Well, there goes my Cubs in 4 prediction

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 8:50 AM CDT Comment 16 comments

I actually didn't see the game because I was traveling last night, but In reading the summary, it sure looked like another performance that was extremely rare during the regular season.

Its always bothersome, when a club plays very well during the regular season and turns to play far below that when you are trying to win a championship in the playoffs. It is one thing to get beat, but it is another to basically give games away and constantly give life to the other club (which is exactly what the Cubs have done so far). There is tons of emotion, and folks are all over the place with placing blame; Fukudome, Piniella, the crowd, umpires, etc. etc.. Bottom line here, the team is collectively playing their worst baseball of the year, at the time when you need to be on top of your game. The big question is - why is the team performing so poorly at the worst possible time? Is it because this group of players can't handle the pressure of the playoffs and the constant reminders (from media) about the 100 year thing? I really don't have an answer, but unless they collect themselves and win 3 straight (I'm not banking on it, after how the first two games have gone) you may have to look at the makeup of the club over the offseason.

In the playoffs, pitching and defense have to be the basis of how you win games, because the hitting is not always going to be there against good pitchers. In game one, your best regular season pitcher had a horrid performance and basically handed the game over on a platter. In game two, fielding plays that are typically made, give second life to your opponent and again, put the game on a platter for them. A 3 game comeback is possible, but it will require 2-3 guys to put the team on their shoulders and set an example of how to turn it around. Harden could be the start tomorrow from a pitching aspect, but I am not confident they have the type of hitters that will respond under these circumstances. The Red Sox broke a long streak in 04 with a very loose club, and I just see this team as one that doesn't handle things quite the same way. We'll see, but I am very dissappointed in how this team has failed to show up when it counts.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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Baseball's A Funny Game

You would know about this, MPH73. Miss State couldn’t win the College World Series in 1985 with Clark, Palmeiro, Brantley, and Thigpen. They didn’t even make the College World Series in 1984 with those same guys. At any level, you can have great players and fall short in postseason play.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 3, 2008 8:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The stuff that happens in baseball…sometimes you just can’t believe it. I know I couldn’t believe my eyes the last two nights. How could this be happening again? Well, it’s baseball. There are no guarantees. They could still win this thing in 5 games. Unlikely? Yes. But possible too.

by rambler19 on Oct 3, 2008 9:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Completely agree...

…sometimes you just get beat because the other club plays better at that particular time, and that I can live with. What is difficult, is when a good team for 162, plays so poorly on so many fronts in the biggest games. When that happens, you can’t just chalk it up to playing a hot team, you have to dig a little deeper and see what went wrong.

The Cubs aren’t done yet, but if they are eliminated by the Dodgers, I think Hendry and Piniella need to analyze how this team is made up and determine how they can better fit certain pieces. In a way, it sort of reminds me of the 1991 Blackhawks under Mike Keenan, that team breezed through the regular season with the best record of anybody, and ended up getting beat by an inferior team in the first round of the playoffs. That offseason, keenan traded away some of his stars and replaced them with players he felt would respond better under pressure, and in 1992 they made it to the finals and set an NHL record with 11 straight playoff wins.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 9:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OT: Tommy Raffo

Tommy Raffo, former Miss State assistant, has replaced Keith Kessinger, son of former Cubs shortstop and Ole Miss coach Don Kessinger, as head coach at Arkansas State. Good luck to Raffo!
Tommy spent 15 years as an assistant under Ron Polk and Pat McMahon at MSU. Raffo has paid his dues.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 3, 2008 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unfortantely...

The same core guys have failed time and time again. At some point, it is more than bad luck or being outplayed.

By Failure I mean 04 (Chocked away the WC), 07 (Chocked away the playoffs), and 08 (Chocking away again). Dome was supposed to be the difference. He and Soto were the new Cogs to a lineup that for the most part was hot and cold most of 07. For the first part of 08, they (the lineup and Dome) were great. Since the ASB, they (lineup) had a great offensive August but has been maddingly inconsistent since. Their September numbers were not great with the exception of ARAM. When two out of 9 in your lineup are an automatic out for the most part, it greatly reduces the effectiveness of your lineup and puts more pressure on the other guys to perform.

How do they fix it next year…given the contracts to some of these guys, I don’t think there is much they can do. They can maybe make some minor tweaks to the lineup or hope that Pie is the real deal. Othwerise, I think the team we see this year is the team we get next year with the exception of some bullpen tweaks and some rotation tweaks.

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico." -- Harry Carey

by TheRiot Police on Oct 3, 2008 9:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I am so mad...I can't even spell Choke....

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico." -- Harry Carey

by TheRiot Police on Oct 3, 2008 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Only the Cubs

Your point about needing pitching and defense at the top of it’s game because your offense will see good pitchers in the playoffs is spot on. It only seems to effect the Cubs though. The Dodgers are the Cubs. This series has been a complete role reversal. The Dodgers are talking walks. The Dodgers are getting big hits. The Dodgers are shutting the Cubs down.

I have to laugh because so many posters on this site said they are not scared by the Dodgers. That the Dodgers squeeked through the worst division in baseball. What a joke!!

Just when you start believing that a championship could be won, they tear your heart out and step on it.

MPH73, I’ve really enjoyed your posts. You are my favorite poster because your points are very informative and you don’t sugar coat it. Thanks for the knowledge.

