2015 Cubs Catch-All thread

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

Per BA at the start of the year their top 10 prospects looked like this:

 

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Kris Bryant, 3b

2. Addison Russell, ss

3. Jorge Soler, of

4. Kyle Schwarber, c/of

5. C.J. Edwards, rhp

6. Billy McKinney, of

7. Albert Almora, of

8. Gleyber Torres, ss

9. Pierce Johnson, rhp

10. Duane Underwood, rhp

 

Take away the top 3 and you are left with basically the quality of the White Sox current farm system, correct?

[Y2Jimmy0]

This is a thing right now. http://espn.go.com/chicago/index?addata=1

 

Which team has the best infield in baseball?

 

69%

Cubs

 

31%

Other

 

Discuss (Total votes: 1,523)

 

 

Not sure it's the best infield in baseball right now, but if I were starting a team I'd take Bryant, Castro, Rizzo, and Russell over any foursome in baseball for sure.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Per BA at the start of the year their top 10 prospects looked like this:

 

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Kris Bryant, 3b

2. Addison Russell, ss

3. Jorge Soler, of

4. Kyle Schwarber, c/of

5. C.J. Edwards, rhp

6. Billy McKinney, of

7. Albert Almora, of

8. Gleyber Torres, ss

9. Pierce Johnson, rhp

10. Duane Underwood, rhp

 

Take away the top 3 and you are left with basically the quality of the White Sox current farm system, correct?

 

 

They still have some HS pitching from last year's draft and Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jimenez that could really break out. Cubs are probably just outside of the top 10 with promotions. Why does it matter though? I hate comparing the White Sox and Cubs. Completely irrelevant.

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

They still have some HS pitching from last year's draft and Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jimenez that could really break out. Cubs are probably just outside of the top 10 with promotions. Why does it matter though? I hate comparing the White Sox and Cubs. Completely irrelevant.

Not when you hear it everyday from co-worker and friends that are Cubs fans. Not to mention the local and national media...Very relevant, maybe not to you but it is to me.

 

I am just happy that they no longer have the fall back of "well at least we have the best farm system in baseball and it doesn't matter that the big league team sucks because just wait until the big prospects come up." So now if they don't make the playoffs, I guess their response will be wait til next year when these guys are another year older etc? It's just annoying.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Not when you hear it everyday from co-worker and friends that are Cubs fans. Not to mention the local and national media...Very relevant, maybe not to you but it is to me.

 

I am just happy that they no longer have the fall back of "well at least we have the best farm system in baseball and it doesn't matter that the big league team sucks because just wait until the big prospects come up." So now if they don't make the playoffs, I guess their response will be wait til next year when these guys are another year older etc? It's just annoying.

 

 

Right but now the big prospects are up and they should legitimately be good for awhile. Why is that a bad thing? I want the Cubs to be good. It leaves the Sox under pressure to be good. Bulls*** arguments with Cubs fans ended for me in 2005.

[southsider2k5]

JOE MADDON IS PLAYING ADDISON RUSSELL OUT OF POSITION? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM???!?!?

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

Right but now the big prospects are up and they should legitimately be good for awhile. Why is that a bad thing? I want the Cubs to be good. It leaves the Sox under pressure to be good. Bulls*** arguments with Cubs fans ended for me in 2005.

Again, your opinion. Am I not allowed to have my own? Just because that's your line of thinking doesn't mean it needs to be everyone else's opinion.

 

I thought I already answered your question in my previous post. I find it very annoying to live in the Chicagoland area and to hear nothing but Cubs, Cubs, Cubs every day. White Sox are a complete after thought. You don't find that annoying? Or do you not live in the area?

[fathom]

Just saw this elsewhere, but kinda funny to see the Cubs lineup 3 years ago today:

 

Cubs lineup, April 21, 2012: C: Clevenger 1B: LaHair 2B: Barney SS: Castro 3B: Stewart LF: DeWitt CF: Mather RF: DeJesus SP: Maholm

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

Oh, and they should have legitimately been good in many years past as well so when they crash and burn again I will be here to enjoy it. Nothing would make me happier as a sports fan than to see the White Sox win another World Series and watch the Cubs' hype train come to a crashing halt.

