macuser1

That's no surprise since that's where his head was. :P

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm in. I think it's time to get out the Mark Grace jersey.

Well I also have one of those neon clocks with the Cubs logo. So I'll invoke karma (or something) by turning on the neon during the game tonight. :lol: Unless time has run out for the Cubs. :shock:

Ouch! :P

I have this Cubs watch that I got back in 98 (I think). Anyway, it stopped working and I just tossed in the desk drawer. Decided to clean out the drawer and I found that watch. I took it to the watch repair place, and it turned out that all it needed was a new battery. The guy who fixed it said, "Well now that this watch has started, maybe the Cubs will start their offense." If it hadn't been so funny I might have slugged him. :lol: Sigh. Here's hoping; I have done my part, now let the team do theirs.

I have been a fan since 1968. Since then I have lived at least 1000 miles from Wrigley and, until last year, dreamed about when I could travel to see games again. I even thought about retiring to the Chicago area. Yeah, really. Last year I stopped watching Cubs games at the end of June. This season I decided to stop after sunday's game. I would rather spend the time watching other games, because I still enjoy baseball. I do not enjoy following a team that doesn't care. There's lots of good baseball to watch. As for Wrigley, well I don't know. Somehow I have survived without it over 30 years. Sometime I'll go to Chicago to take the tour, but not during baseball season. Confession time: I am a recovering alcoholic. Accepting that was tough, and I believe I have overcome that. I have come to realize I had let one addiction replace another; but I had always thought being a Cubs fan was a healthy addiction. It hasn't been. Perhaps it's different for the rest of you. I wish it was for me. But here's the thing I can't resolve: As I have followed some of the individual players, and read things about their lives outside of baseball, I have been impressed with the fact that there's some really good people there. I can't imagine how awful they must feel. So while I feel for them, I just have to stop watching. Ah well, if I leave now, I'll have time to stop for some Krispy Kreme on the way to work. :D

Do any of the coaches feel a sense of shame? Do any of the players (excuse me, non-players) feel a sense of shame? How can they look themselves in teh mirror in the morning? Geez, I just don't respect any of them any more. This is the first time I have gotten drunk on a Sunday evening in over 20 years. I just can't stand it any more. GAAAAH! :-&

Until about four years ago, I was a "senior" adviser to a men's service organization. The members were about the same age group as the Cubs players. We even had an old timer or two such as Maddx is. Anyway, I believe I learned to "read" the group after 20 years experience. It never took me long to determine how well a planned activity was going to go for them. I don't know if it was their "body language", my psychic ability or what. But these insights were about 90% accurate. As I look at the Cubs now, I get some bad feelings, just from watching them on the field. The only thing keeping them from total collapse,INMHO, would be internal finger pointing. Which of course we can't see, but for all we know this may have started. I wish I felt better. Because Kerry Wood was regarding as a leader in the past, perhaps his return will help turn the situation around. I really. really hope so. Regardless of their playing abilities, most of the Cubs players seem like really nice guys. I would ove to see them succeed. If they lose today, and lose to the Nationals, then that's it for them. I think they'll implode. I hope that doesn't happen. I'll even say a prayer for them at Mass this morning. It couldn't hurt. Oh yeah, I am going to watch, no matter what.

That's nap time for me though, after getting up early today. Although I respect maddux enough for his professionalism and hard work, I will watch for a few innings. It's the other turkeys that..... well, never mind. It's obvious to everyone what those guys are.

Sigh. I didn't watch last night. My surface excuse was that since I had to give an 8 a.m. final this morning, I would go to bed early. The truth was that I started getting drunk early, and I just sort of "forgot" about the game. :lol: Oh well, there's lots of good baseball to watch thanks to Extra Innings. I am about to watch it all supersized. Going to go for the big screen purchase today. Things could still turn around for the Cubs. If they show some life, that would make me feel better. But what bothers me is how the team feels; from their play lately it's as though a lot don't care. No jumping here; just no watching.

That's the part I meant. All the more reason that Kerry Wood returns soon. From what I have read here, and elsewhere, he was always regarded as a leader. That's what they need. Perhaps mark Prior could help in this regard too, but I don't look for him to return any time soon. I still have hope that the Cubs have the ability to have a winning, even respectable season, at the very least. But if that group of men loses it's internal cohesion, that's it, regardless of their ability, and regardless of what happens to Baker. So I'll watch tonight, and hope.

There's at least one other team whose fans are starting to doubt; you can read all about it here. Take particular note of what the writer has to say about how one tell the season is over. That's about half way down. So I am moved to ask, just how are things in the Cubs clubhouse I wonder?

I have a revolver you can borrow. :wink:

Perhaps. During a down time for Cubs fans, this is certainly going to seem to be true. has it been though? I mean would there be any way to tell how often Murphy's Law seems to have applied in the last ten years (or five)?

Hindsight is 20-20. Most people didn't want to risk $5MM-$6MM on such an injury-prone player. No one doubts Nomar's ability when healthy. It is ironic though that the players the Cubs (wisely, IMO) don't take a chance on because of injury risk stay healthy and are productive (Alou, Nomar), while the guys we decide to keep despite injury risk are hurt yet again (Wood, Prior). And then we spent that Nomar money on Jones and Pierre, egads..... I completely agree about the hindsight 20/20 thing. I'll also admit that it is hard to make predictions sometimes; my own track record isn't very good. What gets me is that the judgements made by the Cubs organization turn out to be wrong as often as they do.; and those guys get paid a lot more than I receive.

As we contemplate the memories of trades or players let go in days gone by, I offer the following:

Perhaps they'll hire Baker, once he becomes available. :evil:

Oh yea, put me down for 25 a day.

So that explains why my campus mail box got that acknowledgement ( I happen to be a prof). Gee thanks Mizzou. :wink: :lol: Actually my students know I am a die hard Cubs fan.

Don't watch -- you'll be better off in the end. What he said. I stopped watching at the all star break last season. My last game to watch this season? Well I'll watch Maddux pitch one more time, and then....we'll see. Look at it this way Is_pedro, if you watch Cubs games earlier in the day you would still lose sleep and probably have nightmares anyway, wouldn't you? Find something else to do. Take up knitting for example. Then at least you would have a scarf for next winter. :lol:

I guess it could be worse. We could be Twin's fans; their game was 18-1 Detroit. GAAAH! It doesn't make me feel any better. :cry:

this would make a good drinking game; no doubt about it.

I have a diferent problem. My zip code just happens to be a "double blackout" area. I can't watch games involving either the Astros or the Rangers. This is true even if there isn't a local broadcast available for either team, and even if the game is not a home game for either team. That sucks because it shafts a lot of fans in the area. I ask why? The juice box is 260 miles rom here and the "Ballpark in Arlington" is 220 miles. It's not as though attending the games live is really an option for most of us. Even if there was a local braodcast, I couldn't watch it at work, but I could at least keep up with teh streaming service. But of course it's blacked out. Phooey. It's the last time they are getting my money. The worst part? Unless WGN carries the game, I cannot watch Astros/Cubs matchups. :evil:

No, just sadness for me. . . :cry: How about we don't write the season off and instead start directing hostilites at Johnnie B. Jr., the Cardinals, and White Sox I'm not writing off the season. I just want to be sad for a day. :cry: But the cubs won today is there a simly for a sort of half smile partially sad emmotion? :? If the losing gets to you, stop watching the games. Try a day, then a week, then a month. That's what I did last summer after the All-Star break. I still followed the team, but didn't watch or listen. That made the rest of the season easier to take. Now I can watch and not get so worked up. If my approach strikes some as goofy, so be it. It worked for me.