I wouldn't hold your breath for anyone to say it, besides IMU and Brett Jackson.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I'm not so sure. He has said Sale will get injured every year, he predicts the Sox to finish 3rd every year. He says so many dumb baseball things its hard to tell when and if he is ever kidding.

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Ok, so Chris and Kirkwood like the plan. That's fine. You're attempting huge leaps in logic to try and connect that with Cub fans thinking Rizzo would be a super star (and you even throw in what was acquired to get him, as if Cub fans have anything to do with that)


That doesnt mean they said Rizzo or Castro would be stars. In fact both guys were recorded as having tempered enthusiasm.

Hopefully Bryant. I'd be disappointed if he isn't. Epstoyer threw away a whole season for the cat.

I just want to make sure I understand this


Cub fans, who have watched the team lose for 5 straight years are now being criticized for NOT buying into hype and calling players who havent earned it, superstars?

Is that right?


How does that work with the whole "Cub fans think every prospect is a star" thing?

You can call that stuff "joking" but it's what my mom would have called "kidding on the square". I don't think Noisewater was exactly serious with his Hall of Fame comment, but it was definitely posted while he was in the throes of Rizzo-generated ecstasy.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

I call it joking because that's what it clearly is. I understand the kind of joking your mom is talking about. This aint it.

And your mom certainly wouldnt build a "___ think ___" based on kidding on the square. If it was as true as you say, youd be able to find ONE legitimate post

No, but if you think they have a future of "sustained success" you should be able to say that at least one player is a potential superstar. Of course they aren't superstars now. No player in the minors is a superstar. That is why they are in the minors.

It's a question that someone like Juiced, who not only wants to pump up the Cubs future, but also take shots at the rebuilding job of the Sox, should be answering.

I don't think the Cubs are on their way to "sustained success" if you can't name one potential superstar. Also, please don't say "Any player could be a superstar".

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Cub fan: Kris Bryant is going to be a SuperStar

Sox fans: OMG, CUB FANS ARE SO DUMB

Cub fan: Kris Bryant might not be any good

Sox Fans: OMG CUB FANS ARE SO DUMB

Cub fan: Kris Bryant looks good but its the minors so we'll have to wait and see

Sox Fans: OMG CUB FANS ARE SO DUMB

Cub fan: Kris Bryant's first name is Kris while his last name is Bryant

Sox Fans: OMG CUB FANS ARE SO DUMB

You can take up your Juice issues with Juiced

I dont think they're on their way to sustained success. I think Baez, Bryant, and Soler have the talent to be superstars. Bryant has the best chance. I could easily see all three busting though.

I'll say it's not working. I don't see the pitching talent and I'm not sure when it's coming. And I'm a Cubs fan.

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

That is a pretty big statement there.

I'm clearly not talking to any Cubs fan that feels that way.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I think those are "legitimate" posts. There was obvious over-the-top excitement about Rizzo. I don't really see how that can be denied. So you take from the posts of Steve and bigfan and Big Chicagoan that they really thought he was going to be a journeyman first baseman and they were simply fucking around? Okay. That's not how I read it then and it's not how I read it now. Although I'm sure there are a lot of guys who now never expected anything from Rizzo and/or Castro, which is my entire point. Now it's Bryant and Baez. In a year or two it may be Schwarber and Stinnett. And after that some guy who is in high school right now.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

And I suspect the majority of Cub fans don't agree. If they did, they certainly couldn't mock the White Sox.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Anybody post this box score yet?

http://www.umterps.com//ViewContent.dbm ... _ID=896969

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THe Cubs have the best pitching prospect in the city

We win.

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

I knew Stinnet beat him but I didn't know Rodon got absolutely lit up Danks style.

Stinnett got the "W". Nothing else matters.

