Fuck the Pirates: Rivalry Thread

[SKO]

I can't hate Rodriguez, or the Pirates.  He thoroughly, thoroughly embarrassed himself, his organisation and his home town, and gave me a bloody good laugh whilst bowing out of the postseason without a fight.  What's not to love?

Agreed. The Pirates and Cubs both deserved better than a one-game playoff to settle this issue. If it had gone the other way though, my butthurt would be felt from outer space.

I agree a series is better, but when a crying Pirates' fan moaned on Facebook about it, let's also remember that the Cubs have a rested bullpen and the Pirates would have 1, if not 2 players suspended from the playoffs (and I do not think you can appeal suspensions in the playoffs).

Also if the Pirates hadn't gone 34-42 against the central, and 17-21 against the Reds and Brewers they'd have avoided this fate.

[Slaky]

I can't hate Rodriguez, or the Pirates.  He thoroughly, thoroughly embarrassed himself, his organisation and his home town, and gave me a bloody good laugh whilst bowing out of the postseason without a fight.  What's not to love?

Agreed. The Pirates and Cubs both deserved better than a one-game playoff to settle this issue. If it had gone the other way though, my butthurt would be felt from outer space.

I don't hate the Pirates. I pity them. What a feeble attempt that was. Went out like little babies.

The lasting image for me will be Gerrit Cole in that scrum screaming his head off knowing he just got his ass handed to him. Jake Arrieta or not the dude put his team in a hole right off the jump.

[SKO]

I can't hate Rodriguez, or the Pirates.  He thoroughly, thoroughly embarrassed himself, his organisation and his home town, and gave me a bloody good laugh whilst bowing out of the postseason without a fight.  What's not to love?

Agreed. The Pirates and Cubs both deserved better than a one-game playoff to settle this issue. If it had gone the other way though, my butthurt would be felt from outer space.

I don't hate the Pirates. I pity them. What a feeble attempt that was. Went out like little babies.

The lasting image for me will be Gerrit Cole in that scrum screaming his head off knowing he just got his ass handed to him. Jake Arrieta or not the dude put his team in a hole right off the jump.

I'm rarely on board with Kaplan but he tweeted that Cole should be "mad at himself about the gag job he orchestrated rather than playing the tough guy" and that was basically my thoughts exactly. Barking at Jake like it's his fault you gave up a moonshot to Schwarber.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

[SKO]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

David Ross earned his keep last night, I'll give him that. Making sure nobody on the Cubs side did anything stupid, and keeping Rodriguez from fucking things up like he wanted to.

[Slaky]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

I still love David Ross. I don't care how many narratives they build around his presence. He rules.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

David Ross earned his keep last night, I'll give him that. Making sure nobody on the Cubs side did anything stupid, and keeping Rodriguez from fucking things up like he wanted to.

Yeah my #1 thing was get Arrieta the fuck out of that scrum.

[PenFoe]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

I still love David Ross. I don't care how many narratives they build around his presence. He rules.

As much as many of us thought the acquisition was terrible and have repeatedly pointed to his laughable offensive stats as reason he shouldn't be on this team, he's clearly really, really important to the Cubs.  

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

[Brownie]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

It's the Cubs. Someone just had to find a way to choke in the playoffs, amirite?

I still love David Ross. I don't care how many narratives they build around his presence. He rules.

His Spanish name is Henry Blanco de Luz.

[Eli]

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

Just like Yadier Molina.

[SKO]

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

Just like Yadier Molina.

This is the comp I keep making on twitter and no one wants to acknowledge it. It's fine. Ross is a cool guy, you're welcome to like him, and people can make the argument that the Cubs believe his defense and intangibles make him more valuable than the extra half win or so they probably could have gotten by giving 50 starts or whatever to Welington Castillo. Just tired of people feeling the need to go the extra mile and act like said intangibles make him more important than guys on the team who actually start and are good at baseball.

[PenFoe]

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

Just like Yadier Molina.

This is the comp I keep making on twitter and no one wants to acknowledge it. It's fine. Ross is a cool guy, you're welcome to like him, and people can make the argument that the Cubs believe his defense and intangibles make him more valuable than the extra half win or so they probably could have gotten by giving 50 starts or whatever to Welington Castillo. Just tired of people feeling the need to go the extra mile and act like said intangibles make him more important than guys on the team who actually start and are good at baseball.

I don't know who those people are (presumably idiots on Twitter that you seek out,) but we've repeatedly heard guys like Rizzo and Bryant saying how important Ross has been and that's good enough for me. 

[Yeti]

My favorite part was when the starting-first-baseman-who-didn't-even-get-to-bat claimed that Ross attempted to choke him.

Just imagining Ross and his grandpa strength hauling ass on Rodriguez' neck makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

Actually, David kind of admitted his hand was on Rodriguez' neck, but he said it wasn't on purpose. It was a response to Rodriguez putting his hands on David's chest

[SKO]

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

Just like Yadier Molina.

This is the comp I keep making on twitter and no one wants to acknowledge it. It's fine. Ross is a cool guy, you're welcome to like him, and people can make the argument that the Cubs believe his defense and intangibles make him more valuable than the extra half win or so they probably could have gotten by giving 50 starts or whatever to Welington Castillo. Just tired of people feeling the need to go the extra mile and act like said intangibles make him more important than guys on the team who actually start and are good at baseball.

I don't know who those people are (presumably idiots on Twitter that you seek out,) but we've repeatedly heard guys like Rizzo and Bryant saying how important Ross has been and that's good enough for me. 

Adam Wainwright called Yadier Molina the greatest catcher of all time, that good enough for you, too?

And no I don't seek them out, there was an article posted on ESPN literally yesterday that had the lede "THE CUBS MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER MAY BE A .176 HITTING BACKUP CATCHER". This isn't just my head fairies making this crap up.

[InternetApex]

It's awful for the long-term intangibles narrative, but in this specific instance, he obviously brings something immeasurable to this team that makes them better.

Just like Yadier Molina.

This is the comp I keep making on twitter and no one wants to acknowledge it. It's fine. Ross is a cool guy, you're welcome to like him, and people can make the argument that the Cubs believe his defense and intangibles make him more valuable than the extra half win or so they probably could have gotten by giving 50 starts or whatever to Welington Castillo. Just tired of people feeling the need to go the extra mile and act like said intangibles make him more important than guys on the team who actually start and are good at baseball.

Anybody who does that is a fucking boob and I think you know that. I too like David Ross, because I find him funny. And I think Lester trusts him and in fact feels like he needs him in order to do his best work. The fact that he was in the middle of that scrum shows you that nobody with a lick of sense, least of all he, thinks he's more important than guys who start or play baseball well.

I was looking for Herrera in the middle of that scrum with his "Hands-Helmet" still on his head. If that would have happened it might have been the single most hilarious thing I'd seen on a baseball field in my entire life. Jesus, he missed an opportunity there, but probably wisely took it off before entering the fray. Hell, it could've gotten broken. Can't have that.