We’re Cubs fans, we’re used to being disappointed. It’s part of the job. It’s actually on the job description just above delusional and right under drunk. So when we all found out that Rafael Furcal had spurned the Cubs’ alleged five year offer to sign with the Dodgers for three that feeling in your stomach had that “oh, here we go again” tinge to it.
Rafael Furcal’s not a superstar, but we knew that going in. What he is, is a solution to not one, but two of the Cubs’ biggest holes. Now he’s the solution to two of the Dodgers’ biggest holes. Losing a player to another team isn’t that big of a deal. It happens all the time. It’s just that in this case, he was the Cubs’ Plan A, Plan B and Plan C. That sound you heard was Jim Hendry getting royally screwed (in his two biggest holes) by an inability (either his, his bosses’ or likely both) to pony up enough cash to get the one guy they really needed this offseason.
Now the Cubs will do, again, what they always do. Actually it’s a multi-step process, all of them bad.
1) They’ll make at least one panicked free-agent signing. Think Scott Eyre plus Bob Howry times the square root of Neifi Perez plus a billion. This one will be epic and lousy. I’d tell you who it’s going to be, but even I can’t conjure up a notion absurd enough to be accurate.
2) A trade for a player whose team doesn’t want him, who doesn’t really fill a need but costs more, has flashes of brilliance and flashes of Corey Pattersonitis. Hello Alfonso Soriano! When he’s good, Cubs’ fans will love him. That’ll happen about once a week. The rest of the time it’ll just be strikeouts, botched grounders and a startling inability to hustle.
3) More, lesser free agent signings that keep Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton pinned to the bench forever. Cedeno’s future is cast in stone when the Cubs trade for Alfonso Soriano (and I’m telling you, this is now a certainty), he’ll be wasting away on the bench watching Neifi! and Alfonso bat 1-2 and the Cubs go 72-90. Murton’s future dies the minute the Cubs find the next Todd Hollandsworth. Dusty already doesn’t like John Mabry, so Hendry will have to try again. Hey, maybe it’ll be…Todd Hollandsworth?
The real losers in all of this, my friends, are we, the Cubs fans. We’re losers because every year we find a way to sort of believe they’ll do what it takes to win. Every year, right around this time, they remind us why they never will.
Guh.
Yall hear that sucking sound I’m making?
Loud and clear! Hey Trib get your collective heads out of your collective assholes!
That’ all.
Don’t worry guys, I’m not that much of a downgrade from Rafeal Furcal am I?
You should be grateful we didn’t sign Furcal. Several reasons.
2 of them: DUI’s. I want the Cubs to win longer than you have but not with jerks like Furcal. And let’s not forget he got ‘got’ lost going to a game during the playoffs a couple of years ago.
I don’t want a team of sub-par goody-two-shoes, either. But you don’t give 10 million a year to a guy who will spend it on booze and who-knows-what-else especially if his stats don’t back it up. You pay the big bucks for power hitting and power pitching.
and all these GM’s who have rocked the boat this offseason will be sorry come September or maybe even July.
It doesn’t have to be instant gratification to get even with the jerky Sox fans. I’d rather give a good decent chance to Cedeno and Murton to grow as very good players. Get rid of the ghost of Kerry Wood – another stiff overpaid by 10 million at a time his health was questionable. Not just his physical but also his mental health. The biggest baby to ever wear a Cub uniform in the past 40 years. And Prior may be developing the same mindset by virtue of sitting too much near Wood each game.
You don’t go for all the marbles in one year unless you have enough pieces of the puzzle already in place. The Cubs don’t. Other than Lee, and possibly the catcher, they don’t have anyone else who would start on a playoff bound team elsewhere.
(Although the catcher is a fundamentally unsound catcher). Ramirez is one and a half more hamstring pulls from being Garciappara. It’s quite evident that he does not have the body nor discipline to keep his body in shape. So, his career isn’t going to be gangbusters for too much longer. Get used to 110 to 120 game seasons, boys and girls.
#5, I’m not as think as you drunk I am.
Huzzah! Here we come Cubbies!
I thought it was all but over, except for me.
wtf is wrong with you people?
