General Cubs Chit-Chat

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Purely on paper going into the season, who ya got? 2016 Cubs or 2018 Cubs?

 

 

 

looking at 2016 without the ability of hindsight? tough call, but probably 2016 because my expectations for schwarber and heyward were extremely high before they were basically immediately crushed, not to mention fowler being part of the team.

 

but, i like the rotation and bullpen depth much better for the 2018 version of the cubs going in, and the emergence of contreras is basically on par with the production i was expecting from one of schwarber/heyward.

 

ok, maybe 2018. we're winning the world series again this year is what i'm trying to say.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Tied for second behind 2019.

[Sammy Sofa]

looking at 2016 without the ability of hindsight? tough call, but probably 2016 because my expectations for schwarber and heyward were extremely high before they were basically immediately crushed, not to mention fowler being part of the team.

 

Yeah, what makes me pause are my, admittedly, unfair expectations for Schwarber and Heyward going in to 2016, plus the assumption that godmode Jake was going to still be a thing all season.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

looking at 2016 without the ability of hindsight? tough call, but probably 2016 because my expectations for schwarber and heyward were extremely high before they were basically immediately crushed, not to mention fowler being part of the team.

 

Yeah, what makes me pause are my, admittedly, unfair expectations for Schwarber and Heyward going in to 2016, plus the assumption that godmode Jake was going to still be a thing all season.

 

yeah, even soler i still had quite high hopes for. i truly thought that we had 4 likely above average OFs on the roster. this year, i look at the OF group and i'm just kind of like, "yeah, we'll figure out some combination that works."

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It is just absurd that for as good as the 2016 team was projected to be, 2018 is projected one win better in the rotation(when you add Darvish), one win better for position players, and one win better in the bullpen. I don't think anyone should count on 100+ wins as a rule, but I think if that happens it's gonna be apparent pretty quickly. A lot of people have labeled last year's performance as regression to the mean instead of potentially being a WS/injury hangover, and there's a whole lot of potential for a pop-up 5 win season from the likes of Contreras/Russell/Baez.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I just realized this is the 20th anniversary season of the Sammy Sosa/Kerry Wood/Wild Card season.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1998-schedule-scores.shtml

 

This will always be my favorite non-WS winning Cubs team. I was just a little too young to appreciate 1989, so seeing them do the clubhouse celebration when they made the playoffs felt so epic.

 

Those early steroid numbers look so crazy now. Brant freaking Brown put up a .501 SLG in 124 games, or roughly the same as Anthony Rizzo last year. Kevin Tapani almost put up 20 wins and almost put up an ERA over 5 in the same season.

[David]

I just realized this is the 20th anniversary season of the Sammy Sosa/Kerry Wood/Wild Card season.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1998-schedule-scores.shtml

 

This will always be my favorite non-WS winning Cubs team. I was just a little too young to appreciate 1989, so seeing them do the clubhouse celebration when they made the playoffs felt so epic.

 

Those early steroid numbers look so crazy now. Brant freaking Brown put up a .501 SLG in 124 games, or roughly the same as Anthony Rizzo last year. Kevin Tapani almost put up 20 wins and almost put up an ERA over 5 in the same season.

 

also the 10th anniversary of the best cubs team any of us had ever seen until a couple of years ago.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

2004 was better when healthy

[David]

2004 was better when healthy

 

nah

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Now I’m looking at the 2004 team and wondering why they didn’t just get a SS and a real closer, because the current Cubs have taught me that you should just have zero holes on the roster.

[Andy]

I just realized this is the 20th anniversary season of the Sammy Sosa/Kerry Wood/Wild Card season.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1998-schedule-scores.shtml

 

This will always be my favorite non-WS winning Cubs team. I was just a little too young to appreciate 1989, so seeing them do the clubhouse celebration when they made the playoffs felt so epic.

 

Those early steroid numbers look so crazy now. Brant freaking Brown put up a .501 SLG in 124 games, or roughly the same as Anthony Rizzo last year. Kevin Tapani almost put up 20 wins and almost put up an ERA over 5 in the same season.

 

also the 10th anniversary of the best cubs team any of us had ever seen until a couple of years ago.

I adored everything about that team. The 15-16 group (plus some success for a couple of my other teams) have left them in the dust now, but for a long time it was my favorite sports team ever.

[David]

I just realized this is the 20th anniversary season of the Sammy Sosa/Kerry Wood/Wild Card season.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1998-schedule-scores.shtml

 

This will always be my favorite non-WS winning Cubs team. I was just a little too young to appreciate 1989, so seeing them do the clubhouse celebration when they made the playoffs felt so epic.

 

Those early steroid numbers look so crazy now. Brant freaking Brown put up a .501 SLG in 124 games, or roughly the same as Anthony Rizzo last year. Kevin Tapani almost put up 20 wins and almost put up an ERA over 5 in the same season.

 

also the 10th anniversary of the best cubs team any of us had ever seen until a couple of years ago.

