Magnetic Curses

Yea...can you believe we are breaking up the dynasty that has been the Chicago Cubs? Cant seem to recollect our record last year for the life of me. You make a valid point. But this is Prior. He is part of the solution not the problem. He's young, he's cheap, he's good, and he has significant potential to be the best pitcher in baseball. You keep him. I don't think that point was valid at all. He's insinuating that the Cubs lack of success is Prior's fault. There would be validity if somebody said they wanted to trade the 29 year old Lee, or the 38 year old Maddux, or 32 year old Walker. There's nothing wrong with trading off the older parts of a team that has struggled if you are making smart trades. But when you trade the 24 year old studs of the organization because things haven't worked out yet you are acting foolishly. You don't trade a 24 year old because your team hasn't won with him yet. exactly, it's like saying the twins should trade santana because he hasn't won them a world series. we went deeper into the playoffs on the arm of prior than any of us can remember anyway.

i'm still not believing that this will happen. prior will remain a cub.

well, he'll have to do something, because he won't have enough guys with arms to fill out a starting staff, unless tejada can pitch, too.

The TEAM, not Dee himself. is illinois THAT unlikelable of a team that everyone has to hope against hope for their downfall? they are the kings until supplanted, and i really don't think that MSU has the ability to beat them. indiana, granted, will offer more of a challenge with white and killingsworth down low, but it remains to be seen.

Don't see the point of that question. You don't choose to be a fan. at least, real fans don't. sometimes real fans have to be pessimistic because their team gives them no alternative. That question was not about choosing. It asked you, as a Cub fan who is one because he can do no other, whether or not any pleasure results from your following the team. I ask because of the unrelenting negativity here, much of which is understanable. There is much to criticize about the team. Having said that, it seems that every piece of news about the Cubs is greeted by some with derision to the point where it seems some people almost wallow in the negativity. there have been no pieces of good news for a while. if the prior trade goes down, not only will i be physically sick, i'll have to take a break from baseball...for health concerns. if that isn't true fandom, i don't know what is.

fixed. whatever. the bulls aren't going anywhere until they get rid of skiles. I think they wont go anywhere until they get rid of all the players who don't disserve to be on an NBA roster. Also, I would agree that it would help is Skiles wouldn't give guys like Songalia and Pargo 18 and 15 mpg respectively. Perhaps a competant big man, or a guard over 6'2'' would help. They have lots of money to spend next year, but it's pretty clear they aren't going anywhere with this roster, this year. i could just see paxson making a big signing and then skiles benching that player into demanding a trade. skiles is a star-killer much like some stars are coach-killers. we DO need a big guard and a better option than chandler at center. oh well, we're stuck with that one for a while.

Don't see the point of that question. You don't choose to be a fan. at least, real fans don't. sometimes real fans have to be pessimistic because their team gives them no alternative.

You think they're serious? The vast majority of people who say that sort of thing are blowing off steam. You'r probably right but it gets tiresome, day after day. I agree it's overused, to the point when that sort of thing should be effective(like when we're about to give away Prior) it comes off like it does. people are pessimistic for a reason. last year was one of the most disappointing years i can remember, and this year's offseason, despite the money that we had to spend, wasn't much better than last year's. hendry overspent on rusch, neifi, and middle relievers, ignored giles, traded 2 top arms for pierre, put all of his eggs in one basket over furcal (who gave him a chance to up his bid, after the dodger offer), signed jacque jones to a lucrative 3-year deal. wait, why are we supposed to optimistic again? i can find reasons to hope, but to expect any Cub fan who knows ANYTHING about the game of baseball to actually be truly optimistic this season is asking a bit much. maybe the slackjaws and 12-year old trolls over at cubs.com are happy about juan pierre because his team beat ours in the playoffs 2 years ago, or because he "makes things happen on the basepaths", but that doesn't mean most of us here have to be. i'd be very optimistic if we had a reason to be. i'd be optimistic if we had signed giles to a 3/39 deal, traded too much for pierre, and then overspent on relievers. i'd be the happiest jerk in the world, but it did NOT happen.