At shortstop, Ronny Cedeno hit .355 in AAA as a 22 year old. then he came up and hit .300.
Matt Murton is the most patient man in baseball not named Bonds.
Felix Pie is still 20 years old.
Isn’t atleast ONE of the following going to be good enough to lead off? Hairston, cedeno, murton, patterson, pie. They cant ALL fail can they?
Hey there nine, dude. I ain’t playin’ Ronny at short. I gots me some Neifi!
Number nine, dude…Those guys are rookies. Rookies don’t know how to play baseball, dude. Neifi has the experience to be my leadoff hitter, dude.
I could trade you Willie Harris, mang. He’s fast and he’s not a rookie, mang!
I loved you like a son Raffy, how could you leave me? (smacks wife)
Anybody want me? My OPS is pretty close to Raffy’s…
Most patient hitter not named Bonds? Thanks, but it ain’t true. That guy the Cubs didn’t even make an effort at signing (despite saying they wanted a left-handed RFer with pop) might have that title.
How about signing Nomar to play short? Better than nothin’, and remember that Ron Ce was not considered a top-line prospect until next year. He could very easily regress to the banjo hittin’ .600 OPS player we all know he likely is.
(waking up from a nap) …
hmmm re: #15, I wasn’t a top-line prospect with the Dodgers and they let me grow with Garvey and Russell and Lopes and for a short while Buckner.
Mabry I’m amazed at the way you love me all the time
Mabry I’m amazed at the way I love you
Mabry I’m amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
And strung me on a line
And Mabry I’m amazed at the way I really need you.
“The real losers in all of this, my friends, are we, the Cubs fans. We’re losers because every year we find a way to sort of believe they’ll do what it takes to win. Every year, right around this time, they remind us why they never will.”
Yeah, the reason why you lose all the time is because of your “misplaced” faith in the front office.
This coming from a fan of a team who acquired Derrick lee, Greg Maddox, Latroy Hawkins, Nomar Garciaperra, and Aemis Ramirez all in the span of one year. Awww, boo hoo hoo. Will somebody please get me a violin?
Now this Andy Macfail, and I still gotta look at all those World Seriers White Sox shirts around town too. I don’t think McFail saw this coming as his head is too far up his ass anyway.
Who am I? Gary Maddox’s brother?
You’ll do. We’ve suddenly had an opening for an everyday shortstop, we’re hiring immediately, and we have calls in to your agent and GM…
Who am I?
I am Aramis’ cousin?
Huh?
No, it’s not March 2006 yet. The Winter Meetings start tomorow, not the regular season. Relax, for fucks sakes.
It’s one thing to attack Kerry Wood’s performance on the field (or lack there of). It’s quite another thing to attack his character off the field. “The biggest baby…” completely uncalled for man. To say that he’s a baby because he’s spent time on the DL is moronic.
“Prior may be devoloping the same mindset by virtue of sitting too much near Wood each game.” Yeah, you’re right man. He missed a month after taking a 100+ mph line drive off his pitching elbow and then threw six one-hit innings against the world champs his first start back. What a wimp! I’m sure you would have shaken off the little stinging to your elbow and finished off a complete game against the Rockies and then made your next start on normal rest, because after all you most be a stud. It’s too bad we’re not all as tough as you are.
Number 26 is right, I may be pretty useless between the lines, but I am a good person. I do alot for charity and I treat the fans with respect. There’s no need to attack me as a person, by all accounts I’m a decent guy. As far as Prior goes, he’s not that soft, he’s just from California…so it just seems like it.
You wanna talk about bad people? I just picked a fight with a female sportscaster on Ravens postgame. That tough lady just put my arrogant ass in its place. I was so pissed I walked away. I had nothing. Could I be a bigger dick?
Since when is calling someone a baby attacking his character?
I’m attacking his philosophy on athletic life, not how much charity he does.
And, considering how he has taken more than he has given, he should be doing charity.
That goes just for about any person- athlete or not. So, let’s not mix issues.
Further, there are a lot less so-called talented players who contribute because they don’t have a mindset that they have to pitch 96 + miles an hour on every pitch.
