You can argue about "The Plan" all you want but the fact remains even with a Kris Bryant this team would be nowhere if he didn't get lucky with Arrieta and Hendricks turning into something special.

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

The perception definitely changes to that of a winning franchise and they will always be loved by their fan base which is national.

Should be the start of annual playoff appearances and they should win at least 1 more title over the next 3-4 years minimum.

Are you suggesting that Theo or someone on the Cubs is supposed to go up and thank the former GM? That is bizarre. Did Kenny thank Ron Schueler?

What's even funnier is that, as PM said, Theo actually did go out of his way to mention Hendry when a reporter asked about Javy Baez earlier in the playoffs.

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We'll never the answer to this, but would Contreras and Baez have been successful in the old Hendry organization? How many Cubs prospects failed because there was no emphasis on development and players were rushed to the majors? Look at Corey Patterson as exhibit A of a player with supposed talent that was rushed to the majors.

It reinforces some of my earlier points that this franchise has been rebuilt and improved from top to bottom. And you still have to give credit to Theo & Co for recognizing the talent of the Hendry picks and not dumping them because they were someone else's projects.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

That's a great point. I'll hang up and listen for your answer.

JORR is right. And I've said it before.

Cubs winning is a big story. But it's only a big story for a while. Cubs never winning has been a big story since, oh, about year 40 or 50 of the drought. That's when people started saying, "man it's been a while since they've won one". And that's an every day story.

Glad to hear he mentioned Hendry earlier in the play offs.

He thanked a bunch of dead Cubs. It would have been classy had he mentioned Hendry last night as well.

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I think Hendry is still alive

He remembered Billy Williams was too

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Losing sucks. It really sucks. Do you know that my first baseball year of Fandom ended in a crushing defeat that I won't ever really get over. Fucking Steve Garvey. I still hate the Padres to this very day. Who hates the Padres?
I need not remind you of the overwhelming feeling of shit we went thru in 03. I happened to be in St Louis for games 6 and 7. It was complete totally miserable.
Don't tell me I embraced being a fan of "loveable losers". That is utter horseshit. For the record the Cubs fielded a team of very hateable losers. I fucking hated the 2004 team. Bunch of whining burritos. That bullpen calling the booth thing with complaints? Are you fucking kidding me? Fuck you.

If you think the Cubs fans, I mean the real fans, identify with being fans of loveable losing, you don't know what you're talking about. You heard a buzzword and some twat like Joe buck or Joe Carter or Kim turkijistan or whatever the fuck that guys name is saying those things and you've assigned it to us all. You're very wrong.

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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

Cubs fans never really filled the black for a team that was always terrible. The big sellouts and huge attendance numbers are a very recent phenomenon. That's not what it was like in the 80s and 90s and sure as hell not in the 70s.

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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

Darko?? Harry had that place filling up by the bus loads.

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Elections have consequences.

Not... really. Sure you might have an occasional weekend sellout. I just double checked the records. Aside from a spike in 89 93 the ballpark was only 70 percent full thru the 80s and they had some players who'd be all time greats.

Really... winning fills parks not ivy and a drunken cheerleader.

I remember in high school a buddy of mine was always off on Wednesdays (worked at a bank when banks were usually closed on wednesdays...) and we'd just walk up to the window and buy a ticket. Never had trouble getting in and getting decent seats.

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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

The more you learn.

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Elections have consequences.

I like this analogy. Probably the Lions who I root for weekly even though I am not a fan at all. They deserve a winning team and have a franchise QB.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

They used to rope off the upper deck for chrissakes!!!! JORR having a rough end to the baseball season.

The idea that every park needs to have close to maximum attendance for every game is a pretty recent phenomenon. At one point in the '80s, the Expos were outdrawing the Yankees, and the Expos weren't even drawing that well. You watch old baseball games and half the time there's hardly anyone there.

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The parks have to be full because player salaries are out of control.

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Here's attendance from EIGHTY-THREE:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagu ... misc.shtml

One team over 3 million, the Dodgers. White Sox near the top at 2.1MM. And bringing up the rear, just over 768,000 at the cavernous, rotting Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

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That's ridiculous. You're trying to maintain the Cubs "specialness" without owning the thing that made them special.

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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

The park was mostly full from '84 on. I was there. I don't know where you were.

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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

The Cubs are special in that they're the reigning World Series champions.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

That doesn't make tham special. There's a World Series winner every 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

And right now it is the Cubs. Keep up.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

What are you talking about? You're not stupid. How do you not get this?
I can only assume you're kind of upset and looking for a fight or something.
By the way... the Cubs are special. To me. And their fans. I am acutely aware that they're not special for 95% of the American population.

I just think that someone who isn't a fan of the team really should try to dissect how the teams Fandom works. You literally have no capacity to understand it.

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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

The Cubs stop being special to everyone eventually. Traditionally, it's been due to death. I like this way of specialness cessation much better.

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You are wrong.
Until 1987 they'd never cracked 2 million. That record year their average daily comes out to 25k, in a park that can comfortably hold 10k more. If you were there you were on some hardcore shit and seeing things. These numbers are published. You shouldn't take this stance.

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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

But a very special one this season. World Champion Chicago Cubs. Say it very slowly until it sinks in for you.