Bleed Cubbie Blue

Which was?

I knew someone would ask.....

“Got some ground balls, but they were just finding the holes, skipped through,” Harden said.

My take is again, the scouting and “game planning” for the Cubs … especially on defensive placement and “strategy”…..is BAD…..thats why they “like” the “K” guys…..

And I didn’t watch today (NBF….I got 14 in between the tstorms)….byt the Cubs had to have what 10 baserunners…and only 1 run….that’s been a theme since 04….

Cubs left seven on base today.

Cardinals turned four double plays.

that and a "real" SS would help....

and don’t get me wrong….I like Theriot….but he belongs at 2b….he works when the offense is great…..but as we saw this year………the Cubs could have used a Gem at SS to save some runs…..

agreed

except he needs to learn how to run the bases. Maybe someone should tell him he is not a base stealer…

Good use of your time, KC

Hope the golf gods were nicer than the baseball gods were.

Golf gods - nice??? Mwahahahahaa...

Good one, NBF. Good one….

Couple of birds....

couple + of double’s too…….inconsistent as aiways….

Put a 150ish par 3 about 7’ from the hole and 2 putted……but on a "reg"hole…fought thru a slice “off the roof”….a ricochet off a tree……nice on and great putt….at least 20’ or so….

isn't that the way it always is?

Just when you’re about to chuck the clubs in the pond and walk away forever, you make an incredible shot that instantly causes you to forget the previous six holes (at least) and keeps you coming back for more.

Golf is the only sport I know that you hate while playing and love when you’re not.

Well put, BH

I love golf. It never loves me back. Kinda like the Cubs. :)

Oh god

Put me in this group, too.

I lost all respect for Cardinal Fans today

I never seen the Cardinal fans trash talk so much in my life. Since the Cubs playoff collapses and their championship run in 2006 they have grown from good, respectable fans to complete jerks. They are starting to become worse than Yankee, Red Sox and Phillies bandwaggoners.

it used to be just plain old trash talk but they are starting to cross the line. Cardinals fans now want to go to Wrigley Field, demolish it and detonate bombs all over the Northside of Chicago hoping to kill every last Cub fan in existence and seek sexual pleasure from it.

I normally would say something against this.

In this case, however, you happen to be correct. I went to this Cubs-Cardinals game in 2006. After the Cubs won that game, some Cardinals fans sitting next to me threw chewing gum at Cubs fans, including myself.

Correction:

The Cardinals fans were about ten rows behind me.

I'd say something political....

but I won’t

PLEASE…..The cards collapsed in 89 and 03 against the Cubs….and the Cubs this year were’nt really in it,,,,,,

,I wouldn’t call the Cubs poor play this year a collapse…I’d call it the GM fixing something that wasn’t broke…..

Also….this fan thing is “growing worse” in all sports everywhere…..I’m not sure how to “describe” the thoughts I’ve heard on this subject…..but it has to to with US culture in general….and “instant gratification”….plus the cost of admission to these events……and the people that attend now vs. the past…..

I wouldn’t get bent out of shape

Unfortunately, you're right.

This sort of idiot fan behavior is within every fanbase. I wish it were more possible to control it, but it doesn’t seem so.

Al,

I formerly had a co-worker who lived in Tampa when the Bears were under the coaching of Mike Ditka.

He had no problems with Bears fans, but he really disliked Packers fans because they were over the top in his view.

In 2000, I found that out for myself. I went to a Packers game at Lambeau Field, but unless things change in the fanbase, I probably won’t ever go back.

The last time I went to a baseball game

Was the 2008 Crosstown Classic between the White Sox and Cubs at US Cellular Field. A now EX friend of mine who was a White Sox fan was able to score tickets to the game. I knew that the Fans at US Celluar Field were jerks and I would be heckeled because I and many Cubs fans were in Enemy Territory. But what happened to me changed my life forever. In the inning when the White Sox took the lead and put the game out of reach. Some white Sox fans who were sitting behind me where getting rowdy and were starting to throw beer bottles at nearby Cubs fans. When one of the beer bottles came near my seat, I grabbed my souvenirs and left the stadium in the middle of that inning. The next day my ex friend said he would never speak to me again because I left the game early. I told him that because of those rowdy fans I feared for my life and I didnt want to start any trouble so I left. Since then he never spoke to me again and I never went to a baseball game since.

that was no real friend anyway

I feel sorry for you about that.

There’s a reason why I try to go to baseball games with someone who is cheering for the same team I am.

Worst Experience of my Life

I will never go to any baseball game ever again. Its why I never drink or have any friends that are baseball friends. I do everything I can to stay away from baseball people outside of the Internet.

Judging by your posts here

How do you have any friends anywhere?

BleedsbluinMI - September 20, 2009 reply

Let me recount...

… the Cubbie fan jackasses I’ve encountered.

2004 at Wrigley while I’m carrying my then 3 year old daughter having Cubbie fans f-bomb me for the offense of wearing a Sox shirt at a Cubs/Sox game.

2009 in the bleachers, hearing Cubbie fans threaten a young (Sox fan) kid, right in front of so-called security. Then hearing the Cubbie fan goons chant, “HOMO! HOMO! HOMO!” at the kid. Then they switched to vulgar homophobic taunts. Top it off with the Cubbie fan woman (can’t call her a lady) make racist tinged taunts of anyone she suspected of being a Sox fan. When she told the Asian Sox fans sitting by me that she “…was tired of supporting Southside welfare” cheats, one of the Asian guys said, “I’m an executive at … so what are you talking about?” That didn’t impede her and the guys left.

Idiocy is not unique to any fanbase and Cub fans are no less guilty.

DrCrawdad - September 19, 2009 reply

Useful post, thanks for your input!

/s

Both may have over reacted.

DudeVf11 - September 20, 2009 reply

Oh, brother

There are jerks in every fan base. You don’t think Bears fans can be asses?

I’ve been to several Packers-Bears games, at both stadiums, and have had absolutely zero problems. I’ve also seen zero problems.

This isn't new with Cardinal fans

A lot of them literally hate Cubs fans. I live in St. Louis and had to take my Cubs license plate holder off my car after it was vandalized twice (someone keyed “Cubs Suck” into my paint, another tried pulling the holder off, bending it). Now I have a Bears holder and still have people shout stuff at stoplights (after the light turns green, of course). Go to the Post-Dispatch website and look at the comments there. Ignorant stuff.

What’s funny is most of them don’t believe me when I say we don’t hate or even care about them nearly as much as they do us.

cardinals and white sox fans are alot more similar to eachother than they think

Most Cardinal fans will tell you they like the Sox too

Just because most Sox fans hate the Cubs

Yawn all you like, but it’s true.

DrCrawdad - September 19, 2009 reply

almost feel like you were too polite here

more like “greater percentage”.

cubdom seems overrun by jerks, especially in this new “gotta win NOW” era.

TheNextCubsVoice - September 20, 2009 reply

I went to school at Mizzou, and I second the motion.

Cardinal fans (and a lot of St. Louisans in general) genuinely seem to loathe Chicago and its citizens. I don’t think I would call it full-on hate, because I’ve been able to go to Blues / Blackhawks games in my red sweater and leave totally unharmed… and hockey is St. Louis’ winter sport of choice over football, IMO.

That being said, ever since that WS win and the subsequent gentrification feeling of New Busch in general, Cards fans have slowly become mostly insufferable. Maybe it all goes back to Chicago surpassing St. Louis in size and influence in the late 19th century or something, I don’t know. But while at school (05-09) I found that many people from STL gave you more crap and more anger about being a Chicagoan/Cubs fan as the years went by.

Needless to say, I love Kansas City.

And I second Al's notion.

Good luck to the Bears tomorrow! I’ll be watching the game tomorrow afternoon (in HD on a big-screen TV).

