Bryants Disco Ball

I actually agree with that. If I nitpick anything, I'd certainly take a major young piece, but I agree that the bulk of the deal needs to be AA type guys. I'll say this though: If Garza wants Cain money, I'm very hesitant to keep him. Probably would, but I'd hesitate. Yowza. Cain money? Not only would I be very hesitant to keep him, there would be no probably.

That may be true, but it is not due to lack of effort. I respect the guy for going out there every day and playing through pain, but the injuries are definitely taking a toll on him. Agreed. At this point, he probably needs to go on the DL or shut it down for the season and have surgery. I can't imagine it's going to get better on its own, and his defense is starting to cost our pitchers and team.

If you watched another team for a full season that wasn't yours - almost every game and almost every inning - you'd see weird and/or bad crap happening to every single one of them. Don't bother, it's his schtick. Gotcha.

If you watched another team for a full season that wasn't yours - almost every game and almost every inning - you'd see weird and/or bad crap happening to every single one of them.

http://thepicturehouse.org/sites/default/files/Willy-Wonka-and-the-Chocolate-Factory.jpg?1333557592 "No. Stop. Don't." I have very few legitimate laugh out loud moments while reading a message board on a computer. You have just given me one. Thank you.

Yeah. It's not as good of course, but a Castro walk almost excites me as much as a Castro home run right now. I believe Castro could walk a lot if he wanted to. He has the eye. Just not the interest in doing so.

The dayhaysoos thing has driven me crazy this game. And it's seems like Stockton says his name twice an inning.

You're not mentioning the reason Theo has been given the right to start over is he probably sat down with Tom and calmly explained that if you looked at every single bit of talent within the organization and compared it to other teams, it'd fall in the bottom 5 of baseball. This being the case and having more resources than probably about all of baseball, other than 5 teams or so, is why Jim Hendry was not a good GM. In fact, he's probably worse than I had even thought. The part in blue is a post from you in another topic. Everybody you mentioned in the first part was drafted by Hendry except Soler. I'm not saying our system is great, but looking at your post, it certainly doesn't sound like "it'd fall in the bottom 5 of baseball". Good lord, not even sure where to begin. It's the ENTIRETY of the organization. Not JUST the system. And yes, I think totally we are in the bottom 5 altogether, before Theo got here. Jim provided Brett, Baez, and Szczur, with Lake and Vitters. He did NOT give us the supplemental round picks(because it's not known whether Pena or Aramis would still be here or not). Yes, you could say he "gave" us the 6th pick this season, because of how [expletive] a major league team he threw out there last year with a gigantic payroll attached. Yes, he gave us Dempster and Garza, 2 of the very best pieces we have, that "help" us get to where we are, which has literally been NO WHERE. Yes, I do think we'll have a top 10 minor league system at the end of this season. But when I say that, we're also going to have one of the 2-3 worst major league teams in the game. And I totally see the reasoning of Theo to do it this way, whether you can or not. If we have enough major pieces in place to warrant spending bigtime money, we'll do so. If not, we'll grow the system more and re-evaluate again. Hendry never re-evaluated ANYTHING. He threw money at problems, changed the team 'theme" every year and literally hoped for the best, while running us as an equivalent of a mom and pop shop. Theo looks at a bigger picture, period. The advances the Cubs have made statistically, growing their scouting department, building up the front office.....These things take time and they didn't have to undo a Hendry mess here, they just had to start from scratch basically. I know you have no idea how to look at an organization from top to bottom, much less put weight on it, but Theo took over a team with a very average minor league system and a very below average major league team, with one of the smallest scouting bases and front offices around. You put those things together, it doesn't equal the UTOPIA of what you think Hendry left the Cubs with. And whether you agree with Theo's way of doing things or not, if you can't look at his track record versus Hendry's and see which one you should be happy with as far as running our team goes, then I have no clue what to even bother saying. I enjoyed this response. Totally, 100 percent agree with it, and I didn't have to spend the time writing it or trying to convey it as well as you did.

Just wondering, but wouldn't more people rather have Trout straight up than Castro?

Beautifully written.

He came on board like six months ago. He has barley put his fingerprints on the team yet. If it's true what you are saying, that a lot of bad stuff has happened since he took over, then most of it isn't his fault.

You don't think it's basically an established fact that he is? You think it's something we want him to be? You don't think it's possible that he inherited an awesome team, had a hot run of draft picks (that he hasn't really been able to repeat since) and won't be able to duplicate that success? Even a little possible? Sure, anything is possible. But the game in which you are playing here is one that will end in you always being right. Because, yes, anything is possible. That can always be said. We could have gotten Pujols, Darvish, Yeonis and C.J. Wilson, and it's possible we wouldn't be that good right now. Possible. Theo is one of the great baseball people in the game. If for whatever reason it doesn't work out, then so be it. What are you going to do? You roll the dice and you put yourself in the best position to have a successful franchise. I'm actually starting to get annoyed that Rickets did a beautiful thing by landing Epsten, we all threw a party about it, and now less than two months into his first season, people are freaking out. Damn you, people.

