If I knew the ball would land on black every time. I would bet it. No plan is a sure thing.

They lost to a WC team,that's what I meant.

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

Exactly! Why are you so comfortable with assuming that it will hit? You seem to be projecting that losing near 100 games for 5 years is fine and that everything will be rainbows and WS titles in year 6. I could be dead by then... Hell jimmy might not make it thru 2014 I wouldnt mind seeing some winning now. The baseball draft isnt like football and basketball.

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A couple years for a rebuild is not reasonable. It's the NOW mentality that we all live in. Hell, I used to wait 15 minutes to get on to AOL. Now, I get pissed if my WIFI connection is slow.

I understand your point of view, I just don't think it is realistic to think they can do a ground up rebuild in 2-3 years.

I expected them to add some free agents (bill mueller, david ortiz diamond in the rough types) by this year to mesh with the kids growing up.

Because I am tired of standing at the dime slot machines. If we want to play with the big boys, we need to play a new game. Leave the slot machines for the WhiteSox fans.

Asking them to find Ortiz again, is like asking the Bulls to find M.Jordan and Pippen again in the draft. Theo got lucky with Ortiz. Do you really want them to sign another E.Jackson?

But the big boys dont play this way (except for STL, and they have sold their soul to the devil or something). NY, Boston, LA... those teams spend like crazy and say fuck the consequences.

STL has proven that a good farm system can build a winner while you are still winning in the major leagues. You dont have to be bad to do it. I want to be the Cardinals, not the Rays. Tampa built their minor leagues by being terrible for a decade. I cant deal with that...

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Can't see 67 wins.

Starlin/Rizzo/Barney/Jackson had awful years. No, not All-Star bounce back seasons but they'll be better.

Bullpen had a terrible start (aka Marmol!). My guy Strop is now here to play the fireman role.

Fucking dipshit #1 Lillibridge and dipshit #2 Sappelt have been sent to fucking Siberia. Thank goodness. That's a addition by subtraction increase of 5 wins.

Lakemania is here to stay and tear shit up.

Guy needs to tweak his model. It's bad.

the heart and soul of "the plan" is in AA/AAA right now. to say they need to start winning this season or else is short-sighted by one year. if 2015 rolls around and guys like Baez and Bryant arent up in the bigs improving the club, then i will agree that the plan isnt working. 2014 to me should be the last of "the embarrassment years".

an .800 OPS / 20 HR DH who changes teams and starts PEDing and is suddenly hitting 40+ home runs and adds 200 points to his OPS is a tougher get now than in 2003.

and yet, Theo has explicitly stated that the rebuild is behind schedule. This leads me to believe that he thought 3 years was a reasonable amount of time to be competitive, which, of course, it is.

You know, this whole wait and see thing sucks for us haters as well. I get edgy thinking about how many days I have to wait to watch the hearts of Cubs fans ripped from their chest and stomped on by Ricketts.

The great part is that you are willing to shitcan 2014 in the unrealistic hope that both Baez and Bryant are up in 2015, producing at some incredible level completely out of character with the normal progression of a rookie AND that this effort is good enough to lift a god awful team up to mediocre so that you can call it competing.

A completely realistic view is that they play well, probably enough to compete for rookie of the year yet the Cubs still pretty much suck in 2015. Then in 2016 the revenue starts to flow in the rookies start to mature, they buy a middle of the road pitcher or two that they have to call an ace and they are fringe competitors. Finally, in 2017 they go all in on some ace the rookies are big boys and they are now true competitors, though not favorites, in their division.

HOORAY, you wasted 5 years to finish in second place...and you know you chumps would take that and call it progress, heralding proof that some ambiguous plan worked. Theo will get his second contract, they will not win a World Series in his tenure. THEN AND ONLY THEN will you turn on him and this low rent plan of winning by losing.

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

Pre-ban... siggy.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

GD,
I can't argue with that scenario. The Ricketts ownership has been a nightmare.

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

^ ^
^ ^
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^ ^

More Cub BS:



The Seattle Mariners signed pitcher Scott Baker to a minor league contract on Wednesday.

