JUSTgottaBELIEVE

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.usatoday.com.../?client=safari

Cubs bullpen pretty average outside of Chapman. I can see why Theo gave up a boatload of prospects to get Chapman.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 10:18 PM) Except the Cubs were actually able to get runners on base against Miller. That doesn't bode well for Cleveland for the rest of the series. They need Miller to be what he was against the Blue Jays to make up for their lack of starting pitching. Miller worked into and out of a few jams against Boston too

Indians doing what they've been doing all postseason. Ho hum

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 06:13 PM) still find it funny the team with 103 wins doesn't get homefield I find it funny that a lot of Cubs fans didn't even know the rule and/or complained about the rule only after the Cubs won the pennant.

QUOTE (35thstreetswarm @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 05:13 PM) To be clear, the sentiments behind my comments were not addressed to anyone on this board in particular. But there are LOTS of people saying you're "required to root for or not root against the Cubs." I run into them constantly. There has been a blizzard of articles/social media postings suggesting you are a bad Chicagoan, or bad person, if you root against the Cubs. That's what I'm ranting about. And I do feel like lots of Sox fans are internalizing that and feeling guilty about rooting against the Cubs. It's natural -- don't be ashamed! No guilt here. Go Tribe!

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 03:20 PM) I don't know if many are actively rooting. Just accepting that it can happen. And if it does? Oh well, life goes on. Like you said "this is f***ing sports, not something important." There are some here actively rooting for the Cubs. Whether or not they are all truly Sox fans is another question altogether.

QUOTE (whitesoxjr27 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 02:56 PM) I wonder if that Indians fan who used to beat the drum still comes to the park? I remember him from a long time ago. https://www.google.com/amp/cleveland.cbsloc.../?client=safari

Game time temps in the upper 40s, mid 40s with the wind chill. Tomorrow night even colder and wet.

https://twitter.com/GroovyPorky/status/790963904654573568

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 10:43 AM) Is there any type of precedent for what Schwarber is doing? I have seen a lot of people say that they don't think he'll be able to hit with such a long layoff but I'm in the who the hell knows camp. I could easily see him being just fine or being completely awful because I have nothing to go off of. I'm not sure but I know from personal experience that seeing live pitching after returning from an injury (for as little as a few week absence) took time to catch up with game speed again. This was only at the high school and college level so I can't imagine what it's like at the big league level. I'm very skeptical he'll enter the lineup after this extended layoff and immediately start crushing it.

QUOTE (whitesoxjr27 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 11:55 AM) http://thebiglead.com/2016/10/25/espn-forg...e-world-series/ and people wonder why White Sox fans dislike the Cubs

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 09:21 AM) http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...1025-story.html Apocalypse. Cub Hero Kyle Schwarber added to active roster.... Will likely DH tonight. Makes Tomlin even more relevant. I have a hard time imagining a guy that hasn't seen big league pitching in 6 months will be a big factor is this series. I'm more concerned with Rizzo and Bryant.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 25, 2016 -> 08:51 AM) Arrieta starting Game 2 against ? Hendricks for 3 at home, Lackey for Game 4. Indians' rotation situation still a big mystery. Isn't it pretty much a lock that Indians go with a 3-man of Kluber, Tomlin, Bauer? I realize Salazar will be on the roster but I see him being more of a long man if/when they need to pull either Bauer or Tomlin before the 5th inning.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 04:04 PM) Yeah, and I guess it's not really "true" the Warriors are going to make wet, soggy, dirty diapers out of the nba this year. Afterall, it hasn't happened yet. Please. Bryant, Baez, Russell, Contreras, Rizzo, and Schwarber is as good as it gets - ever. They ain't goin' nowhere. Can you just stop with the over the top and factually incorrect posts already? Their lineup isn't near as good as the 90s Indians let alone Yankees' Murderers Row and mid 1930s Tigers. Heck even the Red Sox had a better offense than the Cubs this year and likely moving forward as well with fresh faces like Benintendi, Moncada, and Devers soon to graduate. One of the best things they have going for them is that they play in the inferior league. Almost like putting the Warriors in the East while moving the Cavs to the West.

