Arnold Layne

As it's been pointed out, this is largely redundant given the access to game footage. seasons, or that the players forgot or decided to stop being patient. We already went over this, Mojo. I'm still waiting for your theory on how the Cubs can win the WS for once.

Numbers and data don't swing the bat in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs in the world series. A real, thinking emotional human being does. What the numbers and data tell us is the probability of something happening. Human emotion is the variable. To not consider it is foolish at best. Somewhere between the "they got no fire" guys on talk radio and the "mmm...numbers are my life!" guys, there's a happy medium.

Absolutely. I am not saying mental makeup is the only issue, but rather one of the puzzle pieces.

No. What I am saying is that the Cubs were never built to be good enough to win the world series for the last 100 years. Something is very, very wrong with this organization and how they put together baseball teams. If I could figure it out, I would be a GM. But slapping together a team, pushing them out the door and hoping to make the playoffs every year and then saying "aw shucks, guys, go get 'em next year" hasn't worked. The track record speaks for itself. And continually not being able to get past the NLDS and saying "aw shucks guys, go get 'em next year" may not work either. We will see this year, won't we? It's relevant to team and organization psyche. And if theCubs fail to move past the NLDS again with a top 3 NL payroll, you can bet your tail that there is something deeply wrong with the mental makeup of the Chicago Cubs. It is completely unrealistic to not expect mental blowback from being repeatedly torched in the NLDS. Anyone who argues otherwise never took a psych class.

The most anyone can do is recognize a pattern and do something different the next time. And what do you propose they do differently? I've already proposed some things earlier in the thread: 1. Better advance scouting 2. Better management of the starting pitcher roll out (we're saving Z for game 4, etc) 3. Remove Soriano from the leadoff spot where he is dominated by RH playoff pitching to the point where he contributes nothing(sub .300 OPS, .125 OBP). 4. Stronger pre-game preperation in terms of plate discipline. The Cubs went away from that in 2007 and 2008. If you want to rip those ideas, that's fair. But if the Cubs can't get past the NLDS again this year with yet another top 3 NL payroll, then there are some serious issues that need to be taken care of.

It's a shame people have to bring insults into a friendly baseball disussion. I would hope we could aspire to more than talk radio anger.

What you keep ignoring and not responding to is that the Cubs have "gone cold" for 101 years.

The most anyone can do is recognize a pattern and do something different the next time.

Mojopin writes: ....then Mojopin writes:

You don't think there is an aura of failure around an organization that hasn't won in 101 years? Please tell me you are pulling my leg. I'm still waiting for your suggestions. So far the only thing I have seen you do is critique rather than offering your own improvements. I will sincerely and willingly discuss your input if you care to offer any.

Let's see what happens this year. If the board were a baseball season, you're 0-6 in terms of actually backing up your argument. 0-6 without competing for a single game and 101 are pretty excellent backups for my argument. The proof is in the results.

Soccer, you really enjoy the insults, don't you? That said, these are not robots out there. These are human beings. Human beings are constantly affected by emotion. Many slumps in baseball can be psychological. That's why we see many of the rituals all across baseball. If you don't think that consistently getting whipped in the post season will eventually have a negative impact on team psyche, you are not thinking very clearly. Speaking of "probabilistic anomaly", how about 101 years? I guess that's just bad luck. The cubs just draw the crap side of the crapshoot for a century. Go get 'em next time, boys. Adjustments are for hacks.

Let's see what happens this year.

Did you catch the series last year? Breaking new: Making the playoffs is not good enough for a team going on 101 years with no world series ring..... You have to *do something* when you get there. Just making it isn't good enough. The goal is a world series appearance and ultimately a ring. Being consistent with Soriano at leadoff against superior RHP has been a recipe for disaster. Is Soriano a great regular season player? Yup. Is he a great post season player? no. He's brutal. He's worse than brutal. .125 OBP and sub .300 OPS. These are cold hard facts. You can choose to do something with that data, or ignore it. It will be interesting to see how things work out if the Cubs make the playoffs again. Yes, we know that it's 50/50, or in the Cubs case 0/100. Heck, any ole' team can go 101 years without a championship. It's just luck of the draw. Building a good team has nothing to do with it. It's a crapshoot. The Cubs just had 101 years of bad luck. Maybe if I blow on this four leaf clover I can wish the Cubs into a world series of sugar rainbows and Ron Santo gee-wizzes. The Cubs can't, and don't. That's the GM's job. So let me get this straight, Mojo - Your plan of action is nothing at all? how do the Cubs improve themselves enough to get to the world series? How do they overcome the psyche-crushing losses in back to back NLDS's? How do they get over that hump? Because that hump is there, wether you want to believe it or not.

Walking one guy like Manny is just fine. It's a shame what Ryan Dempster did in game 1 though. It doesn't. Oh well. Doing the exact same thing and expecting different results is even more stupid. Yeah that's kind of my point. Maybe have a leadoff man in the post season who is a touch more consistent. I'd rather take the "hope" out of it and replace that with "likely". But we Cubs fans sure like our hope, don't we? ...and that brings us back to why Hendry isn't a very good GM.

