SB Nation User Blog: niuhuskie224

Shame On Cubs Fans

niuhuskie224 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:36:23 -0000

I don’t want to hear it.

You want to renounce your team when it needs you the most than get out. We don’t need you.

In years past, if our number 3 pitcher was going to be Marquis or Rich Hill like last year I would agree, this is looking bad. But the argument could be made our pitcher with the best stuff and our pitcher who has been best in the last month are going Saturday and Sunday.

If you aren’t cool with this idea, screw you. I know I may seem like a Pollyanna but was will be going against a sub .500 pitcher and Lowe on 3 days rest. Anyone who doesn’t look at that as advantage Cubs is crazy.

Each game is independent of one another just like each season is independent of one another. Nothing is guaranteed and nothing is certain but I will tell you this, the Cubs have the better pitchers going on Saturday and Sunday.

Win or Lose I am a Cubs fan. I am not renouncing my fandom and I will not root for another team because they will never be my team. This is my team and I will support them to the bitter end win or lose.

You look at some of the World Champions in the last 10 years and it took a special moment or effort to get there, they don’t just walk to the Championship

2001 – Dback down one with in the bottom of the 9th against Mariano Rivera

2003 – Marlins down 3-1 to the Cubs

2004 – Redsox down 3-0 to the Yankees

2005 – White Sox were one out away from being down 2-0 to the Angels and with one lucky break went on to win it all.

As of a week ago this was a special team.

They are still that team; they just played the two worst games of the season. If you are going to tell me I am wrong so be it but we don’t need it. We are all upset and disappointed but I refuse to quit.

I REFUSE TO PUT MY DREAM AWAY

Playoff Tickets

niuhuskie224 — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:22:12 -0000

I was hoping we could keep this thread running with people who signed up for the lottery on cubs.com. I submitted my info and they said that at some point between yesterday and today they would be sending out an e-mail if you have been selected. I just want to know when they start to go out so I can stop checking my e-mail and hoping by some miracle chance I was one of the few selected to purchase playoff tickets.

Good luck to everyone who registered, hopefully the ticket broker route isn't the way I have to go for this.

Settle Down Silly Cubs Fans

niuhuskie224 — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:30:43 -0000

This is a textbook example of how you win yourself a division in the early months of the season. We played well in the first half and afforded ourselves the chance to have this slump. Relax people. It isn’t as though anyone worth a damn is come up to get us. Look at who has been hot in the last couple of weeks, The Astros, The Dodgers???? Why do we care. We care about making the playoffs and what we do when we get there. Look at the Phillies last year. They were just as hot as anyone, even the Rockies and couldn't do anything. Boston wasn't exactly stellar down the stretch and look what they did.

WHAT WE DO THIS WEEK HAS NO BEARING AT ALL ON OCTOBER AT ALL!!!!!!!

Can we understand this. This team is going to make the playoffs 99.1 percent of the time. Baseball Prospectus runs a simulation every day 1 million times. That means the cubs would make the playoffs 991,000 times. I Like my odds there. And I don't want to hear, oh well we are the cubs and blah blah blah. Shut up. The last 100 years has no bearing on anything having to do with this season. Bottom line

We are still FOUR AND A HALF GAMES BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE.

Jeeze, you would think that we are dead even with someone but not one team is close. The Cubs have 18 to go and can legitimately look at the magic numbers and know they can control their own destiny. How many Cubs teams in the last 50 years can say that with 18 games to go that they control their own destiny. Not many last I checked. Baseball is a game of highs and lows. We are at a low and it will get to a high again. It has been proven in over 100 years of baseball. Everything evens out. Thats why I was worried about Sori getting hot after the 3 home run game. I just kept saying not yet, we don’t need you to get hot yet. Wait another week or two so that when the playoffs start you can carry us then. Why do I say this, because that’s what baseball is. Get of the ledge, we are fine.

