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Post by Lounge Lizard on Jun 24, 2012 14:56:36 GMT -5
It's really hard being a Cubs fan these days, 10-28 on the road?? And they had a 13 game losing streak a couple weeks ago, the longest since 1997, I'm still rooting for 'em though hehe.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 24, 2012 23:22:08 GMT -5
"These days"? When has it been easy?
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jun 24, 2012 23:31:16 GMT -5
The Rockies have one of the worst starting rotations in baseball history (second only to the 119-loss '03 Tigers in most statistics). They'll easily lose 100 games this year.
And they're still 3 games ahead of the Cubs.
Whee.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jun 25, 2012 0:29:00 GMT -5
Meanwhile...White Sox get Youkilis. Will it make a difference in the division? Will it matter if they playoffs become an Eastern powerhouse?
Edit: And we lose Lillibridge, who's a decent player. But what I'll miss most is being able to yell "ELF AT BAT!! ELF AT BAT!!" with the other geeks in the stands.
Because...the guy looks like an elf.
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Post by Lounge Lizard on Jun 25, 2012 15:51:31 GMT -5
"These days"? When has it been easy? Lol true, the thing I like about Cubs fans is that they are TRUE fans, no matter how poopiety they do, they always come out and support and always have faith that their team will will get their chance next year. Or it could just be an excuse for people to get together to get drunk and party, honestly, there are at least 20 bars around Wrigley Field. Either way, when the Cubs win the World Series though it's gonna be CRAZY.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jul 10, 2012 22:59:35 GMT -5
Poor Verlander.
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Post by Mod City on Jul 11, 2012 11:50:36 GMT -5
That was the worst All Star game I've ever seen, and I'm counting the 2003 tie debacle because at least that was a close game up until it was called. The game is a mess, and there's more than one reason why: • Managers don't understand whether they should be trying to play everyone to appease the fans or actually manage for a win. • That's important because the game determines home field advantage in the World Series. While the American/National rotation for WS home field wasn't exactly perfect, it was better than having it decided by the All Star game, which is game between two teams made up of players who never play together. • If the game is going to mean that much, there's no way fans have any business voting who starts. Mike Napoli starts behind the plate for the AL? Give me a break. He's batting .228. Give the vote back to the sportswriters or managers. It was ugly and boring. The Twins would have had a better showing against that NL lineup. At least it's over
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Post by Mr. Atari on Jul 11, 2012 13:32:34 GMT -5
• That's important because the game determines home field advantage in the World Series. While the American/National rotation for WS home field wasn't exactly perfect, it was better than having it decided by the All Star game, which is game between two teams made up of players who never play together. I have never understood what's wrong with the old "better regular season record = home field advantage" solution. It works for every other round in the playoffs, why not for the WS? Here's the Atari Method for picking All-Stars*: I think each team should send who they think their best 2 players are. With the Astros moving to the AL next year, that's 30 players per league. Maybe add a "legacy pick" for each team for the Chipper Joneses of the world. Figure out a way to balance pitchers and position players, and Bob's your uncle. Advantages to this system: 1) The TEAMS get to pick from their own rosters--- players they see every day for 81 (or more) games. Not fans who throw votes at a name-recognition guy who was good 2 years ago. And not coaches who have vendettas against other teams. 2) No ballot stuffing to get 8 players from one team. This always knocks other deserving players out just because their home stadium doesn't sell out every night. Each team gets 2, so make 'em count. 3) It rewards smaller market teams and players who could use the exposure and honor. What if the 6th best player on the Yankees is better than the 2nd best player on the Royals? Too frickin' bad! Stop overloading and overpaying your team and give someone else a chance for some media attention. It's the All-Star game, it's not the World Series. *patent pending
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jul 11, 2012 14:55:55 GMT -5
I'd vote for that.
And did anyone watch the HR Derby? I felt really bad for Cano's dad.
