Congrats to the Cubs!

[jimmer]

They got through the one game wild card game against the team with the 2nd best record in baseball.  Now they have taken the best of five series against the team with the best record in baseball.

 

Very good overall team primed to win.

 

GO CUBBIES!!!

[TheLeviathan]

Congrats to them, they are one step closer to a dream for millions of fans.

[Vanimal46]

They got through the one game wild card game against the team with the 2nd best record in baseball. Now they have taken the best of five series against the team with the best record in baseball.

 

Very good overall team primed to win.

 

GO CUBBIES!!!

Congrats to the Cubs! It's cliché I know but I jumped on their bandwagon for the playoffs and they are a ton of fun to watch.

[Squirrel]

Meh.

[jimmer]

 

Congrats to the Cubs! It's cliché I know but I jumped on their bandwagon for the playoffs and they are a ton of fun to watch.

My Grandma and my Dad were from Chicago and my Grandma was a huge Cubs fan. Her and I spent a lot of time watching them.  I've always had a soft spot for the Cubbies.  I hope they win it all.

[DaveW]

My grandma was the only "good" Cubs fan I ever met, after her passing I really don't care if the Cubs ever win a World Series, if she couldn't see them win when she was alive, I don't care if they ever win (selfish I know)

 

And mainly it's because of this:

 

I have a hard time feeling bad for this generations Cubs after how they basically drove a decent man (bartman) into hiding for life, I can only imagine how brutal they would have been if social media existed today. I saw that some Cubs fan raises $5,000 to give bartman two tickets to a playoff game.what a ****ing joke, for what they did to that man and his family they should raise $5,000,000 for him before it's even close to even. That whole thing was embarrassing, only Boston fans would do the same.

 

Also, wrigley is a dump, can't bulldoze it quick enough. I hope they lose to the Mets in 7 in the alcs.

[Monkeypaws]

I like Chicago, and like the Cubs best of all the teams there. 

 

Good young ballclub they have there.

[spinowner]

For those who aren't aware of what was predicted to happen in 2015

[Squirrel]

 

I like Chicago, and like the Cubs best of all the teams there. 

 

Good young ballclub they have there.

I like Chicago ... but I like Minneapolis better. But the best Chicago team to cheer on ... wait for it ... TwinsNorth? ...

 

Blackhawks, baby!

 

Sorry, but so so so so many 'yuppies who think it's cool to cheer on the Cubs' fans. yuck.

 

I pretty much agree with Dave on all counts on this. But, I do know some true blue Cubs' fans, and I am happy for them. One who got the opportunity to be at tonight's game, so that's great.

 

But you won't find me cheering them on. Since Pittsburgh dropped out, I'm going with the Mets for the NL ... but I'll be cheering on any of the AL teams over them.

[jokin]

 

My grandma was the only "good" Cubs fan I ever met, after her passing I really don't care if the Cubs ever win a World Series, if she couldn't see them win when she was alive, I don't care if they ever win (selfish I know)

And mainly it's because of this:

I have a hard time feeling bad for this generations Cubs after how they basically drove a decent man (bartman) into hiding for life, I can only imagine how brutal they would have been if social media existed today. I saw that some Cubs fan raises $5,000 to give bartman two tickets to a playoff game.what a ****ing joke, for what they did to that man and his family they should raise $5,000,000 for him before it's even close to even. That whole thing was embarrassing, only Boston fans would do the same.

Also, wrigley is a dump, can't bulldoze it quick enough. I hope they lose to the Mets in 7 in the alcs.

 

We've had this discussion before, but "BOO!"  IMO, you're painting with way too broad a brush on the Bartman affair-  Really?  A few crazies (what team or public figure doesn't have a percentage of irrational sychophants?) don't define a fan base. And there's no lower blow possible than to be compared to a Red Sox fan...   (I'll take a wild guess and surmise that you haven't met too wide a range of Cubs fans, if your conclusion is that your Grandma is the only worthy human being who happens to like the Cubs).

 

And Wrigley is a National Landmark for a reason. It's quite OK to have two ball parks left around to remind us of what once was in this country.  I doubt that there will ever be a more intimate, non-corporatized MLB park, than Wrigley (even with the recent "improvements" made to the park).

[jokin]

 

I like Chicago ... but I like Minneapolis better. But the best Chicago team to cheer on ... wait for it ... TwinsNorth? ...

