A Few Thoughts

by Comfortably Numb on Aug 30, 2008 8:55 AM CDT Comment 32 comments

Bruce Levine had a great line the other day, "most teams have trouble finding ways to win...the Cubs are having trouble finding ways to lose"........It's hard to pick one MVP on this team, to me it's obvious..Jim Hendry......Tough question..is it better to keep Samardzijia in the pen next year or start him.......I think it's time to give Theriot a few days off, nothing negative , just refresh the batteries....Another tough question..Do you stick with the Aramis grand slam game or watch the Obama speech...I chose Obama...20 years from now I have a feeling I'll still be kicking myself...

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, editor-in-chief (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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I chose the Cubs

and tivo’d Obama.

by Clark Addison on Aug 30, 2008 9:01 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I chose the Cubs as well

Obama was on DVR until my wife erased it. I haven’t checked yet, but I’m guessing I can find it online probably at his website.

"Dad gum right this games gonna be played under protest. . . I guarantee this is gonna be one protest that's upheld." --Hawk Harrelson, 6/24/07

by RynoHoF on Aug 30, 2008 10:28 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hendry has done...

…a good job since mid 07, but there is no question in my mind that the most valuable human in the Cubs organization has been Piniella.

I just don’t think Hendry has the same success without Piniella’s eye for talent evaluation and Piniella has also been a master at manipulating his talent for maximum effect.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 30, 2008 10:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

In response to that

I’d argue the team’s MVP is a guy who Piniella took a long time to identify: Geovany Soto.

Both Lou and Jim have been good, but they’re also both riding a wave from the farm system that was totally unforeseen when Lou took over. A year and a half ago, who was talking about Soto as All-Star starter, Marmol as shut-down reliever, Theriot as middle IF with top-tier OBP, Fontenot as a poor man’s Chase Utley?

I don’t think Lou’s eye for talent is quite as good as many think (avoiding controversial questions, you can look at some of the situations he’s put Reed in, his preference of Theriot over DeRosa, etc.); rather, I think, Lou’s great strength is his willingness to change something when it’s not working. Sometimes he jumps the gun and changes too quickly, but his adaptability makes it likely that by the time October rolls around, you’ll have one of the best variations of the team going for you.

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 Aug 30, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Every judgment...

…won’t be right, but his 8 weeks assessment (and corrosponding moves) last year was the turning point of where this team has been able to head.

Regarding Soto, I can’t blame him for not throwing the kid into a playoff race right out of the chute. Catching is a very demanding position in regards to handling the pitchers, knowing the hitters etc, and I think most good managers would have went with the experience longer like he did.

Lastly, he has changed the culture of the team completely from an expectation standpoint and that is paying dividends. And, to ride a wave from the farm, you have to have a manager that knows how to use the guys correctly and give them the best chance to be successful.

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

by MPH73 on Aug 30, 2008 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hear, hear.

I don’t think Soto was on ANYONE’S radar before last year’s breakout season. That made everyone from Hendry to Piniella sit up and take notice.

Would it have made any difference starting him in the playoffs? Who knows; there were a myriad of reasons for that series loss to Arizona.

But this year, Soto appears to have been a fast learner and already has veteran presence behind the plate, something the Cubs haven’t had since… well, with all apologies to Jody Davis and Randy Hundley, since Gabby Hartnett.

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

by Al on Aug 30, 2008 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great point about Lou's changes

By mixing things up so much throughout the season he really gets to know his team, so come October hopefully he’ll know who to put where to succeed.

by clambake on Aug 30, 2008 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with the Theriot thing.

And i was watching the Cubs, but listening to Obama on PIP. When he hit that towering shot, it seriously looked like a high fly ball/pop up. I never thought it would go cause i couldnt hear len and bob goin crazy. but then they take the camera to the outfielders and i saw they werent even moving or looked at the ball, I was so confused. And then it hit me, and I was speechless at first, and then i might have cause an Avalanche somewhere up in Canada I was screamingso loud. lol. just unbelievable.

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan, the one and only...

by LPLancer23 on Aug 30, 2008 10:57 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

MVP

The balance of this year’s Cubs team makes it difficult to identify an MVP. The only ones having career years are Dempster and Theriot and Soto. The last two are in their first full seasons as regulars. Everybody else is just playing to their past records.

That said, if I were to choose a Cub for MVP it would be Ramirez, who has come up with more big hits in big situations than anybody.

Most valuable person? Lou, hands down.

by Clark Addison on Aug 30, 2008 11:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't call Soto's year

a career year, when it’s his first full year in the majors and his year last year looked pretty similar, split between the minors and the majors.

by DGU on Aug 30, 2008 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cubs MVP This Year = The Base on Balls

Really I think this has been the secret ingredient to the offense’s success, as it’s the one true sign of a patient team that won’t get themselves out.

"Sometimes I feel like as a Cubs fan if I’m not worrying about something, I’m not doing it right." - HalfBlindCubbieGirl

by CaliCub on Aug 30, 2008 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

by bluekoolaide on Aug 30, 2008 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A couple of career years

with the caveat that a number of them havent had many seasons yet.

