LuvChicagoSports

Ok I was at today's pathetic loss to the Sox and have a few things to talk about. First, there were a TON of White Sox fans there and they were loud. I actually kind of enjoyed it as maybe that is the only way we can make a point to Hendry. I mean in reality I hated seeing so many fans in the friendly confines cheering for the opponent, but maybe it can show the front office that it's not a given that Cubs fans will just stand back and watch this team be awful. Second, the Pierre out at the plate play. Obviously from watching replays he was safe and it was a blown call. I was furious that Dusty did nothing. I mean with the "no fire" attitude we see from this team every single day there was no better time to go out and fire your guys up by making a point to an umpire. Dusty just doesn't have the passion it takes to manage a team like the Chicago Cubs with the fan base that we have. He isn't able to handle such a demanding fan base, and it is really as simple as that. Third, the booing of Jones on a popup was flat out [expletive]. The guy has a good game at the plate and pops out in the 7th or 8th and gets booed. Do the majority of the fans even pay attention to anything. WTF was that? He has clearly been one of our best hitters this season and manages to get booed for making contact even though it had poor results. I don't really like the guy as a player, but I would like to think our fan base isn't so unintelligent. Finally, if anyone is going to Saturday or Sunday games try to get a "fire Dusty" or "Dusty sucks" chant going. I think it is the only way we as fans can take a stance and demand something from our front office. If we don't start to show our displeasure towards the areas that should receive the negative attention, then things will just be allowed to play out for the remainder of the season. As fans, let's take a stand and demand something happen NOW, not this whole wait and see approach that Hendry wants. Sorry for the rants guys, it is just getting unbearable as a fan!

very interesting stuff thanks guys

On the Cubs website in the article about Lee being ok after hand went numb, at the end it talks about the upcoming series with the White Sox. Derrek refers to Barrett as Doc. Does anyone know where this came from or what it's about?

Ok so Derrek says the team's play is terrible and that they need to come to play. Am I wrong in thinking that this is the job of the manager. Shouldn't a manager at least be held accountable for his team coming to the park ready to play their games. If a team consistently shows up with a lack of heart and is clearly there to play just because they have to, then that should be a bad reflection on the management team. I found myself rooting for Carlos Lee and Prince Fielder tonight because both are on my fantasy team. Needless to say I had a good night, but as a Cubs fan I can't believe I am actually rooting for my fantasy players over my own team. I'm disgusted with this organization and we need a clean house top to bottom.

Hey Len, keep up the good work. I love watching the telecasts and even though we are fielding a terrible team this year, you and Bob continue to do a great job when it must be tough to do so. Hopefully we get to listen to you call some games for a better team next season.

I agree that Dusty should go but you tell me how these same guys will be better with another manager? The players are fundamentally flawed (and so is the organizational model because they continue to chase guys that aren't good baseball players). I agree with you man. This team is very poorly put together, but at the same time a new manager might actually get on guys that continually make the same stupid mistakes. Who knows they might even put a guy on the bench for poor performance. When a young guy like Theriot is up maybe he will actually get a chance to play. I don't at all think a new manager is going to somehow make this team contend, but at least we'll have something to look forward to as we rebuild with a group of coaches that might actually understand the game of baseball as opposed to this group that just likes to have fun and be the good guys that the players like.

yeah I was laughing for a while when he said that. it's like he is trying to manage from the booth by getting under players skin because he feels bad for the fans because our actual manager has no clue what is going on.

No it's that nobody keeps them accountable to playing the right way. Nothing will be said to them, or if something is said it will be behind closed doors. Eventually you have to call them out to the media like Leyland did when Detroit played a game the way the Cubs are playing right now. Leyland said it was unaccpetable to play like that and it wasn't going to happen anymore. Hmmmm....calling your players out what an idea.

How in the world is this a professional baseball team. Dusty needs to go so bad. I cannot believe how inept this team is at doing things that are just considered playing the game the right way. Nobody uses cut off men, baserunning is a disaster, and the worst thing possible is the horrible approach both offensively and pitching. People can say what they want about that being the job of the Larry and Cline/Sarge, but in the end it should come down to Dusty. I'll be at the game Friday proudly wearing a fire Dusty shirt.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060620&content_id=1514552&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/probable_pitchers.jsp?c_id=chc

give me a team with a great bench. Everyone complains about their bench players, but these guys are bench players for a reason. The only way you have a good bench player is if it is a young guy coming up, but then the fans complain because they want the kid to play. Building a bench is not an easy thing to do. A more baseball IQ manager would just know how to properly manage a bench.

If I had 'em they'd be yours cause at this point I don't want to pay anything to see this team play. From this point forward I will not buy tickets to see the Cubs play until they prove that they are legitimate contenders. At that point I will once again support this disaster of a team, by giving my money to them. My passion for the team will never die as I will watch on TV and I know that is going to help them financially too, but I can't get myself to all out stop caring.

I agree with you, in the sense that the booing has gotten worse since the players have complained and the organization has gone out of it's way to make a point that it isn't helping and isn't a good thing. However, in the end it makes us look bad and not the organization.

I couldn't agree with you more. Many of us have taken notice that since 2003 the fans have become almost abusive to players in our own park. I would never say fans don't have the right to boo and that they shouldn't boo, but I think certain things shouldn't be booed, and I also feel Cubs fans are increasingly becoming a group that could be thrown in with the collection of fan bases that are often referred to as poor because of the way players are treated.

