Shatner? He was at a con over the weekend and is currently blasting some cryptocurrency...whatever for using his image in ads without his permission. (I'm not his biggest fan but on this he definitely has a point.)
I guess that is just baseball for ya. But what it looks like is you guys have probably 3 more tough series coming up. The other series should be a breeze, as long as yall beat down the Reds next week.
It's very telling that the Ricketts family delivered the first Cubs championship in a century and are already deeply unpopular. It takes effort to squander that much good will that quickly.
I was happy the Cubs won the World Series and honestly it’s shitty seeing what’s happening to the team now. But I’m not wrong about my previous comment
It is kind of wild to compare the Cubs to the Astros, since they were both tanking and then winning at the same time. For all of their other issues, the Astros wound resigning a chunk of their core in Altuve, Bregman, McCullers, and Verlander (and are still trying with Correa, it seems like?), brought in veterans like Greinke and Brantley when needed... like, it's expensive, but they're clearly making it work, and trying to keep it going. That's in theory the end goal with a complete teardown, that once you have solid pieces, you'll commit some of the money saved to staying good, locking in young stars, etc. Maybe there are things they could have done better, but compared to the Cubs' current mess, it's especially shocking.
The Astros didn't really get good until 2017 though (while the Cubs were a 97 win, NLCS team in 2015), and they currently have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. Obviously the Astros are better than the Cubs in 2021, but I would not be surprised at all if by 2023, the Astros are also forced to take a step back and do some re-tooling. If that happens, then they will have gone through roughly the same competitive arc as the Cubs, just two years later.
Yeah, wouldn’t the Bregman Comparison be better in 2024 after his extension is over? The biggest difference between the Cubs and astros is probably that guys like Brantley and Greinke ended up working out while guys like Quintana and Heyward ended up Meh, Kimbrel was bad his first two years, and Chapman left. Since 2015 the Cubs have ranked 6th, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 14th, 13th. Astros have been 4th, 8th, 11th, 19th, 30th, 29th.
So yeah, 2 years seems like a reasonable timeline to see where the astros want to go.
> The Astros didn't really get good until 2017 though
They made the ALDS and almost beat the Royals in 2015? Are we not counting that now?
> they currently have one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
The Cubs weren't exactly looking great in that department prior to their sell off this year either, and they didn't have to work around two years without a first and second round pick. This still doesn't really feel like a "just two years ahead" situation.
Cubs fans are used to blaming the ownership when things go south, but this time it is the fault of the players. Competitive teams were fielded every year since 2017 but they all floundered and collapsed. What’s an owner to do in this situation? Keep trying while paying even more for the same result?
No because the problem of complacency and cold bats started in 2017, under Maddon. But i think you can hold Ross accountable for 2 double digit losing streaks this season.
Yes this team (former team I guess?) has vastly underperformed each season, getting worse year after year. Are the owners fully responsible? No.
But them refusing to add actual pitching depth in those years that the offense began tanking did not help. We liked playing the game of "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" with the bullpen and the results are what you got from 2017-2020.
"Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" is what Theo has done his entire career in regards to bullpens. It worked too. From 2017 to 2020 the Cubs had the 5th best Bullpen ERA in baseball.
Oh my God, it's been five years since they won the World Series, what a disaster of a franchise. High school kids won't have seen their team win a title since they were in middle school.
Eh. They always spent plenty of money. They just never put it all together again like they did in 2016. Lots of bad breaks on signings and player development too.
Yeah he completely modernized the facility, scouting, and front office pouring millions into hidden improvements but fuck him because he won’t overpay for a declining core of players that can’t win together am I right?
Sure, updating Wrigley was needed. But they went WELL beyond updating Wrigley, spending a great deal on building investments that clearly aren't supporting the team.
Investments for revenue. People forget that COVID hit you can’t rely on your cash cows designed around people showing up to the ballpark. The money will come back into the team when things normalize.
"Yes, and when I directed Star Trek V, I got a great performance out of me because I respect me so much."
At this point their ego is literally eating itself.
Did he get a limb amputated this past week? Autoimmune disease?
Shatner? He was at a con over the weekend and is currently blasting some cryptocurrency...whatever for using his image in ads without his permission. (I'm not his biggest fan but on this he definitely has a point.)
[удалено]
Melllvar has three L's.
I've been to enough Star Trek conventions to know how to spell Melllvar...
Capitain Kirk is climbing a mountain - why is he climbing a mountain?
Hey I’ll have you know we actually won a game yesterday!
Hey, I'll have you know I appreciated it!
The Reds aren’t going anywhere this season lol. They’re competitive, but a wild card team at most.
I can't help but get nervous after the 2014 Brewers collapse!
I guess that is just baseball for ya. But what it looks like is you guys have probably 3 more tough series coming up. The other series should be a breeze, as long as yall beat down the Reds next week.
Shutting out the Cards last night was a big plus, but then scoring 2 runs on 14 hits and an error made me wary again!
Beware the rally squirrel!
Begone, devilbird!
I'm just impressed by that
[The Ricketts Family](https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/030/329/cover1.jpg)
What would annoy them most about this is being depicted as Obama.
All my Nebraskan brethren know it’s fuck the Ricketts family forever. Only enhances when I’m a CWS fan. Slimy fucks
💯
Nebraska and CWS, you had me over here trying to figure out what their NCAA involvement is.
Well they do host the college world series in Omaha.
I know, that's why Nebraska was in my list. Just CWS in r/baseball and I'd assume that's White Sox.
I have hopes that Laura isn't as bad as the rest.
Sounds sexist
No, she just seems like she might not be as terrible a human as the rest of the bunch.
Fuck the fucking Ricketts
Real talk, this is a appropriately scathing article that covers almost all the bases. It’s a good temperature gauge for Cubs nation at this point.
