Random Cubs Musings

[KingCubsFan]

One, I don't give a flying [expletive] if we had won 73-80 games in either 2012 or 2013. Two, we're unfortunately not owned by the Guggenheim Group, therefore buying ourselves out of this [expletive] wasn't a real option. Three, we're 0 for my lifetime. If it takes a couple of [expletive] seasons, where we basically tank, to get better players for future, I don't give a [expletive]. One championship. That's what I want. If it takes sucking to do it, I don't [expletive] care.

 

Three offseasons, a mid-level payroll. If that's not enough to get Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer past an 80-win cap, then are they really all that good?

They had to shave quite a bit of payroll to get to that mid-level payroll figure. It's not as if they've had a ton of money to spend.

[Sammy Sofa]

60 minutes sports is going to be doing a piece on the Ricketts family

 

 

Danny Ecker ‏@DannyEcker 9m

The @60minSports piece on the Ricketts family and the Cubs will run tomorrow night at 8pm CT on Showtime.

 

They lured them into the studios with a 2 day-old plate of sandwiches.

[SouthSideRyan]

60 minutes sports is going to be doing a piece on the Ricketts family

 

 

Danny Ecker ‏@DannyEcker 9m

The @60minSports piece on the Ricketts family and the Cubs will run tomorrow night at 8pm CT on Showtime.

 

They lured them into the studios with a 2 day-old plate of sandwiches.

 

Then Tom stuffed the plate into Laura's purse.

[Sammy Sofa]

60 minutes sports is going to be doing a piece on the Ricketts family

 

 

Danny Ecker ‏@DannyEcker 9m

The @60minSports piece on the Ricketts family and the Cubs will run tomorrow night at 8pm CT on Showtime.

 

They lured them into the studios with a 2 day-old plate of sandwiches.

 

Then Tom stuffed the plate into Laura's purse.

 

Only because he doesn't have any pockets on that barrel with suspenders that he's always wearing.

[davell]

One, I don't give a flying [expletive] if we had won 73-80 games in either 2012 or 2013. Two, we're unfortunately not owned by the Guggenheim Group, therefore buying ourselves out of this [expletive] wasn't a real option. Three, we're 0 for my lifetime. If it takes a couple of [expletive] seasons, where we basically tank, to get better players for future, I don't give a [expletive]. One championship. That's what I want. If it takes sucking to do it, I don't [expletive] care.

 

Three offseasons, a mid-level payroll. If that's not enough to get Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer past an 80-win cap, then are they really all that good?

 

I think it's an honest question, but I think it's fairly intricate to try and answer. Our payroll would basically lend itself to adding two fairly large contracts. If you picked the exact right two, are we a playoff team? My honest guess is no and I know it WOULD increase the odds, but I still think the odds were against it. Then you weigh the two supposed players that were signed versus whatever age they were when signed, versus now.(impossible obviously) versus whatever 2nd rounder(s) it may have cost us AND the difference of going from Bryant at 2 to wherever a slightly improved win total would have picked and from 4 this year to wherever.

 

I agree with the way they've gone if they didn't have the capability to just spend themselves into contention. And if it were possible, I truly wish there was an alternate universe that we could have watched the opposite way play out and we could compare the exact state of the two different paths. Because I do believe this is the one that would have wound up better for us.

[Guest]

One, I don't give a flying [expletive] if we had won 73-80 games in either 2012 or 2013. Two, we're unfortunately not owned by the Guggenheim Group, therefore buying ourselves out of this [expletive] wasn't a real option. Three, we're 0 for my lifetime. If it takes a couple of [expletive] seasons, where we basically tank, to get better players for future, I don't give a [expletive]. One championship. That's what I want. If it takes sucking to do it, I don't [expletive] care.

 

Three offseasons, a mid-level payroll. If that's not enough to get Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer past an 80-win cap, then are they really all that good?

 

I think it's an honest question, but I think it's fairly intricate to try and answer. Our payroll would basically lend itself to adding two fairly large contracts. If you picked the exact right two, are we a playoff team? My honest guess is no and I know it WOULD increase the odds, but I still think the odds were against it. Then you weigh the two supposed players that were signed versus whatever age they were when signed, versus now.(impossible obviously) versus whatever 2nd rounder(s) it may have cost us AND the difference of going from Bryant at 2 to wherever a slightly improved win total would have picked and from 4 this year to wherever.

