JUSTgottaBELIEVE

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:35 PM) I disagree...while the Cubs have used their financial resources to their advantage, and most importantly, their ability to draw fans even in the midst of a rebuild, it's more about the way in which they invested their resources than the magnitude of them, IMO. They made a commitment to building through international free agency and the draft. Meanwhile, they made some shrewd offseason signings and then were not afraid to move those players at the deadline of seasons they were noncompetitive to add assets to their core. This is nothing the White Sox can't do. All it takes is patience. And I don't really want to hear about the fans won't support it. The fans don't much support the product now anyways. They also paid big money to free agents. They are still a good team without those guys but would they have survived the division series without Lester? Not to mention other hefty contracts Zobrist, Heyward, Lackey which has led to mixed results but can you imagine what kind of devastation a Heyward type signing would have on the White Sox. Many are complaining that Shields remaining 2 years/$20MM (Sox portion) is a huge financial burden.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:34 PM) Yep paying 155 million for An ace is something Sox could never do Or $184MM for an outfielder...

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 10:15 PM) You know, some team wins the Series every year. The Sox could just model their team after one of them - say the Giants or Royals. Not really sure why you pretend to not be rooting hard for the Cubs. I don't think anyone on here would really care if you didn't act like you weren't. I said this awhile ago. The White Sox do not have the same financial resources as the Cubs so modeling a rebuild after them is not even realistic anyway. If anything, they should be following the model the Indians or Royals have used in recent years. They can start by strengthening the bullpen and defense.

Can the mods please put an end to this Austin Illini/Deadpool guy?

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:56 PM) I usually ignore him (didn't he claim to be a woman a few weeks ago?), but I didn't care for the way he responded to your post. Thanks. He's always been very arrogant and condescending in his posts. Acts as if he is superior to everyone else here when actually he's just a coward and troll.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:52 PM) You are acting like a complete douchebag. That's how he acts all the time. I'm surprised he hasn't been banned from this site yet.

QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:41 PM) Yeah you really paid a lot of attention to the AL and that side of the playoffs. I've watched every Cleveland playoff game but one and they have impressed me more than the Cubs have this postseason to be honest. Whether or not they can sustain that level of play is obviously the big question, but if they do they will give the Cubs all they can ask for.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:40 PM) Lol. Andrew Miller is just one guy and this isn't basketball. The tribe have no chance. Continue to underestimate the Indians. People have done it all year but here they are...

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:37 PM) I was out of town on business working 14 hour days, honestly. In Cleveland. We'll talk Sox when this is all done. LOL. Convenient excuse. So if the Indians play really well and take Game 1 on Tuesday we can expect you to stop in and say how much you appreciate good baseball and congratulate them for the win?

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:32 PM) I LOVE good baseball. Many people I love like the Cubs. I want the cubs to win for them and I want the White Sox to follow them and rebuild their organization right. You don't like it, tough. I will continue to call you out for your petulance. But why do you only appear when the Cubs are winning. I mean the Dodgers played good baseball in games 2 and 3 but I didn't see you on here patting them on the back following those games.

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:30 PM) Take solace in the fact that the sport is baseball. Anything can happen. You just gotta BELIEVE Did you take the Indians to win the pennant? I did. I also took them to win the World Series back in August. Have texts to prove it, not that you would believe me anyway. Can't wait for Andrew Miller to make this Cubs lineup look like a bunch of little leaguers. It's going to be delightful.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:25 PM) lol. Are you serious man? The Cubs starting four is lights years better than the Indians starting four. The Cubs have 3 legitimate aces in their rotation. It's better but not light years better. Arrieta is a big question mark right now. He's been mediocre for the past 4 months. Hendricks is pitching great so that's a clear advantage but Lackey is garbage.

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:21 PM) Well, you're usually wrong, so... Because I took the Giants to beat the Cubs and win the pennant? Yea guess I'm usually wrong because I lost one $100 wager.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:21 PM) It's not gonna matter in my opinion. Lester is the best pitcher in baseball right now. Pretty much a guaranteed victory for the Cubs every time he steps on the bump. You clearly haven't followed what Kluber has done this season.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:19 PM) That's when I knew the series was over. Dodgers played it way too passively. You can't underestimate this Cubs team which they did and the Giants did. The Cubs roster is so much better than anybody else's this postseason. Dodgers conceded the series by holding Kershaw for Game Six. There was a slight chance he'd have won Game Five and made it 3-2 LA. I'd have never guessed we wouldn't make the playoffs once since our WS title. It's truly hard to believe. They did, 2008.

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:18 PM) That still puts the Cubs at an advantage, though. The rest of the Cubs staff is much better. I'm not sure it is if Arrieta continues to pitch like second half Jake

QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 09:14 PM) Maybe it's a plus for Cleveland that Arrieta starts 2 (possibly 3) games? This will be the first time all postseason that the other teams' ace has matched up with Lester starts. Those games aren't certain wins when he's opposing a pitcher like Kluber.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:42 PM) The Cubs are a completely different animal than Boston or Toronto. A Bauer, Tomlin, or Merritt start at Wrigley is gonna be a complete bloodbath. Huh? Yea I agree they aren't as good as the Red Sox offense and slightly better than the Toronto offense. So yea I guess they are a completely different animal.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:40 PM) And coincidentally, the Indians shut them down. Yup

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:38 PM) Seriously, where have the last ten years gone? I'm sure many old timers are saying the same thing about the last 71 years.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:37 PM) To be fair, and I have said this before, the Indians shut down the Red Sox and Blue Jays offenses. Those are two pretty damn good offenses that did not "eat big time" against the Indians' pitching. Actually the Red Sox offense was better than the Cubs this year. Best in baseball

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:36 PM) This is fairly remarkable, as my father hasn't even seen a Cubs pennant in his life time. Not many have but I bet he's seen a White Sox World Series!

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 08:29 PM) http://www.espn.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id...ball-operations I'm completely shook. This is the date a dynasty was born. RIP baseball. Always so dramatic. Let's wait until they win one World Series at least before we start talking about the potential for a dynasty.

QUOTE (SCCWS @ Oct 22, 2016 -> 05:50 PM) Which makes it ironic that the NL has won more World Series over that stretch since the disparity is not really close. Playoffs are weird because the best team rarely wins it all: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/page/playo...b-teams-win-all The larger sample size provided by the regular season/interleague play is more representative. Also, it's generally easier to get by with less depth in the playoffs than the postseason. Cleveland wouldn't be able to use Miller in the way they have in the playoffs over the course of a 162-game season. Also, you can basically get by with a 3 man rotation in the playoffs but need at least 5 if not more (due to injuries) in the regular season. In general, the AL is much deeper than the NL and has been for awhile now.

It's not far stretched to think the White Sox could have won more than 85 games this season if they had played in the NL. The disparity between the leagues is real and has been large for the last decade. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-nl...e-play-for-now/