Cause for optimism
I know that things aren't great for all things Cubs at the moment, but I think a lot of people are overlooking things. I felt it appropriate to add, yet another, thread regarding the topic of optimism with this team.
Back at the end of May, I said this about the Brewers (I'm paraphrasing):
"The Brewers have a great offense, but like the Astros, are far too one dimensional of a team to sustain any sort of prolonged winning percentage in order to keep pace. Teams like this certainly get hot and have the bats carry them for a time, remember how the Astros were 'a surprise contender' early on? I can see the Brewers getting hot and pulling really close around the All Star Break, but will likely fade come August."
Now, obviously the Brewers have tilted the scales a bit by adding Sabathia, and thereby giving them a much more dynamic team. It seems that the Brewers are trying to cheat the math a bit and avoid the eventual slump they'd hit by bolstering the rotation before that time comes. Their chances are good, but they are still a hit first, pitch second, team, and with, still, a shoddy bullpen, it won't necessarily be difficult for them to win, but it's hard to imagine them to keep on winning at the pace they've been winning at.
Are the Cubs in a slump right now? You bet. You know the good news? Apparently, the Cubs slumping are a .500 team! That is, without a doubt, PHENOMENAL! Since Soriano got hit in the hand, per Al's thread, the Cubs are 17-17. What do you hope for when a star player goes down if not 'Boy, I just hope that they can play .500 ball till he comes back'? And I know that stats can be deceiving, and that they've been worse lately. But looking at their last 10 games, guess what, they're 5-5.
This team, at it's worst, is still a .500 team.
Early on in the season, everything was coming up Cubs. Since Soriano went down, think of the things the team has had to endure:
Soriano out
Ramirez slumping, not once, but twice!
Lee leading MLB (I think) with 20 DPs
Fukdome being awful
Zambrano on the DL
Johnson on the DL
Eyre on the DL
Marmol imploding AND exploding
Howry being just bad
DeRosa in the OF with less than stellar defense
Wood being unavailable with a blister
The two little players that could, and the over-the-hill slugger being the only offensive threats in the lineup.
All that, and this team is STILL in first place by the same amount as they were when Soriano went down. Granted the Brewers have gained ground, but so what? We've been cold and they've been hot. I'm looking forward to August and, hopefully, a revitalized team.
I'm not going to say "Step away from the ledge", because part of me is there too. I could've sworn that Johnson was throwing 88 MPH because he certainly sent this offense back to 2006 for a night. But it's a slump, it happens.
The highs of the season wouldn't be so great if there were never any lows.
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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That was a good read.
Put a smile on my face.
I'm thinking you weren't burdened with an overabundance of schooling, so why don't we just ignore each other til we go away.
by neverAcquiesce on Jul 22, 2008 11:27 AM CDT reply actions
If the Cubs somehow miss out on the playoffs (I don't think it will happen)
I would guess that you would take that exact list and give it as the many reasons why this team is cursed.
There are no curses
Unless you count years of piss-poor personnel decisions (something you should understand, I would think).
by Shanghai Badger on Jul 22, 2008 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions
To get Cubs fans fired up
Same reason you go to the other BCB.
by Shanghai Badger on Jul 22, 2008 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Seriously, most of us don't talk curses here...
...and anyone who does usually gets shouted down pretty quickly (and deservedly so). I would say the same to you: If the Brewers don’t make the playoffs (I don’t think that’ll happen either), you’ll no doubt make up your own laundry list (mental or otherwise) of all the things that went wrong (Gallardo, Gagne, etc.).
Nanika Ga Okoru!
I speak with curses.
Like over the fourth when my wife dropped a lit sparkler down my shirt (really). In front of the kids I said stuff like:
f
Sh
Gmmit
Sitch
mrf*er
PC load letter!?!? - What the f*** does that mean!?!?!
It may come as a complete surprise,
but it left a mark.
Looks like I got a hickey from the fire breather at the circus.
PC load letter!?!? - What the f*** does that mean!?!?!
I don't believe in curses
but I do believe that a team can start feeling too much pressure from being constantly reminded of curses, years of disappointment, ineptitude, bad personnel decisions, etc. The problem is, until The Cubs DO actually win a championship, this kind of talk isn’t going to go away. Boston managed to finally get a similiar monkey off it’s back though so we know it can be done.
by bluekoolaide on Jul 22, 2008 3:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I disagree.
Mismanagement, bad trades and horrible free agent signings make strings of bad years, decades and yes, even a bad century that are labeled as a curse.
Good management, fair trades, and decent free agent signings improve the club, the clubhouse and the fan attitude. A club starts stringing years and decades of contention and the pennants and titles follow.
If I can’t explain it, it must be a curse, she’s a witch, burn her.
PC load letter!?!? - What the f*** does that mean!?!?!
Disagree
I don’t buy into that saying of “treading water” until your star player gets back. A winning team should not become a .500 team because they lose one player, especially if that player is not really a superstar (i.e., a Pujols/Bonds type).
The thing that one should be a little worried about is not the lack of hits but the lack of walks in the Houston series. For a team that doesn’t have a track record of being patient I think that is very easy to go back to old habits when you feel the pressure. This is something that they are definitely going to have to deal to the rest of the way and I think above all Lou’s handling of this is going to be key. As long as the Cubs remain patient I feel that they can get out of any slump and good things will happen. But if they lose their patience then I certainly wouldn’t feel anywhere near as confident.
Apparently, the Cubs slumping are a .500 team!
Dood’s gotta point.
"We expect to win. We go out to win. So we're just living up to our own expectations." Derrek Lee, 5/29/08
Hey...
.500 the rest of the way is over 90 wins. I’ll gladly purchase .500 ball when multiple players are slumping and .630 ball when things are going well. That pushes the team to 95+ wins.
PC load letter!?!? - What the f*** does that mean!?!?!
Good points
Plus, as hot as the Brewers are right now, I can’t believe they can sustain this type of pace for very long.
by bluekoolaide on Jul 22, 2008 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
As long as they have eric gagne
in the ‘pen and called upon for outs other than garbage time… i have no fear of the brewers.
The weather at Wrigley Field may change in an instant, but Aramis Ramirez is always steady in the clutch. - Associated Press (7/11/08)
by halfblindcubbiegirl on Jul 22, 2008 4:46 PM CDT up reply actions
I'd like to be in agreement here
but I think maybe living in Wisconsin has made think that they could stick around.
"We have a pretty strong belief that we are going to win those types of games. It's our confidence. "--Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly
by Madison Cub Fan on Jul 22, 2008 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Cards/Brewers
As long as at least one of them falls back down to earth, we’re okay. That said, taking more walks, winning a bunch of games, and getting home field would all be huge, no matter what those other teams do.
Demp and Rich: proof that people that live in igloos and say "eh" can contibute!
by Canadian Cubs Fan on Jul 22, 2008 4:51 PM CDT reply actions

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