Random Cubs Musings

[SouthSideRyan]

How long do you expect the joy of a championship to last?

 

Well, it's been four years since "Nobody knows where the puck is ... it's in the back of the net!" and it still feels pretty darn good.

 

I mean yeah it's a great memory and was awesome. How did the last 10 years of Bill Wortz's life feel?

[jersey cubs fan]

if you watched the 2008 season and came away thinking it sucked because they didn't win, i don't understand how you even continue to follow baseball.

It was mostly fun during the season because you thought they had a chance to win. Because it was the best Cubs team in decades. If you knew they wouldn't win off the bat it wouldn't have been fun.

 

It was fun because they were winning, a lot.

[SouthSideRyan]

if you watched the 2008 season and came away thinking it sucked because they didn't win, i don't understand how you even continue to follow baseball.

It was mostly fun during the season because you thought they had a chance to win. Because it was the best Cubs team in decades. If you knew they wouldn't win off the bat it wouldn't have been fun.

 

Ok, but that's not how it works

[jersey cubs fan]

How long do you expect the joy of a championship to last?

 

Well, it's been four years since "Nobody knows where the puck is ... it's in the back of the net!" and it still feels pretty darn good.

 

It would feel a lot less good if it wasn't for last year.

[Guest]

I hope the Cubs become the baseball version of the Blackhawks soon with this awesome young roster and crazy fun crowds and stuff

 

Especially since I [expletive] hate hockey and can't even get interested in it if I try.

[NOLA]

If you can endure 1984 and 2003, you can handle waiting as long as there's promise. When the Cubs compete again (soon) all of us will go ape [expletive] all over again. Being a Saints and a Cubs fan growing up was pretty rough year after year until the Payton/Brees era. I still wouldn't trade that title in 2010 for anything, as I feel like Bears fans felt in 1985. Disappointment is a part of sports, but it makes it that much sweeter when it does happen.

[ConstableRabbit]

if you watched the 2008 season and came away thinking it sucked because they didn't win, i don't understand how you even continue to follow baseball.

It was mostly fun during the season because you thought they had a chance to win. Because it was the best Cubs team in decades. If you knew they wouldn't win off the bat it wouldn't have been fun.

 

Ok, but that's not how it works

Well wasn't that the hypothetical?

[Ryne Ween]

No. Hypothetical was: with the benefit of hindsight would you agree that a plan that requires historically bad baseball for nearly a decade and results in a WS is a good plan.

[ConstableRabbit]

No. Hypothetical was: with the benefit of hindsight would you agree that a plan that requires historically bad baseball for nearly a decade and results in a WS is a good plan.

Sorry, I was reacting to davell's statement:

I personally don't give a [expletive] if they win 10 games TOTAL over the next 9 years if I know year 10 is a World Series winner.

[Ryne Ween]

Double

[SouthSideRyan]

Selfishly, it'd also be a little nice if the Cubs weren't [expletive] terrible for the time of my life when I have disposable income and no responsibilities

[Guest]

Selfishly, it'd also be a little nice if the Cubs weren't [expletive] terrible for the time of my life when I have disposable income and no responsibilities

 

That's how I feel but at the same time I don't really see wanting that period to end any time soon.

[SouthSideRyan]

Ain't no woman gonna tie David down

[Guest]

I do what I want.

[Post Count Padder]

The Cubs have outrighted reliever Alberto Cabrera to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). The 25-year-old righty was designated on Saturday.

[Guest]

For the record, I really wanted to post that hilariously awkward picture of that one poster with the stripper from like 10 years ago in response to SSR but I couldn't find it

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Slightly less game-thready thoughts on the opening series.

 

I am so sick of talking about close losses and RISP variance and all that jazz. I want so badly to win the next two with Wood and Samardzija at home against the stupid Phillies, just so we can enjoy a brief moment in the over .500 sun.

