General Cubs Chit-Chat

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm cool with it because I'm gonna live forever.

 

They give that access to super drugs that all the presidents have to everyone in DC?

 

[UMFan83]

 

True, plus if we believe the addition of toe tapping to Heyward's swing was a big part of his struggles this year, they are probably looking at a more productive Heyward at the plate this year.

 

I didn't even read/hear about the toe tapping thing. Is that a legit reason to why he struggled?

We know they were trying to do things with his front leg/foot load all year. Whether you want to believe that was the only reason or one of the reasons is pretty hard to nail down. Maybe it's just that, maybe it's a combination of that, the wrist injury, timing being off, hand placement, etc.

 

We don't know for sure, but I think the internet sleuths that looked into his swing with the toe tapping mentioned that his bat looked a bit wild/out of control as it went through zone (I THINK this was the conclusion) which was forcing a lot of weak contact. Apparently the toe tapping completely disappeared after his 4 day break in Colorado. There was an initial struggle, but the last 2-3 weeks of the season he started driving balls a lot more consistently so the hope is that he's re-adjusted to his old swing and is ready to kill it in the playoffs.

 

I'm no expert, but it seems like as plausible an explanation as any for Heyward randomly dropping off a cliff offensively at age 26 with an OPS that was 70 points below his 2nd worst season and 160 points worse than last season.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'm anxious as horsefeathers.

 

Do I watch game 1 at the Cubs bar here in Denver - awesome atmosphere (Wyman's) or alone in my house with my lonely anxiety?

 

I had to watch Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS in public and after that, I insist on watching every playoff game at home. I can act like the craziest game thread poster the whole game without fear of embarrassing myself.

[Cubswin11]

 

I didn't even read/hear about the toe tapping thing. Is that a legit reason to why he struggled?

We know they were trying to do things with his front leg/foot load all year. Whether you want to believe that was the only reason or one of the reasons is pretty hard to nail down. Maybe it's just that, maybe it's a combination of that, the wrist injury, timing being off, hand placement, etc.

 

We don't know for sure, but I think the internet sleuths that looked into his swing with the toe tapping mentioned that his bat looked a bit wild/out of control as it went through zone (I THINK this was the conclusion) which was forcing a lot of weak contact. Apparently the toe tapping completely disappeared after his 4 day break in Colorado. There was an initial struggle, but the last 2-3 weeks of the season he started driving balls a lot more consistently so the hope is that he's re-adjusted to his old swing and is ready to kill it in the playoffs.

 

I'm no expert, but it seems like as plausible an explanation as any for Heyward randomly dropping off a cliff offensively at age 26 with an OPS that was 70 points below his 2nd worst season and 160 points worse than last season.

Oh I agree, if we are going with messing with his swing was the sole reason for throwing him off it likely started with the toe tap/leg load they were working on and then it had a fallout effect on the rest of his swing and timing.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm anxious as horsefeathers.

 

Do I watch game 1 at the Cubs bar here in Denver - awesome atmosphere (Wyman's) or alone in my house with my lonely anxiety?

 

I had to watch Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS in public

 

where were you, the 6th grade dance?

[BigSlick]

It's a crapshoot but every round we're going to be reasonably-to-excellently favored so you take it one round at a time, and we'll be like something like 65% favored in our first match up so its whatever

 

Its like if you're playing X-Com and you get that 70% shot, be confident with it

[jersey cubs fan]

I watched final game of 2008 playoffs in a series of bars that were closer and closer to my house and left immediately upon the final strike.

 

 

2003 I was at home, with my girlfriend, and her little sister + friends. So me plus 5 girls between 23-27 years old. When the final out was recorded I went outside for a run in the rain. It was not a good look. 2015 I attended a game, and watched some from bars and some from home. It was all good. I was finally an adult about it.

[badger]

I was definitely not an adult about 2003. I broke some (def replaceable) things.

[Rex Buckingham]

Trying to decide if I need to make plans to go find a place to watch the games or not...