_________________

Im sitting here telling you that Bryant has a "chance" to be really good but you never know. Im not sold on Almora or Soler even being major leaguers. Baez has a lot of talent but seems like a hot head and you never know with those guys

Ive posted numerous quotes of people saying Rizzo might be good, but a prospect is a prospect and you never know (with a list of past failures)

It seems you just WILL NOT hear what Cub fans are really saying.

Its really not a big statement. Sustained success is rare in general and were talking about a team who hasnt won a title in 105 years.


Its a bigger statement to say they ARE going toward sustained success.


I dont doubt that you and JORR talk to some Cub fans outside of this board that are over the moon with every propsect. But its unfair to apply that to the posters here (especially considering their posting history is right there to prove it)

I believe the accepted code word for latino players is firecracker.

No, I think you're an atypical Cub fan.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

He wasn't even the best pitcher in this draft. Was the 3rd pitcher selected this year. Wood was suppose to be the next R.Clemens and Prior was compared to N.Ryan. How did that work out? J.Mauer was taken before Prior and everyone laughed. No one was laughing at MINN 3yrs later.

OK so I get it JORR and BRick think the plan is a failure....

Let me ask you where it failed? Why it failed? What would you have done differently? What plan should the Cubs have put in place? Who's plan should they try to replicate?

You asked who are the superstars? Define a Superstar? Is Joe Maurer a superstar? Dustin Pedroia? Evan Longoria? Fill in the blank_________________? What is your criteria for superstardom?

and while your at it who are the busts going to be Baez? Bryant? Soler? Almora? All of the them?

_________________

0 ER. Steve Stone would call that a brilliant start.

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Not a failure until they don't win a World Series and multiple deep playoff runs. Now I know, it's hard to win the World Series, but when you tank for 5-8 years then the expectations need to be higher.

Spend money like the dominant team in a major market. Win games but don't make stupid decisions on trades especially with a long term piece.

I'd recommend to follow the Boston plan under Theo. Makes sense to me. You don't trade for and pay someone like Theo to suck for years in order to hope that you can get a catcher with the fourth pick.

Now go ahead and tell me how winning doesn't matter, and how the Cubs are setting themselves up for sustained success, and all sorts of other made up promises that probably won't come true and instead the Cubs will eventually just start paying what they should and they'll be good to very good.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Sounds like Rick has started to realize its more Ricketts than Theo.

Theo knew what he was signing up for. He took the big payday and the lowered expectations willingly. He doesn't get a pass just because the payroll is currently low.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I don't know if "the Plan" is a failure or not. I'm not even sure what the goal is. I guess to be good at some undetermined point in the future.

Ricketts is a dim bulb who has turned his team over to a couple guys who are playing fantasy baseball with it, as evidenced by the absurd "this is our Super Bowl" statement.

The goal should never be to lose at the big league level. Because it guarantees nothing. Winning a World Series is difficult. The idea that there is some magic formula for sustained success that is better than what Hendry put together from 2003-2008 is silly. Look at the Dodgers. They have players they drafted and developed, high priced free agents, and international studs, and they still might not make the playoffs.

As far as "superstars" are concerned, to me a superstar is a guy you don't want to miss when he bats or pitches. Sammy Sosa was a superstar. Ryne Sandberg wasn't. There's more to it than just being a great player. Style matters. So I have no idea which Cub prospect might be a superstar and which one might be a bust or just a really good player. But I'll say that if your fans are focused on guys in the minors, there's something inherently wrong with your organization.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

You know the first major sign that "The Plan" is a failure? If they trade Samardzija. Here you have a high quality major league pitcher who is the type of player you dream that any of your pitchers in the minors becomes and at this point, 3 years into the Theo regime, and 5 years into the rebuilding process, you are trading him for a lottery ticket in the future. Now, maybe that ends up being a great trade that leads them to win multiple World Series, but it already starts to move away from a plan to pretty much just a strategy to absolutely suck for so long that eventually you luck into a good team.

The plan just seems to be to keep kicking the can further down the road.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!