 

We're still pretty much in the same spot with Olt: The batting eye is amazing. The power is legit, his swing creates some nice loft that's going that is going to send a lot of fly balls to the outfield. If we're lucky, like today, a good percentage of them will end up over the fence. But his swing-and-miss is Brettjacksonian, and could still prevent him from being a useful MLB player.

 

Junior Lake has all of Olt's whiffiness without the loft to create consistent power and also with stupid TOOTBLANs. If he isn't an elite defensive outfielder (and by tools he might be), I don't see an MLB future for him.

 

I remain a heavy James Russell skeptic, but the rest of the pen gave us a glimpse of what we hope can happen with our pile of interesting, youngish hard throwers. Veras will be fine for what he is, a slightly-above-average reliever who happens to be closing.

 

Outside of a couple of PAs today against Wandy (a mediocre lefty), Castro has picked up right where he left off last year, looking completely lost when trying to select which pitches to swing at and which not to. Not drawing any long-term conclusions, of course, he might look locked in tomorrow and stay hot for a month.

 

Hammel looks like the perfect Bosio special: Solid stuff, throws strikes but needs help keeping the ball down just a bit more often.

[davell]

Slightly less game-thready thoughts on the opening series.

 

I am so sick of talking about close losses and RISP variance and all that jazz. I want so badly to win the next two with Wood and Samardzija at home against the stupid Phillies, just so we can enjoy a brief moment in the over .500 sun.

 

We're still pretty much in the same spot with Olt: The batting eye is amazing. The power is legit, his swing creates some nice loft that's going that is going to send a lot of fly balls to the outfield. If we're lucky, like today, a good percentage of them will end up over the fence. But his swing-and-miss is Brettjacksonian, and could still prevent him from being a useful MLB player.

 

Junior Lake has all of Olt's whiffiness without the loft to create consistent power and also with stupid TOOTBLANs. If he isn't an elite defensive outfielder (and by tools he might be), I don't see an MLB future for him.

 

I remain a heavy James Russell skeptic, but the rest of the pen gave us a glimpse of what we hope can happen with our pile of interesting, youngish hard throwers. Veras will be fine for what he is, a slightly-above-average reliever who happens to be closing.

 

Outside of a couple of PAs today against Wandy (a mediocre lefty), Castro has picked up right where he left off last year, looking completely lost when trying to select which pitches to swing at and which not to. Not drawing any long-term conclusions, of course, he might look locked in tomorrow and stay hot for a month.

 

Hammel looks like the perfect Bosio special: Solid stuff, throws strikes but needs help keeping the ball down just a bit more often.

 

Damn, I agree with every bit of that.

[J.R.]

But to me you sound like a sox fan talking about 2005 and I simply dont believe that it still feels good.

Nine years in and that Sox run still pisses me off.

 

The glow of a single title would last a lifetime, though I would (as others have said) start thinking about the next one as soon as the new season begins.

[Guest]

http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-photos-wrigley-field-opening-day-20140403/

[neely crenshaw]

Castro will be fine, at least offensively. People can down play spring training all they want but there is a reason they do it. It's a lot about timing. Yes, he can get his reps in but they aren't game reps. They talk about the important part of late spring training is getting timing down on major league off speed pitches. You don't see it early because pitchers are working on other things. Castro did not really see any big league stuff until game 1.

Today was better, give him a week and then hopefully he'll be in gear. I can't think of many players who miss the end of spring training our even the first couple weeks of the season and come out stroking.

Heck most guys take until the end of april to heat up even with a full spring training.

[Clem Fandango]

http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-photos-wrigley-field-opening-day-20140403/

 

Love those old photos on the brick

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Castro 2-for-17

Rizzo 2-for-17

Olt 1-for-8

 

Baseball is the worst.

[Andy]

Castro 2-for-17

Rizzo 2-for-17

Olt 1-for-8

 

Baseball is the worst.

Yeah, but just wait until our top-10 pick in the 2016 draft gets to the big leagues sometime late in 2018

[Guest]

Castro 2-for-17

Rizzo 2-for-17

Olt 1-for-8

 

Baseball is the worst.

 

imagine if bryant and baez have bad years.