predicting failure /= rooting against i predicted failure all the time for guys like theriot, paul bako, hank white, juan pierre, glendon rusch, etc. that doesn't mean i was pissed when they succeeded or happy when they failed, though. if you were (while they were on the Cubs), that's kinda weird. There's nothing weird about it. Personally I do it as a sort of hedge. My preference is for the victory at any time, but if something bad happens I take solace that the piece of crap who screwed up is a piece of crap I want gone and hope that his failures will lead to his dismissal. I don't have it in me to stand and cheer against a Cubs player during their at bat/outing, but I can think in my head how easy it would be to accept their inevitable failures. This is pretty much my take on it; there's been plenty of players I've disliked and have wanted off the team (or never on it in the first place) and where I EXPECT them to fail, but I HOPE that they don't in the context of that particular game or at bat or whatever. The times where they succeeded, hey, great, that's fun to see. The times where they failed, however, that was what was expected.