Carlos Zambrano Update

niuhuskie224 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:48:18 -0000

670 The Score is reporting that Carlos Zambrano will be having an MRI on his shoulder tomorrow.

If you ask me this sounds like June all over again. Z has the MRI, Z misses 15 days and then Z comes back and dominates.

Hopefully the MRI is just precautionary which I really thinks it is. Better that he wants it checked and is being cautious rather than trying to tough it out and lose him for certain in the playoffs.

The Real Story on CC Sabathia

niuhuskie224 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:56:54 -0000

*EDIT* I Wanted to edit this in as a preface to the below. This is not a hate post on CC because he plays for the Brewers. I am just getting tired of hearing about this guy winning the Cy Young or MVP and below is why I feel he is undeserving of these accolades. *EDIT*

I am getting a little tired of the CC love fest. I am not saying that 5 Complete Games isn’t impressive but if you look at his 9 starts there is a little too much praise for CC.

Colorado 7-3 (Colorado Record 57-69)

Cincinnati 3-2 (Cincinnati Record 55-70)

SF (53-71)

St. Louis (70-57)

Cubs (76-48)

Atlanta (56-69)

Washington (44-81)

San Diego (48-76)

Houston (63-62)

Now I may not be reading this right but if you take out the Cubs and the Cardinals from this 9 game stretch he has faced 7 teams with a combined record of 376-498, a mere 122 games BELOW .500. Yes he beat St. Louis but when his team needed him to throw a great game the Cubs beat him (he was let off the hook by Home Run Howry) Now, are 5 CG impressive. Yes, if he throws them when it matters. Of the 5 complete games, 3 were blowouts. If Yoast wants to keep throwing CC into the 9th in a 9-3 game that’s fine by me, waste that arm for October. People just need to cool down. And it just keeps getting easier for him. Look at CC’s next 7 starts. It’s nice to know the Brewers got him to beat up on the bottom third of the National League.

8/24 – Pittsburgh (56-69)

8/31 – Pittsburgh (56-69)

9/5 – San Diego (48-76)

9/10 – Cincinnati (55-70) (Now if they move some starts this could be the 11th against Philly) (Philly is 66-58)

9/16 – Cubs (76-48)

9/21 – Cincinnati (55-70)

9/27 – Cubs (76-48)

Looks like CC can go 13-0, 14-0 or 14-1 or possibly 13-2 with two very big losses against a good team. Nice to know he has done it against “the class” of the National League

Cubs aquire Harden (My own thoughts)

niuhuskie224 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:35:04 -0000

This is my first time writing on here so here goes nothing

The thing to keep in mind with this deal, as well as the Sabathia deal is that it does not have a large impact on the regular season. We are talking about 2-3 wins max on either side of the deal.

As far as the Cubs acquiring Harden, when you consider that Donaldson's stats have died (Down over 150 points since going from Boise to Peoria) and that Soto is at least penciled in for a few years, there is no lock that he ever makes it up to the bigs. Bottom line is he is a Billy Beane type of player. He has an On-Base that is at least 75 points higher than his batting average at every level. Beane loves guys who get on. Thats what Donaldson is.

Matt Murton is a 6th outfielder on our team. When you consider we were trying to dump him early and held on long enough to turn him into Harden, not too bad.

Eric Patterson does not have a future in Chicago. He is not playing the corner outfields on this team unless someone is hurt and at 2nd base, you have DeRosa for the foreseeable future and then Cedeno and Fontenot there to play.

Finally, Sean Gallagher has been fine but in terms of this year and next year, he has no spot in the starting rotation. Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Marquis and Marshall was what we had after the break. Now you replace Marshall or Marquis with Harden. When you look at it, you now have 3 long men in the bullpen (Marshall or Marquis, Jon Liber, and Chad Gaudin) Not to mention Kevin Hart if he comes back and possibly Jeff Samardza for a September call up.

This trade improves the team for this year and next year and that what you play for when you have a shot to win it now, you play for today, not for 5 years down the road when your prospects (ex. Felix Pie) are SUPPOSED to pan out.