pantagrapher
Footballguy
If you hop on a red line train, you can be in Wrigleyville in 20 minutes. If you want to be in the middle of the madness, it'll be worth the trip.
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***2016 MLB Playoff thread: Cubs win for first time since sliced bread hit market (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Doctor Detroit
- Start date
James Daulton
Footballguy
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
Hypothetical question:
Obviously public sentiment is with the Cubs. But I think if the Cavs had not won the title in June, public sentiment would be split and maybe even with the Indians. 50+ years without a championship for a city, across all the major sports, is IMO a bigger deal and engenders more sympathy than 100+ years without a championship for a single team. After all, the vast majority of Cubs fans also root for the Blackhawks and Bulls. My friend disagreed, he thinks people would still be rooting for the Cubs because people give extra weight to the 100+ year drought and the Cubs as lovable losers narrative. What say you?
Obviously public sentiment is with the Cubs. But I think if the Cavs had not won the title in June, public sentiment would be split and maybe even with the Indians. 50+ years without a championship for a city, across all the major sports, is IMO a bigger deal and engenders more sympathy than 100+ years without a championship for a single team. After all, the vast majority of Cubs fans also root for the Blackhawks and Bulls. My friend disagreed, he thinks people would still be rooting for the Cubs because people give extra weight to the 100+ year drought and the Cubs as lovable losers narrative. What say you?
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
pantagrapher
Footballguy
I think the Cubs drought transcends every other drought in sports. Kids around the country grow up knowing about it. It's legend.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
Even if the Cavs had not won, no one outside of NE OH would be rooting for the Tribe...and I say that as a Tribe fan myself. We even come in second best at being a sucky team, that's how much we've sucked.
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
Yeah, I think this is mostly true. But I would have been rooting for you! I bet most of my hometown of DC would have been as well. Maybe places like Buffalo, Minneapolis and Atlanta too. From our perspective (or mine, anyway), not winning at all sucks way worse than not winning in a particular sport. Honestly if the Twins were in this World Series I might be rooting for them ... although Minnesota is winning the 2019 NBA title anyway.
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pantagrapher
Footballguy
Schwarber DH'ing today, joining Cubs in Cleveland tomorrow. Doesn't mean he's making the roster, but this entire development has been super exciting.
Bobcat10
Footballguy
You forgot about St. Louis.
I think your hypothetical is closer to the middle. Maybe even now too.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
Fangraphs: Does Cleveland even need Danny Salazar? IMO, yes from a morale standpoint. As a pitcher, I'm confident that Tito can find a place for him if he's good to go.
I think it was Bastian who quoted him as saying to the effect that he felt like he usually does after pitching after his 2 sim innings yesterday.
I think it was Bastian who quoted him as saying to the effect that he felt like he usually does after pitching after his 2 sim innings yesterday.
Zegras11
Footballguy
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
No way do you set this guy up for having to saddle any kind of blame for Cubs post season failure. Cubs lose the game that he throws out the first pitch of, end up losing the series? I don't even what to think about the mouth-breathing droolers reforming their lynch mob. Especially in this day and age of social media.
They win it, then you ask him to throw out the first pitch opening day 2017.
PlasmaDogPlasma
Footballguy
I was thinking, "But the Twins just won in '91". Then I remembered that's 25 years ago and I'm old.
Anyone remember Joe Niekro throwing the emery board out of his pocket in '87?
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
pantagrapher
Footballguy
ChiefD
Footballguy
That and he would throw out the first pitch and they would promptly get swept.
But then again, that would be one great story.
(except for Bartman of course)
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
He was Saturday night and Sunday.
Look up his name on facebook now
Steve Bartman
Popular search - 82,536 people talking about this.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Like I said, people outside Chicago still seem to find this interesting, for some reason.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Stop trying to make Bartman happen. It's 2016.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
bshell27
Footballguy
Maddon and the players don't focus on these things. They could care less. If #### goes wrong, it is not the curse's fault. They stopped hitting for two games. What happened after that? It happened when they didn't want, but guess what? This team did not let it affect their performance. That is the difference.Totally. You guys got this.
did the 2003 cubs let it happen I wonder?
or does it happen whether you want it to or not?
Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
oops, guess I forgot that, assuming I ever knew. still looks fake, but I guess I'll have to allow it.Bruce Dickinson said:
bshell27
Footballguy
Exciting, but I don't see how they make this move. Play with the team that got you there. I am probably 100% wrong in my opinion. He was 0-3 with a walk Saturday.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
I agree. Mostly I want it for Schwarber, not the team. Cubs already have offensive depth. The marginal improvement of putting in a guy who's been rehabbing all season is questionable, especially since you'd probably be removing a relief pitcher from the roster.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
I've been a Cardinals fan for almost 40 years. I'll be rooting for the Indians, even after seeing how emotional Bill Murray got over getting to see the Cubs play in the Series in his lifetime.
