Well, I'm drunk, but I need to put the CUBS season in perspective....

[BUYLONGTERM]

Well boys,,,,, it's almost 1:00am. I really am lost for words. My buddy, the brilliant baseball fan he is, was right. I talked to him around the 5th inning and he reminded me, though the cubs were winning, Wood had already had a pitch count over 80!!!! He knew that it was only time before his arm gave out. I knew then, he was right and it was over for our beloved cubs. I guess, to put it in perspective, If I was at the first cubs game during the snow and I looked down at the ivy that hadn't begun to grow, I would say to myself, Hell, if the Cubbies were in the 7th game of the national league champ. game, would I be proud of them? You bet your ASS!!!! I mean, they basically hung their whole series on two young pitchers. They did exetremely well. They got farther than the White Sox. They got father than the Cardinals. They got farther than the offensive force of the atlanta braves. I am sooooo proud to be a cubs fan. I was in a situation of being in the perfect spot. I sat upstairs at HI-tops. The owner said that the upstairs would be closing an hour after the game because the Cubs were scheduled to be there for a celebration party and I was invited to stay. Well, that didnt' happen. I usually have good luck in situations like that, but for once in my life I wasn't. I left the bar, walked for an hour to find a cab, and I ended up at Tavern on Rush talking with a Sox fan. The guy knew his shit. He respected the Cubs. My night ended when I was walking home and guess who I run into outside the Hunt Club? Steve Lyons.... Of course, being drunk, I look at him and said "mr. Lyons I'm a fan., and I then shook his hand. I said, I'm a huge cub fan and I'm depressed. He looked at me and said "what are you going to do"? Be proud, they had an amazing season. I end it with that. I am a PROUD CUBS Fan! I will Not hang my head in shame. I know it's an old saying, BUT WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR. WE WILL BE BACK

SUH

[50%Natural]

One name to sum up their season...Josh Beckett. Ha

[BUYLONGTERM]

Yeah, Beckett, what a stud... I think he just pitched with 2 days rest....WOW.

[hybrid]

I just want to know why the Cubs put there bullpen to work in that game. Why didn't they put Zambrano or Clement it. Going to the middle relievers was a big mistake. When I saw Veres go in, I turned the TV off.

[BUYLONGTERM]

I just want to know why the Cubs put there bullpen to work in that game. Why didn't they put Zambrano or Clement it. Going to the middle relievers was a big mistake. When I saw Veres go in, I turned the TV off.

Yeah, the whole city of Chicago wants to know that as well....Didn't make any sense...Very bad move. But, Baker said he was going with what got us there.

[Bean666]

middle relief was always the cubs weak point this season...
we always hear wait until next year... if Baker took a last place team into first place and helped them win their first postseason series since 1945 in one year... imagine what he can do the next year?

count on the cubs to fix their middle relief problems a la getting one or two more good players and fixing farnesworth's control problems... zambrano will prolly be on the chopping block

i think the addition of lofton, simon and ramierez made the cubs' offense very deadly... i expect they dominate their division next year a la 100 game win IF they can fix the problems i just stated

[KeyMastur]

lofton will be gone, patterson will be back. lofton has no arm and is getting old.

they're going to lose their pitching sooner or later to a higher paying team.

[50%Natural]

Just like the astros are losing Billy Wagner. Always loose pitchers to bigger and better teams. Lets say it all together...Y-A-N-K-E-E-S

[BUYLONGTERM]

No they will keep their pitchers. They announced their payroll will increase from 80 million to 95 million. Yes, they will fix the middle relief. I wish Sammy would go and we'd get Vladimir Guerrero. Who knows when Patterson will be back. It might not be till June or July, so you might have to keep lofton, or have him come off the bench.

We need:
another big bat in the lineup
a short stop
a catcher
and a 3rd baseman.

Hendrey is a master. The Cubs will be back next year stronger than ever....

