Sammy Sofa

Even at the worst of times I've never disliked or hated actually being a Cubs fan. I guess I just won't understand that.

He isn't?

Ooh baby I like it raw.

It's probably best to not straddle the line between fandom and unhealthy obsession.

But we're talking about being a baseball fan.

I'm not trying to police it, I'm trying to understand it because some people seem to REALLY hate this team more often than not.

I didn't like the combo of trading DeRosa and signing Bradley. Had it been dealing DeRo and signing Dunn, for instance, I would have been much more behind it. Exactly. I was big on the idea of signing Bradley specifically because the Cubs would have had DeRosa for at least the first year.

True, not making a trade at all sure is working Odds are they don't have the money for an impact trade until the sale is complete.

So don't accept it. Stop watching the games. Stop buying merchandise and tickets. If it's so miserable being a Cubs fan now, then don't be one because odds are against them (and any other team) actually winning it all even if they have a bunch of worldbeaters out there during the regular season. I get being pissed off by a crappy team/management/owners/etc.. What I don't get is acting like it's a horrible thing being a Cubs fan and then staying a Cubs fan.

Hmm, why didn't I think of that? ](*,) I ask it all seriousness. It's not like crappy Cubs teams are a surprise to anyone who is a Cubs fan and over the age of, say, 15. Yes, this team obviously had huge expectations and the Cubs being bad is never going to not "hurt," but the repeated bemoaning that being a fan of this team is so horrible just seems pretty hollow when people could easily just stop being an active fan if they wanted to. It honesly seems like some (not saying you) prefer being able to complain about the team and players doing poorly and wallowing in self-pity. Real fans want results. Were not going to jump ship no matter how much of a mess the team is, but were going to piss and moan and wallow in self pity all the way. The 2003 and 2008 bandwagoners are the ones who will just shrug it off go away with these kinds of seasons. Ive been a fan all the way since 1984 when I was 8. Ive sat through a lot of crappy, crappy Cubs incarnations, with a few bright spots in 1989 and 1998, but 2003 was the first time I really felt that this team was capable of doing that wining thing that other teams do, and since then, the bar has been raised, and back in the 90's and ealry '00s, something like this or even 2006 would be acceptable. Damn those expectations Ive developed. Expectations are one thing, but the complaining some do that being a fan of a team is somehow a burden to them is just ridiculous, melodramatic nonsense. I'm mad as hell at how this team is playing, much as I was at the very end of 2004 and over 2005 and 2006, but that's just part of being a fan. Maybe it's because I'm an all-Chicago fan when it comes to sports and I'm 30, so all of my teams have been bad more often than not (I guess only the Bulls close to being an exception). I guess I've just come to accept it that my teams are more likely to let me down when all is said and done. That doesn't mean I like it, but it's just part of the fan experience. I would never question my fandom over a crappy team like this. They're not worth such a reaction.

Hmm, why didn't I think of that? ](*,) I ask it all seriousness. It's not like crappy Cubs teams are a surprise to anyone who is a Cubs fan and over the age of, say, 15. Yes, this team obviously had huge expectations and the Cubs being bad is never going to not "hurt," but the repeated bemoaning that being a fan of this team is so horrible just seems pretty hollow when people could easily just stop being an active fan if they wanted to. It honesly seems like some prefer being able to complain about the team and players doing poorly and wallowing in self-pity. It's so much harder to quit being a fan than you make it sound. There have been times when I've been absolutely disgusted by this team and I've made it a week or even two, but the same thing inevitably happens. I'll be flipping channels and stumble on the game; the addiction begins all over again. I just wish I could stop following them so closely that their level of play affects my mood. So you're addicted to...what? Unless you're very young, you've experienced far more bad Cubs teams than bad. Are you just luckily tuning in when they have a winning streak or an amazing game?

The thinking is that Miles' reputation is that he can play shortstop. Hudson cannot. Yeah but, Hudson has shown he can play this game we call baseball at a very good level, Miles have proven he should be a librarian. Hey, easy on the librarians. That's just cruel.

Lately, I don't get the feeling he'd even care. Seems like he's been making gestures that if this season doesn't end well he'll resign. Right, I've got that impression, too. Can't say I'll miss him.

Hmm, why didn't I think of that? ](*,) I ask it all seriousness. It's not like crappy Cubs teams are a surprise to anyone who is a Cubs fan and over the age of, say, 15. Yes, this team obviously had huge expectations and the Cubs being bad is never going to not "hurt," but the repeated bemoaning that being a fan of this team is so horrible just seems pretty hollow when people could easily just stop being an active fan if they wanted to. It honesly seems like some (not saying you) prefer being able to complain about the team and players doing poorly and wallowing in self-pity.

Lately, I don't get the feeling he'd even care. Seems like he's been making gestures that if this season doesn't end well he'll resign.

If any of you actually hated being Cubs fans, why not just stop?

Alright, now THAT is pretty [expletive] cool.

Yeah, my expectations are pretty much just get to the break at .500.

Well said.

Equal amounts of both, I think. More the first. There is LITERALLY no reason whatsoever DeRosa should've been traded. None. Maybe if you were going to get a good return on him, it's an argument, but three minor league pitchers, unless at least two are pretty highly rated, is not a good return. Actually, there was LITERALLY many good reasons to trade a player as old as DeRosa with only one year on his contract. The return on DeRosa was decent and has the potential to be very good (in terms of the players being trading chips or as pitchers). The problem falls to how Hendry attempted to replace him on the team. With the latter Hendry completely dropped the ball. If he had, say, traded DeRosa and then signed Dunn instead of Bradley and Ray Durham to platoon 2B with Fontenot, this likely wouldn't be the mess it is now. Hindsight is always 20/20. Bradley raked last year along with Fontenot. True, but Bradley also has guarenteed health issues that would have made him starting 100+ games unlikely and the Cubs traded away their best option to back up such a player. I actually wanted Bradley on the team but assumed that it would be with DeRosa there as the backup at least for that first year. Without DeRosa, shifting the focus to someone like Dunn or Abreu or even Ibanez (who nobody had any inkling he'd do what he's doing) seems only logical. And yes, Fontenot raked in his playing time last year, but the plan seemed to always be to platoon him with someone else against lefties.

Equal amounts of both, I think. More the first. There is LITERALLY no reason whatsoever DeRosa should've been traded. None. Maybe if you were going to get a good return on him, it's an argument, but three minor league pitchers, unless at least two are pretty highly rated, is not a good return. Actually, there was LITERALLY many good reasons to trade a player as old as DeRosa with only one year on his contract. The return on DeRosa was decent and has the potential to be very good (in terms of the players being trading chips or as pitchers). The problem falls to how Hendry attempted to replace him on the team. With the latter Hendry completely dropped the ball. If he had, say, traded DeRosa and then signed Dunn instead of Bradley and Ray Durham to platoon 2B with Fontenot, this likely wouldn't be the mess it is now.

He doesn't have to. Lou using him for just a full inning when he makes an appearance would be fine.

Shocked that RedVerbs guys has lasted as long as he has. I sense that Modzilla will be upon us soon.

It is. Any kind of guarenteed bullpen improvement is going to be expensive.

Oh, thank God.