Might be a good game, as both teams are licking defensive wounds (Urlacher for the Bears, Polamalu for the Steelers).

I hate the Bears

The Chicago Bears are the reason why I hate American Football.

I would be careful with that sentiment on this blog.

Quite a few of the members here are Bears fans. I am an opposing fan (I cheer for an American football team, not the Bears), and I am very careful to bring my team’s loyalty onto this page.

Don't sweat that stuff...

I love the bears….but aanything I ever wrote here ios TAME in comparison to what I write about the Bears,,,,,,believe me…..I’m a very harsh crituc of the Bear front office…and despise Mr. Angelo more than Mr. Hendry…..

anyhows….nobody’s dislike of Bears/like of other teams would ever gey under my skin

Careful of what, exactly?

Offending BLou, I suppose

There's a possibility of that sort of thing?

The things you learn…

I'm shocked! Shocked, I say.

The Chicago Bears are the reason I love American football.

How the hell can they be anything else?!

Well, I wanted to be a banker and then--after a bad experience at my bank...

…I closed all of my accounts with banks.

DudeVf11 - September 20, 2009 reply

“He’s trying so hard, he’s playing a little out of control,” Piniella said of Scales, who is in the big leagues for the first time after toiling 10-plus seasons in the Minors. “What are you going to do? This young man played the infield in the Minor Leagues all year.”

hes apparently playing out of necessity

So where's Taguchi?

Where, in fact, is Jeff Baker, if the Cubs want to try him as a DeRosa-type supersub next year? Why couldn’t he play left field today?

maybe neifi perez's embarassing pictures of jimbo landed in scales' pocket

He would have had to steal them from Aaron Miles first.

Ahh... I was wondering what his middle name was

though I must admit, “where’s” is a bit unusual…

They might as well just combine them and make him "Somewhere's Taguchi."

oh, and don't forget Sean Marshall.

IIRC, he’s played that position flawlessly…

AGREE AL.....

also….I like/supported DeRo…hated the trade as much as anyone….and think he WOULD have helped the Cubs this year….BUT … I also wouldn’t go out NOW and sign him….he’s what 34/35 now…he JUST HAD his best years…..

IMHO….the Cubs 3 biggest problems … in order….

1)…NO CLUTCH HITTING/too many runners lefit is SP.on base
2)…POOR scouting/planning…..defense isn’t positioned to make plays..
3)…Misues of bullpen/no closer.

that can all be fixed by a speedy lead off man

or so i heard

Rickey says Rickey's not doing anything next year...

If Tom Ricketts dont fix this team...

Then I’m going to burn everything I have that is Cubs related and start rooting for the RED SOX. Yea I will even burn my Autographed baseball featuring the 1970 Cubs roster and Ron Santo baseball card that my dad gave to me. I will seriously burn it.

Dude, who the hell are you?

HANNA made/makes better contributions than you.

hanna changed how the common BCBer thinks

Apparently....

p.s. perfect slogan

THINK BEFORE YOU BURN.....

He will fix it but it will not happen over night . It took awhile to get messed up . Give it some time put the lighter fluid away !!! Maybe I am a fool but I am making plans for mesa 2010 …. The team has alot of good talent they just have not been used properly . Don’t head to Fenway not just yet !!!

cubs north - September 20, 2009 reply

What "necessity"

Is Jake Fox DEAD ?

i did see fontenot and fuld drag a body sized bag out of the dugout during the game..

Fuld better not be dragging no bodies with a broken wrist

LBR can do that by himself.

Cardsfansince62 - September 19, 2009 reply

It's worse than that Al

“Incidentally, the Cardinals ought to worry about Franklin in the postseason. After being nearly unhittable the first five months of the season, Franklin has made seven appearances in September, in which he has thrown 6.1 innings, allowed 11 hits and six walks and seven earned runs for a 9.95 ERA.”

He’s also blown 3 consecutive Saves & suddenly pitching from behind hitter-after-hitter & issuing walks. IMO this, combined with the fact that I think we have the weakest Bench of any PostSeason contender, spells trouble. Add the fact that both Philly & LA will throw 2 LH SP’s at us, we have the lowest BA in the NL vs LH’rs, & “worry” is an understatement. Either Carp, Waino & Pineiro throw lights-out every single game or we probably won’t go very far.

You know, that sounds like a former Cubs closer this year.

Until he started pitching like that in August. He finally was demoted after allowing four runs in the bottom of the ninth against San Diego. He had two outs and a man on first, and San Diego scored four runs afterward.

And I was at this game. It spoiled a lifetime 5-0 record I had at Cubs games.

any chance that Smoltz becomes the postseason closer?

not sure if he’s eligible or not, but it’d make for a good story if the Cards go far.

I believe Smoltz is elgible for Cardianls PS roster....

n/t

Are you up late swilling Niquil?

Why would you want to express your deepest, darkest Cardinal fan fears here on the Cub fans web site?

Not that I’m not enjoying it.

It's just a discussion point

Al Brought up in his intro, a valid one. Not like we’re at war discussing troop positions or anything. I’m a Baseball fan, ‘back in the day’ in Illinois workin’ 3rd shift I used to watch 150 Cubs games & probably 100 Braves games a year. Truth be told Dawson probably in my Top 5 all-time favorite player list. I’ve never gotten into the dividing lines between fans thing. Baseball is baseball, regardless of what team’s on the field.
No, I don’t see Smoltz as a Closer option myself. It’s a Cards fan discussion thing right now, but I just don’t see it happening.

Nah.

Down below, when I mention “our favorite Cards fan”? That’s the guy.

If Scales can play the OF

Then put Fox at 2B for ONE game.

I’ve gone on the rant before that I want him to try to play at 2B in the offseason and everyone comes back and says he can’t field there. Well Scales can’t play in the OF. All I’m asking for is an attempt to see if he can play the position. If there’s effort and Fox cannot play at 2B I promise to never bring it up again.

ak123 - September 19, 2009 reply

Just for fun

Why the hell not? The boys should be out there having fun once we are out of it, and that might be hideously entertaining.

It'd be like that one game late in a lost-cause season...

…where the manager puts players in completely different positions just for the heck of it. So what if they’ve never played there before and have no idea how to handle the position. It’d be all in good fun – at least til someone pokes an eye out or blows out a knee…

You know, like putting Z at short (he’s taken grounders there before),
Dome at 1B (well, he is left-handed),
Reed behind the plate (you know he’s dying to do it),
Riot in right field (just to see if he could out-Jacque Jacque with his throws),
Bradley on the mound (good luck with the mound visits, Larry),
Soto in center (he’d get in shape real quick covering all that territory).

You get the idea. It’d be fun stuff.

Oh yeah, one more…

Putting Scales in LF!

ballhawk - September 20, 2009 reply

i wonder who has a better arm in the outfield

theriot or juan pierre

I want Lilly to catch

Let’s see somone try and score on him.

Is it just me or...

The Cubs are the one team in baseball where its impossible to manage and be successful.

I'm not sure if it's managing successfully.

I think it is a question of expectations. Fact is, the Cubs have gone so long since their last World Series title that fans here expect to contend every year. If we don’t contend, fans get restless.

Such has been the case this year. Last year, the Cubs contended until October.

This year, the Cubs have not contended as many have hoped. So, even though the Cubs have a +.500 record this season, it is viewed as a failure. The fan expectations in Chicago are much higher than in most other baseball cities.

I'm going to dogress.....

I think the fact the fans have such high expectations is a GOOD thing……

digress....

Al…..we need a spell check…….even iff it just catches my sticky keys….

try using firefox

it has a spellcheck

Doesn't work in Subject lines

For whatever reason.

And I nominate “dogress” for inclusion in the BCB Dictionary.

and "dog dress" too

We are very accepting in California…

I thought it was an odd reference to me.

