The Cubs are going to win the division

[Hawk4Hall]

And no I am not drunk. I'm only on my 2nd Samuel Adam's Noble Pils (fantastic beer by the way) but after a week or so of pondering, I am making this statement. Why you may ask? To simply put it...It's The NL Freaking Central! This division is pretty toothless overall this season. The Reds were a fluke last season, the Brewers didn't get much better, the Cards are hurting pitching-wise, and the Pirates are the Pirates. The Cubs have a lot going for them (even if 2nd base is a black hole). A new manager who isn't going to take crap from anyone, zero expectations, several fresh faces, a solid starting staff, and momentum coming off last season's strong finish. If this were any other division outside the AL Central I'd think the Cubs had no shot. This year is the year Richmond, of VCU, of Butler. It's the year of "you can't...you shouldn't....you won't". It's the year when critics can be ignored. It's 2011 and the Cubs have a clean slate. Why not?

 

Make Ronnie proud Cubbies and take this thing. Anything can happen and it's gonna happen.

 

Peace out and happy opening day.

[rocket]

we probably won't.

 

but hey, it's not completely out of the question. i'll take that. go cubs!

[MWV]

Dude was right about Dawson.

[Guest]

And the Astros suck so much that they don't even deserve to be mentioned with the other NL Central teams.

[Little Slide Rooter]

So tell us, when October comes, do they roll over and play dead for 3 quick games, or go deeper into the playoffs?

[Bote McBoteface]

Hahaha

 

Its funny, because just the other night I was reading the ESPN thing grading the offseasons of each team in the NL Central. When they listed the Astros I actually thought "Oh yeah, I forgot about them."

 

I used to dislike the Astros almost as much as the Cardinals.

[NewUserName]

I am optimistic about the Cubs this season also. But I usually have this feeling on opening day.

[Old Style]

I am optimistic about the Cubs this season also. But I usually have this feeling on opening day.

That'll be gone in about 8 hours or so.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I do think that the Cubs should be taken seriously. They may not have the star power of the Cards or Brewers, but they are more well balanced all the way through. Even the 2B situation, they will likley be better than most 8 hitters in the NL, and if we are in it come July, don't be surprised to see Hendry do the one thing he does well and pull a mid season rabbit out of a had in a trade. A lot of things need to go right, but I don't see any of the NL Central teams being good enough to leave us in their dust, and keep in mind, all 3 of the relevant teams in the division are dealing with significant injuries.

[Backtobanks]

I do think that the Cubs should be taken seriously. They may not have the star power of the Cards or Brewers, but they are more well balanced all the way through. Even the 2B situation, they will likley be better than most 8 hitters in the NL, and if we are in it come July, don't be surprised to see Hendry do the one thing he does well and pull a mid season rabbit out of a had in a trade. A lot of things need to go right, but I don't see any of the NL Central teams being good enough to leave us in their dust, and keep in mind, all 3 of the relevant teams in the division are dealing with significant injuries.

 

The "experts" are putting the Cubs somewhere around .500 (78 - 85 wins), with more of them predicting just over .500. In the NL Central, that certainly gives you a shot if certain things go your way. So far, the injuries to the other contenders have helped their chances. Hopefully they get off to a fast start with 9 out of their first twelve against the Pirates, DBacks, and Astros.

[otis89]

I do think that the Cubs should be taken seriously. They may not have the star power of the Cards or Brewers, but they are more well balanced all the way through. Even the 2B situation, they will likley be better than most 8 hitters in the NL, and if we are in it come July, don't be surprised to see Hendry do the one thing he does well and pull a mid season rabbit out of a had in a trade. A lot of things need to go right, but I don't see any of the NL Central teams being good enough to leave us in their dust, and keep in mind, all 3 of the relevant teams in the division are dealing with significant injuries.

 

The "experts" are putting the Cubs somewhere around .500 (78 - 85 wins), with more of them predicting just over .500. In the NL Central, that certainly gives you a shot if certain things go your way. So far, the injuries to the other contenders have helped their chances. Hopefully they get off to a fast start with 9 out of their first twelve against the Pirates, DBacks, and Astros.

 

Unfortunately, the Cubs always struggle against the DBacks. They're 30-46 against them all time.

[Northside Blues]

yeah because the cubs lack of success against them from 1998-2008 is going to have such a large impact on their success this year. We had better watch out for Schilling and Johnson.

[SouthSideRyan]

I like this guy.

 

And I agree with the subject

[Guest]

I think they'll finish ahead of one of the other 3 contenders, but it will be a crapshoot as to who actually wins the division. Cincinnati has the capability of repeating what they did last year, or maybe not. St. Louis took a tremendous hit to their rotation, and that alone pushes them out of the running, IMO. Milwaukee has an amazing offense, but they too are showing issues in the pitching department. If their pitching was healthy, I'd probably give them the nod to win the division.

 

As of now, I think the Cubs offense should be top 5 and the pitching will be top 5. Maybe only 5th in each, but that's probably good enough to win the NL Central Division.

 

It's certainly not a crazy bet to pick the Cubs to win the division. If Ramirez, Pena, Soto and Soriano can all perform close to what they are capable of, this can be a really good offense. A hot start would be awesome.

[otis89]

Well, color me surprised. The Cubs were actually 6-1 against the DBacks last year. They were 2-4 against them in '09 though.

[Old Style]

Well, color me surprised. The Cubs were actually 6-1 against the DBacks last year. They were 2-4 against them in '09 though.

THE CURSE HAS BEEN BROKEN!!!!!

[javy knows my name]

ALL IDIOTS SHHHH

[NewUserName]

I am optimistic about the Cubs this season also. But I usually have this feeling on opening day.

That'll be gone in about 8 hours or so.

 

yeap

[Hawk4Hall]

Well color me stupid. :(

 

This [expletive] team has no hope.

[DivineBovine]

:lol:

 

I started reading the thread before I saw the original date and thought:

 

This dude Hawk really isn't drunk. He just smoked some crack.

[erik316wttn]

:lol:

 

I started reading the thread before I saw the original date and thought.

 

This dude Hawk really isn't drunk. He just smoked some crack.

 

I was going to post "Want to wager on that?", and then I saw the date of the OP.