginning of the month, righted the ship a bit, then that last week with nothing to play for....they just kind of muddled about.

 

And they probably did play looser too. Not only the Dusty factor but heck, the first round they faced an Atlanta team that won over 100 games. The Cubs had what, 87-88 wins? I mean people did give that team a chance based on Prior and Wood but they were generally the underdogs and also a hot team.

[NCCubFan]

may have been the one time when Dusty's laid back approach worked. The 2007 and 2008 teams were as uptight as any teams I've ever seen in the postseason

 

A proven playoff hitter like Alex Gonzalez would have been nice...

Too bad we could't have had the hitter Alex Gonzalez without the fielder Alex Gonzalez.

[XZero771679666304]

The Cubs got as far as they did in 2003 because the starters were hot down the stretch and into the playoffs, and Dusty rode them like horses. The overall talent level on that team was nowhere near what it was this year.

 

They just had it going at the right time, but they ran out of juice. I have little doubt (and had little doubt at the time) that the Yankees would have mauled us. Wood and Prior were completely gassed.

[reds44]

may have been the one time when Dusty's laid back approach worked. The 2007 and 2008 teams were as uptight as any teams I've ever seen in the postseason

I think a manager like Dusty (or Ozzie) would have been better this posteason for the Cubs just too loosen things up. Today Ozzie was throwing crap at Cooper during an interview with his team in an 0-2 hole.

 

With that being said, the answer is Wood and Prior.

[Sammy Sofa]

The 2003 Cubs Dodger-ed the Braves. It happens.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The 2003 Cubs Dodger-ed the Braves. It happens.

 

Odd, I seem to recall the 2003 Braves winning two games in that series and generally not getting blown away 20-6.

 

Even from people who (probably correctly) attribute what's happened to the Cubs in the playoffs as fluke statistical variation, it's baffling that they keep trying to equivocate over the sheer improbability of what has happened to the Cubs.

 

The odds of equal matchups (and I'd call the last 9 Cubs playoff games equal matchups) producing 9 straight losses is 512-1. The odds of none of those losses being by one run is even more staggering.

 

The odds of the Cubs losing the 2003 NLCS at their high point were 44.45:1.

 

Even ignoring the first 4/5ths of the streak, the Cubs are at the extreme ends of the spectrum of statistical likelihood.

[cubsfan26]

I was just thinking... does it really make sense that we were better in the playoffs in 2003 than 2007 or 2008?

 

Thats easy, because the veterans on the 03 team could hit in the postseason Here's what some guys did over those 12 games

 

Mosies Alou-388/423/974- 2 HR and 8 RBI

Kenny Lofton-308/368/714

Sammy Sosa-262/426/889- 2 HR and 7 RBI

Eric Karros-310/355/872-2 HR and 2 RBI

Randall Simon-333/333/916-1 HR and 6 RBI

Alex Gonzalez-275/341/966-4 HR and 8 RBI

Aramis Ramirez-250/353/944-4 HR and 10 RBI

 

Everybody pretty much hit that postseason besides Mark Grudzielanek and Damian Miller.

 

Now here's what the 07-08 Cubs did.

 

Derrek Lee-435/480/1045-0 HR and 0 RBI-07/08

Mark DeRosa-333/391/1062-1 HR and 4 RBI-07/08

 

Then pretty much everybody else sucked in 07/08

 

Soriano-107/138/245-0 HR, 0 RBI-07/08

Ramirez-087/160/290-0 HR, 0 RBI-07/08

Theriot-261/320/587,0 HR, 0 RBI-07/08

Soto-176/300/712-1 HR, 2 RBI-07/08

Jacque Jones-222/417/750-0 HR, 0 RBI- 2007

Jim Edmonds-200/200/500-0 HR, 1 RBI- 2008

Cliff Floyd- 0 for 5, 2 Walks/ Matt Murton 1 for 4-2007

Kosuke Fukudome- 100/100/200-2008

 

 

It's very very hard to win a playoff series, when your line-up basically has two guys hitting. Ramirez/Soriano flopped last postseason, and were just as bad this postseason. Even Soto did poorly this postseason, but he might not have been 100 percent healthy either. IMO Soriano/Ramirez don't do well being the guys expected to come through in the playoffs, and try way too hard to make things happen and they struggle. Soriano did well in the playoffs in 01, hitting 9th for the Yankees, and Ramirez did well in 03, but he also had guys hitting around him, so he didn't have the pressure to carry the team either. So we either need to add another leadoff hitter and middle of the order hitter to play with these guys, or Soriano/Ramirez need to start hitting in the playoffs. If neither of those things happen, this team is going to have the same struggles every postseason.

[C.C.]

The 2003 Cubs Dodger-ed the Braves. It happens.

 

I'm not sure if that is a good comparison. That series went 5 games. It was good baseball and hard fought on both sides. A solid entertaining series.

 

Cubs and Dodgers was just bad, bad baseball. The Cubs simply didn't show up.