Im getting real tired of SCORE hosts (Finfer the latest) telling me the Cubs are on a 5 year plan and wont be good til at least 2016.

Are you insane? Have you followed MLB, or really ANY sport in the last 20 years?

There are no 5 year plans to win.

You idiots are confused. Let me walk you thru it.


It may take 5 years (or longer) to completely overhaul the minor league system and the way things are down thru the organization.

Here's the important part: YOU DONT HAVE TO TANK 4 STRAIGHT SEASONS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
Next year, they'll be better. Hopefully either Rizzo or Jackson will do well. You'll have Garza/Samarzija or the prospects from a Garza trade and some money to play with (Not talking BIG FA, but a couple here and there guys)

The team should approach .500 next year.

By 2014, there's no reason they shouldnt be making a run at the NL Central. 3 years is enough time to move some things around and get a team you like on the field. I also expect them to spend money going into 14


As much as the NFL is a bunch of 8-8 teams, MLB has a lot of parody too. No team is THAT far away. The 03 Tigers lost 110 games and they appeared in the 06 WS. A team with a couple starting pitchers and a few decent position players is ONE (1) off season away from contending


These same idiots who are waving the white flag on the next three seasons are talking about Anthony Rizzo, Brett Jackson, and Garza being traded for a King's Ransom. What are these players to do in the meantime? Suck until the A ball team is playing THEO ball?

See you HAVE to trade Garza, because by the time the Cubs are good, he'll be 70 years old.


Theo's fuckin deal is only for 5 years. They think he'll have 4 bad years and one decent one (hopefully) in a lame duck contract year.




I understand that a lot of Cub fans and journalists in this town have never seen a rebuild, but to not understand this is really beyond stupid.

Its akin to saying a new NFL coach has 5 years to produce results.

Amen,brother!

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I believe both of you are wrong. I don't think it has to take 5 years. If they do sign Soler and he's up within 2 years, Rizzo pans out and jackson follows within the next year or so, there are 3 positions covered in the next couple years. Add to that a prospect or two that pans out from trading Dempster and Garza and they should be getting close. Then its a matter of seeing which draft picks look to be on the fast track and NOT sign any free agents that will block the path to the majors for them. When they have identified what positions need an upgrade and that they have nobody that looks like a good candidate for the major leagues at that position, then you look at free agents available at that position. But it will NOT be next year that they contend. Next year is likely to be a below .500 season again and I do not want half assed free agents signed to make the club mediocre rather than awful, only to see the club get lower draft picks and miss out on the exceptional talent available at the top of the draft. Patience.. 2014 or 2015 they should be turning the corner and looking like the team they should be at that point.

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Go Cubs!!!!

No, I think you agree with me and are just restating what said.


Yep, pretty much what I said.

Being .500 next year isnt a big deal. But they should be better.

They should be better. Doesnt HAVE to be .500 but it must be an improvement. They'll probably win 65-70 games this year.

Agree with IMU.

Look at the roster. I mean, really look at it. In the majors there are two, MAYBE three guys, who will be there when the team is competing in the division again in Starlin, Shark and potentially Garza. Going from that this year to over .500 next year is a big jump.

.500 is a good goal to have next year, but I'm not expecting it at this point unless some guys in the minors progress a lot faster than even the most optimistic folks believe.

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Team Cutler.

How well do 5 year plans work?

The answer? Not well. Just ask any communist nation on the planet.

But I agree, RPB. I think it's just another cudgel to beat listeners over the head with in a vain attempt to display some sort of sports intellect superiority.

You're right, but that was a small part of my larger point. They should improve.

If you think Rizzo and Jackson will be decent starters. You have them, Castro, Castillo to go with Samardzija and Garza (or Garza's trade)

Should be able to approach .500

As long as we are ragging on Finfer, he had the balls to write this crazy article that this is the most important week of the season for the Cubs being the Rule 4 draft and all. Definitely the first time I've heard this.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/06/04/ ... -any-game/

Bad.

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Team Cutler.

Wanna bet on that ?

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I have contended for several months that Finfer has the worst sports thoughts at the station. The guy is the new Jesse.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

agree with you and bryan....this is the national league central not the a.l. east..does not take a whole lot to take this division over.

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I would expect them to be in the hunt year 3, when Soriano is gone, and whatever minor leaguers Theo picks up between now and then mature.

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No. Not at all.

Im not sure if you read the rest of the thread but I did point out 3 times now that was a best case scenario and I was more just looking for improvement

So, if I disagree with one of your statements, it means that I didn't read the rest of the post?

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

seems as though even when the cubs sucked they always had some likeable characters....dawson, sosa, harry, ryno, wood, whatever.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

The albatross on this team is Soriano. That is a super bad contract with super bad results. They are eating the Z money, Marmol's contract to a lesser degree is bad....

