bukie

I really can't stand Guillen's attitude towards the Cubs, or any other team for that matter (see: choking motion in Cleveland). I also wonder whether his "smartball" costs the Sox more than it benefits them, considering how many HRs they truly did hit this year. Running themselves into outs doesn't score extra runs. They do seem to be the master of the "productive out", though I have no factual information to support that position.

Again, when did it become mandatory for Cub fans to hate the Sox? Who wrote that..., besides you? See: first page, original poster, 4th post (i.e. J.R.'s sig), 13th post (that you replied to, actually, in agreement). Seems to me that most of the White Sox-obsessed posters are the haters that start threads like these. Which I think is juvenile and petty. One might ask then, why reply to it in support of the Sox? Well, just to make a point that there is another stance available, and it's not as silly as it sounds.

Yeah, I'm mostly trying to see if there is any such thing as a true "RBI man". Sheer # of RBIs has very little to do with ability, as where you are in the lineup and how many opportunities you get have more to do with that number. I know for the most part that BA with RISP varies year-to-year and most often is reflected in a player's overall effectiveness. I would assume RBIs per opportunity would vary in a similar way.

Was Burnitz really that good defensively though? And note Lee's limited defensive numbers using that system. I'll have to read up on the numbers to see where they come from. On the whole they seem solid, but there are some weird outliers (although, it could be just because of my perception of their abilities than anything else).

I understand the limited usefulness of the RBI stat in itself. What I am wondering is if there was ever a stat created that measured a sort of RBI percentage. Something that measured RBI compared to total RBI chances, even weighted pending the base each runner was at. Anyone heard of such a stat existing somewhere in the SABR universe?

Again, when did it become mandatory for Cub fans to hate the Sox? That's a very ignorant and childish approach, really.

Boo hoo! Those big bad bullies will make fun of me! It's a good thing you have met and been harassed by so many Sox fans out in State College, PA. I deal with Sox fans constantly, on a daily basis. For those who decide to trash talk, I refuse to sink to their level. For the many good fans that deserve a championship team just like many Cub fans, I hope they get it. If the only reason people are rooting against the Sox is that a few immature fans might make fun of you for being a Cub fan, think for a second about how silly that sounds. If you really dislike the team because of some fabricated "rivalry" based on the fact that the Cubs only interact with them 6 times a year, you're hating for the exact same reason many of us think it's ridiculous that the Sox fans hate the Cubs. Pot-kettle situation. As for me, I dislike Guillen's attitude, but I think he's handled the pitching staff spectacularly this year, and that's why the Sox are where they are today. Not because of "smallball", not even because of "smartball", but because their pitching staff carried them here. Even though I can't stand Buehrle's attitude when he loses ("they were stealing signs from center field!"). I don't see why it's viewed as a crime to root for both teams to succeed. Even in New York, it's stupid. The only time I root against the Sox is when the Cubs play them. Which is almost never, then.

Actually, I'd just as soon take the high road, and not act like the fan base I despise. Would be nice to see the city win a championship, even if it is the Sox. I never consider the Sox a rival but for 6 practically meaningless interleague games. To be honest, I'm embarrassed by the attitudes of some of the posters here towards the Sox. It's really become a pot-kettle situation.

I'm back doing playoff game threads, this time having nothing to do with the Cards (was 4-0 for Cards playoff game threads last year...). Classic pitching matchup here tonight. Worth tuning in just for that.

Houston/Florida goes 9-9, the Cubs will have to go 16-2. You say toast I say yep Well, if the Cubs did go 16-2, there's a solid chance Houston goes at best 9-9... ...of course, Florida or Philly will win the wildcard in that case.

1 game from mediocrity. Maddux needs to win to keep his 15-win streak alive. Baker continues to boggle the mind with his choice of substitutions and unnecessary double switches. I do suppose a .340 hitter is the first guy you want to get out of that game though. Can't have the other team getting a book on him.

2 games from average again. I can understand Dusty's dilemma of balancing being competitive now with getting the future ready for next year. Of course, what Dusty doesn't understand is the players from both scenarios are the same.

The road to mediocrity continues. Hopefully with the use of players who can help the Cubs in the future.

I am less worried about Houston hitting 91 wins than I am one of 4 NL East teams getting to 90+ wins playing mostly against each other. Hoping each team plays .500 ball and all teams beat each other up equally (aside from the Braves) isn't out of the realm of possibility, but the likelihood that one team simply plays better than the others is high. The statistical average wins of the NL Wild Card team is 89.4 wins according to Baseball Prospectus (in their 1-million season simulation), so I felt that 91 is a bare minimum to feel safe about being enough wins to get to the playoffs. As to where I got the "Cubs need to gain about 11.5 games on the league", they need to gain 3 on the Mets, 4 on the Marlins, 5 on the Nats, 5.5 on the Phillies. Totalling 23 games. However, each game contains a winner and loser, so it's essentially split in half (rather simplistic model). Saying the Cubs gain a half game on the league on average when they win (which is accurate), 32-9 is a reasonable record to expect playoff competition. Which is daunting, but not impossible. Maybe if the Cubs run off 20 in a row, the outlook will change. :)

