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Thanks for noticing! People usually just think that I started a sentence about a female and just never finished it.

The problem the Cubs run into is the desire to control what they can't; that is, the reaction to news.  That's why you have Hendry saying things like he knows some people are going to twist the situation in the media and him pleading that this is situation is completely out of the blue.  What he should be doing is simply stating the facts and refusing to be drawn into either the defense or speculation trap.  Even if his intentions are good, and they probably usually are, when he sets expectations he has no control over achieving, he's bound to take it on the chin when they are not met.

Furthermore, the Cubs have developed a reputation for using one condition to mask another.  For instance, by insisting that Prior's workout schedule was solely the result of his respiratory problems in the offseason, they become perceived as being less than honest because the evidence, admittedly circumstantial, but convincing nonetheless, doesn't back them up.

Instead, they would be much better served by being forthright about Prior's overall physical condition - that he's not in shape to throw on a regular schedule generally, but at this time there's no specific reason as to why.

It's all the attempts at shifting focus to innocuous explanations that come back and bite the Cubs in the ass.  They think they're being smooth and media savvy, when in fact, they're just killing what little credibility they have left.  And once people stop believing what you say, you might as well not bother saying anything at all.

My overall point is the long-term affect of disembling and spinning.  The Cubs have no one but themselves to blame for the reputation they've developed.  Just think how different the reaction to this one situation would have been if they had a reputation for honesty instead.

I find it insulting that we are deviding this into being positive and being negative camps, as if to insinuate that being critical is not a good thing. Perhaps it isn't a good thing for some people. I could easily say that one camp is being proactive in their thought, while others are simply being passive and, IMO, being passive is conterproductive.

Frankly, I wasn't sure if Sarah's claiming to be "an idiot" Cub fan was sarcastic or not. Clearly it wasn't. I'm not sure how anyone could take pride in being an idiot.

DmL

Darling, it was an analogy.  And quite a good one at that, I must say.  To be clear, in no way do I personally believe that someone with a negative attitude does not bathe nor do i think you will pass the asian bird flu, mad cow, or any other communicable disease on to me.

Allow me to offer this thought -- carrying an umbrella won't make it stop raining, it will just protect you from it.  But if it's going to rain anyway, you might as well dance around in it.  Swim around in the sweet misery.  We Cubs fans wear it proudly.  

If they lied, they lied.  After all, everyone does do it.  It sucks, but what can we do about it now?  Really, what could we ever do about it?  We can't stop it from raining.  Let's deal with the issue at hand and hope for the best for our young ace.

I believe.