 

I agree with the way they've gone if they didn't have the capability to just spend themselves into contention. And if it were possible, I truly wish there was an alternate universe that we could have watched the opposite way play out and we could compare the exact state of the two different paths. Because I do believe this is the one that would have wound up better for us.

 

Will it wind up better for the 10 years following whenever this window of contention starts and the money starts pouring in and whatever? Sure...probably.

 

Will it be better for those 10 years + the years preceeding whenever that window starts...Not so sure.

[Guest]

I just want them to get good so we can move on to other things to argue about.

 

They've got what they've wanted, let's hope these phenoms pan out for once.

[d_money]

60 minutes sports is going to be doing a piece on the Ricketts family

 

 

Danny Ecker ‏@DannyEcker 9m

The @60minSports piece on the Ricketts family and the Cubs will run tomorrow night at 8pm CT on Showtime.

 

They lured them into the studios with a 2 day-old plate of sandwiches.

 

Then Tom stuffed the plate into Laura's purse.

Tom's the one with the purse, Laura has the wallet

[Sammy Sofa]

Tom's the one with the purse, Laura has the wallet

 

http://replygif.net/i/523.gif

[jumbo]

One, I don't give a flying [expletive] if we had won 73-80 games in either 2012 or 2013. Two, we're unfortunately not owned by the Guggenheim Group, therefore buying ourselves out of this [expletive] wasn't a real option. Three, we're 0 for my lifetime. If it takes a couple of [expletive] seasons, where we basically tank, to get better players for future, I don't give a [expletive]. One championship. That's what I want. If it takes sucking to do it, I don't [expletive] care.

 

Three offseasons, a mid-level payroll. If that's not enough to get Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer past an 80-win cap, then are they really all that good?

 

I think it's an honest question, but I think it's fairly intricate to try and answer. Our payroll would basically lend itself to adding two fairly large contracts. If you picked the exact right two, are we a playoff team? My honest guess is no and I know it WOULD increase the odds, but I still think the odds were against it. Then you weigh the two supposed players that were signed versus whatever age they were when signed, versus now.(impossible obviously) versus whatever 2nd rounder(s) it may have cost us AND the difference of going from Bryant at 2 to wherever a slightly improved win total would have picked and from 4 this year to wherever.

 

I agree with the way they've gone if they didn't have the capability to just spend themselves into contention. And if it were possible, I truly wish there was an alternate universe that we could have watched the opposite way play out and we could compare the exact state of the two different paths. Because I do believe this is the one that would have wound up better for us.

 

I think a lot of people take issue with the "dual fronts" promise and "every season is sacred" comment. Now the team just sucks, so what the hell was all that?

My belief is that when the CBA fallout made it impossible to follow the Boston model the dual fronts promise fell apart. Epstein had previously collected potential free agents that would have helped the big league team and then also added draft picks when they let them go as type A/B free agents. It was as much a volume game by Boston to get 5 picks in the first two rounds instead of 2 and thus more of an impact on the system/team.

[neely crenshaw]

For me it's difficult to watch them seemingly cut the payroll and not be able to spend to get players but then pay huge amounts of money to have Soriano and Zambrano play for someone else.

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

I also know we need pitching prospects, and they may work out, or may have value as trade chips but it's still frustrating to act poor on one hand, and spend big money to get rid of players on the other.

 

I still have faith in the FO and think that we are heading the right way, that we will get there and stay there. There is no reason we should not be a contender every year, like the Cardinals, without having to spend like the Yankees.

The kids are close, and you can see so many upgrades to the way the organization does things, that it helps but it's still pretty tough to head into opening day knowing you don't have a chance to compete.

[dcvalpo]

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

 

Serious help from Soriano?

[Guest]

For me it's difficult to watch them seemingly cut the payroll and not be able to spend to get players but then pay huge amounts of money to have Soriano and Zambrano play for someone else.

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

I also know we need pitching prospects, and they may work out, or may have value as trade chips but it's still frustrating to act poor on one hand, and spend big money to get rid of players on the other.