I thought it was a reference to his avatar

Maybe being bad is a good thing

Maybe a string of under .500 and last place finishes for the next 10-20 years will lower expectations again. When the Stadium is empty and the team starts to lose money then Cheap ass Ricketts will wake up.

wow

he’s cheap ass Ricketts already?

I HATE TOM RICKETTS

HE’S A CHEAP ASS PIECE OF SHIT AND I HATE HIS GUTS.

WE SHOULD GET A REAL OWNER. SOMEONE WHO CAN SPEND MONEY AND WILL HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FAILURE.

lind 4 owner

CAPS FAIL

and owner hate fail

FAIL?

Your life is a FAIL!!!

Now

I think we have a troll

or someone with anger management issues.

I see now.

I even bothered to look for a good demotivator…

I can't wait until Al comes back on here and sees this.

Wonder what he’ll think.

He'll think we were up past our bedtime.

Positive he'll admonish me for my pic

But I got really angry when (s)he insulted LT and Jessica.

how do you hate Ricketts already

he doesn’t even own the team yet lol.

I dont see him as an ideal owner

I fail to see him as the type of owner that the Cubs need. The Cubs need an owner that is ruthless. One that has no tolerance for failure and will spend money and get the full value of what he/she/it spends.

You don't know what you are talking about, sleep it off.

But all of the Steinbrenners are taken...

Wat?

Are you related to a Mr. Hanna?

Just wait and see what happens.

Who knows, maybe he will fix the team, and we will see a Cubs team we like.

yep

Of fall flat on his face

And become another victim of the Cubs failure.

did you forget to take your meds?

SHOULD WE GET ADAM LIND, TOO?

Holy Cow

Ami I was feeling sympathy for you after reading your “changed my life” experience at the hands of WSox fans u posted above. But after reading your posts above & below this one I’m re-thinking my sympathy.

I dunno how many times you’ve met Ricketts or interacted with him but would be interested in hearing those experiences. In the meantime the Cubs are currently just pennies behind the Mets for 2nd highest payroll in MLB & are virtually guaranteed to have the 2nd-highest 2010 payroll trailing only the Yankees.
Guaranteed Contract Totals:
NY YANKEES 09 ~~$206,811,689 10~~$166,307
NY METS 09-$139,102,235 10-$92,113
CHICAGO CUBS 09-$137,945,612 10-$119.958
DETROIT 09-$129,598,000 10-$84.588
PHILADELPHIA 09-$127,957,380 10-$96.286

wow....just wow

sue369 - September 20, 2009 reply

I wouldn't be restless if payroll was $50 million

and tickets were cheap and plentiful.

I wouldn’t be restless if the farm was stocked.

I wouldn’t be restless if I had faith in ownership and management.

I dunno

They did well in 1908….

1907 was better

But 1906 was a NIGHTMARE.

No kidding

Damned hitless wonders spoiling all our fun…

But back to back!

They were on the verge of a dynasty!!!!

tiff

Why don"t Lou use Fox more or does anyone know why he is in Lou"s doghouse. I sure hope Lou calls it quits,,the fire he once had for the game is ""gone Baby gone""

Larki40 - September 19, 2009 reply

Lou pinella

Needs to be fired and in humiliating fashion. Just saying the words “you’re fired” isnt good enough. He needs to be humiliated.

I think someone has been drinking too much sake tonight.

I have seniority in the get rid of Lou dept. but I just want him to go back to Florida and enjoy his grandchildren since he
does not seem to enjoy baseball anymore.

FAIL

I dont drink. YOU FAIL.

I think that she was giving you the benefit of the doubt

I'm enjoying this show as much as the next person, but I think the sake reference was a bit out of line, Doggie.

He’s a raciest pig.

These are the "raciest pigs" I could find

Looks like a scene at our local fair.

Racing pigs.

Just wondering

Can any of these fellas play LF?

AboutTheCubs - September 19, 2009 reply

Ballhawk, I'm not really enjoying this any more.

Even though Jessica may have gone over the top with the sake reference, calling her a “racist pig” is wrong.

And as for you, Ami, the site administrator may come back at some point and see this. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got warned.

I guess I'm just not taking this as seriously as you are.

I could see right away that Ami either has significant issues – in which case, nothing we do or say is going to make any difference – or Ami is just here to troll, mess with our heads, cause trouble – in which case, nothing we do or say is going to make any difference.

Either way, I’m pretty sure he/she is well beyond the “just a warning” stage so and will be banned come morning.

Regardless, I don’t think it’s cause for any of the rest of us to be dragged down to his/her level. And ethnic references is getting close to that territory.

Good point.

And as you can see, I have avoided the name-calling that Ami has partaken in.

I think it’s the first one, too, the explanation you give. Some of the things she has said here make me think she is a Cubs fan, so trolling is probably not what she is doing.

YOU FAIL

I am a woman.

( sorry boys I could not resist)

Well if whiskey or vodka makes it better by my guest

but now that I think of it crack might be a better explanation for these rants.

I'm not sure what the reason is for this,

But whatever it is, I think I’ll pass on it.

I don't get it

so if someone tells me that I’ve had too much Jack Daniels I should be offended? (I live in Tennessee)

it was an ethnic reference based on the user name

and one that is probably a little more unacceptable than a Jack Daniels reference, IMHO.

Unless of course, you live in Lynchburg… ;-)

I've been to Lynchburg

does that count?

did you take the tour?

I just about got drunk on the fumes alone. Afterwards, some of the best lemonade I’ve ever had. Cookies weren’t bad either.

yep

also ate at Miss Mary Bobo’s. Good stuff

mmmmm, Bourbon

too much good stuff

JD ain't bourbon

It’s Tennessee Whiskey. Trust me on this one – aficionados of both types will get offended at the mix-up.

Yep

Bourbon is from Kentucky

LT - September 20, 2009 reply

D'oh!

I've always wanted to make that pilgrimage and take that tour.

Maybe someday.

Wow

fired and humiliated huh? Why dont you calm down its baseball. Ya he needs to be humiliated cuz his team is doing good. Go drink some more

You need to get off the computer

Seriously, I haven’t seen one post you’ve written that makes you the least bit liked on here.

Fire, schmire

Maybe he’s just being realistic?

Exactly. And for the "get rid of Lou" crowd. He's not going anywhere, take it to the bank.

Then he needs to die

Someone needs to kill him.

you are out of control. get a grip.

RAWR

I will never get a grip or calm down until I see the Cubs hoisting that World Series trophy

You must be a joy to be around...

Whoa

look out for Ami she is in a bad mood

Oh, I'm scared of the mental girl with a propensity for violence....

Oh I am not that bad

As long as you don’t say anything bad about Maddux ( or Fuld).

Well Maddux will be in the Hall, and Fuld will never be a full-time major leaguer... Do I qualify?

I am afraid not

Try " Maddux is not a people person" or “give it up Jessica , Fuld will never be a major league player” ( a common sentiment last year and this year until June).

Maddux is the spitting image of my step brother...

And also has many of the same mannerisms, just with longer hair.

Maddux has longer hair than someone ?

Does he look like a haggard accountant with a beer gut and stubble ? I hope you are lucky
and don’t look at all alike.

No, I said that wrong, my step brother has longer hair than Maddux, much longer.

Thank the lord

we didn’t trade for maddux and his brutal era+ last year (when he was with the dodgers)

shoemile - September 20, 2009 reply

Oh me to but remember

its Ami with a “i” and not a “y” you know its makes all the difference in the world

Calm down!!!!

I'm Sick of all this crap

Either the Cubs win or FOLD THE FRANCHISE.

You know, if you don't calm down,

Someone here (and it could be anyone) is going to email Al and ask for you to be banned or warned.

Please calm down.

