Offseason Rumors

[SouthSideRyan]

Kyle, you suck.

 

Chicago Cubs ‏@Cubs 35m

Big news! @BillyJoel returns to perform at Wrigley Field July 18, 2014. Tickets go on sale to the public via @LiveNationIL Jan. 25.

 

Sesmic? Is Billy Joel putting on weight again?

 

No, he's just gonna crash his car through the LF wall and the bleachers are gonna crumble

 

Was Lance Briggs not available?

[jersey cubs fan]

Kyle, you suck.

 

Chicago Cubs ‏@Cubs 35m

Big news! @BillyJoel returns to perform at Wrigley Field July 18, 2014. Tickets go on sale to the public via @LiveNationIL Jan. 25.

 

Sesmic? Is Billy Joel putting on weight again?

 

No, he's just gonna crash his car through the LF wall and the bleachers are gonna crumble

 

Seems like they should wait until a Cardinals series for that stunt.

[KingCubsFan]

The latest from Brett on a potentially "seismic" event:

 

The world, and technology, changes rapidly. Does anyone want to bet their financial future on the current cable fee, territorial restriction-driven environment that has allowed baseball TV contracts to grow so rapidly being around in six years? That it will look and function the same way? Sure, it’s possible that rights fees will be worth even more at that time, but a few billion birds in hand are worth more than 10 billion exceptionally skittish birds in the bush.

 

Thankfully, I am hearing whispers that this is, indeed, what the Cubs are hoping to accomplish, and may be on track to locking in a long-term deal soon, with a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. Don’t get too excited just yet. Whispers are only whispers for a reason.

 

http://www.bleachernation.com/2014/01/16/is-the-cubs-window-to-cash-in-on-a-mega-tv-deal-closing/

[rocket]

EDIT: kingcubsfan beat me to the punch

 

i'd say with near certainty this is the big rumor abty, kyle, and david are hiding

[abohnhoff]

Brett seems like a nice guy, and has a decent blog...but does he have any legitimate sources? It seems most of the time he is "hearing whispers" after others have reported various rumors. Does he hear those whispers after reading ABTY's tweets?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Brett seems like a nice guy, and has a decent blog...but does he have any legitimate sources? It seems most of the time he is "hearing whispers" after others have reported various rumors. Does he hear those whispers after reading ABTY's tweets?

 

I think he's had some independent sources in the past, but not extremely deep and always insisting he report on background.

[Guest]

I bet Brett and Sharma are the people he passed it on to.

[Guest]

Yeah, Brett will never be confused as a guy who leans on sources like the other names you see floated regularly, but he does know some people and it wouldn't be the first time he teased some rumor-y stuff.

[Guest]

Damn...looks like Brett doesn't take DMs on Twitter. I was hoping to ask him where he heard what he heard and if he had heard anything else, nawmean?

 

I'd PM him here but he's like never logged on.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

EDIT: kingcubsfan beat me to the punch

 

i'd say with near certainty this is the big rumor abty, kyle, and david are hiding

 

 

There's a ton of smoke all blowing in the same direction at this point. As always with the Cubs, getting things actually done and final and official is never as easy or fast as we'd like.

[Brett]

I hope folks don't go too nuts on the whispers (yes, plural). I went only as far as I could - I don't want to pretend to know more than I do, or have heard more than I have. I have heard some encouraging things, but nothing solid enough to say, "This is a thing that is happening."

 

Mostly I just wanted to call attention to the issue, and the hope that this is how the Cubs are focusing their attentions (which I believe they are). Wish I could offer more.

[Guest]

I hope folks don't go too nuts on the whispers (yes, plural). I went only as far as I could - I don't want to pretend to know more than I do, or have heard more than I have. I have heard some encouraging things, but nothing solid enough to say, "This is a thing that is happening."

 

Mostly I just wanted to call attention to the issue, and the hope that this is how the Cubs are focusing their attentions (which I believe they are). Wish I could offer more.

 

Well didn't you just make me look stupid.

 

 

Thanks for that, though. It's definitely encouraging.

[Boris]

Why can't we have an open dialogue? Spill the beans.

[Brett]

I hope folks don't go too nuts on the whispers (yes, plural). I went only as far as I could - I don't want to pretend to know more than I do, or have heard more than I have. I have heard some encouraging things, but nothing solid enough to say, "This is a thing that is happening."

 

Mostly I just wanted to call attention to the issue, and the hope that this is how the Cubs are focusing their attentions (which I believe they are). Wish I could offer more.

 

Well didn't you just make me look stupid.

 

 

Thanks for that, though. It's definitely encouraging.

 

Haha. Nah. I lurk from time to time, and wanted to try and answer you as best I could.

[Guest]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

[SABR Gamer]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

 

The "secret" has been said like 10 times now.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

 

Here was the timeline:

Ty said he had news

I tweeted something about anxiousness at him

Ty tweeted back that he'd DM me before he posted it, but he was waiting on a second source

Ty DM'd me

I assumed that meant he was going to post it soon, so I went ahead and posted something to let people know that this would be worth paying attention to, because I thought it would be up that night.

Ty got cold feet when he couldn't find a second source to confirm and tweeted that he regretted putting it out there.

 

So now I'm stuck between wanting to share something cool and wanting to respect the guy who told me something he didn't have to tell me.

 

At this point, it shouldn't be hard to figure out what it was pertaining to.

[Brett]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

 

I can't speak for others, but usually when I know something I can't get into specifics on, I don't say anything at all. In this case, I think within the context of a 1200 word article, what I wrote in that line was both appropriate and useful.

 

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see that there was an entire parallel conversation going on over the past few days. My bust.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Brett

[Guest]

it was obvious what it was about right when he said it wasn't about a player. i'm just saying the whole thing is stupid. "hey i heard this cool thing but all i can tell you is that i can't tell you. oops i shouldn't have even said that."

[Guest]

You in town yet, Brett?

[Guest]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

 

I can't speak for others, but usually when I know something I can't get into specifics on, I don't say anything at all. In this case, I think within the context of a 1200 word article, what I wrote in that line was both appropriate and useful.

 

i was talking about abty more than you.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's a long offseason. News should be released this way more often, makes things at least a little more interesting.

[Brett]

You in town yet, Brett?

 

Arriving tonight. Speaking purely as a fan, I'm not expecting some earth-shattering announcement at the Convention. I still enjoy the panel discussions, though - at least when folks ask meaningful questions.

[Guest]

i just don't get why people tell everyone that they know something if they know they aren't going to tell. if you're afraid to say what it is, then just don't mention it.

 

I can't speak for others, but usually when I know something I can't get into specifics on, I don't say anything at all. In this case, I think within the context of a 1200 word article, what I wrote in that line was both appropriate and useful.

 

i was talking about abty more than you.

 

I think he wanted to be all reporter-y and break a story and then got cold feet.

[Guest]

You in town yet, Brett?

 

Arriving tonight. Speaking purely as a fan, I'm not expecting some earth-shattering announcement at the Convention. I still enjoy the panel discussions, though - at least when folks ask meaningful questions.

 

Nice. Looking forward to the blogging/Tweeting from the convention. Seriously... thanks for what you do.

 

Your site has become one of that rotation of 5 or 6 that I re-open like 20x a day.