Same goes for Prior- getting close to 35 toss pitch counts in the first inning.
It’s not the injury that caused it- it’s the mindset.
Maybe you are too young to remember but that’s what ran Lee Smith out of town- nothing but aspirin size flat pitches that major leaguers know how to time.
Then, as usual, with the new team, a real pitching coach grabbed him and made him learn to toss a slider with location.
“Maybe you are too young to remember” The above post sounds like me. Or some other turd who thinks the fact that he’s 45 and hanging message boards makes him “old and wise”. Shame on you all for being younger than me.
Ban #5 and #29. Ban him. Ban him now. Wheeee…. What fun this is! When does Desipremium membership get offered? Wheee!!!!!
Does anybody have Hendry and Baker fired in May on their radar?
I was just thinking- why waste time with a bunch of “kids” who are still learning what it means to be a long suffering fan who saw the game ruined with both the designated hitter and giving millions of bucks to jamokes who don’t deserve it.
By the way- I wish I was still 45.
Example- Furcal – it was never about the playing conditions, team character and makeup, manager, winning attitude. For him it was just who he could shake down the most. Even his agent was embarassed (wanting him to stay in Atlanta for less). You want a stiff like this on your team? Oh, I forgot to mention the DUI’s. (plural). But then again, I guess the “young” ones who love to go out partying and get all liquored up to brag about what they do in their free time must see him as sort of a poster boy.
As for Kerry Wood- trade him. He will never be (at least) a 16 game winner with the Cubs.
I also blame the Cubs organization somewhat for how he was handled from day one, like their prize child. In the meantime, for the past 2 years- Glendon Rusch has been a better pitcher and beats opponents in our division.
Lee Smith was run out of town? I thought he was part of the Calvin Schiraldi/Al Nipper trade. No fan that I know of thought that was a good idea, even at the time. Smith was doing fine before he left–fast ball or not.
Here we are yet again Cubs fans, there was a free agent we had all put our money on would either stay in the ATL or come to the Chi because he is buddies with Neifi & E-Ram. Are you kidding me, who sees Neifi having friends anyways? That should have been our first clue. You can’t blame Furcal at all he knew that people were going to overpay so why not take the most you can get. I actually applaud Hendry on not offering him more money than P. Konerko will make with a crappy south side team. Do we really need to overpay for a leadoff hitter who happens to play short? I will take Pierre or Lugo for a hell of a lot less money and while I am at it trade one Korey for the other (i.e. Soriano). The issue with getting Soriano ( I don’t know why I am acting like he is worth more than Korey), is we have to give up Wood & Walker. Are you kidding me, someone please take Wood! The only bad thing is we will have to bundle Walker in any trade in which we are trading Wood or Korey. The Cubs next move will be to lock up Pierre, pop Cendeno in at SS and trade Wood & Walker for Mench & Soriano. Maybe they can try to sign AJ and we won’t feel so lonely with Wood gone, is there a doctor in the house? I have also heard rumors that they are looking to move Zambrano for a power hitting OF. Just pray that day doesn’t happen, then the season will be over before it begins. Why do the baseball Gods not love us…. WHY?
By the way, I’m pretty sure that the free agent signing being described by Andy is Preston Wilson.
Anyone have the Juan Pierre deal done? I just say a report that says we traded Renyel Pinto & 2 prospects for Juan Pierre.
I hope not. That would be another instance of the Marlins stealing a potential laden pitcher – Pinto- from us. (memories of dontrelle)
Pierre is somewhat lazy defensively. Here we go again- trading for another guy who is as good as he will be. Lee and Ramirez are the few exceptions that one year Hendry was on a roll. Since then, he has the opposite of the midas touch.
The Cubs are going to trade Todd Walker, does anyone have this on their radar?
As with all Cub fans that old man seems to have missed the mark. If you do recall Lee Smith left the Cubs and ended up on the Cardinals and still had some great years left in him. Cory Patterson is also gonna be the next Lou Brock on a team other than the cardinals. I dont know what it is about Chicago but either you guys suck at developing young talent or seem to throw talent away.