And remember, it may not end up working, but he did in fact build that machine. I'm glad Theo doesn't work at Sears.

_________________

*HUGE SIGH* There. is. no. guarantee. that. it. will. work. All Theo can do is live his life in perfect harmony and draft, trade for, and develop players. What happens after that is out of his control. He. has. explained. it. all. to. you. You're too smart to think this way.

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Dan's stance seems to have evolved from "Championships are all that matter" to "Looking like you can win a championship is all that matters".

_________________
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!

What counts more: Stan Bowman's two actual championships, or Theo Epstein's infinite hypothetical championships? We could be getting into the sort of number theory stuff where I need to consult a Purdue guy. Gotta be some aleph-null sets in here somewhere, I dunno.

_________________

The best part was how Dan was already talking about how Theo may be too smart to even want to stay here and watch the Cubs win the World Series.

"His next job may not even be in sports"

Maybe Theo is going to go to NASA next!

_________________
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!

Oh no, he did say that? I thought JORR was just reducing to absurdity.

_________________

Who's the Jewish GM
That's built a baseball machine for all the fans?
THEO, ya, damn right

Who is this recruit that would risk his rep
in a gorilla suit?
THEO, can you dig it?

Who's the cat that has no doubts
When Javy Baez is striking out?
THEO, right on

They say this cat THEO is a bad mother
Shut your mouth
But I'm talkin' 'bout THEO
Then we can dig it

He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but dan bernstein
THEO EPSTEIN

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I can't comment on the idiocy of Bernsie since I refuse to listen to the show. However, this is as excited as I have been since October 2003 when the Cubs crushed my hopes against the Marlins.

The entire Cubs thing feels like the early Jordan Bulls years and the Blackhawks where you knew it was just a matter of time. Or even the Bears when they make a Super Bowl shuffle video before they had won anything. Of course, it always seems like the Cubs will find a way to screw up a straight flush, but it has that look. There is a sense of inevitability in what is going on. They are fixing or have fixed all the past problems that prevented success:

1) A long term vision (in contrast to Hendry's all in play for short term success),
2) A highly rated minor league system stock with talent,
3) Better scouting and player development,
4) Improved Wrigley with the ability to extract revenues and provide for better player facilities
5) No legacy bad contracts
6) No intercompany Tribune deals that underpaid the Cubs for tv and radio rights
7) Well regarded on field manager and front office
Young players signed to favorable long term deals
9) Official players in the free agent and trade markets to add talent

They have won nothing yet, but you'd have to be blind to not see the progress made since Ricketts got here.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

Yeah Jorr was writing yesterday show for the most part.

_________________
Elections have consequences.

2) promising but they need to be real in the major leagues
5) denis we just signed one with Lester

That one's okay because Hendry didn't sign it.

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

That's not even close to agreeing with Dan's baseball machine

Dan is saying Theo is doing some jewish magic

Even in your recount of the callers tale he sound far more reasonable. Sounds like Sal is saying the Cubs have never had consistent success and he thinks Theo is building a consistent winner. And Sal is not a Cub fan.

So let's not go attributing to the Baseball machine thing to Cub fans

*SIGH* It doesn't matter.

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Could Theo's baseball machine help Trestman grow the man, and grow the football?

_________________
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're going to criticize the Cubs no matter what they do. You're smart enough to know in your heart that they are doing the rights things and moving in the right direction. You see all the stuff I outlined. But your devil's' advocacy and constant trolling will not allow you to make an honest assessment.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

Nobody cares.

_________________
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'm not being critical. Just objective. Why is that Lester deal so different than Soriano? Soriano was a good fucking player for the Cubs. He was a big piece of a team that was the best in the NL. If they had won a World Series we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm not saying Lester was a bad signing. But if you don't win a World Series and it's 2018 and he's a busted down guy making $25 million, he's just like Soriano at the end. You're the guy who is critical. You're just critical of Hendry rather than Epstein.

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Why is it different? Pretty easy- Hendry's entire teams were old and expensive veterans. He needed to plug holes all over the diamond to make up for a lack of internal talent (had to sign or trade for talent all along).