 

Can I watch postseason games on MLB.tv with a valid subscriber login even if I live in the blackout area? If so, will it only be for the games listed here? Trying to decide if it is worth it or not to buy and/or if I need to make plans to watch elsewhere as I do not have the proper tier of cable and don't want to hassle with subscribing for a month and then unsubscribing.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/#game-grid

[UMFan83]

It's a crapshoot but every round we're going to be reasonably-to-excellently favored so you take it one round at a time, and we'll be like something like 65% favored in our first match up so its whatever

 

Its like if you're playing X-Com and you get that 70% shot, be confident with it

 

Yeah I just think the difficult part to deal with is the fact that you could be a team as good as the Cubs and by plain bad luck and randomness you can get swept or otherwise lose in the first round

 

In the NBA, the top seed is probably a 90% favorite to win in the 1st round (at least in the east) and a heavy favorite in the 2nd round. If you are a team like the Cavs or Warriors, losing in the 1st two rounds is a huge upset.

 

In the NFL, the teams are closer matched, but a) The best teams get a bye and its only 2 wins to the championship round and b) home field advantage is bigger than in baseball so it tilts things in the better team's favor

 

In the NHL, the 1st round discrepancy isn't as big as the NBA and there are more frequently 1 seeds losing, but its still an very uncommon occurrence.

 

If you watch a baseball team play almost everyday for 6 months and watch them beat down teams to constantly reaffirm their status as the best team, it seems somewhat unfair that they are only a 55-60% favorite to get past the first round.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Trying to decide if I need to make plans to go find a place to watch the games or not...

 

Can I watch postseason games on MLB.tv with a valid subscriber login even if I live in the blackout area? If so, will it only be for the games listed here? Trying to decide if it is worth it or not to buy and/or if I need to make plans to watch elsewhere as I do not have the proper tier of cable and don't want to hassle with subscribing for a month and then unsubscribing.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/#game-grid

 

 

My understanding is that you need a cable login to watch MLB.tv postseason streams. In other words, think of that $10 as a charge to stream to a browser/iOS device instead of access to the stream itself. Since FoxSportsGo and TBS online are actual things, it's a pretty pointless $10 to spend.

 

Long story short, you need a cable login or a streaming package like SlingTV or Vue that gives you access to FoxSports 1/TBS. Without them you won't be able to (legally) stream playoff games.

[UMFan83]

I watched final game of 2008 playoffs in a series of bars that were closer and closer to my house and left immediately upon the final strike.

 

 

2003 I was at home, with my girlfriend, and her little sister + friends. So me plus 5 girls between 23-27 years old. When the final out was recorded I went outside for a run in the rain. It was not a good look. 2015 I attended a game, and watched some from bars and some from home. It was all good. I was finally an adult about it.

 

Hah, that's similar to my experience in 2008. Started at Murphy's, went to Redmond's for some reason, then ended up at Justin's on Southport followed by watching Soriano strike out on a pitch in the dirt from my living room.

 

2003 I had to work that day for the start of the game, left work when it was 2-0, heard a very grainy Pat Hughes call the wild pitch that scored a run to make it 3-0 (was living in NH at the time, could amazingly get WGN radio on clear nights), watched the 8th inning from my living room and then jumped back into my car for a quiet drive to help me come to grips with what happened. Can't remember where I was for game 7, I think I was just watching at home.

[David]

It's a crapshoot but every round we're going to be reasonably-to-excellently favored so you take it one round at a time, and we'll be like something like 65% favored in our first match up so its whatever

 

Its like if you're playing X-Com and you get that 70% shot, be confident with it

 

Yeah I just think the difficult part to deal with is the fact that you could be a team as good as the Cubs and by plain bad luck and randomness you can get swept or otherwise lose in the first round

 

In the NBA, the top seed is probably a 90% favorite to win in the 1st round (at least in the east) and a heavy favorite in the 2nd round. If you are a team like the Cavs or Warriors, losing in the 1st two rounds is a huge upset.

In the NFL, the teams are closer matched, but a) The best teams get a bye and its only 2 wins to the championship round and b) home field advantage is bigger than in baseball so it tilts things in the better team's favor

 

In the NHL, the 1st round discrepancy isn't as big as the NBA and there are more frequently 1 seeds losing, but its still an very uncommon occurrence.

