Brett's take on Cubs finances

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

"I didn't use the word 'rebuilding' and I wouldn't. That's a buzzword in baseball that leads people down the wrong path." - Theo Epstein, Oct. 25, 2011

[Guest]

The collective doom boner around here just gets the better of me at times.

 

It is intellectually dishonest to talk about a collective doom boner on here. I would argue it is aggressively ignorant to talk about it actually. This isn't a group of fans following a good team and unable to enjoy it. This isn't a good team just going through a brief period of struggles. There isn't an unjustified level of fear about the team doing poorly despite evidence pointing toward success.

 

This is a [expletive] awful baseball team that has been awful for several years and an ownership/management group that has done nothing to make it better.

 

This isn't a farm system competition. This isn't a league that hands out trophies based on rankings of prospects. The only thing that matters is wins and losses by the major league team and this major league team loses far too often to pretend these are good times.

 

Only a truly idiotic person would accuse a Cubs fan of being unfairly critical of what the organization has done.

 

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

Some people are fans of the Cubs and baseball to watch and be entertained by the Major League team. I'm not sure why it's so hard to understand why these people would be very unhappy with the last few years.

 

I take some enjoyment out of the progress of the process and the minor leaguers kicking ass, but there's no question that the last 4-5 years have been miserable to go through.

[Elwood]

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

"I didn't use the word 'rebuilding' and I wouldn't. That's a buzzword in baseball that leads people down the wrong path." - Theo Epstein, Oct. 25, 2011

 

And you believed this?

[Guest]

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

"I didn't use the word 'rebuilding' and I wouldn't. That's a buzzword in baseball that leads people down the wrong path." - Theo Epstein, Oct. 25, 2011

 

And you believed this?

 

Why shouldn't he have? Along with the dual fronts talk?

 

Is there some reason we shouldn't, at the time Theo was hired, have expected a major market team with one of the highest payrolls in the game to at least attempt to field a decent major league team at the same time as they overhauled the minors?

 

 

I'm a huge fan of Theo and love our prospects but this extremist "this is the only and right way to build a winner" [expletive] needs to stop. This is happening because the team's financial situation is far worse than any of us imagined (and, to a much lesser extent, the new CBA).

[jersey cubs fan]

rooting for a process is dumb

 

 

or a lie people tell themselves, which is just as dumb

[Guest]

rooting for a process is dumb

 

 

or a lie people tell themselves, which is just as dumb

 

I totally get the aspect of it that Theo talked about at some point...that following these guys from day one and then seeing them come together to achieve big league success is going to be really awesome. Like, picturing Javy coming up to the plate in an NLCS game at Wrigley or something after following his minor league career and everything...that's gonna be really cool. I get that, and I've bought into that fully because there is no other way for me to glean any happiness or enjoyment from being a Cubs fan right now.

 

But watching the big team lose in the meanwhile is not fun in any [expletive] way.

Edited March 20, 2014 by David

[Elwood]

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

"I didn't use the word 'rebuilding' and I wouldn't. That's a buzzword in baseball that leads people down the wrong path." - Theo Epstein, Oct. 25, 2011

 

And you believed this?

 

Why shouldn't he have? Along with the dual fronts talk?

 

Is there some reason we shouldn't, at the time Theo was hired, have expected a major market team with one of the highest payrolls in the game to at least attempt to field a decent major league team at the same time as they overhauled the minors?

 

 

I'm a huge fan of Theo and love our prospects but this extremist "this is the only and right way to build a winner" [expletive] needs to stop. This is happening because the team's financial situation is far worse than any of us imagined (and, to a much lesser extent, the new CBA).

 

Because he obviously wasn't going to say "The fans should probably just checkout for the next couple of years because it's going to be a rough ride."

 

I'm not saying it's the only way, but it's the path that was chosen and it's looking very promising.

 

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

[Guest]

 

Because he obviously wasn't going to say "The fans should probably just checkout for the next couple of years because it's going to be a rough ride."

 

I'm not saying it's the only way, but it's the path that was chosen and it's looking very promising.

 

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

But he went out of his way in his prepared speech to talk about dual fronts and that every season is sacred and that major league seasons can't be taken lightly. Why even broach that at all if this is how he intended to attack this at the time?

[Elwood]

rooting for a process is dumb

 

 

or a lie people tell themselves, which is just as dumb

 

Well said.

[jersey cubs fan]

rooting for a process is dumb

 

 

or a lie people tell themselves, which is just as dumb

 

I totally get the aspect of it that Theo talked about at some point...that following these guys from day one and then seeing them come together to achieve big league success is going to be really awesome. Like, picturing Javy coming up to the plate in an NLCS game at Wrigley or something after following his minor league career and everything...that's gonna be really cool. I get that.

 

But watching the big team lose in the meanwhile is not fun in any [expletive] way.

 

It will be fun when Javy does something in the NLCS, and slightly more enjoyable because he will have been a Cub since the day he was drafted. But mostly that will be enjoyable because it will be a Cub succeeding in the NLCS. And that still does not in any way reflect rooting for the process itself.

[jersey cubs fan]

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

If it takes 5 years of consistently losing in order to get to a point where you can consistently win, then you aren't consistently winning.

[Guest]

Once it became apparent that the club was tackling a full rebuild, wins and losses became the things that mattered least to me. Why would I give a flying [expletive] about the difference between finishing third in the division or fifth? One would have to be "aggressively ignorant" to live and die with every game during a rebuild.

 

Instead, I root for the process, and there's a lot to be happy about.

 

"I didn't use the word 'rebuilding' and I wouldn't. That's a buzzword in baseball that leads people down the wrong path." - Theo Epstein, Oct. 25, 2011

 

The process means nothing in and of itself. It is a means to an end.

