They are gonna eat Joe Maddon alive when he starts pulling goofy shit here. This ain't Tampa. You don't send Rizzo to steal 2nd the way you did Longoria only to tear his hamstring because you thought the other team wouldn't expect it....... Tampa reporters are nowhere near the cockroaches we have here.
I agree with this, but I think he will have an extended honeymoon period because of all the rookies and developing players. Besides, many of the idiots on the local scene (like the Wittenmyer contingent) have kind of cornered themselves and their influence will be marginalized for quite a while. The fluffers (Kaplan's contingent) have all the access and will sprinkle the rainbows and sunshine. I think it will take the more serious writers some time to evaluate and start picking things apart without coming off as biased lunatics.
I take that back about Kaplan, I'm not sure who the new fluff leaders will be after the media shuffle.
There are very few decent reporters in this town. I love Rosenbloom, because he's right, but sarcastic. He's the bad guy for telling it like it is. For the rest of the Trib, Phil Rogers is okay. All, and I mean ALL the bears reporters except Matt Bowen suck. Bowen isn't even a writer, just an ex football player that talks about match ups/X's and Os. David Haugh and Dan Pompeii have to be 2 of the dumbest 'journalists' I've ever read. The Sun Times is a joke, as are all their writers. I don't take them seriously. In fact, one of my favorite games with that paper is to find the spelling/grammatical errors. Its such a piece of shit paper. Jesse Rogers makes me laugh because when people ask him technical stuff about the game like shifts, match ups, and anything non-front office related--he doesn't know a thing. But when it comes to prospect projections to be with the ML club, he has that pat down. For baseball, generally, Kurkjian is fine. As is Olney, but Olney is more east coast than anthing, and I don't give a shit about the east coast. Bill Simmons somehow manages to not be tired after blowing every bostonian team
The Cubs are denying it but people believe its only because they dont want to piss off MLB on Game 7 night. Jon Heyman is saying its a done deal and reports are they are going to offer Renteria a position under Maddon. ESPN even picked up the story.
This is a really good move. Renteria did nothing to lose his job but baseball is a business. They should be a selling point to FA as well. Maddon is well respected around this league. We always said the Cubs will hire a big name manager when they are ready to make their push. They are starting to make their push.
Brutal on so many levels and sports. My head hurts just reading his name. Every catch any of his Hawks' stuff? If you haven't, don't. Hmmmm, they get high marks on the dumometer. With so much competition, I'll have to consider their ranking. They might indeed be the kings. I'm a big fan of his too as you know. I don't always agree with him (mostly hockey stuff) , but he has a high functioning bullshit detector and I heart him for it. Even when I don't agree with him, he always has a sound argument for his opinion. I wish he was on the radio more. I'm not sure anybody even investigates anything at the trib when it comes to sports. They're not batshit crazy like the Sun-times, but they just don't have anything of substance. True dat. My apologies for even mentioning Gordon's name. I'm a Matt Bowen fan too. I make a point of catching him on the score every week but I haven't been reading all his trib articles. I can't read anything Bears if it's written locally short of Rosenbloom's season predictions. I'm still waiting for hockey writers to emerge. There are a few bloggers that are okay, but chicago is pretty fucked when it comes to hockey writers of any kind outside of homers or meatballs. Even the few with promise seem to be more focused on spazzing for clicks. Anyway, I digress. Opinions on local writers are always appreciated, especially if you find a new one that's good or at least interesting.
I agree, and I certainly think this is the first major move out of the dumpster. Pretty sure they told everybody with this hire that they're serious about at least trying to contend within the next 3 years. Maddon picked the Cubs over plenty of other opportunities too, so that has to say something to players on the market and within the organization too. I'm still skeptical that it means much for this offseason or for the 15' season, but I think this means they'll be very serious about contending for the division in 16'. That's a faster trajectory than I thought they would be shooting for a year ago. It's nice to know that all these bluechip-type prospects are going to have a good and proven manager directing them as they take their lumps at the big league level. I'm hopeful he can slot them more effectively to give the rest of the FO a better idea of who will sink or swim quicker than most managers would. Time to find out if they'll spend next month.
You have said numerous times (others will know what I am talking about), if not hundreds that you say to do the BOTH thing. True or false? Yet in your typical rant to not accept what is going on you said this: It doesn't sound like you want the BOTH thing to me. It sounds more about the words "mostly, if not only", that you want to go the free agent route. Am I reading this wrong? :-* Now, come back and tell me how you never said to not use the farm in your typical fashion.
I think they know the uptick needs to continue for the team (especially veterans Rizo and Castro), so they should improve their record barring injuries. In order to do that, they will have to get at least a Shark-like pitcher, a Hammel-like pitcher, and a veteran bat (top of the order and LH preferably) to do this. This would keep the flow moving North in the standings while still evaluating the young kids, and it will also start to fill the seats once again which is what owners all want. They left themselves some wiggle room as far as free agents, but that doesn't mean that if in contention, the additional player(s) couldn't be brought in at the deadline for a strong push. It would bode well to at least be somewhere in the hunt for a change, and if Maddon is the man, so be it. I will gladly take moving up always.
Yet.........how many hours have you spent in debate with him over the past couple years on this board and others?
Thank you for the dynamite drop in. I appreciate you giving up your time to respond with that excellent post. Have a great day.
Of course you are reading it wrong. That is what fanboys do. They read something and they exaggerate it to ridiculous lengths. I have said that I want the Cub$ to do the BOTH thing and that is 100% true. I have also pointed out that several teams have won a WS using 'mostly, if not only' FA to build the major league team to correct the ignorance of fanboys like yourself who say that you can't win a WS that way and that it has never been done that way. It is 100% true that several teams have been built 'mostly, if not only' through FA. Two separate statements, both of them 100%, but that does not mean that I want the Cub$ to build only through FA. I know that is pretty complicated to grasp the difference. Hopefully I have now explained it slowly enough that even you can understand.
I thank you again. The obvious is hard to grasp sometimes. But, you sir are a gentleman and a scholar. I cant wait for your next drop in. It will mean so much to me.
Anybody else think Maddon was made for the NL? His coaching seems to fit well. The biggest thing I love about this hire is Maddon has proven he can take young players and make them very good. Theo and them job is to put the Cubs into the best position going forward and this is one step there. Im excited for FA.
Maddon sure did manage like an NL manager. Had one of the highest rates of pitch hitting even though he's in the AL. Anyway, this is a good moment for the Cubs. I just wish you three could have normal forum conversations instead of some of the drivel (on both sides) that I see.
Everyone has gone back and forth. It may have went long, but whatevs. Lets keep it to baseball talk then. Ive tried to go back to it and people keep bringing it back up. Not singling you out. I just wanted to say that to the whole board. Maddon always seemed to be an NL manager in the AL. One thing, the Cubs are built for power. That is a given. Will he adjust his managerial style with the power he is going to have on this team? Maddon is an intelligent coach and I think he will give and take to find the right median. He isnt one of those old coaches that know only way to coach or so it seems by some of the stuff he says.