Couldn't comprehend? Is he a moron? They were in a stretch of historically bad play and a tremendous losing streak. The one time they had a chance to win and they lost. They couldn't understand why fans would boo after a closer blows a save when the team is in a middle of a terrible losing streak. It's fine to get in an uproar over a fan who throws a ball at a player. But are we really going down the path when we're criticizing fans for booing a terrible team in the middle of a horrible losing streak? I've been to games in many stadiums, and each and every time home teams booed their own players in one way shape or form. And none of those times were the home time in a middle of a swoon like the Cubs were when Dempster blew that save. Look Dempster had set the Cubs record for the most consecutive saves. The guy isn't perfect nobody is. Sure we are and were in a bad stretch, but it's not like Dempster has ever done anything to show that he doesn't care about winning. He works his a** off and was clearly distraught at the outcome of the game. I would have even been ok with a little booing, but for the fans to incessantly boo him just doesn't make sense, even given the current state of the team.

OK.......The baserunning has clearly been awful, but since his 0-13 start at the beginning of the season Jones is .301/.333/.538. He clearly has not been AWFUL if you take that out. I seem to also remember D Lee getting doubled up twice on fly balls in a relatively short period of time. Alou was a much, much worse baserunner than Jones, and his defense wasn't even remotley close to as good as Jones. That being said, there is no excuse for the basesunning mental mistakes. The problem with the whole thing is that it's not like he has been alone in the mess. It has been a recurring theme under this coaching staff and I think that is where the significance lies. Fundamental baseball is simply something that Dusty Baker refuses to keep players accountable to. Jones is the player who made the mistake, so he is at fault, but the coaching staff allowing these things to repeatedly happen without any consequence is disheartening to watch as a loyal fan. The fans need to take it easy on Jones. The boo-birds at Wrigley this season have been flat embarassing. Some friends of mine were at the game on Saturday when Dempster blew the save and were appalled that he was getting booed. One of the happens to be a White Sox fan and just couldn't comprehend. The quote from Todd Walker earlier in this thread wasn't just about the fans booing Jones tonight. He said prior to that that plays where the guys hit the ball hard and get out are setting the boo birds off. He is right that the fans (the one's booing constantly) need to learn more about the game. It is getting out of hand. I know we as a collective whole want so badly to win, but I for one don't want to be anything like the Philly fans and we are much closer to being like them than the fans of any other city.

OK, I am gonna rant here a little bit and probably somewhat misguided, but the consistency at which fans boo players from our own team is getting a little over the top. OK J. Jones has started slowly there is no denying that. And he has had some trouble making contact especially yesterday, but let's take into account that he has only had 13 ab's. He is from the A.L. so he hasn't seen the majority of the guys that he is facing enough to have a true feel for how they pitch. Probably worst of all in my eyes is that he has hit the ball hard a few times just at people. It is crazy to me that because fans wanted a bigger name player in RF that they are gonna boo the player that was signed to play there. Cubs fans are going to get a bad rep pretty soon because it was clear as day to those of us at the game that it was getting to Jones. Just tossing the ball around in RF after two of the 3 k's in yesterdays game, his body language was sluggish and you could literally see how upset he was. Fans turning on their players isn't a good thing. I understand booing at times because we pay all the money and what not, but to boo a guy every single time he does anything wrong it just plain dumb.

Hey guys......I landed some pretty good seats to some pretty quality games. Got some vs. Cards and then some vs. Sox. I picked up a couple of extra tickets to the Sox game and might be willing to part with them in a couple of weeks depending on what a few people say as to whether or not they wanna go. I'm sure I could make some money selling them on Stub Hub or something, but I'd be satisfied just hooking somebody here up. If I do let them go they are upper deck box and I would be parting with 2 tickets. Cost will be 45 per ticket (actual cost is $40, but there were processing fees and taxes and all that other mess. I'll come back and let you guys know if I am gonna get rid of them. Hope everyone had good luck and is happy with the seats the eventually got.

Alright this love affair with Dunn is crazy anyway. They were not, are not, and will not trade him within the division, unless we give them Zambrano or St. Louis gives them Pujols. When trading for prospects it makes much more sense to go outside the division, because all prospects are a risk of some form or another and nothing is a sure bet with them. So even if the Cubs offered Pie, Hill, Guzman, and Dopirak, that means nothing in terms of results when those players make the ML level. The Reds on the other hand would be giving a ML proven player to a division rival. If they are going to risk taking prospects in return for a player of his caliber, they will risk in in the other league, or at the very least to a team in a different division.

from a football standpoint, Northern Illinois University would be a nice fit. They play a running style and traditionally tough defense which would mold well into a big ten conference. They are in the midwest as well, and have averaged near 25,000 fans a game for the last 3 years. Obviously some work would have to be done to expand the current stadium, but I think they would be a nice fit.

Hopefully Felix Pie continues to develop as he would be a nice fit in RF. You don't really have to have him in cf just because he is fast. He has a good enough arm to be in right and he can bat somewhere in the middle of the lineup. That would be my ideal right fielder.

If Hendry is even considering this he should be fired immediately. Prior has had a few injuries in a couple of years, but they stem from a few freak incidents. In no realm of possibility would I consider trading him for a player other than Pujols or Cabrera. If Hendry pulls the trigger on this deal I will not spend a dollar on a Cubs ticket until he is fired. I don't care what it brings to the team this year. Prior is the future of this organization along with Zambrano. Bruce please tell me that this isn't even remotely close to being considered.

Isn't that the news you all wanted to hear. We've been trying to stay patient, but in the end you had to know this is how it was going to end. Damn I hope he works something out for Huff cause at least that is just one year. If he regains previous form it could be a good deal, if not at least it isn't Jones.

It is being reported that the Cubs are willing to offer Jones a 3 year deal now which earlier was reported they weren't interested in. It's on ESPN Rumor Central. Apparently the list is shrinking very fast, and we are now looking at Huff and Jones much more closely. Deals for Wilkerson, Gibbons, and Ibanez were attempted but didn't happen. Looks less and less appealing to me.