But better than losing a game or 3 in standings as well, too. at this point in the season, gaining one game every other week or so may as well be losing three. but i agree...they're playing better of late. I think they have to sweep Colorado next though. They can't just win series anymore.............they have to go on a roll. The weekend series for Wildcard teams: CHC @ COL (3 games) WSH @ PHI (Doubleheader Thursday) WSH @ NYM (3 games) PIT @ NYM (1 game) PIT @ PHI (3 games) MIL @ HOU (4 games) LAD @ FLA (3 games) Looks like the Cubs and Phillies have the easiest go at it. You would root hard for Milwaukee if the Cubs weren't neck and neck with them. Here's the way I look at it: There are so many teams ahead of the Cubs, it's hard to root for or against any one team. Essentially, when the Cubs win, they net a half game on the league (gain 1 game on half the league, keep up with half the league), and when the Cubs lose, they lose a net half game on the league (lose 1 game to half the league, stay even with half the league). Basically, in order to have a realistic shot at the playoffs, they need to make up a total of about 11.5 games on the league, meaning they'd have to play 23 games over .500 for the rest of the season. With 41 games remaining, that entails going 32-9 here on out, which would result in a 91-71 record. That's basically a bare minimum. So I'm not expecting a whole lot, just hoping the team can play well here on out.

What controversy? There was a strike in 1994 that ended the season in August. He retired during the strike from that and personal problems.

The word above is the one that concerns me the most and has for over 2 years now. This offense is generally not built to be consistent - it's just not. If Hendry does nothing to improve that aspect of the team in the last 1/3 of the season, then I hate to say it, but it will be mostly luck as to where we end up at the end of the season. The team is generally an all or nothing type of offense and when all cylinders are firing it's awesome, but when they aren't we get lots of solo HR's and don't generate enough runs to win close games. I'm eager to see what if anything happens by Sunday night. Actually, I like the offense, hate the offensive approach. 1B, 2B, 3B, C, and RF are above average offensive positions on the team, and SS/LF could be adequately covered within the system if someone let them. If the Cubs need anything, it's a CF. Not sure where Greenberg fits in there, and I'd really prefer not seeing Pie up until he can learn better pitch selection (which I believe to be an organizational issue...maybe the Cubs can trade him to Oakland/Boston, and then reacquire him when OBP is overpriced :) ). Beyond that, it's all about how the team approaches offensive production, and how Baker puts the offense in order, hopefully in a position to succeed. And that, really, is my biggest issue with Baker. He does a poor job of putting the team in the best position to succeed, instead attempting to enforce his hunches and get his stamp on the team. The pitching is poorly handled (especially the pen...does anyone have a defined role outside of Dempster?), and the lineup rarely makes logical sense.

Actually, I'm more concerned about the Mets and Astros than the Phillies, Marlins, or Nationals (or the NL West for that matter). The Mets have hung around despite getting next to nothing out of Piazza, Beltran, Glavine and Matsui. Pedro is anchoring an overall solid pitching staff, and their youngsters have been carrying the offense. If they can get any sort of production out of Beltran or Piazza, they could even make a run at the NL East (and this is coming from someone who never thought the Mets had a chance last year even when experts thought they had a shot at winning the division). The Astros' offense is being carried by Biggio, Berkman and Ensberg, and their starting pitching has been fantastic lately. Can they keep it up? Well, the Cubs will get their shots at them, at least.

I'm not going to tell anyone to relax, but try to remember that the season isn't made or broken on one game. It's a long season, and often times the perception is if the Cubs can't keep up with a team over the course of a week, they can't do so over the course of a season. It's not even really the time to be overly concerned about other teams. If the Cubs don't play well, then no amount of horrid play by other teams will facilitate the Cubs making the playoffs. At this point, it's all about the Cubs playing well consistently. They haven't played great over the last 5 games, but they've played decent enough to take 3 of 5. Doing that over the course of the rest of the season would put them at 36-23 over the rest of the year, and they'd finish with 89 wins. Enough to win the wildcard? Who knows, but enough to put them in contention. Can they and have they played better? Sure they have. However, I stand by my July 7 assertion that they need a winning July to be serious contenders for the playoffs.

Honestly, I don't know why the fans hate Barret with RISP. He's the best hitter on the team in that situation this year. Luck or not, he's one of the 3 hitters I want to see up there. If I were the D-backs, I'd have pitched around Ramirez and taken chances with Hairston/Perez.

Barrett is hitting .338 with 5 hrs with runners in scoring position this year.

Not sure I like the sac bunt by Murton, counting on Macias to pull through. Edit: Especially with a speedy Cedeno perfectly capable of stealing a base on first, and the pitcher having just walked the previous batter...

Somebody needs to take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard a bit. Maybe you should relax a bit. I'm getting sick and tired of this pathetic offense. Maybe I misread, but I don't remember being the one hypercritical of a Lee at-bat. A player having possibly the best season (along with Sosa's 2001) anyone's seen in a lifetime. But apparently he's a moron because he thinks fans were classless for relentlessly booing a player no longer on the team he pitched well for. And he occasionally hits into a DP. Curse all players that don't get on base at least half the time! ... Those that have only been following the Cubs for a few years, I can understand high expectations. But those that have followed the Cubs for 20 or more years should be able to understand that the good times happen so remotely, they should be more enjoyed than expected.

Somebody needs to take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard a bit.

Great call. Our bullpen is the best in the league and they have shown great ability to hold one-run leads. What team have you been watching? 7 innings from a starter is all one can feasibly expect. If the entire 6-man pen can't throw 1 inning a game and hand it over to Dempster, then find guys who can.