QUOTE (flavum @ Oct 2, 2015 -> 02:46 PM)
Baines quit. I don't feel like starting another thread.
I feel your malaise, Flav. The Ventura return has me committed to disinvesting my interest - if they're firing Parent, it means he hasn't given RV the proper help on the bench - which means they know he still needs help...heading into his 5th season. And yet, somehow, they're convinced he's still the right man for the gig? IT JUST DOESN'T WASH.
We're in that long wait period that I've been dreading. The kind and wealthy owner wants the sports ownership part of his life to be less cutthroat than the business dealings that made him rich in the first place, so he cultivates a family atmosphere, which is great, but now, as he ages and naturally becomes more sentimental, it overrides everything, and necessary tough decisions can't be made. There's pressure, but it's not the same, because none of the inner circle can possibly get canned. This will be a LONG wait, that parallels the Blackhawks in the mid '90's, except for the owner being kind part. We can only hope to come out of it half as well.
I've always been an optimist, but it's waning. The Cubs are irrelevant in my mind, but their popularity will be a convenient excuse if we lose our beloved to another city due to horrific management. That would kill my sports fandom entirely, and it's possible given that JR has no timetable for retirement - but make no mistake, THAT's what we're all waiting for.
You won't see my surly a$$ around here again until RV's firing or resignation day. At least then, I'll know that SOMEone in the org has finally admitted the most obvious of mistakes. Until then, enjoy the respite.
On that happy note, I bid you adieu. Peace, bros.