Point I'm trying to make is they need to get past these piece of crap players with high contracts...and use that money for guys who can actually play the game. When they actually do hit the FA market again it will be with this money...and hopefully it'll be to buy the missing piece or 2 to round out a club capable of winning it all.

There was / is some sort of stat out there about teams winning percentages based on payroll or whatever...amount of wins relative to something....and the Cubs are either dead last or second to last. Their fucking team sucks...their contracts are worse and Jim Hendry is a fucking Ass Bag!!!

So...it's going to take this year, next year, and the year after......IMO.....to be competitive and possibly have a team capable of making a run in the playoffs. 2015.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

No. That's not at all what I said.

Since I posted that I've amended the statement and pointed out several times I just want improvement, not neccessarily 82 wins.

Which is why I politely asked if you read the rest of thread. If you did, you wouldnt offer me a bet for something Im not predicting.

You said they should be over .500 next year, and make a run at the NL Central in 2014. You labeled those that disagree with you as idiots. I suggest you re-read what you wrote.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I disagree.

I mean the way I write, something being a paragraph doesnt make it special


Reading that whole post, you shouldnt come away thinking about next years prediction.

Maybe its my fault, the way I wrote it.

Ok, you just want a fight because you're pissy from the Hawk thing.

Ok.


I said they should be over .500. Then IN SEVERAL POSTS since then IN THIS THREAD Ive amended it and said I should have just said significant improvement.

So I said 3 times that I dont really think theyll get to .500 and you still offer me a wager on it?


Then I politely ask if you read the rest of the thread, because I correctly suspected you were responding after reading just the original post. I wasnt trying to be a jerk. I was just pointing out Ive clarified my position, so its kinda pointless to offer me a wager on something Ive said THREE TIMES that I dont believe.


But you go into INTERNET BATTLE MODE.

Oh and your assertion that Ive called people who dont think theyll win 2014 idiots is wrong.

It was pretty clear the idiot label was meant for those insisting they have no chance for the next four years. But you know that.

Cubs .500 next season? If they can improve their outfield defense (get rid of Soriano), massively improve their patience at the plate, and Rizzo pans out, sure...

But I don't think it happens.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

I deserve that after rightfully calling you out so often in the past.

I just disputed what you said. I quoted you verbatim. Why are you not able to have a discussion with me, without getting on the muscle?

You made a couple of silly statements that I disputed. Maybe you meant it that way, maybe you didn't. I wasn't the only one who took it that way, so take your misdirected hostility elsewhere.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

You quoted me verbatim and ignored everything I said afterwards even AFTER I pointed it out to you


I was overly polite in responding to your non sensical request. You got on the muscle trying to tell me to read what I wrote (after apparently refusing to read the thread a second time)


You've been like this with me, since I gave you what I felt was legit criticism.

Didnt know it would be this much of an issue.

I dont necessarily think the Cubs should or will be .500 next year but I expect significant improvement over this season


I was wrong saying that in the first post


A thousand pardons


I know CSFMB isnt used to posters admitting mistakes

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

85 wins in 2014. They are on the right track if they are around that number.

.500 next year would be nice, but I'd be ok with 76-78 wins. It's an improvement on how they will finish next season.

Since RPB is now a revisionist historian, let me clear some things up.

You made statements with which I disagreed. I didn't jump on you, I just said "wanna bet". I quoted you verbatim, and you denied saying it. Others read it the same way I did. Again, maybe you didn't mean that, and you could have easily cleared up a misunderstanding, but you chose to jump all over me, and call me pissy. Then you followed that up by patting yourself on the back for your ability to admit mistakes.

We butted heads over Hawk in the Deadspin thread. We said what we had to say, and we let it die. Fast forward one week. When Samardzija commented about Hawk, I said he was cocky. It took you all of two minutes, to jump all over me, and criticze my opinion. You said, "I'm sorry, there is no way that he is cocky." It was to me. And you bashed my opinion. Something that you said was the wrong thing to do.

The other day in the B&B thread, Theo was being discussed. You responded with a comment about Kenny. Kenny had nothing to do with the discussion. You would be all over me if I did that. I asked why you would do something that you would slam me for me doing. You responded that you didn't, even though it was clear to anybody who read it, that you did. Did I get pissy about it? No, I just ignored it.

If you want to play the victim card, be my guest. If you want to continue trying to sell this false idea that you are just some middle of the road, voice of reason, above all the crap, go for it. In the last month, you have showed me that you are nothing more than a thin-skinned hypocrite, who like Loho, doesn't like it when someone punches back. You are Dan Bernstein, minus the Duke education and radio gig.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Let's not forget that next year is the first "year round" inter-league season, so the AL gets to pound the NL every day.

76-78 wins might not be that far off in the NL Central.

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