"Turd Throw" and other stories from the rancid NLC.

[Andy]

Somebody talk BC in off the ledge.  This is like the morans who think that the earlier the Cubs get into first the better chance is that they'll blow it.  You'd think it was as easy as just waiting until September 30 to take the division lead.

If the Cubs are a good team, they'll take over first place, put their head down and start sprinting away from every other team in the Central.  It won't matter if that happens tomorrow night, next week or next month. 

All St. Louis accomplished this past week was to gain two games on a team who isn't going to be in first place much longer, and to do it in a way that pretty much kills what little confidence that team had.

The Brewers have a much better team than St. Louis, and the Cubs have a better team than either of them.  When all's said and done the Cardinals will be right where they ought to be.

Third place.

[Slaky+]

I wouldn't be celebrating a 4-2 road trip and a half game back either BC. You idiot. You goddamn idiot.

[EG]

I wouldn't be celebrating this, in fact I think what has happened in St. Louis this weekend was the second worst-case scenario for the Cubs behind only a four-game Brew Crew sweep... What this does is give the Cardinals confidence they can come back (Only 5.5 behind the Cubs and 5 back in the loss column) while convince the Brewers they need to make another move or two to try to stay in contention. The Cardinals had been talking about selling some parts of their bullpen (Which had been the one bright spot on a struggling team), but now with their team not as struggling they won't be selling. If they have two hot weeks and the Brewers and Cubs have two cold weeks, they're in first. In fact, I have seen several times in the past where the Cardinals win just one game like they did this weekend and then go on an unbelievable hot streak which if you had seen them a game before they started the streak you would never think they could put together such a winning stretch. With the three teams' schedules for the next two weeks, it isn't impossible for that scenario to play out and then they are facing the Brewers and Cubs with a chance to build a four or five-game lead of their own in the division. And, frankly, the Cubs have played MUCH better when they are the ones doing the chasing instead of early in the season when most of the media thought they would win the division just through their offseason spending.

You're not a real person.  You're Paul, coming back to mess with all of us.  There is no way any person would actually have these opinions.  I think this is like when Andy started that NSBB hoax just to fool the entire Internet.

Good work, BC.  Or whoever you are.

[cubbiebluestew]

Last year the Cubs finished dead last in the worst division in major league baseball.  They are now 1/2 game out of first and are ahead in the loss column.  Someone is worried that they are peaking too early?  Who really believed when the Cubs started spending last Winter that it was going to pay off at all, let alone as early as it has?  Take what they are giving you!!!

[thehawk]

Yeah, what Stew said.  The simple fact is that if the Cubs keep playing like they have for the last 7 weeks or so (and 7 weeks is a nice big sample size), they will surely be in the playoffs (probably division but certainly the WC if either the Cards or Brewers make an Astros-like surge (and that's unlikely with the Cards pitching and the Brewers away record)).  So you really have to look at the Cubs.  Lee and Sorianot are getting hot (sure its in a bandbox but they started hitting HRs the last two days).  The two Cajuns are solid, take a lot of pitches and generally drive opposing pitchers and defenses crazy.  Ramieriez is good and likely to stay so.  Defense up the middle is good (not great but good). 

Then you get to the pitching staff, which may well be strength of the team (the lack of a LOOGY excluded).  Z, Lilly and Marshall are getting the job done (and Z's job appears to be win the Cy  Young award)  Hill and Marquis are serviceable  (well, Marquis sucks but he is a 5th starter).  Bullpen is also very good, not perfect and their fuckups have been legen.....dary, but still very good, particularly Marmol Howrey and Dempster.

Screw luck and screw history, this is a very good baseball team that is playing like it, and noone in the division (and other than maybe the Mets, the league) is that great.  I like Lou's approach to dealing with this team, and I'm giving up black cats, goats and geeks with headphones for lent.  This is going to a fun ride to watch, and I'm glad I have a good seat on the bandwagon.

[Kermit]

Jesus Christ, BC.  Stop.  Just stop.

[Shooter]

Somebody talk BC in off the ledge.

It's gonna be a slippery ledge with all that Cardinals-inspired piss running down his leg.

[CT II]

Somebody talk BC in off the ledge.

It's gonna be a slippery ledge with all that Cardinals-inspired piss running down his leg.

Screw it, leave him out there.  If you can't enjoy what's happening right now, I feel sorry for you.  The Cubs may win the division, and they may lose it, but we're seeing something in this team that hasn't been evident in a while.  Back in May, this team was dead as dog shit.  Done.  Finished.  Kaput.  The Cubs dragged themselves off the canvas at 8, and got back in the fight, and they're winning.  So, I'm not thinking about the Cardinals, or the Astros or the Brewers.  I'm watching my team play damn good baseball, and I'm enjoying it.  And tomorrow, when they play the Phillies in the night's only NL game and win, they'll be tied for first place.  First place!  I'm giddy.

[BC]

If the Cubs are a good team, they'll take over first place, put their head down and start sprinting away from every other team in the Central.  It won't matter if that happens tomorrow night, next week or next month. 

I'm not yet sold on the Cubs being a good team for the last two months and few days of this season. Yes, they have had a great run since early June, but lest we forget how awful this team was in April and May. All the Brewers need are two hot weeks while the Cubs go cold and they can check out with the division by mid-September. With their deficit, the Cardinals would need three hot weeks instead of two, but the same scenario applies. I try to enjoy what I can, but at heart, whether it's life or sports, I'm just a damn fatalist...

[MDZ]

If the Cubs are a good team, they'll take over first place, put their head down and start sprinting away from every other team in the Central.  It won't matter if that happens tomorrow night, next week or next month. 

I'm not yet sold on the Cubs being a good team for the last two months and few days of this season. Yes, they have had a great run since early June, but lest we forget how awful this team was in April and May. All the Brewers need are two hot weeks while the Cubs go cold and they can check out with the division by mid-September. With their deficit, the Cardinals would need three hot weeks instead of two, but the same scenario applies. I try to enjoy what I can, but at heart, whether it's life or sports, I'm just a damn fatalist...

You mean the team with Barrett, Izturis starting, Murton in right against lefties, Eyre pitching in meaningful situations, Soriano figuring out CF, Jones playing the worst ball of his career, Zambrano with an ERA near 6, Theriot on the bench, no Fontenot, and no Marmol?  You'd have a point if the team as it's currently constructed and being utilized was the same as the beginning of the year, but it isn't.  Lou learned what did and didn't work, made the changes and the team is different and much better now than it was in May.  Also, over this stretch they have lost Aramis for several games, had Lee's 5 game suspension and Dempster's been on the DL.  They've had bad shit happen that in year's past would have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but this year they didn't let it phase them.  The players sacked up and got the job done.  Now that's something I never thought I'd ever say about the Cubs.

[air2300]

Somebody talk BC in off the ledge.

It's gonna be a slippery ledge with all that Cardinals-inspired piss running down his leg.

Screw it, leave him out there.  If you can't enjoy what's happening right now, I feel sorry for you.  The Cubs may win the division, and they may lose it, but we're seeing something in this team that hasn't been evident in a while.  Back in May, this team was dead as dog shit.  Done.  Finished.  Kaput.  The Cubs dragged themselves off the canvas at 8, and got back in the fight, and they're winning.  So, I'm not thinking about the Cardinals, or the Astros or the Brewers.  I'm watching my team play damn good baseball, and I'm enjoying it.  And tomorrow, when they play the Phillies in the night's only NL game and win, they'll be tied for first place.  First place!  I'm giddy.

Exactly.  If you can't enjoy what is happening right now, then what's the point of being a fan of the team or sports?

[Slaky+]

So basically if all the worst shit that could possibly happen...happens...the Cubs won't make the playoffs. Brilliant analysis here.

Don't you realize that the Cubs ARE that team that got hot out of nowhere? We're that team this year. It's US. You see? Enjoy it you moron.

[Internet Apex]

but now with their team not as struggling

[GreatWhiteHope7]

We can worry about the Cardinals if they ever become a real threat (which I doubt). The worst thing to do right now is to look behind us and worry about another team catching up. The Cubs need to focus on winning, as they have been doing, and on overtaking the Brewers. As long as the Cubs keep on playing solid baseball, it won't matter how hot the Cardinals get, they won't catch up regardless.

[DwightKurtz]

If these guys play as well as they have since June 3, then they are a 95-win baseball team.

If they cool off as we might expect them to, then they still have a pretty good shot at 90 wins.  Not only will that probably be enough to win the division, but it will mark them as the hottest team in the second half, and a hot team with good momentum going into the playoffs... well, I'm sure BC can think of some way to piss on that idea.