QUOTE (Chet Kincaid @ Oct 24, 2016 -> 03:06 PM) You might be joking, but this is what I would do. I'd nuke the entire 25 man roster. No one would be spared. And you know what? If the Sox did that and acquired some exciting young talent, I'd go to a lot more ball games to watch them mature - even if they lost 100+ games for 2-3 years. I'm sick and tired of the same old stuff. I went to a game a in September and it was the loneliest time I'd ever spent around a few thousand people. There was no energy, no excitement, no buzz, nothing to look forward to. Nuke this entire squad. Bring in some fresh new young talent and let's watch them grow into major leaguers. I was serious. I see no point in trading Sale and keeping the rest intact. That includes guys like Anderson and Rodon, who combined should net a similar package to Sale. If the time horizon for competing is 3-5 years out, no sense in holding on to those two guys either. Having said that, I don't think this roster is as far away from competing as most others on here and I'd be looking to add rather than subtract this offseason. That of course requires JR to open the pocketbook a bit wider.

I mean if you are going to completely blow it up with aspirations of obtaining the strongest minor league system in baseball, why not trade Rodon and Anderson too? Combined with signing a bunch of low priced FA vets, that would guarantee top 3 draft picks for the next 3-4 years with the possibility of one or more number 1 picks over this same timeframe.

I wonder if Merritt gets the nod in Game 3. I suppose it depends on the health of Bauer and Salazar. Have to imagine Indians go Kluber and Tomlin in games 1, 2, 4, 5.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Oct 23, 2016 -> 08:19 AM) We just got to hope if there really is a baseball god, he's got something special in store for Cubs fans, something far worse than the Bartman event. The Cubs should win this thing on paper, but stranger things have happened. I won't make an official prediction, but I will be actively cheering for the Tribe for the first time in my adult life. I've been cheering for them all postseason. AL Central well represented in the World Series for 3 years straight!

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) but not sustainable Fowler and Cespedes will likely attract multi year offers, and the logic of having Jansen and Robertson and Jones and Burdi only works with a $150-175 million payroll, not $125 they're better off operating like the Marlins and waiting for a deep-pocketed investor group Well yea that's why I said if they had the financial resources of the Cubs and a similar payroll, which they don't

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:22 PM) Well to his credit, he paid $60 million to a player who had never had a major league plate appearance. And you are right, we aren't the Cubs. But even with all their financial resources, they were smart enough to know they needed to do it through development and not FA signings. But much of the Sox current core has been through development. Sale, Q, Rodon, Anderson, Eaton are all guys they have developed. The finanacial limitations imposed by JR absolutely make it more difficult for them to field a competitive team. Of course it's not impossible but it is much more difficult. Although they would never do it, signing guys like Cespedes, Fowler, and Jansen this offseason would instantly make them a contender in the AL central while maintaining payroll similar to the Cubs this season.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 11:08 PM) I think he might if we knew we had a core of position players locked up for years but that you needed to add some legitimacy to the roster. That is essentially what the Lester signing was about more than anything - showing the other FA's that the Cubs were serious about winning and should be a destination for those FAs. I'd like to think this is the case but there is no history to say he would. When Jose Abreu is your biggest FA signing in franchise history, I have a hard time imagining him taking the leap to a contract 2.5x as large regardless of the state of the rest of the roster. I'm one of the few optimists on this board that thinks the White Sox aren't that far away from competing. The bullpen and offense need some help but their core is actually solid - Sale, Q, Rodon, Fulmer, Anderson, Eaton, Abreu, Burdi. If they had the resources of the Cubs, now would be the time to make a big splash and their version of a Lester signing by signing Cespedes this offseason but that won't happen.

Tribe in 7.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:53 PM) I disagree. If the Sox invested in their development, and were able to keep their mlb payrolls low as a result of that, as well as punting on competing for a few seasons, they could absolutely afford a Lester-type contract. Don't think about it in terms of our current payroll. Imagine a payroll in the $75 million range for a few seasons. There is nothing prohibiting you from paying a few veterans at that point $15-20 million per year. In theory yes but JR would never commit to that type of contract, especially for a pitcher.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:44 PM) Yeah they have, although I'd argue that Lester is really the only one that made a big difference. Zobrist gives them a ton of flexibility, but he isn't a guy the Sox couldn't sign. The big signing of Heyward probably wouldn't happen, but he hasn't really made a huge difference in their success. I guess my point is that their big dollar FA moves, outside of Lester, are really not what got them here. It was the investing in development and sticking with the plan. I follow you but being able to sign an ace for that kind of money is something the Sox couldn't afford to do. I'm not sure a rotation of Hendricks, Arrieta, Lackey, Hammel gets them past the Giants. Probably not.