 

Blackhawks, baby!

 

Sorry, but so so so so many 'yuppies who think it's cool to cheer on the Cubs' fans. yuck.

 

I pretty much agree with Dave on all counts on this. But, I do know some true blue Cubs' fans, and I am happy for them. One who got the opportunity to be at tonight's game, so that's great.

 

But you won't find me cheering them on. Since Pittsburgh dropped out, I'm going with the Mets for the NL ... but I'll be cheering on any of the AL teams over them.

 

I particularly like the Mets because of how refreshing and witty Terry Collins is. But I'll concur, as long as it's not the Yankees, it'll be a close call for me- but most likely the AL over the Nl.

[DaveW]

 

We've had this discussion before, but "BOO!"  IMO, you're painting with way too broad a brush on the Bartman affair-  Really?  A few crazies (what team or public figure doesn't have a percentage of irrational sychophants?) don't define a fan base. And there's no lower blow possible than to be compared to a Red Sox fan...   (I'll take a wild guess and surmise that you haven't met too wide a range of Cubs fans, if your conclusion is that your Grandma is the only worthy human being who happens to like the Cubs).

 

And Wrigley is a National Landmark for a reason. It's quite OK to have two ball parks left around to remind us of what once was in this country.  I doubt that there will ever be a more intimate, non-corporatized MLB park, than Wrigley (even with the recent "improvements" made to the park).

The whole freaking city went against Bartman, it wasn't a "few bad apples"

Chicago fans are ridiculous, yeah the Cubs have sucked but good lord, you have the Bulls who won 6 titles in 8 years and had the greatest player of all time, you have the Bears who won in my lifetime and you have the Blackhawks who are the current NHL "Dynasty", for those .01% of Cubs fans who don't watch any other sports and are decent human beings? Good for them! But the rest? Give me a break.

 

Wrigley is a dump and I will continue to say that, if I want to see some old falling down building for history I will go visit any other 100 sites/museums for free etc, I goto a ballgame to watch baseball, enjoy the company, have a couple beers in comfort. Not so I can sit in a dump that smells like urine, inbetween multiple 300LB "locals" in seats built for the apparently "average" five foot 2, 120 LB American back in the early 1900's and deal with a bunch of people in the neighborhood who can't handle their booze.

Pass. Burn it to the ground and build a real stadium.

#FreeBartman

[DaveW]

 

 

I particularly like the Mets because of how refreshing and witty Terry Collins is. But I'll concur, as long as it's not the Yankees, it'll be a close call for me- but most likely the AL over the Nl.

My rooting interests:

Royals

Mets (tiebreaker over Toronto because I live in NYC and enjoy title parades/chance to booze it around lunch time during a work day)

Bluejays

Dodgers

Rangers

Astros

Cubs

[flpmagikat]

 

My rooting interests:

Royals

Mets (tiebreaker over Toronto because I live in NYC and enjoy title parades/chance to booze it around lunch time during a work day)

Bluejays

Dodgers

Rangers

Astros

Cubs

Yeah flip the dodgers and bluejays and I'm right there with ya. Maybe not, it is kinda funny seeing the dodgers as the sharks of baseball. Also i just realized that every team except the astros primary color is royal blue. huh

[jokin]

 

They got through the one game wild card game against the team with the 2nd best record in baseball.  Now they have taken the best of five series against the team with the best record in baseball.

 

Very good overall team primed to win.

 

GO CUBBIES!!!

 

You and I and Levi (among others) have been sounding the alert that this team was proving to be the model franchise for rebuilding through all means possible since Theo came on board around the same time that Terry made his comeback:  If anyone doubts what has been accomplished, and exactly who is "doing it the right way", consider this visual from CBS Sports:

 

^ Average age of each typical 2015 starting lineup at season's end:
26.5-27.5
^ Age at which an established major-league hitter typically begins to decline:
28.9
^ Average age of hitters & team ranking currently among the 30 MLB starting lineups in September, 2015:

 

#1 Youngest club starting lineup (by far):  Chicago Cubs (24.75) [No DH factored in. One player over 30. And consider that the Cubs might actually be slightly YOUNGER in 2016 if they get rid of Castro (26) and Fowler (30) and Schwarber ends up catching more, should David Ross choose to retire after suffering his 3rd career concussion this year]

 

#13 MN Twins average age of position players + DH (28.8) [ 3 players over 30 in the starting lineup. And Sano skews the Twins just below average age of 29! If the Twins do keep both Hunter and Plouffe, they will have 4 players over 30 in 2016.