Although I don’t understand some of the things he has done this year, saying that “someone needs to kill him” is too much.

He deserves it.

You make laughing fun...

I can understand

why those Cardinal fans would want to trash talk you.

Ever meet BLou?

You’re making him look like the most sane member on this website.

Vermont Cubs Fan - September 20, 2009 reply

Not quite.

She made him look calm and rational by comparison.

Flagged.

Go Away

No he is not being "realistic"

Look if you want to say the Cubs were done two weeks ago fine but what possible justification is there for letting
Scales play over Fox. I hate to sound like a broken record but Scales has NO chance of being on the roster next year so
you need to give Fox as much playing time as possible to see how he can handle it. I would say the same with Blanco.
IF you are out of it then you play guys you want to check out , not career minor leaguers. I can’t imagine Hendry or the rest of the organization is happy with this and I am seriously starting to think Lou is in some kind of “F” you mood.

No, it's realism. Fox can not play defense, and can only hit fastballs. Relax.

and scales cant do either

Fox is better defensively than Scales

and he is way below average. Again why would you play a guy who can’t possibly make the roster next year ?

For that very reason alone. Fox has years ahead of him, Scales doesn't.

This is not a charity

Fox NEEDS to play. He is not assured a spot next year and he needs to get as much playing time as possible
By your logic we should have brought up DuBois, Luis RIvas and Casey Fossum just to be nice to them.

At this point, in this season, yes, it is a charity.

I suspect

Fox is not in the Cubs’ plans for next year and they plan to trade him. Maybe “showcasing” him would lower his value.

That makes no sense at all

You don’t just showcase the great players. That’s not what it means.

Exactly. Where in the hell is Fox going to play next year?

First, no. Third, no. Catcher, no. Outfield, no.

This is why you PLAY him

So you can get a better look at him. You can bet your ass they will have him practicing 3rd in the off season as well as the OF.

Don't bet your ass

Unless you can afford to lose it

And you are a sexist pig

Well only kidding but I am a girl. Don’t assume all people named Doggie Stalker are men.

I generally believe stalkers are women

So I agree with you.

Wait? Did I do that wrong?

This is one interesting thread, isn't it?

I’m not quite sure when the format of this blog officially changed, but I’m almost sorry I missed it.

I'm disappointed in you guys

Responding even twice to the troll was too much.

It was a moment of weakness

We were young. We needed the money.

We ran out of gas. We had a flat tire. We didn’t have enough money for cab fare. Our tuxes didn’t come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole our cars. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN’T OUR FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!

Keep in mind I hadn't read the whole thing

I just looked at this this morning. So I saw the comments in list order, not chronological.

Or, what Clutch said….

Silly theory.

He should play more not less, hence showcasing. I can’t imagine they have written him off unless they think he can really
useful in a trade and it is not charitable to put someone in a position they can not play.

Perhaps the more he plays

the more evident his flaws become. I doubt Fox ever will have more value than he does now.

I doubt his value is particularly high

Not like he is going to be a key piece of any trade so again you need to give him as much playing time as possible especially over a minor leaguer playing out of position.

I don't think it's particularly high, either

but whatever it is could go lower, if that makes any sense.

I must agree with NBF here

ditto

Calm down. Don’t go Ami on us.

If you stand out in LF

You might get a couple of balls hit to you, and you might not. If Fox needs practice in left field, he needs to stand out there and field hundreds of balls for practice.

Relax, this is the time of the season to relax.

No he needs to play in REAL games

Sorry but the Scales thing is becoming Neffi on speed. There is no excuse or justification for it and it is
the clearest sign that Lou just does not care about this season or this team. He refuses to use a player they
need to get more playing time but continues to put in an aging minor leaguer.
You can Fox all the “practice” he needs shagging balls but unless he plays in actual MLB games as much as
possible you will not be able to get the best assessment of him. I have been accused of exaggerating Lou’s
problems as a manager for a long time now but I really can’t comprehend anyone defending his use of Scales
and his non use of Fox.

It's great that you have an agenda for Fox

Once you become manager, you can enact it.

I don’t understand the great distress over the fact that the team is not being managed exactly the way that you or Al would manage it. It is a lost season, let go of it.

The handful of remaining games are not enough to turn Jake Fox into a major-league outfielder. I don’t know why Scales is put out there every day, but I think that it should be pretty low on the list of things to agonize about.

I think Pinella is being passive aggressive w/ Hendry....

I think dusty was too…….

I think he is puttting guys out there to fail to “throw Donut in front of the bus”….to GET BETTER CHOICES next year…….(or at leasst no fail choices :) _)

Scales seems fishy

Wondering why Jake Fox isn’t playing LF. Fox is a better hitter than Scales, both bat right, and no reason to think he couldn’t play LF as well as Scales.

When desparate for a leftfielder, I think Theriot played OF in the minors for a while. If they had him in the OF again then Blanco could take over at SS. The trade-off would at least be getting better at SS.

I didn’t realize they lost 20 games in the opposing team’s last at bat. But if that includes losses in extra innings, it sounds right.

The Cubs need a closer for next year.

AboutTheCubs - September 19, 2009 reply

with his arm

every single to LF would turn into a double. No thanks.

and with scales fielding ability

every fly out turns into a home run and every single turns into a double

wait

are you talking about theriot

yep

In that case I would prefer Sean Marshall in LF

or heck just let Fuld play , even with his damaged wrist he can probably field better than Scales.

oh

well replace home run with triple and single with double

Canadian Cubs Fan - September 19, 2009 reply

GFY Lou!

He quit on this team over a month ago, and proves it daily by putting Scales in left and allowing Miles anywhere near the field of play.

I’m done with Piniella, and he should be done with the Cubs. Hope Hendry is watching these games closely. Hope Ricketts is watching these games closely. While Ricketts isn’t a baseball genius, it doesn’t take one to realise that Lou needs to be replace.

BTW, I noticed that Felix Pie hit his 9th HR of the year…pretty sure that’s more than Bradley. Ouch.

BTW, I noticed that Felix Pie hit his 9th HR of the year…pretty sure that’s more than Bradley. Ouch.

false

Canadian Cubs Fan - September 19, 2009 reply

Right

Bradley has 12. My bad.

a little late to fall in love with Felix

But, but, Lou got them TWO division titles AND possibly a third winning season in a row

And who else can you get to manage this team that’s any better? Blah, blah, blah.

Lou has been sleepwalking through this season. I don’t care who they get as long as he isn’t back next year.

Well, he's almost certainly going to be back

so you and the other Lou-haters better get used to it.

I'm not a Lou-hater. I'm grateful for what he's done as a Cub.

But try defending his decisions this year and you’ll dig yourself a hole. And you have no idea if he’ll be back or not.

Lou's decisions

are among the least of the problems with this team this year.

And notice I said “almost certainly.” Not definitely.

The team definitley has other problems

But Lou definitely hasn’t helped turn it around

Lou's BS.....

probably cost the Cubs about 2 games this year…..

And Duncan/TLR the Drunk … probably gained the Deadturds aabout 3 games this year….

Managing the players is OVERRATED….BUT….the GM that creates the roster….that is another story

While this is a common theory I strongly disagree

I know that I can come up with half a dozen games where Lou’s IN GAME management cost the Cubs games and I am sure there are far more, line up construction is another insane bit with Lou. How long did it take to get Soriano from lead off and how long will it take to get Theriot from there ?.

Yes...but Lou has only sooo mny parts to work with....

I’d go insane with the parts given to me by donut too….but seriously…

You have to have a good roster to begin with to be able to start misussing….I’m not a big Lou fan either….Just I don’t think Hendry gives anybody a chance….the Cubs won in SPITE of that (and had the Luxury of a weak division)

You were convinced of the same thing last year, though

In the 97-win season.