[Y2Jimmy0]

Again, your opinion. Am I not allowed to have my own? Just because that's your line of thinking doesn't mean it needs to be everyone else's opinion.

 

I thought I already answered your question in my previous post. I find it very annoying to live in the Chicagoland area and to hear nothing but Cubs, Cubs, Cubs every day. White Sox are a complete after thought. You don't find that annoying? Or do you not live in the area?

 

 

I live in the South Burbs. I just don't really care. The Cubs are more popular. Just the way it is.

[southsider2k5]

Again, your opinion. Am I not allowed to have my own? Just because that's your line of thinking doesn't mean it needs to be everyone else's opinion.

 

I thought I already answered your question in my previous post. I find it very annoying to live in the Chicagoland area and to hear nothing but Cubs, Cubs, Cubs every day. White Sox are a complete after thought. You don't find that annoying? Or do you not live in the area?

 

I live in the Chicagoland area is well. The Sox are an afterthought because their fan base is a fraction of the Cubs. It is the same reason the Chicago Blackhawks were an afterthought for a decade.

 

If Sox fans want coverage, they need to start showing up at the ballpark and pushing ratings up on TV. Until then, the media won't give a crap, and why should they? They aren't in the business of charity, they are in the business of making money. Cub fans are a bigger market to sell to. Would you put the Chicago Sky on equal footing with the Bulls, just because they are a professional basketball team in Chicago? Of course not.

 

Sox fans seem to want it both ways. They don't want to go until this predetermined, unpublished list of qualifications is met, but are the first to complain when the media follows suit and doesn't show up either. That is hypocrisy.

[caulfield12]

Every team in baseball drew 20,000+ fans except the Mariners, White Sox and Pirates. (Pirates were the only team lower).

 

Note, Milwaukee and Detroit probably had similar or worse weather but both doubled Sox attendance.

 

 

That's about where we are right now...like the Mariners, being at least a decade away from their last really good team (but higher expectations coming into 2015) or the Pirates, who feel like a perennial contender compared to the White Sox in recent seasons and with an MVP in McCutcheon, as well as dynamic young players in Polanco and Marte.

[fathom]

Every team in baseball drew 20,000+ fans except the Mariners, White Sox and Pirates. (Pirates were the only team lower).

 

Note, Milwaukee and Detroit probably had similar or worse weather but both doubled Sox attendance.

 

Yeah, that Milwaukee weather was terrible last night...indoors. Also, the Tigers were facing the Yankees, so that's not a fair comparison. On the bright side, the attendance last night was a couple thousand more than the 2nd game at home last year, which was our first weekday night game (not opening day).

[caulfield12]

Detroit was "only" 27,540.

 

Of course, the Yanks have missed the playoffs for two consecutive years and all those nimrods wearing Jeter jerseys as if that confers magical powers to also date actresses and models have mostly disappeared.

 

They had the A-Rod show, at least.

 

 

I forgot about the cover in Milwaukee...but also meant just the general weather conditions outside...it's not like it makes you WANT to go to a baseball game (indoors) when it's pretty miserable like that.

 

 

 

10625, 11056, 11116....three worst attendance numbers last year in first half of April

 

Roughly speaking, you're looking at about a 16-22% increase in the season ticket numbers, estimate. Of course, when you're jumping from let's say 11,000 to 13,000....2,000 statistically seems big but in terms of actual numbers it's nothing like the numbers we were dealing with in the 2006-2009 attendance and revenue cycle. Small progress. Let's see if there is any type of bump at all tonight after the victory. Probably will be hard to "control" for the weather, though.

Edited April 21, 2015 by caulfield12

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

I live in the South Burbs. I just don't really care. The Cubs are more popular. Just the way it is.

Good for you. Living on the north side for awhile and then west burbs now I have always been in the minority and I get sick of them not only talking up the great Cubs but constantly talking down the Sox. So yes, I do care. It goes beyond just baseball at times, it's a mentality.

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

I live in the Chicagoland area is well. The Sox are an afterthought because their fan base is a fraction of the Cubs. It is the same reason the Chicago Blackhawks were an afterthought for a decade.