[Guest]

rooting for a process is dumb

 

 

or a lie people tell themselves, which is just as dumb

 

I totally get the aspect of it that Theo talked about at some point...that following these guys from day one and then seeing them come together to achieve big league success is going to be really awesome. Like, picturing Javy coming up to the plate in an NLCS game at Wrigley or something after following his minor league career and everything...that's gonna be really cool. I get that.

 

But watching the big team lose in the meanwhile is not fun in any [expletive] way.

 

It will be fun when Javy does something in the NLCS, and slightly more enjoyable because he will have been a Cub since the day he was drafted. But mostly that will be enjoyable because it will be a Cub succeeding in the NLCS. And that still does not in any way reflect rooting for the process itself.

 

Ok. That's your opinion. I have fun watching Javy clown his way up the ranks. You're right about the rest of that.

[Elwood]

 

Because he obviously wasn't going to say "The fans should probably just checkout for the next couple of years because it's going to be a rough ride."

 

I'm not saying it's the only way, but it's the path that was chosen and it's looking very promising.

 

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

But he went out of his way in his prepared speech to talk about dual fronts and that every season is sacred and that major league seasons can't be taken lightly. Why even broach that at all if this is how he intended to attack this at the time?

 

Warm and fuzzy feelings? Bedtime stories?

 

I don't know.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Elwood

[jersey cubs fan]

Ok. That's your opinion. I have fun watching Javy clown his way up the ranks. You're right about the rest of that.

 

You have fun watching a professional baseball player in the Cubs organization have success. That is not enjoying the process. It would be just as fun watching Javy develop if the Cubs were 81-81 in each of the last three years.

[Guest]

Ok. That's your opinion. I have fun watching Javy clown his way up the ranks. You're right about the rest of that.

 

You have fun watching a professional baseball player in the Cubs organization have success. That is not enjoying the process. It would be just as fun watching Javy develop if the Cubs were 81-81 in each of the last three years.

 

Absolutely.

[Elwood]

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

If it takes 5 years of consistently losing in order to get to a point where you can consistently win, then you aren't consistently winning.

 

http://i.imgur.com/J7BMq.gif

[jersey cubs fan]

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

If it takes 5 years of consistently losing in order to get to a point where you can consistently win, then you aren't consistently winning.

 

http://i.imgur.com/J7BMq.gif

 

Yes, please leave. Or at least stop lying about enjoying a process that somehow requires year after year of losing in order to increase the likelihood of someday winning consistently.

[NOLA]

If they're not consistently making the playoffs beginning in the next two to three seasons, then I'll be upset.

 

If it takes 5 years of consistently losing in order to get to a point where you can consistently win, then you aren't consistently winning.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/06/article-1318093-0B803914000005DC-954_306x423.jpg

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Guys, we can't try to win now, because if we fail it could set us back and we'd have multiple years of losing cleaning up the mess.

 

Safer to just lose for multiple years now and not take the risk of having to lose multiple years.

[davell]

Good God. Rehashing this, especially after the way Brett laid everything out is just [expletive] stupid. They had a decision to make extremely early in the Ricketts reign and chose long term over short term. As any fairly intelligent business owner would. Dual fronts? Give me a [expletive] break. Do you think when Theo said that he figured the renovations wouldn't be starting extremely soon? Much less, thinking they wouldnt be starting by now.

[Guest]

Good God. Rehashing this, especially after the way Brett laid everything out is just [expletive] stupid. They had a decision to make extremely early in the Ricketts reign and chose long term over short term. As any fairly intelligent business owner would. Dual fronts? Give me a [expletive] break. Do you think when Theo said that he figured the renovations wouldn't be starting extremely soon? Much less, thinking they wouldnt be starting by now.

 

The point is that the process isn't enjoyable, and that it's not the "right" way to do things like so many people want to paint this as.

 

It's a product of shitty circumstances.

[jersey cubs fan]

Good God. Rehashing this, especially after the way Brett laid everything out is just [expletive] stupid. They had a decision to make extremely early in the Ricketts reign and chose long term over short term. As any fairly intelligent business owner would. Dual fronts? Give me a [expletive] break. Do you think when Theo said that he figured the renovations wouldn't be starting extremely soon? Much less, thinking they wouldnt be starting by now.

 

Oh yes, by all means. Brett wrote a long article that revealed very little, if any new information and therefore we must praise the decision to lose as much as possible for many years.

 

Makes sense.

[Guest]

Good God. Rehashing this, especially after the way Brett laid everything out is just [expletive] stupid. They had a decision to make extremely early in the Ricketts reign and chose long term over short term. As any fairly intelligent business owner would. Dual fronts? Give me a [expletive] break. Do you think when Theo said that he figured the renovations wouldn't be starting extremely soon? Much less, thinking they wouldnt be starting by now.

Why do people insist on inventing false choices? This isn't a game of Sophie's choice. They've intentionally decided not to try when they very well could have done both.

[davell]

Good God. Rehashing this, especially after the way Brett laid everything out is just [expletive] stupid. They had a decision to make extremely early in the Ricketts reign and chose long term over short term. As any fairly intelligent business owner would. Dual fronts? Give me a [expletive] break. Do you think when Theo said that he figured the renovations wouldn't be starting extremely soon? Much less, thinking they wouldnt be starting by now.

 

Oh yes, by all means. Brett wrote a long article that revealed very little, if any new information and therefore we must praise the decision to lose as much as possible for many years.

 

Makes sense.

No one(I don't think) is praising losing. But it is what it is, I don't see the point of whining about an extra 10 wins in our current situation.