You're

almost certainly right

Agreed

Lou, in my opinion, is the least responsible (compared to the players and GM) for last years season. He’s also the least responsible for this years team. Managers just don’t have much of an influence.

shoemile - September 20, 2009 reply

I was totally resigned to Lou coming back

but the last two weeks in particular have been so bizarre I am no longer 100% sure. There is no chance they fire him
but he might walk or get pushed. He will get his 4 million either way.

Yeah I don't se them firing him. He deserves better

But i his heart isn’t in it, maybe he just needs a little convincing to retire

I really have a problem

with these grand declarations outsiders make about Lou’s emotions and state of mind, as if he was transparent and we all could see it. Stuff like “his heart’s not in it,” “he’s senile,” etc.

None of us really has any idea what he’s thinking.

I think a lot of it is projection of your (in the general sense) feelings about what’s going on.

Well either he is an Oscar worthy actor

or he his heart is not in it. Maybe he could get a part in a remake of GRUMPY OLD MEN with Bobby Cox ?

Any manager that says basically "I don't know what to do" every day needs to be fired.

He does not have any answers and that what he is paid for.

I am sure that he will have a great part in

The Sam Fuld Story

hmm... I wonder who will play the spurned love interest?

ballhawk - September 20, 2009 reply

Glenn Close

and some bunny rabits as extras.

Hmm... actually I was thinking of someone else

or are you saving your screen debut for The Greg Maddux Story?

ballhawk - September 20, 2009 reply

Not MY debut

Doggie Stalker will be played by one of Lacarl’s dogs and I will get a cut of the fee.

Dusty got them w/in 5 OUTS of the world series....

AND IMHO…..the Batman stuff is CRAPOLA………the Cubs BLEW game 1 and should have swept the Marlins….

i blame alex gonzalez

Alex S.****** Gonzalez

me too

ugh.

CRAPOLA!

Now do the Bartman version...PLEASE???

you mean this Bartman, right?

Like this?

Everytime I see him I want to slap Baker, Alex G. and Alou

I just cry and think....how did you guys BLOW game 1????

but ditto…to the on the field collapse……and complete loss of composure…

I am about to go to bed. I can't think about 2003!!!!! I will be too pissed to sleep.

Agreed, KC

They should have won Game 1.

Think about it. Guys like Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie were in the bullpen that year. What would today’s Cubs fan have thought about that?

Ding, ding, ding... You are correct sir!

Who else has had it with the losing

Anyone…. I’m sick of this team losing every single day and being humiliated every season.

You finished here yet?

I'll stop when I see the Cubs hoisting the World Series trophy.

I'm sick of losing too....

BUT….my wife kindly hids the computer when the vodka kicks in….and I’ve had my share of “bad posts”…..so……ignore the passion/drunkenness…..

....ITS ONLY A GAME.......

end of last post …not posted….

Losses don't even affect me anymore...

I’m just looking forward to a nice off-season with some useful pickups, people getting healthy again (Ramirez, possibly, and Soriano with their surgeries) and having another clean slate.

One of the Cubs’ big problems this year, IMO, is not having a real clubhouse leader. I’m going out on a bit of a limb but I think getting rid of Kerry and DeRosa hurt more than some realize, and I’ve stated this before. Some of the veterans seem to be more of the passive type (keyword: SEEM, because I, obviously, can only tell by the way they carry themselves in inteviews and such).

I’m not in that clubhouse and this is just speculation but to have so many people play sub par baseball seasons I feel that brushing it off for the entire roster as an off-year isn’t doing this season any justice. They have/had a sick team on paper, trying to search for other reasons as to why this season turned out so ugly.

Scales is backfireing on Lou badly

I hope Scales fucks up big time tomorrow night on national TV. I want to hear the announcers ask the obvious “why isn’t jake fox in LF Question” our beat writers can’t handle. Joe Morgan hates the Cubs maybe he will do it.

oh, we get graced by the presence of ESPN tomorrow?

if we had buck and mccarver today my heart might have exploded with too much love

Oh Joy Just what we need

More ESPN showing how pathetic Cubs fans are. And Joe Morgan Showing his obvious hatred towards the Cubs.

maybe morgan will tell us that a leadoff walk is better than a 2 out walk

He always points out these wonderful tidbits

nice!

This is the prob. the last nationally televised Cubs game of the year. Can’t wait to watch even if they lose.

Saturday's Giants game regional broadcast

so depends where you live.

Today's game is nationally televised.

On ESPN.

Yes the great Morgan will be speaking at us.....

I hope Sandberg manages somewhere just to bug Morgan

I hate his guts

I wish he was dead.

I thought I was negitive, then I see your posts and feel better about myself

So that's what it took

I honestly think the Cubs will go 0-10 on this road trip

I dont see the Cubs winning a game until they go back to Wrigley

This may happen

Maybe if they can lose out, Lou will quit and Sandberg can manage

if sandberg becomes manager '10

something is seriously wrong with the cubs brass then

speaking of which

smokies got eliminated

You don't want him?

i do want him

i just think that he should spend some time as a bench coach or something before making the jump to be the cubs manager

If lou is back I would be all for this.

I do not think Lou would enjoy his replacement sitting there waiting for him to have a bad run. Plus Cub fans would like him more than Lou. But I do agree with you, being a bench coach is a good idea.

This drives me CRAZY

The best managers can’t win a WS here. So a novice will, just because he’s an ex-Cub?

This seems like an extension of the “we love scrappy white guys” meme that has become a permanent part of Cubdom.

+1

Kind of hard being the only sane one left, NBF? I am reading this thread late at night on the west coast, after many libations, and I feel like the most sober one in the house.

I appreciate the kind words, V6,

and no offense intended, but if we’re the only sane ones left, we are all in a heap of trouble. :)

agreed

I feel more humble now that it is Sunday and I am sobered up.

I hear you

I was not exactly stone-cold sober when I posted, either.

Scrappy

comes in all colors.

It does

but it seems the lighter shades get the most love in Cubs country, for some odd reason.

because the cubs and their fans are racist

No more odd than

the love for scrappy Mexican boxers in the barrio.

¿Qué?

Explicate cabrón.

All things being equal

people tend to pull for their own. If I went to a boxing match and two fighters I didn’t know were on the card and one of them was Italian and the other an Iranian, my first inclination would be to root for the Italian. It has nothing to do with hating the Iranian.

I taught school and coached in the barrio and the kids in school had their heroes. Most all of them were Hispanic. It’s really that simple.

I gotcha loud and clear

I just didn’t understand your first post.

I didn't mention

Thank you for helping me stay up with my limited Spanish. :)

If he was smart....

Sandberg better stay where he’s at. otherwise he will become another victim of the Cubs managerial failures.

I am trying to come up with the last time a Cub hero was brought back to manage

I think its Cavaretta.

Zimmer played for the cubs but wasn’t a cubbie hero.
They never gave Williams a chance.

Yea....

nobody with any brasss ones…….:)

I was at the game today...

sitting in the bleachers just above the Cubs bullpen. The crowd was about 2/3 Cards fans and 1/3 Cubs fans. Most people I have ever seen in Busch. I was treated with respect and politeness from all the Cards fans I greeted, except my brother, who went with me. One Cardinal fan even shook my hand and complimented the Cubs on a good game.

That said, I had a good view of Scales out in left field. He looked just lost. More than one Cardinal fan was heard to say that Bobby Scales was now their favorite Cub.

And what was it with them playing Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” every time DeRosa came up to bat? Was that just because the Cubs were in town or do they do that every game?

sicubsfan - September 19, 2009 reply

We had our favorite Cards fan in the Game Threads

He was very complimentary of Demp, who deserved it.

I think most Cards fans are ok

unless you tell them you hope they die or something like that…

I wish Cardinal Fans

Were castrated

i think we've been had

Now that's too much.