 

If Sox fans want coverage, they need to start showing up at the ballpark and pushing ratings up on TV. Until then, the media won't give a crap, and why should they? They aren't in the business of charity, they are in the business of making money. Cub fans are a bigger market to sell to. Would you put the Chicago Sky on equal footing with the Bulls, just because they are a professional basketball team in Chicago? Of course not.

 

Sox fans seem to want it both ways. They don't want to go until this predetermined, unpublished list of qualifications is met, but are the first to complain when the media follows suit and doesn't show up either. That is hypocrisy.

So just because the Cubs are more popular, I have to enjoy listening to co-workers and friends talk trash about the White Sox and rave about golden boy Theo???

 

If the White Sox are so unpopular, maybe they should move under the next ownership group because the constant discussion of attendance (or lack thereof) sure makes it sound like this franchise is dead.

[Friend of Nordhagen]

Just saw this elsewhere, but kinda funny to see the Cubs lineup 3 years ago today:

 

Cubs lineup, April 21, 2012: C: Clevenger 1B: LaHair 2B: Barney SS: Castro 3B: Stewart LF: DeWitt CF: Mather RF: DeJesus SP: Maholm

 

It's amazing what a few smart moves -- and purposely throwing games for 3 straight years -- can do for a team.

[shipps]

So just because the Cubs are more popular, I have to enjoy listening to co-workers and friends talk trash about the White Sox and rave about golden boy Theo???

 

If the White Sox are so unpopular, maybe they should move under the next ownership group because the constant discussion of attendance (or lack thereof) sure makes it sound like this franchise is dead.

 

None of us like it but we arent going to get to the point becoming enraged and being consumed by it. I get it all the time at work or at the gym. Cubs fans and media are going to say things that we dont like. Have fun with it and dish it back. Its not that hard. We watch and cheer because its a fun thing, you have clearly let them get to you to the point where you arent having much fun with it anymore.

 

05' felt good didnt it? We were just as popular before that magical season happened. Who gives a crap of how the team is viewed by the outsiders. Sox fans are all over the place throughout this country and they are passionate. Look at this site for one.

[OnlyGillis]

I am honestly surprised a deal with the Yankees wasn't done in the off season. It just made sense for both teams.

 

The Yankees have little to offer that would help the Cubs at either the major or minor league level. Possibly some mid or lower level minor league talent, but maybe not better than what they already have.

[OnlyGillis]

I know there are many that disagree with me on here, but there's really no excuse for the Cubs to not be one of the 5 best teams in baseball for the next decade. They've made some incredible trades the past few years (Samardzija and Feldman deals) while also leaving themselves a lot of payroll flexibility going forward. I'm still not sure why they didn't go after Scherzer instead of Lester though, but I'm happy they did.

 

Who knows but Scherzer is an extra year and an extra $55 mill.

[caulfield12]

Bryant up to .462 with his 3rd double and 6th RBI of the week. 4 bb's, 4 k's.

 

 

Btw, the woman hit on the back of the head by the foul ball has been released by the hospital...she was conscious and alert at the time of her leaving the ballpark with EMS personnel who took over for PNC Park medics.

Edited April 22, 2015 by caulfield12

[southsider2k5]

So just because the Cubs are more popular, I have to enjoy listening to co-workers and friends talk trash about the White Sox and rave about golden boy Theo???

 

If the White Sox are so unpopular, maybe they should move under the next ownership group because the constant discussion of attendance (or lack thereof) sure makes it sound like this franchise is dead.

 

Grow some skin dude. If you are letting some smack talk get to you that bad, you are taking the game way too seriously.

[LittleHurt05]

Btw, the woman hit on the back of the head by the foul ball has been released by the hospital...she was conscious and alert at the time of her leaving the ballpark with EMS personnel who took over for PNC Park medics.

 

That's good to hear, we were watching live, she looked straight knocked out cold.

 

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

Grow some skin dude. If you are letting some smack talk get to you that bad, you are taking the game way too seriously.

It's not "some smack talk" it's every damn day and it's annoying.

[caulfield12]

Love that Cubs bullpen. Not!!!