[KeyMastur]

another big bat in the lineup
a short stop
a catcher
and a 3rd baseman.

you left out :

2nd baseman
1st baseman
left field
center field
right field



you guys do need all you listed, plus a backup catcher. Bako is horrible. you've got a decent 3rd baseman in the minors right now (harris). he's about your only thing that's closest unless you guys buy / trade.

[BUYLONGTERM]

you left out :

2nd baseman
1st baseman
left field
center field
right field



you guys do need all you listed, plus a backup catcher. Bako is horrible. you've got a decent 3rd baseman in the minors right now (harris). he's about your only thing that's closest unless you guys buy / trade.

Very funny....Very funny. Just wait..The cubs will be dominating the NL for the next DECADE...

[hybrid]

Pudge would be a nice addition at catcher.
We should have plenty of money for middle relievers.
I think that Gonzalez has the potential to be one of the best shortstops in the league. If he can just figure out his batting.
I also think that Ramirez has a chance of being a great 3rd baseman for awhile for us.

So what do we do after next year? Do the Cubs resign Sosa, or use that 17million to get someone else?

[KeyMastur]

So what do we do after next year? Do the Cubs resign Sosa, or use that 17million to get someone else?

give it up to someone else - hell, 2 or 3 people.

[hybrid]

This is a big Cubs dilemma. The one thing that the Cubs management can do better than any other team, in a good year, or bad year, is fill up the stands and get a huge viewing and listening audience.
Sosa has been a big part of this. If he has a stellar year next year, he will be within reach of some big ass records. He'll continue to fill up the stands.
So do you want to win, or make money? That's the question when your team is owned by a corporation and not an individual owner like Steinbrenner or Turner.

[BUYLONGTERM]

Well, I think if the cubs happen to get rid of Sosa and grab Vladimir Guerrero, the stands will fill. Shit, the stand will fill regardless. I would love to have him now instead of Sosa. I also think Ramirez has the potential to be a fantastic 3rd baseman. I don't think he's gonig anywhere. Defensively Gonzalez is great. I think he only had 9 errors all year. But his offense? Cubs will definitely be hitting the market. I think that Ccubs will go after Tejada....Pudge isn't going anywhere. He just built a house in FL...

[KeyMastur]

Well, I think if the cubs happen to get rid of Sosa and grab Vladimir Guerrero, the stands will fill. Shit, the stand will fill regardless. I would love to have him now instead of Sosa. I also think Ramirez has the potential to be a fantastic 3rd baseman. I don't think he's gonig anywhere. Defensively Gonzalez is great. I think he only had 9 errors all year. But his offense? Cubs will definitely be hitting the market. I think that Ccubs will go after Tejada....Pudge isn't going anywhere. He just built a house in FL...

you're right. the fans will show at wrigley whether or not sosa is there.

pudge. if the marlins win, then i'm sure they'll resign him. the owner's don't want to look like the 97 team who won the world series and then dropped everyone and sucked ass the following year[s]. but you never know.

[Bean666]

i think sosa is too much of a cubs icon.. keep him; i like him too much... you guys would be singing a diff tune if he hadnt gone through the corked bat suspension, the ingrown toenail (god those hurt like a bitch), and the hit in the head (a la broken helmet caserole)

i think he'll do much better next year

and damn it'd be awsome if they could get a handle on Javier Lopez or Pudge man...

they've already got a good 3rd basemen, they need a replacement for 2nd; Grud just dont cut it all that well... Lofton's not going anywhere he's got a couple more years...
Patterson will be back tho...
Alou is in left field he's a great player defensively and offensively...
cubs really need middle relief, catcher, 2nd and maybe SS... gonzo did very well in the post season so i dunno

fill in the middle relief i say and get a big bat in over at 2nd base

oh and the people thinking the cubs will lose their pitchers, guess again... the owning company of the Cubs... the Chicago Trib can throw around some mad cash; so dont think they cant keep their own guys... when revenue sharing or salary caps comes into play; the Yankees "dynasty" will be over

[KeyMastur]

too bad salary caps won't come anytime soon. what do you think was one of the issues in the strike-that-almost-happened last year ?