The path to the world series in 2009 will include the Dodgers, and Manny will likely be in the lineup. Walk him or be destroyed. They can't win the first game. How do you stop the give-up afdter that? Because he isn't effective in the post season when you need your lead off man to get on? Do you want a guy with a .125 OBP getting the most AB's in the post season? Yeah, I do. The Cubs don't compete in the post season with Soriano at #1. No. Focus, video and coaching. Because he's nowhere worth his contract. I'd use the money saved for bullpen help at the DL.

It was the only response to your negative generalization of American sports. If such a damaging flaw exists, why engage in conversation on a baseball forum? Surely the more intelligent soccer forums would suit you and the superior European sports. "Strawman" accusations are a convenient out for someone who has no real response. Yes, those teams romped over the regular season, but they romped in the playoffs too. Why can't the Cubs? What will be your response if the Cubs get swept again in the NLDS? Bad luck? The team that won 97 games was completely humliated in every facet of the game. As for the gritty players comment, I never said I wanted a team of grit, but rather a team that executes simple baseball fundamentals when the big lights shine. The Cubs don't do that.

So the Jordan era Bulls were flukes? The 90's Cowboys? The 96-2003 Yankees were flukes? The 80's 49'ers? I guess "American" sports are just inferior that way. Good thing we have soccer here to enjoy. What were we thinking with our zany baseball and NFL? Crazy Americans and their wild eyed games! The things they do! Not when your competition is the Pirates, Astros and Reds. The Cubs played weak teams and got mauled when they faced real competition. Sounds like you are more interested in players than in teams.

I don't have the answers(and apparently neither does Jim Hendry), but these are some things I would try: First I would make sure our advance scouts are up to par. That didn't seem to be the case the last two post season appearances. Secondly, I would make sure Lou Piniella doesn't pull another "Jokers Wild" Game 1 starter announcement. Pitch Z in game 1, end of story. Show some consistency and resolve, a calm shore in the storm. Walk Manny Ramirez. The Cubs seem to fold after a game one loss. I have no idea how to remedy that. I would consider moving Soriano out of the leadoff spot for the playoffs. He simply doesn't do what a lead off man needs to do in that situation. You have to create something, and he's swinging at pitches in the dirt. Reinforce the plate discipline which makes the Cubs significantly stronger. Ram it through their heads in pre-playoff meetings. When the Cubs go "agressive" on RHP playoff pithcing, they lose. There's nothing that can be done with personel thanks to Hendry's hilarious NTC's. I'd look at moving Dempster by the trade deadline to free up room for more firepower. I doubt anyone would consider his contract, however.

If the Cubs make the playoffs and get swept again, what would your reaction be? "Oh well, it's just a crapshoot, go get 'em next time fellas..."?

This post contains 0% Cubs baseball and 100% talk radio style put downs.

We saw basically the same exact performance in 2007 and 2008. Same key problems(dominance of our hitters with RH pitching, errors, weak starting pitching). If the Cubs had put up a fight, maybe taken a game or two in one of the series, you might have a point. But this team didn't show up for even one game in all facets of play. They couldn't pitch, hit or field. So that rules out any possible team wide slump with offense as being the only cause. If you look at the overall performance of the ball club, there is something fundamentally wrong with them in the post season. Until they win a playoff series(or stunningly, even a single game), those are the facts on the table that we can pick apart. I really don't know what else to say. There wasn't a glimmer of hope or promise for two straight NLDS's. None.

Aramis has been *abysmal* the past two playoff appearances with a .300 OPS. That's not "struggling", that's nothing at all. What he did in 2003 was fantastic, and it made him my favorite player. But his inability to show up for a NLDS game the last two years is disturbing. If he was contributing in some fashion, it would be one thing. But he's not doing that at all. His production "may" drop? That's a very, very polite way of putting it. As a Cub in the post season, he has a .243 OPS, and a .125 OBP. That's not struggling or "dipping in production". That's simply not showing up in any way, shape or fashion. Sure, he's great in the regular beating up on Latroy Hawkins, but the goal here is to get to the world series. If he stinks in the playofffs in a tone-setting position(leadoff) and is up there flailing away at bad pitches(like the Cubs seem to do in the NLDS), what's the point?

What I am saying is that no one has the answers, and the only thing we do know is that the Cubs are very, very bad in the playoffs. In the end, you can only go with what you do know.

And in that period of time the farm still failed to produce a starting major league caliber outfielder. The Cubs *were* stocked with starting pitching, which I believe is Hendry's strength in talent evaluation. Hendry did add key pieces, but it was not his team. I think they were really good moves, and I think that's where Jim Hendry peaked. Since when has that stopped Jim Hendry? He's the king of selling low and buying high since 2004. I see what you are saying, but this team doesn't show up in the post season though. When the entire team struggles and implodes at those exact moments, it's something to take note of.