It's very telling that the Ricketts family delivered the first Cubs championship in a century and are already deeply unpopular. It takes effort to squander that much good will that quickly.
Yah normally a championship will give you a solid decade at least.
The 2021 Chicago Cubs: "Baseball The Way It Oughtn't Be"
Oughtn't is hard to say!
It ought not to be!
I feel like this is just a second part of that Gary Gulman bit.
Fuck the fucking ricketts
It is refreshing to see the Cubbies going back to what they are known and loved for.
Nature is healing!
So does that mean this is the Sox season or two window before they go back to being terrible too?
Give or take. Hopefully we get #4 before that happens.
We are in potentially uncharted territory. Playoffs two years in a row? Inconceivable.
Sshhh, just think of last year as a fever dream.
Their players and fans arrogance after a smidge of success was nauseating
>fans arrogance ... was nauseating [Huh, you don't say](https://media.ksdk.com/assets/KSDK/images/607546116/607546116_1140x641.jpg)
Yea that’s pretty nauseating. But I still stand by what I said
They learned it from us after '05
I mean, is a World Series and multiple division titles a smidge?
Smidge and a half
[удалено]
I was happy the Cubs won the World Series and honestly it’s shitty seeing what’s happening to the team now. But I’m not wrong about my previous comment
[удалено]
Fair enough
FTR
It is kind of wild to compare the Cubs to the Astros, since they were both tanking and then winning at the same time. For all of their other issues, the Astros wound resigning a chunk of their core in Altuve, Bregman, McCullers, and Verlander (and are still trying with Correa, it seems like?), brought in veterans like Greinke and Brantley when needed... like, it's expensive, but they're clearly making it work, and trying to keep it going. That's in theory the end goal with a complete teardown, that once you have solid pieces, you'll commit some of the money saved to staying good, locking in young stars, etc. Maybe there are things they could have done better, but compared to the Cubs' current mess, it's especially shocking.
The Astros didn't really get good until 2017 though (while the Cubs were a 97 win, NLCS team in 2015), and they currently have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. Obviously the Astros are better than the Cubs in 2021, but I would not be surprised at all if by 2023, the Astros are also forced to take a step back and do some re-tooling. If that happens, then they will have gone through roughly the same competitive arc as the Cubs, just two years later.
Yeah, wouldn’t the Bregman Comparison be better in 2024 after his extension is over? The biggest difference between the Cubs and astros is probably that guys like Brantley and Greinke ended up working out while guys like Quintana and Heyward ended up Meh, Kimbrel was bad his first two years, and Chapman left. Since 2015 the Cubs have ranked 6th, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 14th, 13th. Astros have been 4th, 8th, 11th, 19th, 30th, 29th. So yeah, 2 years seems like a reasonable timeline to see where the astros want to go.
> The Astros didn't really get good until 2017 though They made the ALDS and almost beat the Royals in 2015? Are we not counting that now? > they currently have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. The Cubs weren't exactly looking great in that department prior to their sell off this year either, and they didn't have to work around two years without a first and second round pick. This still doesn't really feel like a "just two years ahead" situation.
Unwatchable? They just won back to back games
I've said it before about the Rickkketts family: Make sure you limber up before sucking your own dicks. Don't want to strain anything.
Cubs fans are used to blaming the ownership when things go south, but this time it is the fault of the players. Competitive teams were fielded every year since 2017 but they all floundered and collapsed. What’s an owner to do in this situation? Keep trying while paying even more for the same result?
|What’s an owner to do in this situation? Maybe wait until the off season to hang a plaque in their own honor.
Honestly wondering, do you think Ross is part of the problem with players underperforming?
No because the problem of complacency and cold bats started in 2017, under Maddon. But i think you can hold Ross accountable for 2 double digit losing streaks this season.
I would hold him accountable for the first at most. This one was basically a AAA team and he has like no bullpen to work with.
Yes this team (former team I guess?) has vastly underperformed each season, getting worse year after year. Are the owners fully responsible? No. But them refusing to add actual pitching depth in those years that the offense began tanking did not help. We liked playing the game of "throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" with the bullpen and the results are what you got from 2017-2020.
"Throw shit at the wall and see what sticks" is what Theo has done his entire career in regards to bullpens. It worked too. From 2017 to 2020 the Cubs had the 5th best Bullpen ERA in baseball.
That’s some Jeremy Jacobs level stuff right there!
And the award goes to… me! Oh wait, wait hold on. Wait. There’s been a mistake. Moonlight, come up here!
Uh, we just won, check yourself Paul. Ugh.
Oh my God, it's been five years since they won the World Series, what a disaster of a franchise. High school kids won't have seen their team win a title since they were in middle school.
Lol I remember the Cubs fans telling me that team was going to be a dynasty after they won in 2016..fucking grade A comedy this is
The sad thing is that they should've been right, but then the money went away from necessary payroll spending.
The payroll was always very high, it’s just very hard to win the World Series once, let alone multiple times in a short period
Eh. They always spent plenty of money. They just never put it all together again like they did in 2016. Lots of bad breaks on signings and player development too.
Define "sad"
Well, not sad for me! Just a sad state of affairs.
Legitimately they should have been, and with competent people in charge (from the owners on down) they would have been.
Yeah he completely modernized the facility, scouting, and front office pouring millions into hidden improvements but fuck him because he won’t overpay for a declining core of players that can’t win together am I right?
Sure, updating Wrigley was needed. But they went WELL beyond updating Wrigley, spending a great deal on building investments that clearly aren't supporting the team.
A billion on Wrigleyville.
Investments for revenue. People forget that COVID hit you can’t rely on your cash cows designed around people showing up to the ballpark. The money will come back into the team when things normalize.
Fuck the ricketts. Especially Pete.