I love the official team site and message board! It always seems to have the latest news and signings from around the league, and is rarely wrong! --Edward K., Indianapolis, Ind. I love it if I'm looking for a good laugh. or you could just come here for a good nerve grating (all the downers and negativity about our team next year). Atleast the Cubs.com MB has, SOME positivity. "Cubs.com is the #1 Chicago Cubs site on the internet!" -Edward K., Indianapolis, Ind.

fixed. whatever. the bulls aren't going anywhere until they get rid of skiles.

the bulls are average because skiles is a bad coach.

originally vanderbilt, though. so it appears he's not all obsessed with going or staying in socal.

thank you, thank you!

last time i checked, dee was still the reigning B10 poy. C'mon, you're smart enough to know awards like that don't mean anything, especially when they are playing the year after. Would Brown win that award right now for the year to date? Would he be in the top 5? the big 10 season hasn't even started yet. So is Brown going to up his play because it's the B10 season? I'm not going to claim a clear memory of last season, but Brown was much better last year before the B10 season. The losses they sustained are real, and it's a very real possibility that because of the lack of Williams and Head around him he won't be able to produce at the same level. Obviously, like I said before, that doesn't doom the Illini at all, but it's worth pointing out that they may struggle with the best players in the conference. caution, bizarre rant coming (not directed at you, but a disgruntled, visceral rant i've been storing up for some time): what i think is that everyone's excited because they think that they don't have to live under the peasant kings anymore and are licking their chops to get the old blue bloods back at the top of the B10. "anyone but illinois" they tell themselves, "anyone but those flatlanders!" anyone indeed. "dee's no good without head and williams!" they say, "he can't be, look, we have ager and davis!" two players who haven't exactly been adept at beating weber's teams in the past--in fact, they had to get a terrible call at the end of the first half to get their last victory over the illini. "ohhhhh, but indiana has this senior transfer from auburn who's going to absolutely eat them for dinner! if davis and ager can't do it, i know that killingsworth can! come on killingsworth, restore the true royal bloodline to the top of the B10! those filthy brigands from illinois don't deserve to sup at the tables of our hunting dogs, much less the table of the great killingsworth! let me hear you: killingsworth! killingsworth! killingsworth! killingsworth! mendelbaum!" "wait, did you say ohio state? well, not really a member of the good ol' boy network, but they'll do in a pinch. they'll beat illinois before the game even starts when the illini players all soil themselves at the thought of playing oden next season. i also remember that tOSU beat the illini last year on a brilliant last second play that wasn't a fluke at all!" "Even michigan would be acceptable, abrams is back, you know! horton has always been better than brown, dating back to AAU, when horton actually scored some points on dee once!" "gosh darn it, playing under the cruel reign of those commoners in champaign has been brutal the last couple of seasons, when can it be over!? i've never recognized that team as any good anyway, they never had tom izzo or bobby knight as their coach! they've never even won a national title, gasp!"

We better be getting Manny AND Tejada then... Manny AND Tejada? World Series here come the Cubbies =P~ Sorry, Manny will cost as many runs as he drives in. NO Thanks!!!!!!!! Manny might cost you 10-20 runs on defense. I'm pretty sure he'd generate a few more than that. I'm also talking injuries and his little fits when he decides not to play. Hey, I realize he has a great bat. I just don't like the idea of that headcase being on this team. Yes, some of it may be false and he may even be getting a bad rap foe something that isn't his fault. He's been asking to get traded out of Boston for 2 years. As soon as a situation came up at Wrigley he'd do the samething. i'm sorry, but passing up a chance at manny would be absolutely insane.

last time i checked, dee was still the reigning B10 poy. C'mon, you're smart enough to know awards like that don't mean anything, especially when they are playing the year after. Would Brown win that award right now for the year to date? Would he be in the top 5? the big 10 season hasn't even started yet.

last time i checked, dee was still the reigning B10 poy.