From wikipedia:

2002
One of his first moves provided fodder for critics and boosters alike: late in spring training 2002, he dealt Julián Tavárez and Dontrelle Willis to the Florida Marlins for pitchers Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca
2003
A little more than two weeks after his injury, Hendry sent prospect Bobby Hill and veteran José Hernández to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a center fielder who could replace Patterson for the remainder of the season, Kenny Lofton. The Cubs also received third baseman Aramis Ramírez in the trade, ending the revolving door that had been at 3B ever since Ron Santo was traded to the White Sox.
2004
After failing to close out the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins, Hendry made several acquisitions, picking up first baseman Derrek Lee for Hee-seop Choi in a trade with the Marlins, acquiring catcher Michael Barrett in a three-way trade with the Oakland Athletics, giving up Damian Miller in the process and Montreal Expos, signing free agents LaTroy Hawkins, Todd Walker and Greg Maddux.
On July 31, Hendry made a four-team deal with the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, sending Gonzalez and prospects Brendan Harris and Francis Beltrán to the Expos and prospect Justin Jones to the Minnesota Twins. In return, the Cubs received All-Star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from Boston, along with prospect Matt Murton.
2005


I could go on, but you get the point. They are trading and signing players all over to just plug holes from the organizations lack of a farm system. Those were some great trades for Lee and Ramirez, but those guys are expensive.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

Hendry was at his best back then. Those were great moves.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Awesome moves, but do you get my point? The lack of internal talent forced them to make moves that a good organization would not have to do. You want to be able to plug a few holes. They needed an entire external baseball team.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

so they didn't draft well yet they fleeced teams with their prospects. Hendry made two large blunders and everything else largely worked. Soriano and Bradley. If they had had deep pocketed owners it would have all worked out. Two of the moves you listed were genius moves, giving up "talent" for real proven talent.

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

Yeah, I don't think it matters where the players come from. At least for a big market team.

_________________
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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

First off, they won nothing, so that is not success. Second, they had an unsustainable model. They spent $140M in an effort to win, and they were left with no minor league system, old and useless veterans, a crumbling stadium, and bad tv contracts. Not sure how you measure long term success, but they were in disarray at the end. If your solution was to boost spending to $200M to paper over the problem, then you are missing the point.

Look I enjoyed the division titles and competitive teams. Big Z went nutty, Sammy walked out, D Lee stopped hitting, Soriano had no legs, and our great starting pitching staff died. So painful.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

I understand why though. They brought in a manager that had just led his team to a WS appearance and were trying to win a WS before their 100 year anniversary. The same was true when they got Piniella. It appears that Theo is going for it now since he got Maddon. The only difference is he was able to build up the farm before getting an elite manager.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Wood not being able to stay healthy and Prior acting like Derrick Rose really set the franchise back. No doubt in my mind the Cubs win a WS if Wood and Prior were healthy. Hendry did a pretty good job with the cards he was dealt. I think Theo came in at a perfect time and has a better hand.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

It would appear as though you're glossing over that significant point as though it's trivial and doesn't matter.

Sustainability - financial as well as with respect to young talent (as a means unto itself or as a tool to acquire veterans) - are the key building blocks in this whole multi-championship acquisition process, which is what a lot of dopes (not you) that don't understand the purpose of not giving a damn about wins in seasons they had no chance to get a championship purposefully miss so they can pretend they have something to say that's not so obviously uninformed.

_________________
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

Thank you Don. You got my point.

_________________
Hawaii (fuck) You

my belief as well

but for injuries, the Cubs were poised to be great

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

I'm not. After replacing Lynch I'm pretty sure Hendry was told he had to win now. He didn't have the opportunity to build up the farm system with top 5 draft picks. He made great trades for young talent but after losing 2 aces and a superstar (Sosa) he couldn't fill those voids. Theo was given the opportunity to destroy and rebuild the team without any pressure. Any GM would love that opportunity but few get it.

_________________
Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Fair enough.

What about this?

_________________
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!