How do we know when a team is "slumping" and when they just aren't good?

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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

When outstanding hitters like Anthony Rizzo are in a slump, nobody is stupid enough to think he's just not any good. He's in a slump. Similarly, when a team with as many good players as the Cubs has, endures a string of games where they struggle a bit, no intelligent baseball fan thinks they are not good. They are just experiencing a little slump.

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Go Cubs!!!!

I guess he was in a slump the first two years of his career.

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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

That's really dumb. He was still developing and learning the pitchers/ making adjustments. So I guess we should all believe Abreau just sucks now? I mean, it can't just be a slump. He must just not be any good anymore.....If you are going to troll, at least make it less obvious.

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Go Cubs!!!!

It's possible Abreu is just a guy who had a couple good seasons. Possible for Rizzo too. See, that's the thing about MANY (RPB PLEASE NOTE- MANY, NOT ALL) Cubs fans. You think every guy that has a good season or even a good month is a Hall of Famer. I remember when Derrek Lee was better than Konerko and then he got really hot and he was better than Pujols. You should just enjoy your guys while they're hot. Once in awhile one turns out to be really good.

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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

I guess that depends on if you consider 3rd place good or not.

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It's possible.....good way to avoid taking a real position.

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Go Cubs!!!!

When they have the best record in the league after a two week slump.

Anything else I can teach you?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Maybe they were just peaking when they built that good record early and this is the real team. Seriously, what's more realistic- that they're a .500 team or an .800 team? Now, what else can I teach you?

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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

Well, when a team is in 3rd place and wins 97 games and has the 3rd best record in Baseball overall as happened in 2015 with the Cubs, that is pretty darn good. This year, when the Sox finish in 3rd with about 83-85 wins and miss the playoffs, it will not be nearly as good.

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Go Cubs!!!!

What is much more likely, is they are neither, but rather in between the two. Somewhere around a .667 team.

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Go Cubs!!!!

This team is not going to win 108 games.

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Are you really predicting 108 wins?

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Elections have consequences.

No, he just typed .667 without actually understanding the math.

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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

Can they only finish at one of those two winning percentages?

They are a high 90's win team. They were in March. They were in April. They are in May. They will be in September.

The team is frustrating to watch this week. This week is just one week of 24.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

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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!

Good question.

It's like posters. You're normally a good poster. But anytime you talk about the Cubs your thoughts are God awful.
Is it slumping? Or are you a bad poster?

I just think it's a blind spot. Like high fastballs to Corey Patterson.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

It is called Chicago White Sox baseball. Watch it sometime. You might figure it out soon but I doubt it.

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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

I said well before the season began that they would win over 100 games. I said SOMEWHERE AROUND .667. So they may win 103-111....somewhere around .667.

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Go Cubs!!!!

u wot m8

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

I was wrong.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.