Try to act like you've been there before.

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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

We've never made the playoffs in third place before.

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Cubs envy

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CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

they'll have plenty of chances due to possible cubbie occurence/s in game163/WC. wouldnt it suck if jake arrieta woke up and was like "holy shit i'm jake arrieta" and was like 6IP 4ER 4K and the cubs lost a heartbreaker despite pedro strop moonwalking back to the dugout after he got the last out in the 7th?

JORR JORR JORR OF THE JUNGLE FRIEND TO YOU AND JERRY....... WATCH OUT FOR THOSE CUBBIES!

^^^^ TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH = i got nothing.

you're like rancid crooned on salvation: MAN ON A MISSION. your commitment to the bit/schtick is admirable, especially as it's getting to be pretty ironic now, eh? but like i said, every non-cubs-fan or especially cubs-hater should cheer them on to become an unstoppable juggernaught favored to rule the universe with an iron fist (you know, AT LEAST the 90s braves with 3-4 championships. AT LEAST) because then when the cubbie occurrences / fuckups happen it'll be all the more glorious. and it couldnt happen to a nicer fanbase who's out there all puffy chested with other fans like YEAH SEE THIS IS HOW YOU BUILD A TEAM THE RIGHT WAY, YOU DO IT AROUND THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL: JAKE ARRIETA!

but hey if all else fails they at least are well versed in the fine art of bellowing WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR, eh? =D

i just farted and it was a rather audible ripping of the ass. that's god's way of telling me that this post is done. adios!

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Great thread!

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Shots fired.



18

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This season is just setting the tone for the next decade. Believe me...you'll have a front row seat as to how Cubs fans handle success over an extended period.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

No

Maybe we can have a WHITE OUT....?

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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.’”

the more they act like fools the sweeter it will be when the eventually CHOKE. They'll be like the 90s Braves, but without the ONE championship.

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

Most Cub fans know it's a year early and this playoff berth is just a bonus. The playoff experience should they get by the wild card game, will be especially valuable to the young players for the future. But I don't think they are truly ready to contend for the World Series title just yet. next year..

Hey Sox fans....try not to be such sore losers.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Why is it "a year early"? Who do you expect improvement from next year?

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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

They'll have that 2005 memory for the rest of their lives.
2005 and no others.

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Host of the weekly "We Fish ASA" podcast
Weekly columnist for the Northwest Herald
Bi-monthly columnist for Illinois Outdoor News magazine
Former host of The Outdoors Experience on WIND and The Great Outdoors on CLTV
http://www.wefishasa.com

I don't get the "year early" thing. If they can get past the wild card game, they're as equipped to win it this year as they are any hypothetical future year.

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Starting pitching will be improved in the coming years. Guaranteed. So I disagree.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

That's really not a guarantee. It doesn't just magically happen, and there's no guarantee (in fact it's highly unlikely) that Jake Arrieta is going to be the best one or two pitchers in the league next year.

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Which is fine.

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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!

They will add another top of the rotation starter and all these young players will just be better as a result of the experience and growth they will have had from the 2015 season. Look at the improvements guys like Bryant and Russell have made over the season. Now imagine Schwarber making similar improvements, as well as Soler. Add Almora to the mix later in the season. They are just going to continue to get better barring significant injuries. The top of the rotation starter will make a big difference. Every other starter slots 1 spot down, with Haren obviously removed from the equation.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Any regression you think may happen with Arrieta in 2016 is going to be outweighed by the improvement this offseason's free agent pitcher offers over Wada / Wood / Beeler / Haren. I strongly believe Lester will have a better season as well. Once the Cubs sign one of these high profile free agents, I'm willing to place some bets supporting my beliefs.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Barring injury, Arrieta will remain a top starter. No reason to believe otherwise. Did Maddux, Glavin, Jenkins, Gibson, Seaver or Carlton just have 1 good season and then flounder? No. Neither will Arrieta. Don't let the ghost of Mark Prior convince you that is what happens to great starting pitchers.

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Go Cubs!!!!

and seeing as you're essentially the mascot of die hard cubbies fans on the board, holy shit.... bart scott do you have anything for us here?



...like i said, AT LEAST the 90s braves with 3-4 championships. and that's being pretty generous to the rest of baseball. THEY JUST ADDED BAEZ INTO MURDERER'S ROW FFS! * hums go cubs go *

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Oh boy...

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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!

also from now on jake arrieta is to be known as BPIB, or the Best Pitcher In Baseball. leash had stats that prove it.... #2 is 12% behind arrieta, and you know the dodgers wish they could get out from under kershaw's contract to have arrieta and his Best Future In Baseball ahead of them. c'est la vie, no?

ALL HAIL BPIB!!!!!! HOW ABOUT THAT MOUSTACHE SHIRT?



(crossposted @ /r/IMUBoners)

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Damn, Arrieta is already in the Hall of Fame. Holy shit that is quick.

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2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

what if arrieta ends up being the white dontrelle willis? altho that's crazy talk cuz once you get off the d-train there's not really m/any examples of pitchers having one really really good year (even after an inbetween year) and then resuming being average/ish. if you dominate you walk with the immortals or you would never have dominated in the first place.

hey didnt woody williams have a year where he had a ~2.75 ERA once? oh wait sorry thats my cubs trollin going on. my bad.

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HEY! BPIB is BPIB because leash linked us to stats that show him to be 12% better than #2. do you have any idea how dramatic that 12% better that #2 is in the history of baseball? bob gibson's 1967 or whatever was only 10.13% better than #2, and pedro in 99/00 was only, what, 9.47% better? ALL HAIL BPIB!

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Even if Arrieta remains the Cubs ace and most consistent starter, the odds of any pitcher remaining as dominant as he has this year are very low. It's not the ghost of Mark Prior that makes me think this way. It's really just common sense and a basic understanding of odds.

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I wish that were true, but it's just not. After Arrieta pitches the wildcard game, you have Lester going. I do not feel supremely confident with Lester on the mound in general, much less against the Cardinals. His weaknesses throwing to bases (bunts will be laid down) and holding runners (stolen bases will ensue as well) will be exploited unless he is sharp as a razor. He's been dull as a butter knife too often for me to count on that. Then it's guys like Hammel and Hendricks that must be counted on, against the team with the best record in Baseball. With the best pitching in Baseball. It's a year early. Does that mean they can't shock the world.....? No, but I wouldn't bet on it. Next year the reign of Cubs greatness shall begin and all shall bow to the superior team from the North side of Chicago and it will be glorious.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Jon Lester has a 1.96 ERA against the Cardinals over 3 starts this season. Jake Arrieta has a 1.69 ERA against the Cardinals over 9 career starts.

I'm okay going to war with these two leading the rotation.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.