I have had my fair share of run-ins with Cardinals fans, but I would never wish that upon them.

They deserve it.

Wow, I can only imagine what "cardsfansince62" would say if he saw this.

Cardinals fans threw gum at Cubs fans in a game in 2006, but I would not wish to castrate them. They do not deserve it.

End of discussion.

LOL

It’s the nature of The Internet. Folks say things & act in a manner that’s unique to electronic anonymity. In the past 5 years I’ve been to Minute Maid, Arlington, Wrigley, Busch II, Busch III, Fenway, Kauffman, & Yankee Stadium I. Several of them several times, always in a combination of Cards Hat/Longhorn T-Shirt or Longhorn Hat/Cards T-Shirt or Jacket. Never, ever had a conflict with anybody & struck up repeated conversations with the locals every time. Of course, I don’t drink anymore. The conflicts I’ve witnessed, and there have been many, typically involved alcohol on one or both sides.

I have to agree with this.

I once saw a roving gang of thug Cardinal fans rape and murder a Smurf.

Of course, since I’m a Cubs fan, I was totally wasted and couldn’t do anything about it. But the memory of it haunts me still…

Goodie1969 - September 20, 2009 reply

Smurf was asking for it

That hussy

I'd hit it

My brother-in-law is a Cards fan

But they have already had their kids. Too late.

Mine too but they are being raised as Cub fans.

My sister went the other way

And converted to a Cards fan. All the kids are Cards fans.

I must admit that it is an easier life for them, especially in Springfield.

There you go, LT.

lol

how about we just clip their wings instead...

And I don't remember what DeRo's AB music was at Turner Field

But it may have been Bon Jovi – he is from Jersey, after all.

That's been his walk up music since he came to St. Louis

What’s funny is Colby Rasmus’ music has changed a few times to really strange stuff- I suspect it’s the product of hazing.

Mike Martin - September 20, 2009 reply

This season needs to end...

I’m guessing a Cardinals/Yankees world series. Hopefully, Girardi can get a ring.

My Guess....

Is red sox and whoever in the NL steps up with a stopper and a closer…..Giants would be dangerous in the playoffs if they could get there….

Oh yeah, I forgot...

Kerry Wood for Cubs 2010 closer or set up man. Get this guy back in the clubhouse!

Its OK if comes back but he has to battle Marmol for the closing job.

Gregg hopefully joins the Sox

or the cardinals

I am scared Duncan will turn him into Rivera

Kevin Gregg should be on the Toledo Mudhens...

And Aaron Miles should be in Little League!

Ha ha...LMAO...

zevkalman - September 19, 2009 reply

Kevin Gregg, Carlos marmol and Aaron Miles

need to die and their children banished from the planet.

I vote we put YOU IN CHARGE OF THE CUBS.....

and whatever happens….we hold you to the standards of acccountability that YOU demand…….

You falling on the sword if the world series trophy isn’t available for poaching at Clark and Addison next year?

Um

wow.

perspective, much? good lordy.

I think that she will wake up with a headache tomorrow

What little league team would take Aaron Miles?

Who would want the constant 4-3 groundouts?

I manage a little league girls team. I have a SS who has a stronger arm.

And doesn't run out a triple waddling

She could also probably beat him up

Unless he went back to St. Louis...

Then he’d turn into a fairly productive major league player.

I'd argue with this point!

Aaron Miles actually disarmed a dude with a gun trying to take him hostage back in 2000. That gives him a few badass points.

Mike Martin - September 20, 2009 reply

theriot has better hair though

Its obvious that the most sucessful Cubs players found sucess after they leave the team.

Really that does not make sense

I think not.

Kerry Wood.
Rick Sutcliffe.

Need I go on, because there are others I could mention.

heres a big one

Mark Grace
Joe Girardi
Mark DeRosa
Lou Brock

thats Saint DeRosa

to you

You are narrow minded, and uh, wrong.

Grace led the entire MLs in hits for the 90s, all with the Cubs. Girardi had a very successful tenure with the Cubs, as did DeRosa, Lou Brock was a nobody when he was with the Cubs, and hadn’t yet even begun to blossom.

DeRosa

2007 Cubs .293BA .792OPS
2008 Cubs .285BA .857OPS
2009 Cleve .270BA .799OPS
2009 Cards .234BA .715OPS

derosa learned the ability to cure cancer after he left the cubs though

Vermont Cubs Fan - September 20, 2009 reply

I just wish it had happened in time to cure Patrick Swayze.

RIP

Bobby Scales play looked like Pedro Cerrano in Major League 2...

Cerrano doing some limbering in right, what a pansy!

The Cubs havent had any respect since Al Spaulding

Frank Chance would like to have a word with you.

It's SPALDING.

Maybe Ami meant Spaulding...

as in Spaulding Smails

Double farts!

TheNextCubsVoice - September 20, 2009 reply

Spaulding, watch your language.

That's a good one.

Frank Chance would differ with you

Him

And the other guy in my sig, too.

I went with Chance since he won a title, But Aram is not the problem with this team.

He even got hurt trying to make a great play. He is also the most clutch Cub in my lifetime along with Moreland and Dawson.

By the way I see a lot of Moreland in Fox if they would just let him play.

OK

The third guy in my sig, too :D

clutch16 refers to Aram right?

Yup

But Charlie Root puts in an appearance, as well…

Where? Maybe I am blind

Got it now-- I am blind!

Finally!

:D

yes it does

but he’s talking about his signature with root and chance quotes. clutch16 is his username.

Frank says "1908 world champions!"

I believe he managed and played 1B

The Cubs need to fold the Franchise

I feel this is the only solution to end this curse. The Cubs have tried everything and failed. The best thing to do is fold the franchise and start all over with a brand new team.

There is no curse. You should fold yourself.

+100000000!!!!!!

The Curse I was referring to is

The one where the Cubs keep humiliating themselves every season.

WayneCampbell08 - September 19, 2009 reply

So?

You humiliate yourself with every one of your posts.

For that, there is no curse.

the only curse the cubs have

involves people that win the ROY award

true

That and

Every manager that comes to manage this team always seems to fail then when he leaves Chicago they look pathetic.

Wrong. Jim Frey.

To be fair the list is short.....

But Frey is a good one- Do you think he would have gotten the GM spot without Green as team president?

In all likelihood, no.

Nobody

reply to this piece of garbage no more please. He is a complete failure.

Eric16 - September 20, 2009 reply

that

or the ones they make all their fans mutter throughout the season.

Rec'd for quality!

mattisnotfrench - September 20, 2009 reply

In Soviet Russia, curse folds you!

If they are just going to jack around in Lf the rest of the year, why not just bring up colvin and let him play?

Its late-Good Night.....

Good night to you too.

See you tomorrow.

Sweet dreams

These late night post game threads are getting odder and odder.

True

but at least this one is, overall, nice. Some I’ve peeked in have been pretty horrible.

If you're missing that sort of thing

I guess I could bring up the fact that MB pulled himself out of the lineup before the game even started…

That ought to stir up some racist hatred.

Please don't

I was enjoying hanging out here without the asshatery… see how I even POSTED here and everything?

I don’t do that in the ugly posts.

Asshatery was my major in college

I chose it because the midterms for underwater basket weaving were too hard.

Everybody in my school

Majored in melodrama.

So you haven't posted here

In the last two months or so?

Not a whole lot over the last few weeks

Nice to know I’ve been missed.

Allie - September 20, 2009 reply

I figured you were letting the crap blow over

Good to see you back, as always.

i actually was mostly letting the stuff blow over

it got a little crazy here. and not fun. i’ve got enough drama in real life, crap with people i don’t even know isn’t needed. :-P

Allie - September 20, 2009 reply

You're not the only one to decide that

A few regulars have toned down their participation over the last month or so. I figure we’ll see everyone back in full force during the first ST game, again.

