I think it’s just that a lot of people are frustrated right now and sort of preparing for the worst.

That being said though, it IS still early and there is still time to sort things out and make a run.

I just don’t think it’s going to be as easy as it seemed last year. On the other hand, if we have to fight our way into post season, maybe it’ll make us better in the long run.

Look no further than the 2008 Phillies they were 7-8 after 15 games last year. I’m sure we could go back on Phillies blogs and find people ‘giving up’ on their season, not only after 15 games but all throughout the year. The internet is just a magnet for negativity.

Very very few teams go from wire to wire. We were spoiled last year, did they go 4 months without even losing 3 in a row?

Every team will face adversity. Hopefully the Cubs can pull it together. Everything was just going fine on Tuesday night, I refuse to belive that 3 games later this team is suddenly doomed.

do you walk around with a top hat, a monocle and a walking stick? If so, you might be nuts. You also might be Mr. Peanut.

But no, there is no reason to think the Cubs are doomed after an 8-7 record after 15 games. Jeez, you’d think we’d have lost more games than we had won.

My new take is looking at it this way. We’re not playing as well as we will and we’re not hitting all cylinders and we’re 8-7.

…I think the Cubs popularity (and this sites as well) brings with it a multitude of younger naive "baseball" fans. Baseball is a long long season with endless ups and downs. It’s what makes the game so great.

That being said, Its really early, this team has left a staggering number of RISP so far, which will not continue and the more than likely Lee and Milton will be slugging sooner than later.

This team faced ZERO adversity last season and I think we all know what that produced when it mattered. It seems that the teams that have some tougher times during the season are more prepared for the challenges of the postseason

Its not some fantastic, wild delusion that the Cubs might not make the post-season. It’s also radically different than being “done.”

…but I literally look forward to the ship-jumping posts after every big loss. I find it very funny. I attribute more and more of these to the fact that SBN paired up with Yahoo!. I’m not sure if that’s accurate, but how else can we explain the rapid increase of these types of diaries?

While I have my doubts about the club (when DON’T I have doubts about the club?) there’s plenty of time left for the Cubs to take control of things.

The lack of a strong bench is hurting the team now, and the gamble that is Milton Bradley isn’t paying off at the moment. We can only hope Bradley gets healthy soon and guys like Miles and Gathright find their way. Maybe someone will soon be available on the waiver wire the way Jim Edmonds was last year.

But what I think will continue to hurt the Cubs throughout the season is the lack of a solid supply of talented minor leaguers that can come up and fortify the team. While the system has provided Theriot, Soto, Marmol, and Marshall among others, it’s not the caliber of the Angels’ or Twins’ systems where solid young players keep coming through the pipeline. Good youngsters are also handy when it comes time to trade for established talent (see the Brewers and C.C. Sabathia).

The Cubs have done a lot to change their ways and run themselves properly. They spend money, they value OBP, and they put people in charge that badly want to win. But one more thing they still need to do is expand the scouting staff and create a top-notch farm that churns out top-notch products.

you’re just not one of those nervous nellies (as I refer to them) so it allows you to see the big picture.

Yeah, the starting pitching hasn’t always been there.
Yeah, the Cubs best reliever lost the game last night.
Yeah, they don’t have the roster flexibility they should have.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…or should I say yadda, yadda, yadda.

And IMO, the big picture is:

THERE ARE 147 GAMES YET TO BE PLAYED !!

That’s the best point because – as I stated in previous posts – Lou is taking a bit of the stance he did in early 2007; an extended spring training. He’s gonna see what works and what doesn’t work. Hendry will then have to make roster adjustments.

They’re NOT in the ALE where a slow start can doom them for the post season. They’re in the NLC where honestly I can’t see another 90-win team.

Lot’s of variables here folks. And don’t discount the affect of the economy on other teams. That could be huge and really help the Cubs, however…

The only thing that could hold up changes in 2009 as opposed to 2007 is the soap-opera we all know as the sale of the Chicago National League Ballclub.

and I approve this post

The Cubs might not make the playoffs. In fact, once you account for the Cards hot start (those games can’t be taken away), and the Cubs weak start, then there is probably less than 50% chance of them making it.

Think about it this way. If you thought that the Cubs were a 95 win team going into the season, meaning that they were a .586 winning percentage team, then you have to facor the “slow” start into that. Right now, the Cubs have 8 wins, with 146 games remaining. So if you still think that they are a .586 winning percentage team, meaning that nothing has changed so drastically that you think that they are a worse team than you originally projected, than they “should” win 85.5 of their remaining games. Add that to their current wins, and the Cubs are now only projected to be a 93.5 win team.

Now say that you thought that the Cards were an 87 win team before the season started (at least that’s what I thought). That means that they would have had a .537 winning percentage. The Cards have already won 13 games, with 144 remaining. So if you still think that they are the same team that they were before the season started, then they would be expected to win 77.3 of their remaining games. Add that to the wins that they already have, and the Cards are now projected to be a 90.3 win team.

So, hot and cold starts do matter. The fact that the Cubs have been playing poorly, and the Cards have been playing very well, may not change how you fell about the two clubs due to the small sample size. However, it does have an affect on how many wins those two clubs could get. If you figure that the projected records are now only separated by around 3 games, then you have to acknowledge the fact that the Cubs aren’t a lock to win the division anymore. They now are only slight favorites.

doesn’t make clear to most here that don’t believe that April is important nothing will

I bet the game threads were bloody.