 

 

Here are the updated results for the dueling GMs, since my last posting on Saturday and the Cubs winning 3 in a row to clinch the NLDS against the mighty Cardinals.

 

 

Terry Ryan W-L as GM:  1361-1485 (.478 winning percentage)
Terry Ryan post-season record: 6-21 (.222 winning percentage)
Terry Ryan playoff series wins in 18 seasons: 1
Terry Ryan World Series wins in 18 seasons: 0

Theo Epstein W-L as GM: 1136-970 (.539 winning percentage)
Theo Epstein post-season record: 38-21 (.644 winning percentage)
Theo Epstein playoff series wins in 13 seasons: 10* (includes WC win)
Theo Epstein World Series wins in 13 seasons: 2

[jokin]

 

The whole freaking city went against Bartman, it wasn't a "few bad apples"

Chicago fans are ridiculous, yeah the Cubs have sucked but good lord, you have the Bulls who won 6 titles in 8 years and had the greatest player of all time, you have the Bears who won in my lifetime and you have the Blackhawks who are the current NHL "Dynasty", for those .01% of Cubs fans who don't watch any other sports and are decent human beings? Good for them! But the rest? Give me a break.

 

Wrigley is a dump and I will continue to say that, if I want to see some old falling down building for history I will go visit any other 100 sites/museums for free etc, I goto a ballgame to watch baseball, enjoy the company, have a couple beers in comfort. Not so I can sit in a dump that smells like urine, inbetween multiple 300LB "locals" in seats built for the apparently "average" five foot 2, 120 LB American back in the early 1900's and deal with a bunch of people in the neighborhood who can't handle their booze.

Pass. Burn it to the ground and build a real stadium.

#FreeBartman

 

Sounds more like you have issues with the city's pro sports success, and maybe a few fans who took offense at your opinions while they were imbibed on their home turf?  I get the feeling that your ".01% decent human beings" might be a wee bit hyperbolic...

 

I like the Royals and the Blue Jays over the Cubs, but if it's anyone else, I'll take the Cubs... (similar to you, my Grandpa was one of those decent .01%, I guess... he first introduced me to the Cubs, Wrigley, and the qualities and rich history of both...)

[spinowner]

We've discussed on another thread whether the Cubs got lucky in getting Arrieta. But what WAS luck was that the Rays' front office screwed up Maddon's contract and allowed him to jump to the team he wanted to manage.

[USAFChief]

We've discussed on another thread whether the Cubs got lucky in getting Arrieta. But what WAS luck was that the Rays' front office screwed up Maddon's contract and allowed him to jump to the team he wanted to manage.

And what WASN'T luck was the Cubs finding a way to make that happen, despite having a manager under contract.

[Squirrel]

And what WASN'T luck was the Cubs finding a way to make that happen, despite having a manager under contract.

Nope. Not luck at all. I'm sure it was all planned out before Maddon officially stepped down in Tampa.

[nicksaviking]

Glad to see I'm not the only non-Cubs fan.  It seems a sense of pity is supposed to spur everyone on to cheer for them.  Sorry, I didn't cheer for the Red Sox either.  Big pocket big market teams that don't win don't make me feel bad, they just make me feel like they've taken advantage of the fans for a century knowing they'll still show up regardless of outcome.

 

Regarding the stadium, I like old historic buildings, but the team clearly put the same effort into that place that they put into their team most years.  Fenway was old but there were clear attempts to make the stadium updated and useable for modern baseball fans.

 

Also, and really I hate to say it, but the White Sox get a raw deal from that city.  It's not like the Mets with the Yankees or the Angels with the Dodgers, those two teams are still the new kids in town.  The White Sox have been overlooked for over a century now too.

[Squirrel]

Glad to see I'm not the only non-Cubs fan.  It seems a sense of pity is supposed to spur everyone on to cheer for them.  Sorry, I didn't cheer for the Red Sox either.  Big pocket big market teams that don't win don't make me feel bad, they just make me feel like they've taken advantage of the fans for a century knowing they'll still show up regardless of outcome.