Career years in OPS: DeRosa, Fontenot, Zambrano
2nd best OPS years: Soriano, Johnson, Blanco, Cedeno, Soto, Theriot

Career years in ERA: Dempster, Harden, Wood, Marshall, Shark
2nd best years: Cotts, Marmol

Reed Ballgame - best CF in the MLB

by californiachicagoan on Aug 30, 2008 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I won't get into assigning awards just yet, but here's what I think is the key to this season.

When the season started, Ted Lilly was our #2 starter. Now, he’s our #4. And that has made all the difference in the world.

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Aug 30, 2008 11:54 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Some people would have argued preseason

that Rich Hill was our #2, which makes this season’s pitching all the more amazing.

by DGU on Aug 30, 2008 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Agree.....but,

I agree with all the thoughts so far but most valuable on this team is extremely hard. Hendry for getting the right players. Lou, for doing a great job of managing this team. The unmentioned coaching staff, Rothchild and Perry and the rest play a big role and go unherolded. The pitching staff as a whole, starters and relievers, strong. The players play good defense and excel at timely hitting. Our bench has contributed well. This is a well oiled machine team. And don’t foget, the best fans in all sports have to get a little credit. Standing, cheering and singing every day. Too many heroes, one big goal.

This is only the beginning....Lou Pinella end of '07 season and Chicago Transit Authority (the band when they were really good).

by mrcubsfan on Aug 30, 2008 12:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

You're absolutely right.

It’s a Most Valuable TEAM. There isn’t one player who’s carried the team for the whole season; Soriano has done so at times, but at other times, virtually every player on the team has stepped up and had his moment.

It’s wonderful to see.

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

by Al on Aug 30, 2008 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very well said

When it’s all said and done that’s what gets me most excited about this team; almost every day there seems to be a different MVP. i don’t remember a Cub team in my lifetime that I could say that about.

by bluekoolaide on Aug 30, 2008 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I totally agree

This TEAM has worked well together. But I don’t have a problem saying, that of a team which has many valuable players and parts, there is one player who is a little more valuable than all the others.

Looking at NL VORP, we don’t have anyone in the top 10 yet, but we have three players in the top 20 – Aramis Ramirez at #15, Geovany Soto at #17, and Mark DeRosa at #19. I’d love to see DeRosa’s hot streak continue and earn him MVP consideration. Especially after Lou’s snub of DeRosa at the All-Star break, DeRosa deserves some recognition.

by DGU on Aug 30, 2008 3:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lou's snub of DeRo for the ASG is nothing

compared to Lou’s snub of DeRo last winter. Lou didn’t even want him in the every day lineup….

"I've never complained about it. I'm thankful to have a jersey." Mark DeRosa, 22 Aug 2007

by DeRoMyHero on Aug 30, 2008 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lou continues to remove DeRosa from the lineup

in games this season, despite the fact that DeRosa is his most useful tactical position player. DeRosa’s been taken out of games he started 19 times. In comparison, Theriot (a player we could defensively upgrade in late innings) has been removed 5 times. Fukudome has been removed 3 times. Even Aramis Ramirez (a player who can use rest late in games) has only been removed 15 times.

Consider where this team would be had we signed Kaz Matsui and sat DeRosa according to Lou’s original player requests.

by DGU on Aug 30, 2008 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

isnt' that more because Lou's late inning guy

tends to be Fontenot, who can really only play second? I know that more than once, when Rami has been taken out, DeRosa has gone to third and Fonty has stepped in at second.

Our 2008 Chicago Cubs -- FINDING WAYS TO WIN!

by drewishdrewid on Aug 30, 2008 10:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, but the problem is

you do not ever want Fontenot to bat against a LHP and you are very likely forced to have Fontenot bat against a LHP once DeRosa is out of the game. Cedeno can play 2B but he doesn’t hit LHP better than Fontenot. It has happened before that Lou has been left in difficult roster situations after he has taken DeRosa out because Cedeno was burned in an earlier pinch-hit situation. Lou’s gotten better at this as the season has gone on, doing what you’ve reported and also moving DeRosa to RF and taking Dome out.

by DGU on Aug 30, 2008 11:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heh...

I chose Obama…20 years from now I have a feeling I’ll still be kicking myself…

If he wins in Nov. and you work for a living, you’ll be kicking yourself way before that.

Ba-bum, Tssss!

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Aug 30, 2008 7:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

is there an apolitical message in there somewhere or just a dig?

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Aug 30, 2008 7:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Aug 30, 2008 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

stick to pictures

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Aug 31, 2008 12:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Reed Ballgame - best CF in the MLB

by californiachicagoan on Aug 31, 2008 2:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I mean….no politics…Go Cubs!

Free Ronny Cedeno

by Kansas25 on Aug 30, 2008 9:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

who is obama?

by GreenLantern411 on Aug 30, 2008 10:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Random question not related...

I’m arriving in Chicago tomorrow thru Monday, I already bought tix for Monday’s game, is there anyone that can tell me what I’m looking at for prices for scalping bleachers for tomorrow’s game? I tried on here and stubhub to no avail, I’m just wondering if anyone knows what I’d be looking at for prices.

Sorry guys, I didn’t want to make a new post about this, I was just looking for some help and didn’t want to clog the board.

by jbertram on Aug 30, 2008 11:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

mvp

where would we be without dempster,s 15 wins. nobody expected this out of ryan. he pretty much saved the team especially after rich hill imploded into oblivion.he deserves consideration for team mvp.

by NOMAR on Aug 31, 2008 8:46 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs