Bananarchy

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 05:27 PM) Ladd/Toews/Hossa Panarin/Anisimov/Kane Versteeg/Teuvo/Shaw Danault/Kruger/Deshardins Mashinter Stacked. That f***ing rocks.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 02:57 PM) Serious question: Who are the three at first and third? Bryant, Zobrist, Baez for third. Rizzo, Bryant, Zobrist for first, and even though Bryant's experience is one game, it's first base, a traditionally offensive position. Every regular first baseman in the league last year was a minus defensively per fan graphs. So in terms of first space, specifically, the fact that the Cubs are three deep isn't very impressive. The Sox could run out a number of players at first and be fine.

QUOTE (shysocks @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 12:21 PM) I was curious about this so I did the math. If you assume that every team starts each season with an equal chance of winning the World Series, the odds of a team not winning once from 1909 until now are 0.41%. This takes into account the increasing number of teams as the league expanded, and that there was no WS in 1994. 0.41% is about 244/1. The team Bovada pegs to have the lowest odds at winning the title in 2016, the Phillies, is at 200/1. So regardless of how or why, the Cubs have pulled off something very unlikely. This, of course, makes the huge assumption that the anywhere from 16-30 teams in the league between 1908 and now have the same makeup and the same chance of winning year in and year out. That assumption destroys this analysis, as the New York Yankees have a quarter of the Championships over the same time period. If every team in the last 100 years had won anywhere between 3-5 championships, I would be a little more accepting of this probability calculations, but the deck is stacked against teams many years, and therefore a team like Philadelphia does not have a 1/30 chance of winning the World Series this year. The 1/30 chance is just wrong.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 10:53 AM) By the law of averages the Cubs should have won a WS a long time ago. At the very least they should have made an appearance in one at some point after 1945. But somehow year after year they manage to screw it up in the most spectacular ways. In their last 7 postseason appearances, they have lost at least 3 games in a row to get eliminated. That's hard to do. Law of Averages isn't a real thing. It's a layman theory not based on reality. You're assuming every year the odds of a team winning the World Series are the same for every team and even then, that's not the law of averages. The law of averages is a fallacy like the gambler's wager where awful statistics are used to justify outcomes. Even if baseball were a 30 side coin, that does not mean the Cubs would win three in 100 years. Each side of the coin being equally represented is the single highest likely result, but is still unlikely.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 10:31 AM) Arrieta is the epitome of lightning in a bottle. The Pirates have done as a good if not better job as the cubs at building a foundation. The major difference is theo has the fiances to now get what he needs. The cubs are in good position and will make the playoffs this year but they are not the best team in baseball. They have some flaws and an injury or two and they are mediocre real quick. Are you kidding me? A couple of injuries? They have three players at each position with major league experience. I know you're upset about the Cubs being special now. Time to get past it. They're much better than mediocre with "an injury or two". More delusion.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 09:04 AM) JCL is the only guy we really don't want to lose. Programs average over 1 transfer a year. Adding a coaching change to that only makes it more likely. Without a doubt, changing coaches would make the system worse before it got better, but at least it might actually get better.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 09:25 AM) I don't think they subtract from the core unless it gets them a superstar. Considering the math on that sort of a deal, I don't think it is even possible. Absolutely not. The guy you would want to subtract from the core is Hossa, anyway, and if the Blackhawks were to move him, he would likely retire before the end of his contract which would destroy us.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 07:46 AM) You're correct, White Sox fans are the only ones who ever say this about the Cubs. GMAB We're the only ones delusional enough to believe that the jersey on their backs make it true. The fact is, when the media talks about "Can the Cubs win the World Series?" it's only to drum up interest but they know it's more likely now than it has ever really been. With the best baseball man in the business backed by a generous piggy bank, the Cubs look to be good for a long time. And I envy them immensely because we know what the White Sox are trying and even with 2005, this "lightning in a bottle" method of going about business is draining when it fails.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 12:18 AM) Also, as a general state of the program post, this will be the sixth missed tourney in the last 9 years and only 2 tourney wins in the 10 years post-Dee. So as I've said numerous times in this thread, a big f*** you to Guenther, Thomas, Groce and Weber for destroying Illinois basketball. Institutional incompetence at every level continues to plague Illinois. Hopefully, the next time Illinois hits on a basketball coach, they lock him up.

QUOTE (ChiSoxFanMike @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 07:30 AM) and yet they still won't win a World Series with this group lol. It's the Cubs after all. They'll find a way to screw it up. We (White Sox fans) get no respect because we suffer from this delusion. I love how fans blame the jersey logo as the reason for a failure. Jerseys don't win or lose games. Bad baseball does (we should know the last decade). If the Cubs changed their name, they would have as much of a chance to win it all as they do now. I can't say for sure that they'll win one or not, but their chances are sky high compared to the perennial dumpster fire we have to watch on the south side.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 26, 2016 -> 05:58 AM) i wouldn't. while having Ladd back, and it is nice to have him back, he is still a rental. My thought exactly. Most of the fans in the stadium don't know who Andrew Ladd is, anyway.

QUOTE (LDF @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 10:10 PM) everyone here should know my take on the owners and their miserly way... but but management did improve the product, so by default they did improve. but the main point is they did not finish. It's frustrating how good this team is at drafting pitchers when they can't, for the life of them, draft a fielding talent. Maybe Tim Anderson is the guy, but 10 years of futility in that department gets so old.

Johnny Manziel to the grand jury for Domestic Violence. He's done in the NFL.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 10:05 PM) Coleman-Lands: 21 pts. Rest of team: 26 pts. I hope he sticks around if Groce gets fired. I don't even care anymore. Hire a real basketball coach. It's just so embarrassing now.

Screw it. I've seen enough. Fire everybody.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 06:33 PM) Yeah nobody wants to play for the White Sox. It may be the beginning of spring training, but the whining is in mid season form. We're just used to being really bad. It's almost better than the delusion that this team is going to mean something. If you want less whining, petition management to put a real product on the field.

Jets score two in succession. Hawks will get away with a bad loss.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:34 PM) lol. The cubs are one of the very best teams in the majors right now, it might have taken them 100+ years, but there team was masterfully crafted. It's not even fair

So is Ladd going to take 61?

St. Louis loses. Dallas got a softie through. Tied 3-3 in the 3rd.

QUOTE (Knackattack @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 02:36 PM) The only reason I can think of to do it is to keep Sanders far, far away. YES. This.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:22 PM) Hahaha, Sam Fels and the Committed Indian is what you're bringing to the table? You're right, I don't know hockey at all. What does he say that's wrong? Have you really been a meathead this whole time?

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:18 PM) The fact that you gave a link to the committed indian is laughable. That dude is a joke. Had a total agenda with the Kane case. All about click bait. Seabrook has been great offensively, and average on defense. He's fine. Every Blackhawks player except Keith (sample size for Keith/Seabs: 80 minutes) is better with Seabs on the bench.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:18 PM) The fact that you gave a link to the committed indian is laughable. That dude is a joke. Had a total agenda with the Kane case. All about click bait. Seabrook has been great offensively, and average on defense. He's fine. I'll wait for you to tell me how the Kane case has anything to do with the performance of Brent Seabrook.

QUOTE (Tony @ Feb 25, 2016 -> 09:08 PM) The front office, and most fans disagree with that assessment. See trade today. Maybe I should quote it for you He's the worst player on the ice every game. The Blackhawks defense runs two players deep. Crawford has bailed out Seabs all season.