Random Cubs Musings

[rawaction]

are dumb baseball fans the dumbest fans of any professional sport?

 

if you took the IQs of the people who identify themselves as fans of each of the three major sports, i think baseball fans would easily come out on top

 

football is oh my god bad. i wish i could find a place that talks football as intelligently as this place talks baseball.

 

dumb baseball fans are as bad as any of them but i bet baseball overall has a lot more nerds who like numbers and stuff

 

 

This. I would say baseball is the worst overall as a group, but as for which sport is the worst when it comes to "Who could be the dumbest about a team/player/etc?", it's football. I know some really really REALLY dumb football fans.

 

 

For example: I'm going to win $100 in a few months because a friend bet me that Tampa will win 11 or more this year because he thinks Lovie Smith is a top 5-10 coach of ALL TIME.

 

Lombardi

Halas

Madden

Walsh

Lovie Smith

[Splendid Splinter]

are dumb baseball fans the dumbest fans of any professional sport?

 

if you took the IQs of the people who identify themselves as fans of each of the three major sports, i think baseball fans would easily come out on top

 

football is oh my god bad. i wish i could find a place that talks football as intelligently as this place talks baseball.

 

dumb baseball fans are as bad as any of them but i bet baseball overall has a lot more nerds who like numbers and stuff

 

 

This. I would say baseball is the worst overall as a group, but as for which sport is the worst when it comes to "Who could be the dumbest about a team/player/etc?", it's football. I know some really really REALLY dumb football fans.

 

 

For example: I'm going to win $100 in a few months because a friend bet me that Tampa will win 11 or more this year because he thinks Lovie Smith is a top 5-10 coach of ALL TIME.

 

Lombardi

Halas

Madden

Walsh

Lovie Smith

 

 

I wish it was something like that. I asked him who he had ahead of Lovie and the first name he mentioned was Cowher. I just LOL'd as I walked away.

[Cubswin11]

You should probably make more bets with this friend

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I want to be friends with your friend. I could use some extra cash.

[Warpticon]

Yeah, football is clearly the meatballiest major sport. People have really strong opinions about things they don't come close to understanding. I'd estimate that maybe 5% of football fans have a meaningful knowledge of how secondary play is supposed to work, but you won't find many without an opinion on it. Edited August 13, 2014 by Warpticon

[Splendid Splinter]

You should probably make more bets with this friend

 

 

I want to be friends with your friend. I could use some extra cash.

 

 

We do one bet (a case of beer for him or a handle of Captain for me) before each baseball season on which league will win the WS this year. I have the AL this year. That's usually the only bet we do each year because he RARELY wants to bet on anything, but the last time we hung out, I got him all fired up because I was talking about how horrible Lovie is as a coach so he got pissed off and made that bet.

 

What's really frustrating about him is he knows his [expletive] about baseball and other sports, but he likes to talk about football the most.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I suddenly want the Bucs to win 11 quite badly

[Guest]

Tampa winning 11 = feasible

 

 

Lovie being a top 5-10 coach of all time? not so much

[jersey cubs fan]

but the last time we hung out, I got him all fired up because I was talking about how horrible Lovie is as a coach so he got pissed off and made that bet.

 

Lovie isn't a horrible coach.

[UMFan83]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

[SouthSideRyan]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

 

Reasonable is a pretty wide net.

[Fro]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

 

Personally I'd wait another year but I don't have the info that Theo/Jed have. I'd like to have him pitching for us in 2018-2020, but it all depends on what the cost is. We could save some money potentially by signing an extension now but that depends on Arrieta staying healthy and continuing to pitch well.

[Soul]

Yeah, football is clearly the meatballiest major sport.

 

More comedy at a Bears game than any other Chicago team.

 

People will shout things so ridiculous you just can't help but shake your head.

 

I love football but can't deny this one. Media guys don't make it better, either.

[Guest]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

 

They have him for 3 more years, after which he'll be 32 the following opening day. No need.

[Guest]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

He's been an injury prone pitcher with inconsistent results throughout his career. He's having his first extended stretch of success. We have a fair bit of control remaining.

 

I'd let it ride unless "reasonable" was "too good to refuse"

[treebird]

he can have that tim wakefield contract that is basically endless team options for no money if he wants

[UMFan83]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

He's been an injury prone pitcher with inconsistent results throughout his career. He's having his first extended stretch of success. We have a fair bit of control remaining.

 

I'd let it ride unless "reasonable" was "too good to refuse"

 

The issue is that Boras is his client. What Jake/Boras is saying is "reasonable" might not be reasonable to the Cubs. At the same time, if we let him ride out his control, we will probably never pay him beyond that if he pitches like he's pitching now.

 

I'd give it one more year and if he's pitching at even 90% of the level he is now, then lock him up.

[Guest]

So according to Wittmeyer Arrieta is open to a "reasonable" extension. Do we need to see more, or do we lock him up as soon as we can?

He's been an injury prone pitcher with inconsistent results throughout his career. He's having his first extended stretch of success. We have a fair bit of control remaining.

 

I'd let it ride unless "reasonable" was "too good to refuse"

 

The issue is that Boras is his client. What Jake/Boras is saying is "reasonable" might not be reasonable to the Cubs. At the same time, if we let him ride out his control, we will probably never pay him beyond that if he pitches like he's pitching now.

 

I'd give it one more year and if he's pitching at even 90% of the level he is now, then lock him up.

As TT mentioned, we control him through age 31 already. I have no real desire to extend him beyond that before absolutely necessary.

 

Avoid contracts with pitchers if at all possible.

 

(but let's give out at least one this winter)

[Brian]

No way I'd lock up a pre-free agency pitcher (at the service time of an Arietta, I could see locking up someone at the point Shark is at).

[Splendid Splinter]

but the last time we hung out, I got him all fired up because I was talking about how horrible Lovie is as a coach so he got pissed off and made that bet.

 

Lovie isn't a horrible coach.

 

 

I know he isn't. I actually like Lovie, but dude didn't give a [expletive] about his offense so he was NEVER going to get the Bears over the hump. This was the next time I saw him after he told me the whole "Lovie is a top 5-10 coach of all time". He just kept talking about how awesome Lovie was as a coach, how Tampa is on the same level as Denver/Seahawks this year and Bears will end up regret that they fired him. It was getting annoying so I had to bash on Lovie just to piss him off. He's also one of those guys who believe that Tebow should be a starting QB right now because he's a "winner".

 

 

As far as Arrieta goes, I think there's no need to extend him right now.

[jersey cubs fan]

but the last time we hung out, I got him all fired up because I was talking about how horrible Lovie is as a coach so he got pissed off and made that bet.

 

Lovie isn't a horrible coach.

 

 

I know he isn't. I actually like Lovie, but dude didn't give a [expletive] about his offense so he was NEVER going to get the Bears over the hump.

 

He coached them into the super bowl so I'm not sure what hump he could never get them over.

[Elrhino]

Yeah, football is clearly the meatballiest major sport.

 

 

I love football but can't deny this one. Media guys don't make it better, either.

 

Football media are the worst, especially when they're waxing poetic about quarterbacks and their mystical clutch "he's just got 'it'" factor. Somehow the magical clutch fairy sprinkled "it" pixie-dust on Eli Manning in the middle of the night, and then immediately stripped it away from him the following year about 3 seperate times in his career.

 

And in no way should you ever dare suggest luck or variance has anything to do with the outcome of a football game. Football is one place in the universe where all outcomes are determined by pure meritocracy (likely based on "who wanted it more"). Of course, this has absolutely no correlation to the fact that 90% of media commentators on football are ex-meathead players who have previously won Superbowls.

[WrigleyField 22]

but the last time we hung out, I got him all fired up because I was talking about how horrible Lovie is as a coach so he got pissed off and made that bet.

 

Lovie isn't a horrible coach.

 

 

I know he isn't. I actually like Lovie, but dude didn't give a [expletive] about his offense so he was NEVER going to get the Bears over the hump.

 

He coached them into the super bowl so I'm not sure what hump he could never get them over.

Well winning, obviously. But I don't think a lot of people had faith that he could create a D like that team again which is what was needed based on his offensive results he was able to put forward. Remains to be seen if Trestman is just the opposite problem, to be fair though.

[Warpticon]

Yeah, football is clearly the meatballiest major sport.

 

 

I love football but can't deny this one. Media guys don't make it better, either.

 

Football media are the worst, especially when they're waxing poetic about quarterbacks and their mystical clutch "he's just got 'it'" factor. Somehow the magical clutch fairy sprinkled "it" pixie-dust on Eli Manning in the middle of the night, and then immediately stripped it away from him the following year about 3 seperate times in his career.

 

And in no way should you ever dare suggest luck or variance has anything to do with the outcome of a football game. Football is one place in the universe where all outcomes are determined by pure meritocracy (likely based on "who wanted it more"). Of course, this has absolutely no correlation to the fact that 90% of media commentators on football are ex-meathead players who have previously won Superbowls.

 

It also doesn't help that football strategy is actually really complicated and most positions on the field are actually hard to measure, so you have stuff like judging the quality of a cornerback who plays 900 snaps a season on whether he gets 3 or 5 interceptions with little regard for the other 895-897 plays, like they didn't matter. Basically, football is too advanced for the people who like it.

[Elrhino]

Yeah, football is clearly the meatballiest major sport.

 

 

I love football but can't deny this one. Media guys don't make it better, either.

 

Football media are the worst, especially when they're waxing poetic about quarterbacks and their mystical clutch "he's just got 'it'" factor. Somehow the magical clutch fairy sprinkled "it" pixie-dust on Eli Manning in the middle of the night, and then immediately stripped it away from him the following year about 3 seperate times in his career.

 

And in no way should you ever dare suggest luck or variance has anything to do with the outcome of a football game. Football is one place in the universe where all outcomes are determined by pure meritocracy (likely based on "who wanted it more"). Of course, this has absolutely no correlation to the fact that 90% of media commentators on football are ex-meathead players who have previously won Superbowls.

 

It also doesn't help that football strategy is actually really complicated and most positions on the field are actually hard to measure, so you have stuff like judging the quality of a cornerback who plays 900 snaps a season on whether he gets 3 or 5 interceptions with little regard for the other 895-897 plays, like they didn't matter. Basically, football is too advanced for the people who like it.

 

All sports have their share of wtf popularity contest nominations when it comes to their All Star games, but the OL nominations for the Pro Bowl are often epic hilarity. I remember a washed up Larry Allen getting nominated to the Pro Bowl in a season where he was repeatedly benched.