What happened to the site

[NOLA]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

I'm 40 and I can't remember this much optimism, not just for a particular year but as an organization going forward. Maybe 1989?

[C.C.]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

I'm 40 and I can't remember this much optimism, not just for a particular year but as an organization going forward. Maybe 1989?

 

2004 was pretty damn huge.

[Guest]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

I'm 40 and I can't remember this much optimism, not just for a particular year but as an organization going forward. Maybe 1989?

 

2004 was pretty damn huge.

You mean around September 1 of that year?

[NOLA]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

I'm 40 and I can't remember this much optimism, not just for a particular year but as an organization going forward. Maybe 1989?

 

2004 was pretty damn huge.

 

Yes, then there was 2005. Alas.

Even then as enthusiastic as I was, I was worried about Dusty overuse of the starters and had little faith in Hendry. If Theo brings in a solid manager, we as fans have to feel good about the next several seasons.

[Sammy Sofa]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

I'm 40 and I can't remember this much optimism, not just for a particular year but as an organization going forward. Maybe 1989?

 

2004 was pretty damn huge.

 

Yes, then there was 2005. Alas.

Even then as enthusiastic as I was, I was worried about Dusty overuse of the starters and had little faith in Hendry. If Theo brings in a solid manager, we as fans have to feel good about the next several seasons.

 

Theo's choice of manager is probably the last thing I'm concerned about. It's so far down on list of [expletive] that needs to be fixed.

[XZero771679666304]

Late in the 2003-04 offseason was the most optimistic I've been about an individual Cubs team's potential to win.

 

Right now is the most optimistic I've ever been about the direction of the the franchise.

[Sammy Sofa]

I was super bonkers crazy optimistic going in to 2004, both for that season and the future.

[XZero771679666304]

I was super bonkers crazy optimistic going in to 2004, both for that season and the future.

 

I was pretty focused on winning the WS that year, at least early on. Then [expletive] started to go really wrong and dimmed the my long term view quite a bit.

[Sammy Sofa]

I was super bonkers crazy optimistic going in to 2004, both for that season and the future.

 

I was pretty focused on winning the WS that year, at least early on. Then [expletive] started to go really wrong and dimmed the my long term view quite a bit.

 

Yeah, same here. By the end you had the health issues with Wood and Prior seriously rearing their heads and they were my main reasons for the confidence before the season started. I was still pretty confident that they'd be in the mix in 2005. Hell, even after that mess of a season I still had hope because of Lee's monster season and thinking that at least one of Prior or Wood would bounceback and anchor the rotation. 2006 smashed a lot of hopes, but then they bounced back so dramatically for 2007 and 2008. I guess it really wasn't until after 2009 that I was finally like "OK, they're toast for the time being".

[C.C.]

I still have that SI issue of prior and wood holding flaming baseballs. Such a kick-ass cover.

[bukie]

I was super bonkers crazy optimistic going in to 2004, both for that season and the future.

 

I was pretty focused on winning the WS that year, at least early on. Then [expletive] started to go really wrong and dimmed the my long term view quite a bit.

 

Yeah, same here. By the end you had the health issues with Wood and Prior seriously rearing their heads and they were my main reasons for the confidence before the season started. I was still pretty confident that they'd be in the mix in 2005. Hell, even after that mess of a season I still had hope because of Lee's monster season and thinking that at least one of Prior or Wood would bounceback and anchor the rotation. 2006 smashed a lot of hopes, but then they bounced back so dramatically for 2007 and 2008. I guess it really wasn't until after 2009 that I was finally like "OK, they're toast for the time being".

I was pretty optimistic in 2008, because the team was pretty clearly the best team in the NL, which was the first time that had happened in about 25 years (and only the second time in 60 years).

[ScrubMD]

I think 2004 was a different kind of optimistic. That team easily had the most talent of any Cubs team since I've been following them. I thought they were easily the most talented team in the NL. But as we saw, there's a lot that can go wrong when you go all in, hoping everything goes right in a 2-3 year window.

 

Now we have a winning philosophy and should be in a position to compete every year. If we keep with this philosophy, it seems like it's more waiting for the inevitable than hoping people stay healthy and have good seasons in a particular year.

[ScrubMD]

I was super bonkers crazy optimistic going in to 2004, both for that season and the future.

 

I was pretty focused on winning the WS that year, at least early on. Then [expletive] started to go really wrong and dimmed the my long term view quite a bit.

 

Yeah, same here. By the end you had the health issues with Wood and Prior seriously rearing their heads and they were my main reasons for the confidence before the season started. I was still pretty confident that they'd be in the mix in 2005. Hell, even after that mess of a season I still had hope because of Lee's monster season and thinking that at least one of Prior or Wood would bounceback and anchor the rotation. 2006 smashed a lot of hopes, but then they bounced back so dramatically for 2007 and 2008. I guess it really wasn't until after 2009 that I was finally like "OK, they're toast for the time being".

I was pretty optimistic in 2008, because the team was pretty clearly the best team in the NL, which was the first time that had happened in about 25 years (and only the second time in 60 years).

 

Going into the playoffs or going into the season? Because going in to the season 2004 teabagged the [expletive] out of 2008.

[Guest]

Apparently nothing is fundamentally wrong with this site. We just needed something to get excited about. My guess is this place will get a lot busier in the coming year.