 

I still have faith in the FO and think that we are heading the right way, that we will get there and stay there. There is no reason we should not be a contender every year, like the Cardinals, without having to spend like the Yankees.

The kids are close, and you can see so many upgrades to the way the organization does things, that it helps but it's still pretty tough to head into opening day knowing you don't have a chance to compete.

 

They're not "spending big money to get rid of players"

 

Those are sunk costs.

[neely crenshaw]

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

 

Serious help from Soriano?

 

No, from the 17.7 mil we are paying Soriano to play for someone else.

[Guest]

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

 

Serious help from Soriano?

 

No, from the 17.7 mil we are paying Soriano to play for someone else.

 

So you're insinuating that we could have gotten a team to take on his entire salary? That we essentially paid that money to get Corey Black?

[dcvalpo]

I know we got a lower level-high upside prospect from the Yankees, but at 17 mil a year we're paying Soriano, we could have gotten some serious help for this season.

 

Serious help from Soriano?

 

No, from the 17.7 mil we are paying Soriano to play for someone else.

 

Somebody had to pay Soriano that cash. You really think we could just dump him, contract and all, on another team and then have 17 mil to play with?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

They made a game attempt at dual fronts in the offseason of 2012-13. It's just been bookended by turds.

[davell]

Theo made that comment when he first got to Chicago. If he had any inkling that the renovations wouldn't be any further along now as they were then, do you think he says that? Hell [expletive] no.

 

Kind of tough to do the dual fronts thing when you don't have any money.

[jersey cubs fan]

Theo made that comment when he first got to Chicago. If he had any inkling that the renovations wouldn't be any further along now as they were then, do you think he says that? Hell [expletive] no.

 

Kind of tough to do the dual fronts thing when you don't have any money.

 

Wasn't he quoted saying he knew at the time it wasn't realistic but just couldn't justify telling the fan base it's going to take years of not trying?

[davell]

Theo made that comment when he first got to Chicago. If he had any inkling that the renovations wouldn't be any further along now as they were then, do you think he says that? Hell [expletive] no.

 

Kind of tough to do the dual fronts thing when you don't have any money.

 

Wasn't he quoted saying he knew at the time it wasn't realistic but just couldn't justify telling the fan base it's going to take years of not trying?

 

Is that true? If so, I don't remember any quote like that. I know rather recently he said the "dual fronts" quote was a mistake and he had underestimated Chicago politics.

[Guest]

Theo made that comment when he first got to Chicago. If he had any inkling that the renovations wouldn't be any further along now as they were then, do you think he says that? Hell [expletive] no.

 

Kind of tough to do the dual fronts thing when you don't have any money.

 

Wasn't he quoted saying he knew at the time it wasn't realistic but just couldn't justify telling the fan base it's going to take years of not trying?

 

Is that true? If so, I don't remember any quote like that. I know rather recently he said the "dual fronts" quote was a mistake and he had underestimated Chicago politics.

 

Not just Chicago politics, but I think he didn't realize how much their gaming of the existing CBA was going to be eliminated. Not just the overslots...the extra picks too.

[neely crenshaw]

First, I understand full well why we are paying the salary. If we pay the entire salary we assuredly get more value in return. No one knows how much someone might have paid of his salary because we weren't in the negotiations. I understand with the no trade clause it narrows our options.

I am simply saying that watching us pay Soriano's salary to play for someone is frustrating when we then play "poor" for this season.

I know we are trying to maximize our assets and build our farm system, and I can see how that is working. The thread was leaning to the "dual fronts" complaints, and although I get what they are doing, when it comes to 2014, and our lack of money, it's frustrating to watch.

[jersey cubs fan]

Mark Gonzales ‏@MDGonzales 1m

Arrieta says he'll make 1st rehab start saturday for Tennessee at Pensacola

[Guest]

60 Minutes Sports ‏@60minSports 2m

PREVIEW @Cubs primary owner Tom Ricketts addresses delayed renovations to iconic Wrigley Field & more at 9p

#MLB

[Sammy Sofa]

60 Minutes Sports ‏@60minSports 2m

PREVIEW @Cubs primary owner Tom Ricketts addresses delayed renovations to iconic Wrigley Field & more at 9p

#MLB