Also, Cubs payroll is $186MM versus Cleveland's $114MM. I'll roll with the underdog.
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
I agree with you, so we're probably both 100% wrong. But the way I see it if they use him at DH they effectively lose a roster spot for the middle three games of the series, which are played consecutively and thus the ones most likely to require use of the whole team. Is that worth it for what is, at best, a very small upgrade to the starting lineup for Games 1,2, 6 and 7? And it's not even clear to me that it's an upgrade- Contreras' 2016 numbers are basically identical to Schwarber's 2015 numbers and he'd be the DH for the first two games with the starters going with their preferred catchers.
bshell27
Footballguy
He can be in the dugout like he has been all year. The Cubs have done a great job making sure he is part of the team. No need to risk re-injury or take away a spot from someone who has been there all year.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Three WNBA titles in the last five years, too.
And yes, I do remember the Niekro emery board incident! Love the look on one of the umps as he spotted the board and tracked its flight. Didn't turn into a sideshow or anything, but it was clear his head and eye were locked in on it, with a look of, "that seems suspicious".
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Probably safe to doubt she had an Ernie Banks poster in her childhood bedroom.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
I like how bshell.... you know, the guy with the Bartman avatar, liked this post.
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bshell27
Footballguy
I have never moved on from '03. Even if they win this year, that will be one year I'll never forget.
dino259
Footballguy
Yeah the cubs outshine everything else in regards to drought, however today's age of social media has enough pull that people are cheering against all the cubs fans.
Village Idiot
Pokerguy
And the old system was alternating years for home field which isn't any better.
If you go by record how do you judge schedules if the won loss records are close?
Use head to head?
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Village Idiot
Pokerguy
And what I explained poorly was if the records were close but the team with more wins had a far easier regular season schedule that would seem like a bad method also.
The best way would be head to head record.
I also looked at SB% against pitchers and the ranking for Cubs starters worst to best is Arrieta 84%, Lackey 81%, Lester 75%, Hendricks 71%.
Indians are Bauer 67%, Kluber 57%, Tomlin 50%, Salazar 50%.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
TobiasFunke
Footballguy
Other sports leagues use schedule and disregard the fact that schedules aren't balanced. For example in the NBA a 62 win Eastern Conference team would have home court over a 61 win Western Conference team even though the West team was likely the better regular season team after adjusting for SOS. And baseball does it in the AL and NL playoffs, too. Indians certainly didn't deserve home field in the ALDS over the Red Sox based on regular season record + SOS, but they got it.
This is one of those "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" situations. Even if the wrong team gets home field 10% or even 20% of the time based on record because it doesn't adjust for SOS, that's still way better than alternating or using the ASG, which give the wrong team home field 50% of the time.
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Long Ball Larry
Footballguy
B Maverick
Footballguy
Congrats to the Cubs, they woke up and took it to LA. I am happy for both them and the Indians and am looking for a good series. Someone gets to rid themselves of a ghost or 3.
Despite not being a great solution, alternating home field every year is by far the better way to go then the All Star Game winner getting it. But W-L record should still be the decider. And no a wild card team should not have home field unless its over another wild card team. Win your division.
Despite not being a great solution, alternating home field every year is by far the better way to go then the All Star Game winner getting it. But W-L record should still be the decider. And no a wild card team should not have home field unless its over another wild card team. Win your division.
chet
Footballguy
Personally, I think the team with the best regular season record should have home field advantage but if not, here's an idea: give home field advantage to the league with the superior inter-league record. All star game could be a tie breaker.Congrats to the Cubs, they woke up and took it to LA. I am happy for both them and the Indians and am looking for a good series. Someone gets to rid themselves of a ghost or 3.
Despite not being a great solution, alternating home field every year is by far the better way to go then the All Star Game winner getting it. But W-L record should still be the decider. And no a wild card team should not have home field unless its over another wild card team. Win your division.
B Maverick
Footballguy
Not a bad option. I could get behind that.
ASG should have no bearing on anything, its an exhibition game and should remain that way. I still dont understand the outrage at one ending in a tie.
Limp Ditka
Footballguy
I just had a friend on my facebook feed express shock that Dexter Fowler will be the first black player to play in the World Series for the Cubs.
B Maverick
Footballguy
At first glance that is pretty shocking. Then you remember...... 108 yearsI just had a friend on my facebook feed express shock that Dexter Fowler will be the first black player to play in the World Series for the Cubs.
(have then been in the series since?)
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