I've been going through the member list looking at the people who haven't been here in a long time. The vast majority of people who stuck around long enough to get 1000 posts without being banned have been online in the past few days.

 

As I said in another thread, I think the atmosphere here should turn much more positive. There's more reason for optimism than we've had for a long time.

 

Any sign of Jon?

[Guest]

And why do you weirdos keep talking about 2004?

 

2008 is where it's at.

 

I don't understand how anybody was more optimistic at any point in 2004 than they were when we were on our way to winning 98 games or whatever with the highest run differential in all of MLB and the second most runs scored in majors. We looked like we had a clue as to what offense and OBP meant to one another, too.

 

Oh, and Rich Harden was straight clowning down the stretch (eventually he wore out).

 

I was far more excited in 08 right after the Harden trade, especially after the Brewers series, than I was at any point in 04 (when we were buried behind the Cardinals).

[ScrubMD]

And why do you weirdos keep talking about 2004?

 

2008 is where it's at.

 

I don't understand how anybody was more optimistic at any point in 2004 than they were when we were on our way to winning 98 games or whatever with the highest run differential in all of MLB and the second most runs scored in majors. We looked like we had a clue as to what offense and OBP meant to one another, too.

 

Oh, and Rich Harden was straight clowning down the stretch (eventually he wore out).

 

I was far more excited in 08 right after the Harden trade, especially after the Brewers series, than I was at any point in 04 (when we were buried behind the Cardinals).

 

I was obviously more excited when the 08 team was dominating than when the 04 team was blowing it. But going into the season, 04 was easily the more exciting team. Also after the Nomar trade.

[Guest]

And why do you weirdos keep talking about 2004?

 

2008 is where it's at.

 

I don't understand how anybody was more optimistic at any point in 2004 than they were when we were on our way to winning 98 games or whatever with the highest run differential in all of MLB and the second most runs scored in majors. We looked like we had a clue as to what offense and OBP meant to one another, too.

 

Oh, and Rich Harden was straight clowning down the stretch (eventually he wore out).

 

I was far more excited in 08 right after the Harden trade, especially after the Brewers series, than I was at any point in 04 (when we were buried behind the Cardinals).

 

I was obviously more excited when the 08 team was dominating than when the 04 team was blowing it. But going into the season, 04 was easily the more exciting team. Also after the Nomar trade.

 

 

there was no point in 04 (not even right at the beginning - or right after the nomar trade) that i was more excited than i was in august or so of 08.

[Guest]

Going into 04 our offense still looked MEH at best.

 

We had Dusty preaching no clogging of the bases. We had Michael Barrett (who none of us had a clue was going to be any good - in fact, I was convinced he was terrible) starting at C. Lee didn't have any of us particularly excited, either. And we didn't know that ARam was going to be quite as good as he ended up being.

 

 

I was excited about Patterson coming back, though.

[Guest]

Well, if we're talking most optimistic about the current season, I'd say it around the sixth inning of game six in 2003.

 

If we're talking optimistic about near and long term prospects, 2004 was huge. Not only did we have a really good team on the field, we had a really strong farm combined with young players on the field like Prior, Z, Cruz, etc.

 

2008 was just flat out fun...but I wasn't nearly as optimistic about the future of the team.

[Guest]

Well, if we're talking most optimistic about the current season, I'd say it around the sixth inning of game six in 2003.

 

If we're talking optimistic about near and long term prospects, 2004 was huge. Not only did we have a really good team on the field, we had a really strong farm combined with young players on the field like Prior, Z, Cruz, etc.

 

2008 was just flat out fun...but I wasn't nearly as optimistic about the future of the team.

 

Cruz was already gone in 04. Dusty refused to start him in 03 and then I believe we shipped him off for Andy Pratt or something. As were Choi, Hill, et. al.

[Guest]

Well, if we're talking most optimistic about the current season, I'd say it around the sixth inning of game six in 2003.

 

If we're talking optimistic about near and long term prospects, 2004 was huge. Not only did we have a really good team on the field, we had a really strong farm combined with young players on the field like Prior, Z, Cruz, etc.

 

2008 was just flat out fun...but I wasn't nearly as optimistic about the future of the team.

 

Cruz was already gone in 04. Dusty refused to start him in 03 and then I believe we shipped him off for Andy Pratt or something. As were Choi, Hill, et. al.

You are correct on those guys.

 

But we still had:

 

Guzman

Justin Jones

Ryan Harvey

Sisco

Pie

Brownlie

Blasko

Harris

Kelton

Ryu

Hagerty

 

Now...at this point that list doesn't look very impressive. But at the time it was good for the #7 farm system in the game.

[treebird]

2004: holy god we are going to be very good this year and even better every year after

 

2008: oh man we are amazing this year (and we better win this year)

[Sammy Sofa]

2004: holy god we are going to be very good this year and even better every year after

 

2008: oh man we are amazing this year (and we better win this year)

 

Yeah, 2008 was amazing, but it very much had this underlying "they need to win NOW" vibe. I didn't think they fall off as quick as they did, but I remember thinking that if they were going to be competitive in 2009 it was going to be by winning 85-90 games instead of 90+.

[Guest]

I thought we were gonna be pretty awesome in 09 with Milton, tbh.

[Guest]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/2008.shtml

 

Look at all those 1's by the offensive rankings. =P~ =P~

 

 

.354 team OBP, are you [expletive] kidding me