WARNING!!! WARNING!! Annual off-topic baseball thread!!

[dblref]

Originally posted by M&M Guy

Um, we'alls would be in first place........

And in other news tonight......

- the Cubbies win....the Cubbies win....the Cubbies win.....

The Cubs now close to 13 games behind the Cards.

It is expected that the Cubbies will catch up, win the NLCS and NL championships, followed by a World Series victory when...

[/B]

Hey, we aren't goin' for those useless division championships. (How did the Yankees' and Cardinals' championships turn out last year, by the way?) In fact, the wild card is the place to be, baby! I believe the last three World Series winners have been wild cards. So, that only puts the Cubbies 5 games out. With a full pitching staff, no less. Well, at least for now. And after watching that celebrated Yankee pitching staff last night, it's clear what George is planning: spend a few days in first to please the tough NY crowd, then go all out for that wild card race... [/B][/QUOTE]

When was the last time the Cubs were in first place -- for any reason.

[M&M Guy]

Originally posted by dblref
When was the last time the Cubs were in first place -- for any reason.

Oh, yea?

You mean like 2003, when they won the Central? (But then lost to the wild-card Marlins - damn goat!) How about 1989? 1984? Ok, so some people on this board weren't even born then, so let's stick to this year. The Cubs are currently in first in team slugging %, total bases, and days starting pitchers have spent on the DL. (Ok, I'm not sure of that one; it just seems that way.) And, they were tied for first in the division as late as April 4th this year.

So, there!

[dblref]

Originally posted by M&M Guy

Oh, yea?

You mean like 2003, when they won the Central? (But then lost to the wild-card Marlins - damn goat!) How about 1989? 1984? Ok, so some people on this board weren't even born then, so let's stick to this year. The Cubs are currently in first in team slugging %, total bases, and days starting pitchers have spent on the DL. (Ok, I'm not sure of that one; it just seems that way.) And, they were tied for first in the division as late as April 4th this year.

So, there!

I was pulling for the Cubs in 2003. They are due.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by dblref

I was pulling for the Cubs in 2003. They are due.


[/B]

The Cubs are due?

If the Cubs were expectant mothers, they'd now be about 96 years past their due date.

[M&M Guy]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

The Cubs are due?

If the Cubs were expectant mothers, they'd now be about 96 years past their due date. [/B][/QUOTE]

But, oh man, can you just picture that baby?

(Oops, giving birth to something 96 years old? Never mind.)

[M&M Guy]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jurassic Referee
Um, we'alls would be in first place........ Um, not for long, eh?

And in other news tonight......

- the Cubbies win....the Cubbies win....the Cubbies win..... Yet again.

The Cubs now close to 13 games behind the Cards.That would be close to 12 now.

It is expected that the Cubbies will catch up, win the NLCS and NL championships, followed by a World Series victory when...
Damn, at least you're right about one thing.

[Jurassic Referee]

Kerry Wood

[M&M Guy]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee


Kerry Wood

Sigh...

If this keeps up, the Cubbies may use as many different starting pitchers as the Yankees.

So, how's that "first place" thing going?

[Junker]

Being a Cubs fan makes me seasick. Win 7 in a row, lose 7 in a row. It would make me pull my hair out if I could spare any. As far as Wood's shoulder, at least I'll probably get a chance to see him at AAA Iowa for another rehab start for $10 a seat. By the way, I didn't really have anything interesting to add to this discussion, but I haven't posted in a while and had posted on the previous 3 threads and had to keep my streak alive. I'm almost as bad as the Cubs...don't post for months, post on every thread.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by Junker
As far as Wood's shoulder, at least I'll probably get a chance to see him at AAA Iowa for another rehab start for $10 a seat

The Cubbies gonna be holding spring training in Iowa next year?

That oughta be about the time when Woods is ready to make his rehab start.

[M&M Guy]

Hey, JR, by the way - there's this thing us Cub fans lovingly refer to as, "the ex-Cub factor". The curse not only affects the team, but also in a small way affects teams with ex-Cub players. And, the Cubs did get rid of "Flash" Gordon for a reason.

[ChuckElias]

Hey Junker, M&M,

What do you guys think about Mike Wilbon's proposal for turning Wood into a closer? Fewer innings, less stress on the arm. . .

[M&M Guy]

Originally posted by ChuckElias
Hey Junker, M&M,

What do you guys think about Mike Wilbon's proposal for turning Wood into a closer? Fewer innings, less stress on the arm. . .

I'm not sure if he was the first one to bring that up; I saw it mentioned in a couple of Chicago papers as well. But I've heard the GM, Jim Hendrey, pooh-pooh this idea, at least for now. He said Kerry is much more valuable as a starter, and when he's healthy, that's true. The key words: "when he's healthy". Also, as a closer, it's true there's fewer innings per game, but he might come into 3 or 4 games in that same stretch of time. Add in the warm-ups needed before each appearance, and I'm not sure it really would be less stress on the shoulder. Just different stress.

But, it's still an intriguing thought.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by M&M Guy
Hey, JR, by the way - there's this thing us Cub fans lovingly refer to as, "the ex-Cub factor". The curse not only affects the team, but also in a small way affects teams with ex-Cub players. And, the Cubs did get rid of "Flash" Gordon for a reason.

The Cubs ain't the only team that got rid of Flash for a reason so far in his career.

Funny guy. He's either untouchable or he can't get anybody out. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground with him sometimes. I still think that he's a handy guy to have around though. He can "hold" for you in the 8th or close for you in the 9th, if necessary.

Relief pitching seems to generally suck this year right throughout both leagues. Everybody seems to be having bullpen problems. I read somewhere that a prominent(un-named naturally) major league manager said that crappy relief pitching was the major consequence of the Balco steroid mess. According to him, the percentage of pitchers on 'roids in the past was much higher than position players, and that relief pitchers more than starters used them. The increased testing this year, supposedly, has really affected the bullpens more than anywhere else.

Thoughts?

Btw, I was a Steve Stone fan.

[ChuckElias]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee
crappy relief pitching was the major consequence of the Balco steroid mess.

I'd heard this theory when the testing was first proposed, and honestly, I dismissed it out of hand. But I've heard more and more people saying that pitchers use the steroids, not to build strength, but to recover from the damage of the previous night's work. It does seem to make sense, and there do seem to be a lot of relievers whose performance has dropped significantly.

Has it affected pitching more than hitting? Hard to say, but my favorite stat of the testing-era is that home runs per game this season is at the lowest level since 1995, which is the first year of the big home run boom.