 

Regarding the stadium, I like old historic buildings, but the team clearly put the same effort into that place that they put into their team most years.  Fenway was old but there were clear attempts to make the stadium updated and useable for modern baseball fans.

 

Also, and really I hate to say it, but the White Sox get a raw deal from that city.  It's not like the Mets with the Yankees or the Angels with the Dodgers, those two teams are still the new kids in town.  The White Sox have been overlooked for over a century now too.

I can't like this enough on every.single. point.

[HitInAPinch]

Chisago?  Why are we talking about Chisago County?

[Platoon]

I like Chicago ... but I like Minneapolis better. But the best Chicago team to cheer on ... wait for it ... TwinsNorth? ...

 

Blackhawks, baby!

 

Sorry, but so so so so many 'yuppies who think it's cool to cheer on the Cubs' fans. yuck.

 

I pretty much agree with Dave on all counts on this. But, I do know some true blue Cubs' fans, and I am happy for them. One who got the opportunity to be at tonight's game, so that's great.

 

But you won't find me cheering them on. Since Pittsburgh dropped out, I'm going with the Mets for the NL ... but I'll be cheering on any of the AL teams over them.

I know about the Cubs and the White Sox. But I did not know ther was another baseball team called the "Blackhawks"? Are they an independent league team, like the St. Paul Saints?

[Platoon]

Chisago?  Why are we talking about Chisago County?

Turn your hearing aid up Sid!

[USAFChief]

Nope. Not luck at all. I'm sure it was all planned out before Maddon officially stepped down in Tampa.

I wish the Twins were that aggressive, and I wish the Twins were an organization that would be a desirable landing spot for top talent.

[Squirrel]

 

I wish the Twins were that aggressive, and I wish the Twins were an organization that would be a desirable landing spot for top talent.

My point was, it wouldn't have mattered what the Twins had done. Maddon was going to the Cubs before he resigned his position from the Rays. He would never have resigned his position with the Rays for the Twins, imo. Maddon was never, ever available to or for us, no matter the offer, not at that time. That's what I think, and there is no amount of anything anyone can say that would make me think otherwise. While there are plenty of other times I wish the Twins would have more aggression and make certain deals, this was just one that was never going to happen no matter what.

 

Anyway ... this is getting a bit off course of either cheering for the Cubs and their victory, or ... as I said earlier ... meh.

[USAFChief]

My point was, it wouldn't have mattered what the Twins had done. Maddon was going to the Cubs before he resigned his position from the Rays. He would never have resigned his position with the Rays for the Twins, imo. Maddon was never, ever available to or for us, no matter the offer, not at that time. That's what I think, and there is no amount of anything anyone can say that would make me think otherwise. While there are plenty of other times I wish the Twins would have more aggression and make certain deals, this was just one that was never going to happen no matter what.

 

Anyway ... this is getting a bit off course of either cheering for the Cubs and their victory, or ... as I said earlier ... meh.

And my point was, if you are right, and Madden didnt and wouldn't consider the Twins, that's a problem and I wish it would change.

 

As for cheering for the Cubs...screw the Cubs. I'm jealous, and I'm much too petty to cheer for the success of others!

[Squirrel]

 

 

As for cheering for the Cubs...screw the Cubs. I'm jealous, and I'm much too petty to cheer for the success of others!

Lol ... that direct honesty is your hallmark, Chief.

[Platoon]

Little known fact: Chief was the prototype on which Dickens based Scrooge! Although Chief was still a young man at the time Charles saw his potential!

[SwainZag]

I can't help rooting for the Cubs.  Any franchise that has been that poor and gone that long without a championship.....I just can't root against them, at least to come out of the NL.  

 

We talk about how long it's been since the Twins last World Series victory in 91.  Take a look at this list:

 

Cubs last win - 1908.  107 years.

Dodgers last win - 1988.  27 years.

Mets last win -1986. 29 years.

 

Rangers last win  - Never.  55 years in existence.

Blue Jays last win - 1993.  22 years.

Astros last win - Never. 54 years in existence.

Royals last win - 1985. 30 years.

 

23% of the teams in the league are left in the playoffs and the only team to have a championship since the Twins last won it is the Jays, and they haven't been to the playoffs since they won it 22 years ago.  Some fan base is going to get a much waited and well deserved title this year.....and I like it.