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Post by Mod City on Jul 11, 2012 16:16:14 GMT -5
Yeah the KC fans weren't exactly the most welcoming, and it's too bad. I like the idea that the team with the better record gets home field advantage, except the NL and AL teams play very different schedules. If you come from a weak division and rack up a ton of wins playing there, I don't know if it should count the same as the opposing team whose record is not as good because they battled it out in a much tougher division. This is also a reason interleague play is a problem - the games all count toward your record but teams in a division don't necessarily play the same teams from the other league. So the Dodgers play the Yankees, Blue Jays and Angels and the Giants play the Twins, Red Sox and Royals. Nine games each, but who has a better chance of going 9-0? I don't mind managers picking their best two players, but what if everyone in the league thinks their best two players are an outfielder and a first baseman? I think you have to vote for a player at every position and managers can't vote for anyone on their own team. I really think having baseball writers vote would solve a lot of these problems. And I mean real published writers, none of that Bleacher Report BS. No fan voting. They're idiots. Myself included
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jul 11, 2012 16:26:11 GMT -5
And one other thing, in the HR Derby, they had to wear the league uniforms rather than teams. Why was the NL blue and the AL...slightly less blue?
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Post by Trumpy's Magic Snout on Jul 12, 2012 10:03:57 GMT -5
Haven't watched the All-Star Game back yet but one look at the score and I thought why bother? I agree that it's ridiculous that home field advantage for the World Series is determined via this game. That's like in football (soccer, still can't bring myself to actually call it that) determining who hosts a World Cup tournament by who wins in a friendly match between Scotland and Brazil held in London for financial purposes.
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Post by mummifiedstalin on Jul 19, 2012 22:59:10 GMT -5
So Ozzie came back to Chicago to play the Cubs. And all the buzz is just stupid. But it has me wondering: how much of 2005 was due to him? I mean, we did fine afterward, won the division once, but the difference between this year and last year is pretty remarkable.
Personally, I thought the guy was always entertaining, and I didn't get tired of his silliness. (Robin Ventura is dull as dirt by comparison...but he's dull as dirt on his own.) But I have no idea how to really judge a manager, especially in the AL when there isn't quite as much late-game maneuvering. So I ask more of the old timer baseball fans: how should I think of Ozzie as a manager?
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Post by continosbuckle on Jul 20, 2012 10:15:38 GMT -5
"These days"? When has it been easy? Lol true, the thing I like about Cubs fans is that they are TRUE fans, no matter how poopiety they do, they always come out and support and always have faith that their team will will get their chance next year. Or it could just be an excuse for people to get together to get drunk and party, honestly, there are at least 20 bars around Wrigley Field. Either way, when the Cubs win the World Series though it's gonna be CRAZY. I'm not so sure about that. When my brother lived in Chicago, we'd always go to Wrigley whenever I'd visit him, and I was always stunned by the number of poseurs in the stands. Even when the games were close, there would be plenty of people who weren't paying any attention, just mingling and jabbering. It really did seem as if Wrigley was a hotspot so young well-off people would show up there, even though they couldn't possibly care any less about baseball or the Cubs. It was worse than a stereotypical Los Angeles crowd. And I'm sure if you asked them, they'd claim to be diehard Cubs fans. At Fenway, I've noticed the Red Sox have this problem as well, but nowhere near the extent of the Cubs at Wrigley. And just as background, I've gone to games in most cities, so this isn't a case of not having any other crowds to compare this to.
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Post by Truck Farmer on Aug 6, 2012 23:52:56 GMT -5
Went to DC Sunday to see the Nats & Strasburg face Miami. I'm just glad that I managed to get seats in the shade becuase it was hot as hell out there. I would have hated to be playing in that heat, especially a cathcer. Strasburg had a solid game, 6 innings, 3 hits, 6 K's and 0 runs. I would have hated it if I had driven 200 miles up and back and then they lose to the Marlins. So all in all a very enjoyable, if sweltering day.
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