It is amazing to me that my beloved Cubbies are the cream of the crop of this season at this point and time in the season. They are now 16 games above .500 and the best in baseball. Big win last night in San Diego with two more in San Diego and then a difficult four game series at Chavez Ravine. Don't know how long this will last however, grateful for the fun so far this season. Think about it, the Cubs are doing all right and winning big at home and now working on learning to win on the road and all without a quality rotation. Boggles my mind I tell ya.
Can You Believe The Damn Cubbies!!!!!!!!!
Go Cubs!!
I love it!! I've been a life long fan and am going nuts about this season. I'm quiet about it though. Too much talk may end the whole season.
North Carolina Dad's Group
http://lindsaybeans.blogspot.com
http://oneredsquirrelinstatesville.blogspot.com
GO CUBS!
They need some help in middle relief, although Cotts is looking like he's back in his 2005 form. Their rotation aint that horrible. Demp, Z are doing well and the kid Gallagher is off to a good start. Lilly will come around. Marquis? Who knows. Their offense keeps them in it.
I say keep Edmonds. Platoon with RJ. Both great pick ups. I hope Edmonds has a huge series in San Diego, since they are still paying a bulk of his salary!
I've got tix for only about 8 more games this summer. It's nice...people are actually going and watching the games at Wrigley now!
Go Cubs go!
I'll never call them
I'll never call them "Loveable Losers". Never have. In my opinion, that's just a cynical way to look at the team. Sure they haven't won a Championship in 99, soon to be 100 years, but...
I too have been a fan all my life. Mom used to take us to the bleachers all the time when we were kids.
It's hard to be quiet about it! It is a long season. Last year at this time I remember putting up with Brewer fans I met on vacation in Florida telling me "aw, too bad your Cubbies are 8 games behind us!". I blew them off saying "First things first. We're playing the White Sox this weekend. We'll take care of them, then we'll come after you guys." They just chuckled with a sympathetic tone. We swept the Sox and eventually won the division.
Oy! Get Marquis out now! He is the weakest link in the rotation!
Marquis I agree
Hey BC,
I totally agree with you on Marquis. I have been writing about this lame ass-ed reclamation project since he was signed. I just wonder how much longer Sweet Lou wants to put up with his lame ass. Like I have said to many others, why in the hell does Jim Hendry still have a job? I just hope that we some how continue to surprise everyone. Tonight against the Professor then onto LA for four. It will interesting to see what happens.
I am also a die hard Cub fan. I go back to the days that the first game I saw at Wrigley, Joe Pepitone was playing first base. To others they may be Lovable Losers, to me they are the only true baseball team in my hometown. I am not attempting to jinx them, just in awe of what is happening so far this season and not getting to swept up in it as of yet, as I expect my heart to be broken once again. Hell we came close in 2003 and Alex Gonzalez and lack of relievers let us down. Time will tell and there is still a lot of baseball to be played this season.
Cubs...
It almost seems like a secret society in a way.
Like, when I pass someone on the street or in the grocery store and we both have something Cubs on, we both quietly say "go cubs" with a knowing look to each other as if we're passing on secret information.
I am excited, but...
I refuse to get my hopes up. I got my hopes up in 1984, in 1989 (darn Gatorade on Leon Durhams Glove), 1995 (darn realignment), 1998, 2003 (Gonzalez boots an easy DP ball) and 2007 only to be disappointed/crushed. I won't believe it until it happens.
**************************
My wife asked me if I had signed up for the 401k yet. I told her I hadn't. She asked me why and I told her I couldn't run that far.
Lake Lou?
This morning on NPR, Frank Deford has a funny commentary on the Cubs. Here is the beginning:
"In medieval Europe, when people were interested in turning lead into gold, there was a tale that maintained that this was a really easy thing to accomplish. Piece of cake. Just throughout the alchemy process you could never once think of the word "hippopotamus."
Obviously, once you heard that condition, the would-be alchemist could think only of hippopotamus, and thus it was that nobody ever turned lead into gold.
I believe the same thing holds true with the Chicago Cubs, who have not won a World Series for exactly a century, since 1908."
The rest can be found here; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91605319
Somethings Brewing for the Cubs?