Until then, I think it’s safe to say that come November, we all hope that Hendry will be working the phones to finalize the deal for ADAM LIND.

LIND!!!!!!

Allie was

very courteous to me my first day on the Board a month or so ago. Thanks Allie.

I felt a giant hole deep down inside me lately

But I just thought it was gas. Guess not.

Mike Martin - September 20, 2009 reply

I haven't been able to follow things very closly from Asia, but things sound rather glum on the North Side.

From a free internet terminal in the AbuDhabi airport…. Back home soon….

Eamus Catuli

eths - September 20, 2009 reply

I haven't been able to follow things very closly from Asia, but things sound rather glum on the North Side.

From a free internet terminal in the AbuDhabi airport…. Back home soon….

Eamus Catuli

eths - September 20, 2009 reply

card fans

they like talking shit now but they were awfully quiet the last 2 years.

NOMAR - September 20, 2009 reply

The sector of Cards fans

that run their mouths dis-respectfully are of about equal % to those of the other dozen or so MLB teams that have been in the hunt consistently the past 4-5 years. It’s amazing how similar the Board Comments are across MLB in similar times. Typically, the biggest trash-talkers appear to be more fair-weather in nature & younger in fan tenure. If you were a Cards fan thru the 70’s &/or 90’s ya know how bad we really were & could be again. I think most of us respected the fact that the Cubs were really, really good the last 2 years. I think most of us also realize Hendry made a few bizarre moves last Winter but we still expected the Cubs to Win the Central this year. Y’all had a few guys fall down this season & I think a depleted farm system got exposed quickly. Ya still have the best pitching talent in the NL IMO, but the Sori contract is a problem and somehow the Bradley drama has to end. I fully expect the Cubs to be back as a 2010 favorite.

BleedsbluinMI - September 20, 2009 reply

As soon as the regular season is over, I'm pulling for the Cards

I want to see them go as far as possible. If the Cubs are out of it, I like another NLcentral team doing well. Also, love to see Derosa get another crack at the post season. Hard not to be a fan of Albert the Great.

Of course, wish it was the Cubbies looking at the October ball!

Not in this lifetime.

I would rather ex Cubs Moyer, Eyre, Stairs & Bako get to WS . Sorry I could NEVER root for the Cardinals. Does not mean I don’t respect them but I don’t have to like or root for them.

Moyer, Eyre and Stairs have already been there.

I know that

I want them to go again. I still want Eyre to take a picture of his ring with his finger extended in a certain position for Lou.
If the Giants somehow make it , I would root for them, same for the Twins but most likely I will go for Phillies and yes the
Bosox. I have ALWAYS been a Red Sox fan and it would be unfair to abandone them just because they WIN now.

No offense to anyone here or my friends who are Cardinals fans,

and I can’t say anything bad about Pujols, but …

To paraphrase Sam Kinison, I’d rather be in gay porno film then cheer for the Cardinals.

Then you'll appreciate this:

Twitter has decided to act after Tony La Russa, the coach of an obscure American baseball team, launched a legal action over a fake account. He claimed that postings in which he appeared to make light of the death of two of his players had been ‘hurtful’.
From here.

LOL

Just proves that no matter how important some people seem, there are a billion people in China who don’t give a damn.

I’d love to take the phrase “obscure American baseball team,” put it on a banner and fly it over Busch Stadium during the Cardinals’ playoff opener.

maybe obscure can replace greatest

There's got to be a way to popularize the phrase

“The St. Louis Cardinals: An obscure American baseball team” without large expenditures.

T-Shirts? Bumper Stickers?

If it’s a money-maker, I’d like to participate on the investment team. Capitalism 1st, Baseball 2nd. :-)

Vermont Cubs Fan - September 20, 2009 reply

I second my notion from earlier.

I wish the Bears the best of luck. I’ll be watching on a nice, big-screen, HD TV at home.

Scales is the best LF we have had all year!

Every play he has botched this series can be chaulked up to tough luck. The HR was in the palm and his hand hit the wall at the same time. The ball at the base of the wall took a crazy angle. He did get a bit close but it hit a hard surface under the padding and took flight. The missed single had crazy spin or hit the edge of the grass and again took a crazy hop. Its true. I will say that as an infielder he charges the ball by nature and will get himself in more of a jam than our previous left fielder (I mean retreiver). Now all this being said, If you think that Scales, Fuld, So, Fox, Hoff, Font, on and on are the future of this team and we should really concern ourselves withdiscussing their playing time….. We have really big problems. Side note: Scales has hit. Scales has had productive outs. The team is a mess. I would rather see the likes of Scales, Baker, Hill, out there to prove something while at the same time I would like to see Theriot, Bradley, Soto out there to prove our shortcomings.

Fuld and Fox are likely in the future

Not everyone is a starter . I think we pretty much know what Fuld can do and if he were not injured I think even Lou would
play him . I think it is crucial to see more playing time from Fox which does include BATTING as well as fielding. If you think Scales has any future on this team than I would seriously consider giving up my season tickets. The only thing Scales proves is that Lou really does not care about winning at this point and he does not care about the future in terms of checking out Fox. At least Neffi was a decent fielder.

Fox is just a man without a position

Scales is not the future and like the post below deserves a few games given the injuries. Who knows he may be one of our utility guys next year?? Or maybe some lesser teams backup. Fox on the otherhand has no where to play. I am not saying he is bad deffensively (as it has been reported) but I cant help but thing Keith Moreland sp. or Matt Stairs. We need an agile OF. I really think Fox needs to put on the mask and develop his catching skills further. With the batting numbers he has put up I would think most would be paitient with the time to develop into a marketable catcher.

wait a second

are you saying scales (who’ll be 32 in a few weeks) deserves more playing time for the future than fox?

Allie - September 20, 2009 reply

No not really

But it seems obvioius that the team has no intention of playing Fox in the OF. If they did, he would be out there. The only reason I can think of for not playing him is that so many of the players (young little experience) have taken a downward turn this season. All your two and three player offseason deals will suffer because of this. Maybe they dont want to overexpose Fox this season. Alot of guys have been put in positions where sucess is very difficult. Probably time to stop that now???

The team or Lou has not intention of playing in the OF ?

I wonder?

I really do. Where is that line between the field and the office. I find that sort of thing very interesting.

We have an agile (4th/5th) OF - his name is Sam Fuld.

Except Fuld is hurt and can't swing the bat.

Your current 5th OF agile guy is So Taguchi.

Fox has actually fielded BETTER than Scales in LF

though that is not saying much. He was surprisingly at 3rd as well. He won’t win any Gold Gloves but if he hits well enough and can be less than dangerous in the OF I am for it which is why he NEEDS playing time.

Lou = TLR

If TLR came over y’all would see the same things. We have the same complaints about Tony. Plays favorites, somebody’s always in his doghouse, too loyal to veterans, says crazy stuff in his press Q&As, sticks with non-performers way too long, reluctant to use kids, etc., etc..

My guess is Lou sees a guy in Scales who killed himself in the Minors for a decade, plays hard & this might be his only MLB cup of coffee. He sees a guy who busts his tail everyday after seein’ some guys who’s effort has been questionable. He’s decided Scales deserves a full cup of coffee & a chance to maybe garner some interest in himself for another contract next year. He’s decided here’s an opportunity to reward a guy for stickin’ it out all these years in MILB. Very, very similar to what I think TLR’s done with Thurston this year.