This is my final post on BCB. I’ve really enjoyed participating this season but it seems it was a big waste of time. It’s time to let this season go for me. Thanks for the memories BCB!!! Thanks Al!!!

by McRipper on Oct 3, 2008 9:12 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the compliment..

…and as I have said before, this Dodger team reminds me of the Cubs of 03. The Cubs acquired offense at midseason and so did the Dodgers. Both teams had solid pitching staffs and both teams had very good Septembers. The Cubs also beat a Braves team that year with over 100 wins when the Cubs had only 88 and the Dodgers are on the verge of doing the same thing to a team that won 13 more games in the regular season.

If we have learned anything about ML baseball these last 10 years, it is that it doesn’t matter how you played early in the year, it matters most how your club is ready to perform come playoff time. In 03, the Cubs just outplayed the Braves. This year, the Dodgers are being handed this series as a gift and that is very disturbing when the Cubs should be a well rested team and should have been ready to answer the bell.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 9:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The 2003 Braves...

… at least, gave the Cubs a competitive series — five games, all but the last decided by two runs each.

The Cubs aren’t even competing.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Oct 3, 2008 9:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The offseason...

…if the Cubs fail to win 3 straight, is going to be very very interesting to say the least.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 9:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree 110%

with this statement: “It doesn’t matter how you played early in the year, it matters most how your club is ready to perform come playoff time.”

The pitching and defense aspect is also right on. This year’s Cubs did almost all they could to maximize the pitching (including getting Harden and trying to get Samardzija there for the ’pen).

I’m also interested in your point about the looseness of the Red Sox club. It seemed like this club was fairly loose as far as we had insight. Along those lines, how would you compare the recent interviews of the two managers in trying to cultivate the looseness that can win going forward?

The author of this post is not a certified scout, doctor, agent, statistician, manager, or journalist, nor was he ever a very good player, though he tried very hard to be like Ryne Sandberg and was about as scrappy as it gets (in T-ball). Any opinion expressed above should in no way be confused with fact, truth, or reality and is hereby qualified in the following ways: 1) The author does not know as much about baseball as Lou Piniella. 2) The author does not know as much about baseball as Jim Hendry. 3) The author does not know as much about baseball as either Dusty or Darren Baker.

by DGU on Oct 3, 2008 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't crawl inside...

…Lou’s head, but I have to go back to how his baseball mind was framed in his days with the Yankees and being in a very high pressure situation with Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, media, fans and how disfunctional those teams appeared at certain times.

I know Lou went off a bit in the post-game (both on Soriano in the clubhouse and Fukudome in the media). I think those are pure emotions from a guy is emotional and that is what you get with Piniella. Clearly, he is dissappointed in the fact that players have not only failed to “step up” when it counted, but in fact have fallen on their collective faces. I think Lou has tried to be more mellow for the most part, but I believe watching this is making his raw feelings come out, and also the fact that he may realize the spine of this team is just not strong.

Will his going off cause the players to be more tight? Well, after the shit performances in games 1 & 2, he probably figures what the hells the difference. It very well could be this club lacks a couple players that could provide the type of leadership they need to get over the hump. I am not talking about stud players, I am talking about players who are “leaders” and help keep the team going in the right direction, because all championship teams have those guys.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know what you're saying about nerves and frustration.

At the same time, Lou’s the one who set this roster and managed it all year long. Now’s not the time to anoint Soriano a leader or flip flop on whether or not Fukudome should play.

As for who could be a leader, I wonder what Hendry would say if someone asked him who the clubhouse leader is. Could DeRosa have been an effectvie team leader had Lou pushed DeRosa as exemplar instead of Theriot? On the other hand, a leader steps up no matter what the rest of the team is doing.

by DGU on Oct 3, 2008 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not saying...

…DeRosa should be the leader or Theriot or anyone else. I guess I’m saying something is clearly missing from this club. Regarding Soriano, I think Lou let some frustrations out that have probably been brewing for a long long time and what had seen the last couple of days blew the lid off.

If you look at the core players on ths club; Soriano, Lee, Ramirez etc., you now have 5 straight playoff games where they have failed to step up and help the club. Add to that bad defense and your best starting pitcher walking 7 guys and you have a very worrisome trend.

For some reason, these core players have failed to show in a playoff atmosphere, and I don’t think that responsbility goes on anyone but them.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on Oct 3, 2008 3:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This team as constructed

was bought to win. THIS year.

everything went well until the really meaningful games started.

they just have failed miserably.

by The E-Man on Oct 3, 2008 9:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I picked Cubs in 5 so I am still alive--LOL!

The way the team finishes in the playoffs frames the entire season for me. For example, 2003 was an outstanding team that should have ben in and dare I say won the WS, but had bad luck and an awful manager. I still look fondly on 2003, but I took off work the day after the playoff, LOL.

2004 lousy choke job with another very good team.

2007 a team that’s okay but that has a lot of holes. All exposed in the playoffs.

2008 A team that peaked early. From day one we were relying on older players and we had poor defense—that never changed. The last 6-7 weeks this team looked mediocre. Against the Dodgers they are showing their age, their poor defense, and the cumulative effects of riding their arms so hard for so long. The Dodgers are not lucky—the Cubs just are not a very good team right now. A finish like this taints the whole season for me. We ended up as posers, maybe some of that is due to the unbalanced schedule?

by DudeVf11 on Oct 3, 2008 9:39 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs