Let's look forward to the Cardinals Methocalypse

[CT III]

Henceforth Eli shall be known 'round these parts by his full name--"Elias".

Ah yes, like the well-known bureau of extensive sports statistics and knowledge. Thank you.

Don't play coy with me, Coblentz.

Oh damn that's a deep pull. Whatever happened to that guy? I'm guessing he tongue kissed a shotgun at some point.

Looks like he's out there on Twitter but hasn't tweeted much in the past year or so. He's a voiceover artist, which I'm sure CT would appreciate.

https://twitter.com/thefruitbowl

And Yeti follows him.

These people must be stopped (Bort's wife excepted)

[Tonker]

[Quality Start Machine]

Not even BC could improve this.

[InternetApex]

Not even BC could improve this.

I wouldn't be so sure.

[SKO]

I don't know what other options we had, I guess, but there had to have been some alternative for Matheny other than squeezing four innings and 72 pitches out of Carlos Martinez yesterday, no? Seems like the young stud who is already at a career high for innings pitched would be the last guy you'd want to use there.

[CBStew]

I give up.  Where's Waldo?

[Shooter]

I don't know what other options we had, I guess, but there had to have been some alternative for Matheny other than squeezing four innings and 72 pitches out of Carlos Martinez yesterday, no? Seems like the young stud who is already at a career high for innings pitched would be the last guy you'd want to use there.

They had 12 pitchers on the roster and had used seven. Rosenthal was unavailable. That left Lackey (started Saturday), Lynn (started Friday), Martinez, and Wacha, or a position player. Or extend Carlos Villanueva past 80 pitches.

[Quality Start Machine]

[SKO]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

[Saul Goodman]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

Let's definitely keep giving them free draft picks to help those poor people try to compete. Bless their hearts.

[Brownie]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

The frightening thing is that this bubble has to burst soon. How much of that cash is up front? How much of that will be paid in a Chapter 11 situation? Would the Cubs be better off extracting a big check out of Comcast to keep games on CSN rather than take on risk and start their own network?

[SKO]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

The frightening thing is that this bubble has to burst soon. How much of that cash is up front? How much of that will be paid in a Chapter 11 situation? Would the Cubs be better off extracting a big check out of Comcast to keep games on CSN rather than take on risk and start their own network?

Really gonna suck if the next decade is the Dodgers and Cardinals flush with Fuck You money from a TV deal the Cubs can't match even though they could have probably gotten an even better deal if they were free agents right now.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Cardinals get Brandon Moss from the Indians for LHP prospect Rob Kaminsky.

[Eli]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

The frightening thing is that this bubble has to burst soon. How much of that cash is up front? How much of that will be paid in a Chapter 11 situation? Would the Cubs be better off extracting a big check out of Comcast to keep games on CSN rather than take on risk and start their own network?

I've wondered that as well. I think people are pointing at 2019 or 2020 for when the Cubs can do their own deal, right? That seems like a long way off for an industry/tech that is changing pretty quickly.

[Brownie]

If Chuck wants to bitch about Crane Kenney or whomever becuase the Cardinals just signed a 1 billion dollar TV deal and the Cubs have to wait lord knows how long to do the same I'll allow it. Goddammit.

The frightening thing is that this bubble has to burst soon. How much of that cash is up front? How much of that will be paid in a Chapter 11 situation? Would the Cubs be better off extracting a big check out of Comcast to keep games on CSN rather than take on risk and start their own network?

I've wondered that as well. I think people are pointing at 2019 or 2020 for when the Cubs can do their own deal, right? That seems like a long way off for an industry/tech that is changing pretty quickly.

Time Warner is expecting to lose in excess of $1B in its $8B Dodgers deal. With rumblings that cable carriers are going to tell ESPN/Disney to pound sand rather than pay carriage fees, you could see the rights fees landscape changing. Will ESPN negotiate to get out of some of its deals? Will Time Warner and FOX, both of whom also might find that DirecTV and Comcast are in no mood to subsidize their spending sprees? If FSMW (that's a separate corporation from 21st Century FOX) finds itself short some dough, they can file bankruptcy and restructure those deals. There's not enough meth in the world to soothe all those broken Missouri hearts.