Again, just 10 days ago this wasn't being said. It's not like they have been awful all season. Until this losing streak, they were not the laughingstock you are portraying them to be.

I get really happy when Starlin does something good. Sort of like when Sammy would hit a home run and the Cubs would lose, I was still happy.

I appreciate the discussion. You're right about Wood right now, and I hope he keeps it up. LaHair I've never been sold on and I'm still not, and playing him is something that Hendry likely would have done, too. Same with signing someone like DeJesus, and starting Shark likely would have happened regardless. I appreciate the Stewart trade, but I guess it's the timing; I'll appreciate those moves more when the team isn't horrible and the guy isn't effectively replacing one of my favorite players ever. Appreciate the discussion as well. On the bright side, imagine having perhaps the best hitter in the game and for sure the best pitcher, signing Prince Fielder, and still being two games below .500 right now in a crappy division. Now, THAT would be frustrating. Get it going, Detroit.

I'm sorry, but just assuming/allowing a season to be bad isn't acceptable. It's like people are hoping that because they're so bad something good must come out of it, but sometimes a team is just bad and it just means you have an even deeper hole to dig out of. Again, it shouldn't ever be necessary for the Cubs to "tear a team down;" contrary to what is often said, it's not as if they're choked by long-term contracts for unproductive players. They have one of those. They're not beholden to the limitations of a small market team like the Royals or the Pirates. They have the luxury of having the option to rebuild AND not put a team of garbage on the field, and they failed to do so. That's not a good thing. The team being good in, say, three seasons and being horrible THIS season are not necessarily on the same path. I understand. But doing some things this season to be better might have hurt the longer team goal of sustained success. The hole is not that deep. Theo used this season to see what things could stick and build around the 2012 and 2013 drafts. I believe that the Cubs will spend money this offseason to start filling some of the holes. I know you think it's only Rizzo that they have done well with. But Travis Wood could still present value. LaHair has struggled, but that's still a win. Shark has developed when they gave him a chance to start. At least Ian is good on defense. DeJesus is fun to watch and a solid player.

Agreed. But what's funny is that just about 10 days ago, they were really actually very enjoyable to watch. There will be another stretch like that again this season. Hopefully, it will be by the time you get to watch them.

Things will feel better when Rizzo, Jackson and Castro are all in the lineup by the end of the season. They might not all dominate, but it will be fun again and the future will seem a heck of a lot brighter.

Why would they possibly do that? To "save the season"? If anything it makes it less likely. Yeah, they clearly know what they're doing. Theo and myself do not enjoy this sarcasm. Obviously I'm stewing in my rage right now, but there's really little way to look at the new regime's tenure thus far as anything besides an mitigated disaster. You've got the Rizzo trade and...that's about it. Plenty of time in the coming years for them to turn it around, but as of right now they [expletive] suck. You're my favorite poster on here. Enjoy your opinions, even when I don't agree with them. I believe you know better than this, and that this is all due to the rage you mention. You know enough about baseball to know that Theo Epstein knows what he is doing. The problem with going through a rebuilding season and tearing something down -- whether people agreed it needed to or not -- is that it's going to be a painful thing to watch. Things will be fine. We have the proper people in charge now. Brighter days are ahead. Within three years, we will be one of the best teams in the National League. To even question Theo or wonder about things right now is ignorant. This wasn't supposed to be a good season. There will be better ones very soon.

Why would they possibly do that? To "save the season"? If anything it makes it less likely. Yeah, they clearly know what they're doing. Theo and myself do not enjoy this sarcasm.

Why do you think the walks will come? The more he works the count and gets to three balls, the more often the fourth one will come. He ain't going to be walking like Adam Dunn, but he'll average more than the two he's averaging per month now. Ok, he will walk more because he will learn to, but when is the last time you saw Castro work the count? He's been doing it the last two games, getting into much better hitting counts. Just tonight, I believe he was 3-0 and 2-0 in two of his at bats. That's a good sign. He has been swinging at a ton of junk as of late, and you can tell he is a lot more calm at the plate right now. In my opinion.

Why do you think the walks will come? The more he works the count and gets to three balls, the more often the fourth one will come. He ain't going to be walking like Adam Dunn, but he'll average more than the two he's averaging per month now.

Although he just hit the ball one foot, Starlin has been having better at bats the last two games. If he keeps this up, the walks and a hot streak will come.

Totally get what you are saying, but it always matters. For instance, what happens if Rizzo hires Boras as his agent in three years, and Boras advises him to go to free agency, etc.? A full year of team control, even for a large market, is huge for a variety of reasons. But, again, I see what you are saying.

Whatever possibly gets him to just take one damn walk, I'm all for. I love me some Castro, but the dude is driving me crazy.