I don't see Theo being fired while under contract. His contract is up in 2 years,...I would expect a 5 years extension at some point. I could see him leaving / resigning though....and I could see him doing that as a result of the mix of himself, Crane, & Ricketts. We'll see. I just see a stable organization right now...and while Ricketts "tenure" started off really shitty, he seems to have things on track. I'm just "nitpicking" on the prediction of "all collapsing". They might not win a WS in 5 years,...but I wouldn't label that as a "collapse".

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

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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 Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Ah yes...that damn Cubbie Nation and "their" multiple world series predictions. Forgot about them. Yes...then indeed...I too predict a complete collapse of this cubs organization.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

What does "We're a year early" mean for a team that won 97 games?

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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!

He should be holding a Starbucks cup though. Leave like the way he came in!

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Not sure what a year early means. Not sure what a 2016 ws prediction means either. I think the team was better than expectations last year. That said....could they possibly win "only" 96, 95, 94,...88" games next season and potentially have a "better" team?

I dont buy the year early...or the "just wait" BS. I do however like the way the team is going. Feels a helluva lot better than most seasons during my cub-fan-life.

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Proud to be UNVERIFIED.

Well, hopefully some of the people who claimed the Cubs were a "year early" can chime in to explain it, because to me, being a year early means that you expect even greater success in the next couple years.

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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!

Mitch's involvement:

Mitch: Yes sir, great idea sir.

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Lin's voice doesn't get too loud, unless maybe you get him really excited about John Hiatt.

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But it's great to be alive

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I don't know what point you're trying to make in this thread. Are you trying to say there aren't Cubs fans expecting multiple World Series titles from this group?

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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

I'm here to chime in. The Cubs were a year early this year. If they don't win a WS in the next three (3) years, I will consider everything a failure. If they're not in the WS next season, (1) I will be very disappointed. You must understand the buildup that has taken place will be met with an equal blowup if the plan does not succeed. And the leash is shorter than the new TV deal 2020 plan...Theo will not have the money to spend that he wants, and in the end, ownership and Crane Kenny will be blamed by fans and Dan Bernstein.

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

Thanks COF!

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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!

it's not complicated. They have the "best manager in baseball". The "best farm system in baseball". The "best GM in baseball". How can anything besides a WS appearance in 2016 not be a failure? How can anything other than a title in the next three years while these kids grow into veterans not be a failure?

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

I think you'll get some blowback here by the "playoffs are a crapshoot" crowd and the "Making the playoffs is all that matters" crowd.

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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!

not to mention they intentionally tanked for 5 years to get to where they are now.

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

I'm in that crowd. But the large majority of the fanbase is not and if the Cubs cannot win the contests of randominity, Tom will have to make a decision. And that decision will be to fire Theo, at some point down the road.

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

remember, for a minute, the amount of cynicism that came about in the fanbase after 2003. And that team had NO BUILDUP. It came together just like this season but there was no three years of "let's lose and build and hey we got Theo now we're going to dominate the next 10 years". Imagine if they can't get out of the NLCS the next two years...Theo will be rode out of town on a rail. It's just too big of a buildup.

It's akin to the Big Three coming to Miami and predicting 7 championships. But in this case the Cubs fan base is immense and short tempered compared to the Heat fanbase.

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

There's no such thing as a year early in baseball. It's just more Cubs fan horseshit.

Also, the 2015 Cubs will be the most likable of all the Cubs teams. Familiarity breeds contempt. 162 games of Babe Schwarber faceplanting in LF and Kris Ruth generating wind power is going to wear the shine off very quickly.

Maybe the Cubs flew a little too close to the sun. I don't know, we'll find out.

The Cubs are probably going to be good for a while, but this was their year. They weren't really expected to do anything more than possibly contend for the Wild Card. Next season, and for the seasons thereafter, will come the pressure. The Cubs will certainly be a favorite to make the playoffs again in 2016, so we'll see just how much pleasure there is and if it even comes close to matching the pressure, let alone exceed it.

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yeah, good breakdown, they are probably screwed for the next 5 or 6 years. Should probably blow it all up.

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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.’”

Well that was quite a team.....Wood and Pryor will be dominant for a decade.

Of course you could say the same for McDowell, Fernandez, and Alverez.

Who knows? They could find Schwarber wandering around in the Mexican desert just like Lamar Hoyt.

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Crazy me thought "a year early" meant that the successful season they had this year came a year earlier than expected.

Somebody trying to extract more out of that is trying too hard.

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You aim too high for that group. Their goal is to be competitive

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

The year early thing was pushed more by the media than fans

2003 was a collapse, but not as tragic as many view. The Cubs had one hell of a pitching staff that year, but that Marlins team was STACKED. They really were the better team.

i think it was one of your best examples of the difference a manager can make....cause Dusty got bitch-slapped by Jack McKeon.

I don't see this Cubs org collapsing. They will compete for the next several years. that's a hell of an improvement over the last 100+ years were playoff appearances were few and far between.

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Hooray for competing!

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

I promise to make the same cheer for the Sox in 3 years - 2 if they are a year early!

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