As irritating as it can be, ya gotta respect Scales, as well as Thurston, for not giving up all these years & tryin’ to make it to the Show IMO. Not sayin’ it’s right, just sayin’.

good point

i hear ricketts plans to make a movie based on the adventure of bobby scales

If Fox were not around fine but he is

and he needs to play. It is absured for a manager to admit a guy is just learning to play a position and let him do it when again he has no future. I am all for letting guys have a cup of coffee but not at the expense of the future of the team. Scales can probably stay in Iowa if he wants and maybe come up next Sept. but he is not making an MLB roster anywhere.
One key difference I observed with TRL this year at least was his willingness to stick with starters when they got in jams where Lou would just yank them often leading to a bullpen implosion. I imagine that has more to do with Duncan than Tony but at least he does it.

I dunno.

Seems to me, viewing from outside, that TLR does NOT play favorites; if you don’t produce for him you’re benched. He doesn’t do stupid things like say “we’re not lefthanded enough”. He seems to get the most out of his talent every single year.

I’d take him right now.

Even with a World Series victory,

a lot of Cardinals fans don’t have much use for TLR. I think some of that is his personality. He isn’t Whitey Herzog, for better or worse.

A friend of mine is a higher-up at Anheuser-Busch and has been in social situations with TLR a few times. He says he’s an odd duck. The Bissinger book kind of affirms that, too.

I don't care for him personally

and he is a VERY odd duck. Among other things he lives totally apart from his family during the season. I suppose he is trying to spare them dealing with him but I think he needs a more balanced life. On the other hand he works his ass off suppporting animal charities especially dogs. It is mostly to support his wifes work but it gets brownie points from me.

TLR does have a reputation for playing favorites

but perhaps they are more deserving. He does do some odd things like batting pitchers 8th for a while. I would " take" him if he came with Duncan.

I'm not saying I wouldn't take him

but he certainly would be another Cubs manager with fetishes and favorites. I think Cardsfansince62 spells this out nicely.

Al my list was of the similarity in complaints,

not necessarily their actual validity. It’s a perception deal. First & most obvious is the whole Chris Duncan ‘favorite’ ’ nepotism’ thing. Enuff said. Second is Ankiel. Huge uproar for months of Ank bein’ a ‘favorite’ & playin’ in front of Rasmus. My argument was the opposite – that Ank was playing ‘in support’ of Ras & protecting him vs LHrs. Whether accurate or not, TLR playing favorites is a huge, running criticism from Cards fans. Continuing to run Wellemeyer out there probably rounds out the Top 3 of Dunk, Ank & Welly.

Last year TLR did stick with his SPs too long, killed us, but we had a much weaker Pen last year too. This year, other than Carp & Waino, he’s had a pretty quick hook. If ya look at Lohse, Pineiro, Wellemeyer & Boggs’ Game Logs for this Season he’s been fairly aggressive in jerkin’ em out pretty darn early. Pineiro also has this uncanny trend of giving up 1st & 2nd inning trouble, then being lights-out thru 6-7. For whatever reason the entire SP staff usually struggles first couple innings this year.

Lou’s put up with a lot of Drama this year on the Player side. We’ve certainly had our share, but not much on the Player side except all the Dunc hoopla. It would appear TLR may exert a tad more influence than Lou does. We were all stunned when TLR forced the release of Kennedy pre-season & they ate his $4M. All of it attributed to Clubhouse harmony. We’ve also been awfully lucky in the injury department, particularly compared to last year. You guys have gotten absolutely killed with injuries.

And yes, I gotta agree, Lou does have a much higher rate of bizarre quotes, for sure.

A couple more comments:

First: One reason it’s harder to see favoritism with TLR is his unique, rotating lineup quirk. We used 140+ different lineups last year. Most of them not injury-related. It drives the fanbase C R A Z Y. Used similar amount this year, nobody rotates lineups more than TLR. More often that not ya can’t see obvious relationships between performance & lineups beyond Pujols & Molina, now adding Holliday. And until the addition of Holliday, only Albert was a certainty in any position in the Batting Order except ya knew Molina never’d hit above Albert. It gets pretty comical.
Second: It’s enjoyable visiting with y’all & sharing different perspectives. Thanks.

Thanks for yours, too.

It seems to me that the rotating lineup thing has worked for him much better than Lou continuing to lead off Theriot after it has been proven that he’s not, not, not a leadoff man.

but... but he can steal!

sometimes

Sori was no longer one either

Didn’t I recently read somewhere Lou said Hops would never leadoff again?

Who else ya got, 1 of the young kids?

Fukudome should be leading off. Period.

Yes, Lou did say that recently.

Fukudome is my choice for leadoff man. Great OBP and sees a lot of pitches. Not a big basestealing threat, but a smart baserunner in general. Many of us have been wishing all season that Lou would just put Kosuke and Milton Bradley at the top of the lineup and be done with it. Of course, given Bradley’s latest comments, I’m starting to more seriously doubt that he’ll be a member of the Cubs next season.

Isn't Fukudome too inconsistent?

His June & September Splits look terrible. Is there an outside influence causing that?

Yes.

Those are the times he wasn’t leading off.

Yeah, he had a God-awful June...

…but so did many/most of the Cubs hitters. And, sadly, he’s struggled mightily so far this month. But the’s been more consistent this season than he was in his debut last year. I think batting leadoff would enable him to focus on his strengths as a hitter – working deep counts, drawing walks and being more of a doubles-type hitter.

Got it

Thanks

theriot suffers from HR-itis

Same here

I have problems with some aspects of the Cardinals’ fan base (the obsession they seem to have with the Cubs 24/7, the “best fans in baseball” claptrap). But a lot of Cardinals fans are good, serious baseball fans who know their stuff and aren’t blinded by red-colored glasses. I count you among the latter group.

I have been thinking this, too

But good to hear it confirmed by a Cardinal fan.

The best manager in baseball is said to be TLR, but he does just the same things that Doggie Stalker and Al complain about constantly. So if Lou left and was replaced by TLR, they would presumably get just what they wished for — and be just as miserable as they are now.

That may be the case for just about ANY manager, wouldn't you say?

No not the same as Lou at all.

TRL is light years ahead of most managers in the in game moves dept which in my personal opinion Lou has just sucked
at for the last two years. TRL has a history of making maximum use of often questionable rosters which again I don’t think Lou has done. Personally I find TRL to be nasty and obsessed to the point where he clearly alienates a lot of people. I am
not exactly jumping on the bandwagon for him. My personal preference is for guys who I think are smart and know how to run a functioning club house . In terms of current managers I really like Francona & Sciosa. I think having the respect of players is underrated though I know a lot of folks here scoff at those "intangibles "

Thank you Not Bruce

For the record us oldtimers really don’t have the courage or energy to fight. :-) My best friend in Illinois for 35 years, both now in our 50’s, a lifetime, diehard Cubs fan. We’ve never had a baseball argument. My best friend here in Austin a lifetime, diehard Cubs fan, was a beer vendor @ Wrigley during Med School in Chicago. IMO a lot of Sports Fans find joy in the Fan Battles more than the game on the field. There’s a new generation of Fan that likes to participate differently than some of us old guys do. To each his own.

Sorry, I know, Reply is my friend too.

I live in Houston

and have for 20 years. I have never had any sort of confrontation with an Astro fan. However, I do get the feedback of bad manners by Cub fans from maybe 3-5%. Lack of civility isn’t a phenomenon of any fan base but it is those exceptions that rule our memories. And the bad behavior usually comes from newer fans who haven’t aged with the team. It really is incumbent to those of us who see the incidents to make a point to call it out. I guarantee we will have many supporters if we do.

Forget Scales

Lou should go with So Taguchi the rest of the way. Its not like we’re still in this thing anyways.

tripdenten - September 20, 2009 reply

If the complaint about using Scales is that he's not in the Cubs plans,

than Taguchi is even less in the Cubs’ plans.

That is true

But unlike Scales, Taguchi can play the outfield.

tripdenten - September 20, 2009 reply

Exactly.

And he is an x Card

vs a feel good story (what little of it remains) for the Cubs in a tough season.