I adored everything about that team. The 15-16 group (plus some success for a couple of my other teams) have left them in the dust now, but for a long time it was my favorite sports team ever.

 

same, and early on when we started to get good in 15 I still wasn't sure if the 08 team would ever be eclipsed for me. then the playoffs happened.

[David]

Now I’m looking at the 2004 team and wondering why they didn’t just get a SS and a real closer, because the current Cubs have taught me that you should just have zero holes on the roster.

 

they did get a shortstop you weirdo

 

that's only the single best and most memorable thing about 2004

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Now I’m looking at the 2004 team and wondering why they didn’t just get a SS and a real closer, because the current Cubs have taught me that you should just have zero holes on the roster.

 

they did get a shortstop you weirdo

 

that's only the single best and most memorable thing about 2004

 

Eventually.

[David]

Now I’m looking at the 2004 team and wondering why they didn’t just get a SS and a real closer, because the current Cubs have taught me that you should just have zero holes on the roster.

 

they did get a shortstop you weirdo

 

that's only the single best and most memorable thing about 2004

 

Eventually.

 

god what a dark and shitty couple of years that was

 

trading sammy and throwing him under the bus, replacing him with jeromy horsefeathering burnitz, nomar rips his groin off like an hour into the season, surprise d-lee becomes a superstar, next year d-lee still looking superstarish and smashes his wrist 3 hours into the season (and is never really the same, albeit still v good), all the while we all come to the slow realization that 2003 mark prior is never coming back and kerry wood's career might also be over

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Who was the other prospect we were trying to get from the Yankees that one summer they almost traded Sosa? Soriano and someone else

[David]

Who was the other prospect we were trying to get from the Yankees that one summer they almost traded Sosa? Soriano and someone else

 

nick johnson and d'angelo jimenez?

 

i remember jackson melian's name being bandied about at some point too

[Bobson Dugnutt]

i remember ricky ledee being talked about as well. and lilly, i think?

[David]

i remember ricky ledee being talked about as well. and lilly, i think?

 

yes pretty sure those names came up as well

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

they did get a shortstop you weirdo

 

that's only the single best and most memorable thing about 2004

 

Eventually.

 

god what a dark and horsefeathers couple of years that was

 

trading sammy and throwing him under the bus, replacing him with jeromy horsefeathering burnitz, nomar rips his groin off like an hour into the season, surprise d-lee becomes a superstar, next year d-lee still looking superstarish and smashes his wrist 3 hours into the season (and is never really the same, albeit still v good), all the while we all come to the slow realization that 2003 mark prior is never coming back and kerry wood's career might also be over

 

Ugh, I was at the game when Furcal barreled into Lee's wrist.

[Cubswin11]

Some Monty news in the former part, which seems like the smart move in case of injury and just general conditioning for him but the latter part it appears Joe got in to the sauce early today

 

[Regular Show]

 

Eventually.

 

god what a dark and horsefeathers couple of years that was

 

trading sammy and throwing him under the bus, replacing him with jeromy horsefeathering burnitz, nomar rips his groin off like an hour into the season, surprise d-lee becomes a superstar, next year d-lee still looking superstarish and smashes his wrist 3 hours into the season (and is never really the same, albeit still v good), all the while we all come to the slow realization that 2003 mark prior is never coming back and kerry wood's career might also be over

 

Ugh, I was at the game when Furcal barreled into Lee's wrist.

 

I really wonder how that injury affected his career trajectory? Lee was a complete hitter and finally added power to his game and then that injury happened. That blow really sapped him of power like most wrist injuries tend to do. He never returned to being that same formidable hitter ever again in his Cubs tenure.

 

Derrek Lee will always be one of my favorite Cubs players of all-time. I don't know why we don't use him as a coach in ST or as a special scout or in an advisory role.

[Cubswin11]

Yeah Lee is one of my all-time favorite Cubs, even including the current group of guys. I know his daughter had some sort of condition so maybe that keeps him busy/occupied to spend time with her that he hasn’t gotten in to any role. Or maybe he just is enjoying life, they do show him at Cubs games in the crowd it seems like once or twice a year and I think he’s been to a Cubs convention or two since he retired so maybe he does do some talking to current players here and there.

[We Got The Whole 9]

 

Eventually.

 

god what a dark and horsefeathers couple of years that was

 

trading sammy and throwing him under the bus, replacing him with jeromy horsefeathering burnitz, nomar rips his groin off like an hour into the season, surprise d-lee becomes a superstar, next year d-lee still looking superstarish and smashes his wrist 3 hours into the season (and is never really the same, albeit still v good), all the while we all come to the slow realization that 2003 mark prior is never coming back and kerry wood's career might also be over

 

Ugh, I was at the game when Furcal barreled into Lee's wrist.

The ink had barely dried on his new contract when that occurred. What a heartbreaker. He was off to a hot start too. Looked like he was gonna prove 05 was no fluke.

[David]

who remembers the barrett grand slam vs the cardinals on sunday night baseball from that season