Sammy Sofa

I will not take the fall for the very real Hazleton Curse.

in 15 years you'll remember this as being right in the middle of the golden age of cubs baseball Yeah, but in 2032 I'll be focused on the WS-champion Cubs going to see President Kid Rock.

I fully expected to be bored by Cubs baseball in August of 2017...but not like this.

Much like the societal decay of Hazelton itself, it is a multi-faceted curse.

Beltre strikes again: Umpire Joe West Suspended Three Games For Calling Adrian Beltre The Biggest Complainer In Baseball http://deadspin.com/umpire-joe-west-suspended-three-games-for-calling-adria-1797671541 Beltre truly is the hero baseball needs.

But that's the best part. Besides, west coast games don't count because they're at such an ungodly hour.

Joe seems to be frustrated lately. He's normally a "everything in fine, no worries" kind of guy but lately he's been pretty critical in pointing out issues the team is having He's got his hometown pissed off at him: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-joe-maddon-hazleton-megyn-kelly-interview-20170808-story.html THE HAZLETON CURSE IS BORN.

I'll say it how I wanna say it, jerkoff.

Oh, great; this guy again.

Oh, thank god; I can go to sleep now.

Uh, no, I refuse to believe this late ass Monday night game is anything but a myth.

Nah, he's in good hands here... Just ignore that I started the Schwarber thread, too. If he Rick Wilkins' the rest of his career after this thread, may your virginity remain intact. It's just gonna be me all alone in a house filled with smooth foods.

Nah, he's in good hands here... Just ignore that I started the Schwarber thread, too.

Maybe gr didn't have a choice when he suddenly vanished... (Apologies if you are really dead, gr)

Far more shocking is gr talking up a player earning Ross' respect: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=311&p=123198&hilit=willson+schwarber+leader#p123208

Link please. I want to say it was a playoff game thread....I think? Hahah! Turns out I was only [expletive] on a Montero quote: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=311&p=123198&hilit=willson+schwarber+leader#p123191 Still...NAILED IT.

Link please. I want to say it was a playoff game thread....I think?

I picked him as my random dark horse candidate to emerge as the leader of this team (whatever such a nebulous thing even means) as time went on, and I seem to recall several people scoffing and saying they saw Schwarber ending up being that dude. WELL, WHO'S SCOFFING NOW. ... Clearly this is a thing that matters.

Since people like complaining about there not being a Willson Contreras thread instead of starting a Willson Contreras thread, here is a thread to discuss all things Willson Contreras.

In that he looks like he got kicked out of both Biohazard and Suicidal Tendencies?

He's stealthily emerged as the biggest creep with this one, and that's with the stiff competition of Lackey looking like he showed up wearing his usual Sunday best and Happ coming the closest to a genuine smile he's shown so far (probably because his "leather" vest is actually made out of skin). That no sleeves look with just the vest makes me think this isn't the first time Happ has worn a get up like this. Yeah, like he showed up as is and was, like, "hey, why are you guys all dressed like that?

He's stealthily emerged as the biggest creep with this one, and that's with the stiff competition of Lackey looking like he showed up wearing his usual Sunday best and Happ coming the closest to a genuine smile he's shown so far (probably because his "leather" vest is actually made out of skin).

they're what, an 85 win team right now? Hard to get too ... hard about that. Five runs up on the terrible St Louis Cardinals in RD. They're OK and that lukewarm statement is the best anyone should realistically bestow on them. Kind of hoped for more given that we returned everyone from a 103-win world series championship team. As soccer10k just said, the schedule is incredibly easy the rest of the year. They are going to win more than 85 games. They are also a much better team than their record indicates. They played like absolute horsefeathers for half of the season. They've had to deal with some injury problems. Guys flat-out played like horsefeathers. The rotation was a mess. They've cleaned up in a lot of areas. They've played much better baseball since the break. And they have a very talented roster still. It's certainly been a frustrating season. And they haven't lived up to expectations. But to act as if they are a bad team because Maddon has been drinking wine before games the last week is silly. They're still a good team. I kinda hate to be That Guy, but the whole "the schedule gets easier" thing doesn't really make that much more confident in them. Yes, I get that it's baseball and that anything can happen if you get to the playoffs...but is it THAT crazy to not be that optimistic about a team that has struggled to put together sustained runs of success all season being able to do that in multiple series against playoff-level teams? I mean, it would be one thing if they were facing other teams that backed in thanks to a hilariously bad division, but... I get it; there's still time left and maybe some more things will click; it wouldn't be surprising at all if it does. But that it's gone this far being such an up and down mess, I can't help but think it's still a pretty big "if" in terms of that happening this season instead of "when." Like, I understand your basic breakdown of what's gone wrong above, but for some reason it doesn't feel like they've actually shaken a lot of that off.