Hope Springs Eternal

[Brownie]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

[Slaky]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

The World Series is won by depth in the system, every season.

[Brownie]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

The World Series is won by depth in the system, every season.

ORGANIZATIONS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS!

[Saul Goodman]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

“I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

Totally realistic expectations.  If they fail to make the playoffs, Epstink will be summarily executed, Bartman ball style, at Harry Caray's restaurant.  Theo will contemplate his final moments as Crane's priest blesses the instrumentality of his demise.

[InternetApex]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

Totally realistic expectations.  If they fail to make the playoffs, Epstink will be summarily executed, Bartman ball style, at Harry Caray's restaurant.  Theo will contemplate his final moments as Crane's priest blesses the instrumentality of his demise.

Where in there does Tom say WHEN they can go to the playoffs? And he did qualify it by saying that guys need to step up. So if Darwin Barney doesn't turn into Robinson Cano, well, pffft. What the fuck, Barney?

[Eli]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

Totally realistic expectations.  If they fail to make the playoffs, Epstink will be summarily executed, Bartman ball style, at Harry Caray's restaurant.  Theo will contemplate his final moments as Crane's priest blesses the instrumentality of his demise.

Where in there does Tom say WHEN they can go to the playoffs?

I assume October. St. Louis is pretty close to Chicago and I'm sure they'll have group ticket sales.

[thehawk]

I haven't heard Ernie Banks' rallying cry yet ("You'll wish you had gangreen, watching the Cubs in '14!"), but Tom Ricketts has released his forecast. And take this, Skilling: Nothing but sunny skies!

"I think we have a team right now that can go to the playoffs," Ricketts said during a 15-minute interview with reporters. "We have a good, young nucleus. We have to have guys step up, but we have depth in our system.

I'm reserving my space on North Michigan Ave. for the late October parade.

Totally realistic expectations.  If they fail to make the playoffs, Epstink will be summarily executed, Bartman ball style, at Harry Caray's restaurant.  Theo will contemplate his final moments as Crane's priest blesses the instrumentality of his demise.

Where in there does Tom say WHEN they can go to the playoffs? And he did qualify it by saying that guys need to step up. So if Darwin Barney doesn't turn into Robinson Cano, well, pffft. What the fuck, Barney?

of course they have a team that can right now go to the playoffs (at least by the end of spring training)

[Yeti]

Are we supposed to be surprised that the owner of a team doesn't say they suck in an interview?

He's just trying to drum up hope by retarded cubes fans. No news. 

[Slaky]

Are we supposed to be surprised that the owner of a team doesn't say they suck in an interview?

He's just trying to drum up hope by retarded cubes fans. No news. 

He's not even doing that. He's never going to say "we suck and it's going to be a horrible year."

He's just being optimistic even if it's total bullshit. It means nothing.

[Eli]

Are we supposed to be surprised that the owner of a team doesn't say they suck in an interview?

He's just trying to drum up hope by retarded cubes fans. No news. 

He's not even doing that. He's never going to say "we suck and it's going to be a horrible year."

He's just being optimistic even if it's total bullshit. It means nothing.

Gotta talk about something.

[Bort]

Are we supposed to be surprised that the owner of a team doesn't say they suck in an interview?

He's just trying to drum up hope by retarded cubes fans. No news. 

He's not even doing that. He's never going to say "we suck and it's going to be a horrible year."

He's just being optimistic even if it's total bullshit. It means nothing.

Gotta talk about something.

TIME TO POST, and all that jazz.

[R-V]

Most of the posts in this thread are frankly not making my hope spring at all.

I for one look forward to a World Series championship led by homegrown talent and not a bunch of carpetbaggin free agents who don't put ketchup on their turkey dogs like true Chicagoans.

[Slaky]

Most of the posts in this thread are frankly not making my hope spring at all.

I for one look forward to a World Series championship led by homegrown talent and not a bunch of carpetbaggin free agents who don't put ketchup on their turkey dogs like true Chicagoans.

I was reading the latest tripe from Gordo on the shitter just now. You know he's fucking angry as hell about Ricketts every day and this article is the latest in that series. WHERE IS THE MONEY RICKETTS. WHERE IS THE MONEY.

Anyway, it was just whining about payroll and why is it so low. It helps center me when I realize I can't possibly on the same side as him.

That said, if the Cubs finally do put a winner together you just know the story of the time Epstein was ready to quit and walk away forever if not for Tom's intervention (or someone) is going to break.

How many times at this point do you think Theo's thought about just ending this experiment?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Most of the posts in this thread are frankly not making my hope spring at all.

I for one look forward to a World Series championship led by homegrown talent and not a bunch of carpetbaggin free agents who don't put ketchup on their turkey dogs like true Chicagoans.

I was reading the latest tripe from Gordo on the shitter just now. You know he's fucking angry as hell about Ricketts every day and this article is the latest in that series. WHERE IS THE MONEY RICKETTS. WHERE IS THE MONEY.

Anyway, it was just whining about payroll and why is it so low. It helps center me when I realize I can't possibly on the same side as him.

That said, if the Cubs finally do put a winner together you just know the story of the time Epstein was ready to quit and walk away forever if not for Tom's intervention (or someone) is going to break.

How many times at this point do you think Theo's thought about just ending this experiment?

What experiment?  Razing the organization and re-building?   

There's nothing Epstein & Co. laid out when they started that they're now contradicting.  It might be tough to weather the storm but Christ--this organization was rotten to the core.  All projections seemed to be trending upward.  Losing one's nerve at thispoint, after they've turned this elephant around, will never not strike me as foolhardy.  Foolhardy, I tell ya!

Stay the course, Theo.  Fuck all the instant gratifiers who seem to have forgotten how entirely messed up this organization was just a little over 2 years ago. 

[Eli]

What experiment?  Razing the organization and re-building?   

There's nothing Epstein & Co. laid out when they started that they're now contradicting.  It might be tough to weather the storm but Christ--this organization was rotten to the core.  All projections seemed to be trending upward.  Losing one's nerve at thispoint, after they've turned this elephant around, will never not strike me as foolhardy.  Foolhardy, I tell ya!

Stay the course, Theo.  Fuck all the instant gratifiers who seem to have forgotten how entirely messed up this organization was just a little over 2 years ago. 

I think "experiment" is a fine word to describe what's happening. Intentionally putting terrible teams on the field for 3-4 years, stockpiling high draft picks and mostly avoiding free agency is a little experimental, since this sort of thing has rarely (if ever) been done before. At least for a team in a huge market like the Cubs.