Stan has been great, but give credit where credit is due. The 2010 team was pretty much Dale Tallon's squad.

I'm not discrediting Tallon. But Stan Bowman was Assistant General Manager under Tallon. He was involved.

It isn't as if he came from outside the organization.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

DJ LeMahieuis is now an all star. Time to fire Theo.

A main tenant of The(o) Plan was to acquire power hitters because it was an undervalued commodity in the current market, yet few of the hitters he has acquired have hit at the MLB level.

All hail The(o) Plan.

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

I have asked this question periodically and never been provided a satisfying answer: There was a lot of talk about Theo creating an organizational book to ensure consistency of approach to the game for players throughout the organization. What is the defining feature of "Cubs Way" that you have identified in the players that have been brought from the minors?

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

Striking out with runners in scoring position.

Throwing away double play balls?

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Elections have consequences.

Thep's plan is already a success. This cannot be disputed.

The Cubs are 7 games over .500 a year early, and we can criticize the team for not being better than they are. We are debating whether they should make moves in July to improve the major league ball club.

There is no a winning culture established. There is a demand for major league results. The Cubs are in the wild card and we aren't happy with that.

This is all good news. Theo has done it.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

The winning hasn't gone according to his plan. They were supposed to be winning with young hitters. His plan is incidental.

He'll still get the credit, undeserved as it may be.

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

They were supposed to win with cost-controlled young talent and smart free agent signings.

Done and done.

Bryant is a rookie All-Star with an .870 OPS, The Rizzo trade has been amazing. Arrieta and Strop were a steal. Russell will be a good player when he is ready. Theo and Jed recognized skill in Hammel more than any other organization. Hendricks was a good return for Dempster. The Cubs have one of the best bullpens as a result of the Garza trade.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Are they improved? Yes.
Are they a contender? Yes.
Are they more marketable? Yes.
Is attendance back up? Yes.
Do I think they will win a championship in the next few years? Yes.

Have they won anything yet? NO.

They’ve won nothing to date, so regardless of your logic, it’s not a success…yet.

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The plan can be a success even without a World Series victory in the next five years.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I agree, but only if they make the playoffs in at least 3 out of 5 of those years and win the division at least twice.

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I think determining the success of the plan would be subjective outside of a World Series win.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I know you're a young yout,but that statement is preposterous. Listen kid,time is a gift and most older Cub fans want results not 3,4 or 5 year plans.

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

Then you should have asked the Cubs to hire Theo Epstein back in the early 2000's.

I'm not responsible for decades of complacent Cubs fans not demanding a new organizational philosophy. You were part of the problem throughout the 80's and 90's...throwing your money at the Cubs and accepting mediocre teams.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Didn't need him in 2003,just for Bartman to keep his hands in his pants.

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

The fact that you say this highlights your issue.

Alex Gonzalez fucked up. Mark Prior fucked up. Dusty Baker fucked up.

If Steve Bartman "caused" those guys to have the problems they ended up having, then they didn't have the constitution to win big games and a World Series was unlikely.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

AND Bartman did too.

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

It was a foul ball. Just pretend it went 10 feet into the grandstand instead instead of 6 inches.

Fact is...the ball was "in" the stands. Alou was clearly reaching into the stands. That isn't fan interference. It would have been a very difficult catch and it is reasonable to think Alou doesn't make it no matter what.

The Cubs lost that game. Not Steve Bartman.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

IF Alou makes the catch,that is 2 outs. On the groundball to Gonzo,maybe he doesn't muff it because he's not trying to turn two,that's all I'm saying.

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

Sure. And I'm saying the stands could have been empty and Alou would struggle to make that catch.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

This went to a bad place.
The Cubs lost 2003, not Bartman.
Winning a championship is the only thing that defines success. Ownership may have a different financial definition of success, but a fans should only be on championship wins.

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The goal of the plan seems to be perpetually evolving.

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

I am still awaiting the answer to the very good question asked earlier. What is Theo's organization wide way of playing the "Cub's Way"?

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Elections have consequences.

No.

The plan was to turn the Chicago Cubs into a successful baseball franchise.

What constitutes success is what is debated.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

You're asking us a question that you should be asking Theo Epstein.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

It should be apparent to everyone if it is being implemented correctly.

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

I believe they're top 5 in pitches seen per plate appearance. At one point they were 1st overall.

That was a tenet of Theo team-building in Boston as well.

You're welcome.