With a 3 team race in the division and more teams for the wild card coupled with the Cubs recently falling back towards the pack, I think they should definitely look to pick up some help. Especially given that this is already a solid team that is poised to take a legitimate shot towards having hell freeze over =P
However without a complete
However without a complete quality starting rotation plus the fact that the bullpen is not as strong as the so called experts think, makes it maddening that our division rivals are getting better and we are staying put once again. I am happy that we took two of three in St. Louis however, we need to play better on the road over all and need at least one if not two decent starters to help Big Z and the surprise of the season Ryan Dempster.
They do need help, but...
Let's not get all worked up over Sabathia going to the Brew-Crew just yet. You never know. Baseball is a funny game and he may not adjust so well to the National League right away. Again, you just never know. Then again, he may just be perfect for the rest of the season. But the Cubs can't focus on that. Hendry is a secretive guy. He may be up to something. (Hopefully he is) The Brewers landing Sabathia doesn't mean they've won the division though. In fact, far from it. The Brewers play four against the Cards before they play us again. We still have just a wee bit over a half a season left.
GO CUBS!!!
Token Or Not
Token trade or not, Jim Hendry finally made some sort of move and if things go well, we have just gotten another decent and quality starter for this troubled rotation and added depth to the bullpen with a pitcher who is able to start as well and both are young. This was a good move by Hendry and we'll see how the rest of the season plays out. Ideally one more move maybe two will further help this team continue to excel.
Token trade...
Funny!
Didn't see that one coming...you must, A) not live in Chicago B) Not be a Cubs fan C) both A and B
No really, all kidding aside...
Hendry has been working on this trade for a while. It wasn't in reaction to the Sabathia deal at all. It does make the best team in the NL better. And I don't think he's done dealing yet.
I won't discount Sabathia. You'd think he'd put away a team like the Rockies with a little more gusto and command than he did, but it was his first game. But he isn't the end all for the Cubs or anyone else. He's not Milwaukee's savior either. And for Milwaukee's sake, hopefully he won't skip town at the end of the season!
Ah, baseball! I love it!
We should take this thread over to chitownman's baseball message board www.talkcubs.com !
I don't have that much time...
to get into so much about the Cubs, yet anyways. Nice high jack attempt though =P j/k
Rich Harden is a very nice pickup for the team overall, he should do even better in a less demanding NL format, which may have an added benefit of limiting time on the DL, for which he's been prone.
Also look for more benefits of creating competition amongst the other starters and affecting improvements from them as well. Whomever gets 'bumped' should certainly still get starts throughout the rest of the season in order to give some extra days rest to the other starters as the season wears on. Also nice to have the extra starter just in case of any injuries.
SugarMamasBoy...
Um...Okay, I guess.
Your comment came from somewhere as to why you would say such a stupid-ass thing. But, if to say"my bad" is what today's version of an apology is, then I'll accept yours and move on.
It is sad but true that many people do think that that if a guy has dark hair and a goatee, he must be considered "one of them". Just like the lady who was wearing one of those scarves at an Obama rally was removed because only "those people" wear those scarves and it wouldn't look good in the pictures.
I am guessing, or rather can say I strongly feel by the limited e-mail conversations we've had in the past, you are not one of those narrow minded people. My earlier comments were merely reactionary to what I considered, again a stupid-ass prejudiced comment. So for that, I too apologize. Or as you say, "my bad"!
Whatever...we still friends?
Where were we?
Oh yeah...How 'bout them Cubbies!
Peace? Peace!
For the record
Again, it was meant only as a joke, as originally intended and indicated. I joke a lot. There are and have been jokes on the subject, just turn on SNL or Comedy Central and somethings sure to pop up, in many cases where they do get into the more specific type things I believe you are referring to and offended by.
In my case, I made no references to race or any actual 'looks', of you or anyone else. Nothing prejudiced, dumb assed or otherwise IMO. You are entitled to disagree, but I won't get into an argument about it or exchange unpleasantries.
I appreciate the apology and likewise.
Go Cubs!
And in closing...
Please...I don't get offended by SNL, Comedy Central or anything like that, like you think I do.
