Cubzfan64

Yeah, even when the Cubs had no talent and lost 90+, I would watch every minute of televised Cubs baseball I could. Why, I don't know. I guess I just love the team too much for my own good. I think that's mine and most peoples problem on here. We do love the cubs to much to turn away. When they had no talent and lost 90+, it wasn't as painful to watch. Because of the expectations on how this team should be playing. Yeah, the lean years were easier to stomach. Having so much talent wasted through mismanagement is far more painful. I can't blame it all on management, but you're 100% correct - things were alot easier when I had no expectations going into the season :-(

Ok, I have to say this is one of my favorite quotes of the season so far - sad but true and if nothing else, it made me laugh tonight.

As tough as it is to stomach, this is one of two things I hoped would happen about this time of the 2005 season. I hoped we'd either put it all together and really go on a tear to get into the playoffs on a high note and maybe have a chance, or...... tank to the bottom so Hendry and the organization have no choice but to make some extensive changes next season to their poorly organized team. The one thing that would kill me as a Cubs fan would be to see us limp / back into / slip etc... into the wild card hunt and give the organization just enough leverage to tell the fans that the Cubs are "this" close to being WS winners and not do anything useful in the offseason. As a real fan, I hate that it's going this way, but if we can't get our crap together and go on a run, I'd rather we end like this so maybe 2006 will look different for us all.

You have to believe that Hendry is having some major heartburn problems these days. He may think the world of Dusty Baker, but the heat in the kitchen HAS to be getting hotter and hotter with each day here lately.

Happy? This is the kind of this a guy gets shipped out of town for... You win and lose as a team. Bush league Now Dusty's making excuses for Zambrano (now I know he left on his own). "His back is hurting him." BS!!! Actually, Dusty's apologizing for his players has come back to bite him in the arse. Sometimes players have to be accountable. Well, I'm sure he'll address it after the game. Do you really expect the manager to bust the guy out on TV after he's left the game? I wouldn't... I can see a manager pulling someone out of agame to make a not so silent point but saying Zambrano quit on the team infront of a national audience doesn't make much sense. What should Dusty have done? I think under the circumstances he handled it well. To be honest, ESPN tried to bait Baker by asking that question... Did you notice the ackward silence after Dusty's answer? They were sure if they should challenge him. Thankfully, they left it alone. Agreed!! If Z indeed "quit" on the team and his manager (and I doubt we will ever really know), this is the absolutely perfect example of a situation that gets taken care of "in house" and away from the public.

Not to be cliche, but Z needs to play for the name on the front of the jersey and the guys behind him. So what if he doesn't like Dusty. This is just another in the long line of immature moves by Carlos. another in the long line? what has he done this year since opening day that was "immature?" nothing. this is just showing your hate for zambrano because you're a card fan. at least it seems that way to me. I don't think the poster said anything about "this year" as you suggested - this is indeed a long line of immature moves by Carlos and I can't believe the number of you who are apologizing for this only because you hate Baker and want him gone so badly. Heck some of you are even happy he did it and encouraged by it - no baseball fan would ever think that way about one of the members of his team - NO MATTER WHAT THE REASON! Frustration is one thing - "taking your ball and going home because things don't go your way" is something I did last when I was about 6 years old - and I think I got in trouble for that at the time too!

There's an awful lot of you here apologizing for Carlos - I don't care what Baker does or what kind of defense is played behind a guy, you simply don't quit on your team like that and you take some personal pride in your own performance. Carlos is a child in a man's body and I don't care if he pitches for the best manager and best pitching coach, if he doesn't grow up, he'll never be the pitcher he could be. If I were his teammates and he walked out on me, I'd rip him a new one as soon as possible!! If he was disgusted and pissed off, he should have gone into the clubhouse, screamed at the top of his lungs, tossed around a few chairs and then come back out. If he really did quit on the team, that's worse than a little league play!

Personally I wouldn't pay $0.01 to go to any Cubs games this year - I wouldn't help fund them for anything.

Well, this should prove to be interesting then eh? If Zambrano really did just decide he was done for the night, I don't care if it's Martha Stewart managing the team, NO PLAYER CAN ACT THAT WAY AND GET AWAY WITH IT - NO MATTER HOW FRUSTRATED HE IS! That said - maybe Carlos believes that if Hendry isn't going to get rid of Dusty Baker, then he can pull a "Farnsworth" or "Sosa" and get himself shipped off next season so he can play for a REAL team.

Giles is "capable" of it - Manny will DO it (barring an injury that is). I'm tired of pinning my hopes on guys who have potential - give me some guys who produce.

I don't doubt Vlad is a better bargain at 14 mil per season, but for "clarification's" sake, if Vlad were put on waivers (which he won't be), I would take him before I would take Manny - but then again, that's not what my question was. *sigh*

3 weeks of good play does not make up for a career of suckiness. Oh please - I didn't say he was a great player or anything, but his career has been far from "sucky."

My god, when to the game on thr I'm going to give a big cheer to Dusty. For real, how does this guy have a job? I use to think a managers role in a teams performance was overrated... Dusty has changed that opinion. How can Walker not be starting 2b? How can Burnitz not be in center? If I were a cubs fan i'd be calling for henery's head to - having Macias and Perez on the team is just silly. I hope i'm not sounding like a troll but I really think henery is an overrated GM. The team he's built (that includes dusty) is broken - it's time to clean house. whew. Perez serves a purpose - but it's as late inning defense, spot starting or pinch hitting. Macias imho serves no purpose that a minor leaguer couldn't handle.