 

If you watch a baseball team play almost everyday for 6 months and watch them beat down teams to constantly reaffirm their status as the best team, it seems somewhat unfair that they are only a 55-60% favorite to get past the first round.

 

Well, division winners get a "bye" too in a sense and it still results in only 2 rounds to the championship round. I can't speak to how much of a factor home field is in either sport. I guess in football you have the crowd factor, but baseball actually has an advantage built into the rules.

 

The NHL and NBA comparisons are pretty far off given the fact that there are twice as many teams in the playoffs.

[David]

I watched final game of 2008 playoffs in a series of bars that were closer and closer to my house and left immediately upon the final strike.

 

 

2003 I was at home, with my girlfriend, and her little sister + friends. So me plus 5 girls between 23-27 years old. When the final out was recorded I went outside for a run in the rain. It was not a good look. 2015 I attended a game, and watched some from bars and some from home. It was all good. I was finally an adult about it.

 

Hah, that's similar to my experience in 2008. Started at Murphy's, went to Redmond's for some reason, then ended up at Justin's on Southport followed by watching Soriano strike out on a pitch in the dirt from my living room.

 

2003 I had to work that day for the start of the game, left work when it was 2-0, heard a very grainy Pat Hughes call the wild pitch that scored a run to make it 3-0 (was living in NH at the time, could amazingly get WGN radio on clear nights), watched the 8th inning from my living room and then jumped back into my car for a quiet drive to help me come to grips with what happened. Can't remember where I was for game 7, I think I was just watching at home.

 

Pretty sure I watched 08 game 3 while pregaming at my friend's condo and then went to English afterward. I had already kinda been resigned to losing that series by that night.

 

2003 was watching at home. Even got to the point that I was pulling up tickets for the Yankees and was mapquesting the drive to New York.

[badger]

p cool carving.

 

[BigSlick]

I would ritually sacrifice a small animal to give Jake good ju-ju for 3 weeks

[We Got The Whole 9]

I straight up wept like a widow after the 8th inning debacle of 03 G6. I mean, Mike monkey business Mordecai... come on.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I would ritually sacrifice a small animal to give Jake good ju-ju for 3 weeks

 

That got me thinking. How much would one pay for the Cubs to win the World Series?

 

I'd be down for $5,000, and it's not like I make a ton of money.

[David]

I would ritually sacrifice a small animal to give Jake good ju-ju for 3 weeks

 

That got me thinking. How much would one pay for the Cubs to win the World Series?

 

I'd be down for $5,000, and it's not like I make a ton of money.

 

If you're going to go down this road, might as well bet the opponent each round and try to benefit from inflated odds on the Cubs if they lose.

 

Don't say I said to do that because that's a lame way to fan.

[UMFan83]

I would ritually sacrifice a small animal to give Jake good ju-ju for 3 weeks

 

That got me thinking. How much would one pay for the Cubs to win the World Series?

 

I'd be down for $5,000, and it's not like I make a ton of money.

 

I wouldn't pay a dollar. Part of the joy of rooting for a team that wins a title is not knowing if your team will prevail until they actually do.

[Sammy Sofa]

If you had a button you could push right now that would guarantee the Cubs sweep their way to winning the WS this year, but it would also ensure that we must endure President Trump for at least 4 years, WOULD YOU PUSH IT?

 

[SouthSideRyan]

Can we stop with the loser talk in here.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

If you had a button you could push right now that would guarantee the Cubs sweep their way to winning the WS this year, but it would also ensure that we must endure President Trump for at least 4 years, WOULD YOU PUSH IT?

 

 

That is an amazing, amazing question.

 

Good God, I'd push it.

[jersey cubs fan]

If you had a button you could push right now that would guarantee the Cubs sweep their way to winning the WS this year, but it would also ensure that we must endure President Trump for at least 4 years, WOULD YOU PUSH IT?

 

 

they'd win 2 more without dealing with him so no, I would not.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Can we stop with the loser talk in here.

 

My bad.

 

Let's kick some ass starting Friday.