I feel it is one thing to hear jokes on TV, but when someone tries to be funny at the expense of someone else they don't even know, it doesn't come across so well. (Don't give up your day job and leave the comedy to the professionals! :P)
It was a simple case of...
I answered to your comment of me hijacking the thread because I invited folks over to chitownman's Cubs discussion board.
you then said,
Quote:
although you may look like some sorta lost terrorist to some =P
to which I wholeheartedly reply "WTF?" (and other reactionary rhetoric)
Quote:
. Okay, no references to race, but no reference to actual looks? Then just what exactly did your little joke mean? You know, for the record.
In my case, I made no references to race or any actual 'looks', of you or anyone else
We may never know where that joke was supposed to land....but does it matter? At this point, no.
So, getting back on topic...
Today's Cubs game was a thriller!
Rich Harden pitched a gem! 5 1/3 shut-out innings, 3 walks and 10 strike outs in his debut with the Cubs. He left the game with a 7-0 lead.
But...the Cubs won 8-7 in the 11th! Relief pitcher Kevin Hart gave up a couple runs and once again Carlos Marmol is showing signs of fatigue and has lost his winning ways hitting batters, walking batters and giving up hits. Maybe that will be where the Cubs falter? They pulled it out in the 11th inning with their relief pitcher Sean Marshall today who didn't allow any hits or runs and got base hit. Mark DeRosa walked. Mike Fontenot bunted, but they went for Marshall at third. Reed Johnson came up and hit a base hit and scored DeRosa from second on a close play at the plate. Wow, exciting finish!
How about them damn Cubbies!
I'll try to address this one last time.
Quote from BrianC's last post: "Okay, no references to race, but no reference to actual looks? Then just what exactly did your little joke mean? You know, for the record."
That is correct, no reference whatsoever, contrary to your earlier and continued accusations and rude remarks.
And as I've said multiple times now, it was meant as a joke, intended to be a joke and definable as a joke. Anything else further injected into it is uncalled for.
If there's a lack of understanding, acceptance of what's been addressed, sense of humor or ability to know or take a joke, there's no sense in being rude or making negative or conflict provoking comments.
I never claimed to be a comedian. What's more, suggesting that comedy should be void in society outside the profession is nonsense. I'm pretty sure you are not a comedy critic, however you're entitled to your own sense of humor, like everyone else. Surely you've seen others including myself joke with others here, there's nothing wrong with it.
I can understand if the joke were taken personal, for which I've already apologized, as for the rest, I believe it's been uncalled for. I must say though that I don't appreciate guilt trips, finger pointing, laying blame, name calling or attempts to correct something that you disagree with or misunderstood. None of which is conducive to enjoying or having fun on the site.
Say whatever else you want about the joke, me or otherwise. My attempts to address this with you are more than adequate, enough is enough.
Also, my apologies to Chitownman and others for the disruption to this topic.
SugarMamasBoy and BrianC...it's a TIMEOUT for the both of you!!!
Knock it off, you two. I can see how each of you has a gripe due to the other saying things in questionable taste, but if the Cubbies can be 17 games over at this time of year, you two chuckleheads ought to be able to work this out better than you have. Course that's just me and I'm a Dodgers guy so what the heck do I know?
--Alby
Making it look difficult. Living the dream.
My sincere apologies to
My sincere apologies to athomedad and its readers. I got offended by someone's joke that I may look like a lost terrorist, said something about it and it got out of hand. I wasn't trying to perpetuate it by any means. (no matter how you spin it)
The lesson here? I should've just said nothing to the joke. People would make their own minds up if that joke was called for, funny or not, just down right mean or whatever and my opinion of the joke and it's teller would've still stayed the same no matter what.
Don't worry 'bout me folks, it's over.
Brian
P.S. Robb, I'll talk to you soon...
wow
Sorry to laugh, but I'd been avoiding this thread because to me baseball is about the most boring thing there is in the world. Because this thread has been the most active thing out here for a while I figured I'd at least click it to clear all the red "New" icons off. Wow! I didn't realize all the drama was over here! Now I'm totally hooked... hell, I might just have to check out the cubs now.
Joined: 2006-11-12
Dad Points: 115