Look, I don't like this lineup much either.... but keep it civil. This is a family board, and there's just no reason to make remarks like that. WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE - I'd like to see a mod at the very least delete that absolutely disgusting post.

would you say "to heck with his big contract" and grab him if you were in charge of the Cubs? Nobody is worth that kind of money, but the closest 2 players to being worth it are Manny and Pujols. If we could dump enough contracts in the offseason I would do it. *keep in mind, I'm saying all this because I'm utterly sick and tired of losing season after season and want the organization to REALLY make a run at winning something for a change* - there's alot of frustration in my head right now :-(

*sigh* And what amazes me is that a team like the Red Sox can put together a lineup with Grafannino at 2B, Petagine at 1B, Cora at 3B, Mirabelli at C and Kapler in CF and they still go out and score 11 runs (that's sitting their regular catcher, 3B and CF). Our offense is really crummy at times.

Payton has been a huge spark for Oakland just as they started to make their amazing run. Funny too how Payton would likely have been the starting RF for the rest of the season after Trot Nixon got hurt had he stayed in Boston. I actually like Jay Payton alot and wish the Cubs had taken a chance with him - he's certainly making a point that he can indeed be an everyday player.

If that's the case Vance (and I'm not so sure you aren't right), it would be a real slap in the face to Cub fans everywhere. We've (the fans) been given a taste of what it would be like to be a playoff team the past few seasons and it would be disgraceful to fall back now. The ONLY excuse I would allow for us not improving the ballclub seriously for 2006 is that we're going to see how some of our youngsters do and get rid of some contracts at the end of 2006 in order to make a big push for 2007+, but no team will ever actually state that's what they are doing. The 2 things I've been most disappointed in with the last 2 seasons are both tied together: 1. Ownership not properly addressing the glaring need for this team to have better offensive balance - speed & OBP + power hitters - we just have too many of the same kind of hitters - it makes it too easy on the opposing pitcher to approach each hitter the same way. 2. The entire offensive philosophy of not making the opposing pitcher work for the outs - we swing at far too many pitcher's pitches and don't make them work. There's so many deficiencies in this team that it's maddening to even try to address them all.

As others here have said, it's a combination of many many factors: 1. Relying on several players who ended up with key injuries (Wood, Prior and Nomar) 2. Underachievement by a number of players 3. Very poor plate discipline offensively - fault goes to players, coaches AND management philosophy. 4. Not a particularly well designed offensive team - very little done in offseason to address offensive problems from 2004. 5. Nothing done to address the closer role which is needed on a playoff caliber team these days. 6. Poor management on a number of occassions by Baker The list just goes on and on this season. Baker is an easy person to point the finger at, but imho an equal or even more so finger needs to be pointed at the players who aren't getting the job done. Dusty Baker isn't the one up to bat with runners at 3B and less than 2 outs - he has a say on who's batting in those situations, but a major league hitter has to find ways to drive in that run when the other team is playing back to GIVE you that run. Personally I wish the whole offensive strategy of "swinging away" at everything and anything which has been condoned for far too long in this organization would be replaced. I sincerely hope that the guys coming up in the minor leagues for this team are being taught a different offensive approach at the plate. There are a lot of holes to fill in this big league team for 2006 - with a free agent list that isn't impressive, this will be a big test of how well Hendry can actually make trades. It's unfortunate that we've had such a lousy season because the value of many of our guys will not be as high as one would like when you're going into an offseason where the quality of trades has to be good.

I almost get the feeling that if he would get traded to some team he didn't want to play for that he'd just retire from baseball. The guy's had an attitude and a chip on his shoulder ever since he came up with the Brewers.

I don't know if he's referring to himself as "the leader" of the team, but I know who which two guys I would pitch around if the game were on the line: Matsui & A Rod - in that order

I don't think Damon would be a great use of money for the amount he is going to demand either, but you know.... I'm sick and tired of waiting.... I just want to see us field a fricking championship team for once!! Cub fans have waited far too long imho and the ownership owes it to us to do whatever it takes to win - if that means taking on some hefty contracts and losing money for a few years, I could care less - they've been making a heck of a lot of money off the fans and the team for many many years! I don't know what else to say - I'm just sick to death of year after year of losing!!

I think they tried that last year. It backfired miserably. Which top free agents did they go out and sign??? Traded for Derrek Lee, signed LaTroy Hawkins, signed Greg Maddux That's a huge upgrade for a team that was 5 outs from the WS the prior year. Ahh ok - I suppose it's in the definition of "top free agents" then because I wouldn't have considered Hawkins or Maddux in that category. When I say big time free agents, I mean grabbing Manny Ramirez if he is put on waivers again..... signing Johnny Damon as a free agent next year...... finding a big time closer via trade and/or picking up another good starter. To hell with the budget for a few years - REALLY make a run at winning something for a change. I realize that will never happen as long as the Cubs are run as a business (probably forever) and the fans keep filling up the stadium to see mediocre teams play. All I'm saying is I would like to see that happen someday in my lifetime.

I think they tried that last year. It backfired miserably. Which top free agents did they go out and sign???

*sigh* This just ain't gettin it done :-(. I'm not terribly surprised by anything anymore (well except for how we lost yesterday), but I AM continually disappointed. When I was 18 I used to chuckle after I told someone I was a Cubs fan and they told me I'd never see them win a WS in my lifetime. I turned 42 a few days ago..... I'm getting way too close to being halfway there to suit me!!! I'd love to see the organization take one series of years and say "to hell with the budget, let's just go out there and sign 2-3 top free agent players and spend a couple years REALLY going for it!!!"