They're enormously dependent on their outside shooting, which has been great so far, and partly a function of them playing a pretty weak schedule. Teams like MSU, IU, and Illinois that have big men to contain Dials won't have to collapse as much on him and give them the threes. They're a step down in the conference IMO, with Wisconsin and maybe UM. IU is similar with their hot outside shooting helping to carry them, but they have more depth on the interior, and more talent overall. FWIW, I think MSU is the best team in the B10 this year, but they probably won't win it because their conference schedule is insane compared to some of the other contenders. i think illinois will win it again, bruce doesn't lose many B10 games. I'm anxious to see how U of I does against teams that have some dynamite players. They've played some teams that are pretty good like UNC, Oregon, and to a lesser extent Georgetown and Xavier. But they haven't faced anyone that has a player or players that are the same caliber of the Davises, the Agers, the Killingsworths, the Dialses of the B10. They may be up to the challenge, they're well coached and have talent, but if I had to bet I'd say that they struggle in those games against the best players in the league. Still doesn't mean they won't win the B10 though, because they're going to handle Wisconsin, Minnesota, UM and the like very well, while those are trap games for other top flight B10 schools. you're forgetting that illinois has some pretty talented players as well.

"It's all in good fun, they're all laughing with me." -Edward K., Indianapolis, Ind

They're enormously dependent on their outside shooting, which has been great so far, and partly a function of them playing a pretty weak schedule. Teams like MSU, IU, and Illinois that have big men to contain Dials won't have to collapse as much on him and give them the threes. They're a step down in the conference IMO, with Wisconsin and maybe UM. IU is similar with their hot outside shooting helping to carry them, but they have more depth on the interior, and more talent overall. FWIW, I think MSU is the best team in the B10 this year, but they probably won't win it because their conference schedule is insane compared to some of the other contenders. i think illinois will win it again, bruce doesn't lose many B10 games.

Huh? i think mckinney said something along those lines last season, after the illini beat them in the braggin' rights game. Ha! I wasn't aware of that. Mckinney sucks. i think every player that's ever played under quiny has underachieved, i can't think of one player who he has coached that's fulfilled their potential, not one. EDIT: okay, so kleiza was good.

Huh? i think mckinney said something along those lines last season, after the illini beat them in the braggin' rights game. At this juncture McKinney is like the 6th best player on the team. I can't wait for Morrison to take his starting spot next year, so that we have a shooting guard who *gasp* makes shots. Michigan State will be ready for U of I. I like their chances, especially since the game is during winter break and the crowd likely won't be as raucous. i don't know, could be another drubbing, which has been the trend lately.

anyhow, if it is prior and hill to the orioles for the 3 previously mentioned, could they include another mlb-ready pitcher? because without prior, we'll need hill.

Huh? i think mckinney said something along those lines last season, after the illini beat them in the braggin' rights game.

if bush doesn't want to play in green bay, that's fine by me. but i won't ever consider him a football player. football was meant to be played in cold weather. if fans can sit there and freeze their butts off at lambeau in december, he should be able to go out there and put on a show for them. if he refuses to play in GB, i hope he gets severely injured the first time he puts on pads in cold weather, i hope he never plays the game again and has to go to work alongside curtis enis at the garage door factory in paris, ohio, 3rd shift. that's right, i wish injury on him, just like i wish injury on any player who refuses to play where they're drafted, just like i wish injury on any player who refuses to play in cold weather. maybe he should just wear a grass skirt and play the freaking ukelele on the sidelines in a dirty, crime-infested city like houston or phoenix. the NFL doesn't need a player like that. if it really is the case, he should just go back to school and pull some college wool like leinart did. better yet, he can just stay in socal and forget that california isn't the only state in the union.