MLB Daily Dish reported that Baker would receive a $1 million salary if he makes the team and could collect up to $3.25 million in performance bonuses.

Baker sat out the 2012 season and a majority of 2013 after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery. He returned to make three starts in September for the Chicago Cubs and posted a 3.60 ERA with no record in 15 innings.

The right-hander signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Cubs before last season. Baker has spent the majority of his major league career with the Minnesota Twins, logging a 63-48 record with a 4.16 ERA in 166 career games, including 162 starts, from 2005 to 2011.

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

After blowing 5.5 mil on this guy,the Cubs could not throw another mil his way and offer
him the same type of contract as Seattle???

I think Ricketts is broke.

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

No reason to bother with a one year Baker contract.

Samardzija
Wood
Jackson
Arrieta
Villanueva (or Rusin)

is fine for 2014. I'm not upset over the 1 or 2 more wins Baker might provide. (keyword: might)

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I agree on Barney....I could name the long long list of short, grindy, SLOW , 2 baggers since Ryno as well...

but isnt he really just your built in placeholder for Castro right now?

I think as long as you know they are blowing smoke up their ass, let it be.

Guys that need to improve to hit .260, with no other GREAT SKILL,,Power, Speed, Fielding, Catching etc can catch the bus out of here next year

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

hoo boy.

yeah, I'd say it's fairly accurate.

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

Well that's like saying if I knew the lotto numbers I'd be rich.

Sure nobody knows if it'll all work, but for chrissakes to frame a supposedly informed opinion about "the plan", such as it is, because some asshat wrote an article saying the Cubs are gonna suck is ... well I don't find it to be the greatest grounds for having that opinion.

Whatever ... I guess going with saying the Cubs suck and the Ricketts are dumb-asses is the way to go because in the off chance it works then well golly gee whiz what did anyone know glad to be wrong whoopeeee go cubbies!

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I wish. My parents basement is nicer than my house

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

Im not sure Id deem it lucky. But anyway, my point is I think finding a decent under the radar free agent that helps is a reasonable expectation.

You admit yourself, Theo said its behind schedule. We both know that is on Ricketts.

I honestly believe Theo's plan included an average team for these young kids to come up to.

Not if I say it. I say it and I'm a crazy old man. I have said that before the 2012 season. I mentioned back then that a rebuild should start in 2013. The MLB added another WC team in 2012. I said it was worth a shot to try one more time and add some FA's that could help. Who knows what happens in the playoffs?
The Cubs did a couple of moves in the OF this year that might improve them. I think Ruggiano will kill LHP in Wrigley and improve his BA overall. Also,they have that guy who is a former rookie of the year. He's the new "Holly"! I think they do need a RH hitting 1st basemen. That fat guy (Vogelbach,I think) at aaa might help. He has a lot of power.

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

The below-average thing is partially Theo's fault. Theo banked on Rizzo and Castro to be cornerstones of the average team. Stewart was supposed to be passable at 3rd with potential to become solid.

Though, no matter what Dr. Bernstein Esq says the absence of pitching is scary. I'm glad they know they need pitching. Whoop dee doo so does the whole fucking world. What are they going to do about it.

There is going to be a lot of available free agent starting pitching in the 2014-2015 offseason. I'm okay with not spending money for the 2014 season if that money gets put into next year's team (and on.)

Queue argument "But you don't know if Ricketts is going to do that! He might just keep that money!"

I can't do anything about that if true, so why bitch about it? Besides, I do not think it is true. A consistently winning team is more profitable. TV contracts...ticket and concession sales...merchandise... Imagine the nationwide bandwagon fans jumping on board if the Cubs become a perennial winner. You'll have Cubs 59FIFTY hats in every. rap. video.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Vogelbach is going to be in high A. He still has a long way to go before he can be considered a future contributor at the major league level.

On a happy note your guy Michah LaHair was released by his Japanese team. Sign him up Theo!

You go crazy and talk about guys that are terrible though

That's true.

I still think he thought he'd have a little bit more money to play with.