There’s been a huge question on the minds of every Cubs fan since the season ended, and I’m finally going to answer it once and for all:
Is Jeff Brohm going home to coach Louisville?
There are compelling reasons for him to stay and go. I’m here to break it down for us all.
Location
Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana (full disclosure: I am an alum of Purdue University, so I am not unbiased here). Purdue’s best asset is that it’s close to I-65, so it’s easy to leave. The Wabash River is nice if you enjoy smelly, disgusting water; we planted the wrong trees, so in fall the entire campus reeks of gingko, and the waste treatment plant provides a “pleasant” odor the other 9 months of the year. Seriously, West Lafayette is a secretly smelly campus. As far as night life, there’s a few bars and a movie theater. That’s about it. You can find fun, but you have to look. The campus itself is quickly becoming more and more beautiful; people’s opinion that Purdue is ugly was true 15 years ago but isn’t true anymore. It’s a nice campus.
The University of Louisville is in a highly underrated city. Louisville is pretty awesome; there’s a ton of bourbon, fourth street live! is a fun little place, and instead of a dirty river, you get a nice one. Jeff Brohm agrees – he lives in Louisville in the offseason. One of my closest friends lives in Louisville and had this to say: “A city most known for horse-racing and bourbon, Louisville has many of the advantages and amenities of a large city without the accompanying headaches; and perhaps due to its long-time lack of professional sports franchises, it is one of the largest college sports markets in the country, home to rabid fans and a bitter rivalry.”
Advantage – Louisville
Football Pedigree
Purdue was a horribLe program when DarreLL HazeLL was reLieved of his duties. Brohm took a team full of middle-MAC talent and won 7 games in his first year (including a bowl win) and won 6 games (pre-bowl) in his second year, including a 49-20 beatdown of Ohio State. This is a fancy way of saying that it doesn’t matter a single bit how good a program was before Brohm got here. He can take a 2-10 Louisville team to ACC championship contention just as easy as he can take Purdue to B1G championship contention.
Almost. Purdue is situated in a slightly better place, in the lesser of the two B1G divisions. Wisconsin (and Northwestern, to some extent) are the only real obstacles to winning the B1G West every year until something changes, and Wisconsin (in my opinion) is on the beginning of a slide into irrelevancy. The division is anyone’s for the taking. Meanwhile, Clemson is in Louisville’s division, as is Florida State. It’s going to be hard to consistently win that division.
Somewhat paradoxically, I think Brohm would have an easier time recruiting at Purdue than at Louisville. The reason: Brohm already recruits Kentucky well. He was able to get Rondale Moore to decommit from Texas to go to a team that plays in West Lafayette. He nabbed Milton Wright from many bigger and better teams that were on him heavily. Would he have landed Wandale Robinson if he was in Louisville instead of Purdue? Maybe, but not certainly. Purdue is in play for a lot of the talent in Kentucky, and figures to be for some time. Brohm is able to recruit in ACC territory from a B1G location (and recruit from that position of strength). Neither Indiana nor Kentucky is a football factory, so I’d default to Indiana being a better territory than Kentucky, recruiting-wise.
Advantage (slight) – Purdue
Expectations
Purdue would literally be happy with going 8-4 every year. We had a coach named Joe Tiller who coached for 12 years, never won 10 games in a season, and we built the man a statue. There are people who already want to build Jeff Brohm (13-12 in his Purdue career) one. The expectations literally could not be lower for a non-doormat Power 5 team.
Louisville ALREADY fired Jeff Brohm once, back when he was the offensive coordinator (in a move that was panned at the time – nobody remains from that decision in Louisville). Brohm is the favorite son of Louisville football, but that only matters right now and the season after he’s hired (if he’s hired). Just think about Tennessee football – it’s a program that was good like 20 years ago where everybody expects to win 11 games a year, and they riot when that never happens. Expectations at Louisville will be very high for Brohm – while I’m confident he could meet them, there is no doubt that he’d have a lot more pressure on his shoulders.
Advantage – Purdue
Facilities
Purdue just finished a huge renovation to their football facilities (their home facilities – Michigan will tell you the away facilities still suck). It’s one of the better facilities in the Big Ten. That said, Louisville is about to finish their own renovation, and their stadium itself is unquestionably better than Ross-Ade Stadium (one of the worst football stadiums in the Power 5 conferences). Purdue has an advantage here against many peer teams, but Louisville isn’t one of them.
Advantage – Louisville
Intangibles
Purdue loves Jeff Brohm. It’s hard to imagine a campus and a program more fully embracing somebody than Purdue has with him. It was a slam dunk hire from the minute he was announced. He’s the prototypical Purdue guy – quiet strength, no frills, principled, flashy offense (Purdue literally reinvented college football in the 90s with Drew Brees and basketball on turf). There’s no doubt that Purdue is a statue job if Jeff Brohm wants it.
Unfortunately, you can say the exact same about Louisville AND add the fact that it is home. He still lives there. His family went there, including his dad. He flies there all the time, which is a nice way of saying he’d rather just live there all the time. His heart is in Louisville, and that’s a powerful thing.
Advantage – Louisville
The National Football League
Jeff Brohm is an extremely competitive guy. The dude wouldn’t quit the NFL, even when the NFL wanted to quit him. He played for a half-dozen teams even though he barely started. He tried hanging on to the point where he played in the XFL! What I’m trying to say is that Jeff Brohm will seriously think about coaching in the NFL if those teams come calling (and they will come calling, believe you me).
He can more easily jump to the NFL from Purdue, and I’ll tell you why.
If Brohm leaves for Louisville, he has to stay for at least 4 years before he leaves unless he wants to be unwelcome there the rest of his life. Louisville will be his job whenever he wants it, if he ever wants it and it’s close to open. Meanwhile, he can feel like he accomplished something at Purdue in another year or two and leave with no hard feelings. Not a single soul will begrudge him if he leaves Purdue for Cleveland, while nearly everyone in Louisville will. When you happen to live in Louisville, that has to mean something.
Advantage – Purdue
Three Most Famous Alumni
Purdue – Neil Armstrong, Amelia Earhart, Drew Brees (we own the skies)
Louisville – Mitch McConnell, Gina Haspel, uhhh, Jeff Brohm (we’re screwed, aren’t we)
Advantage – Jeff Brohm attended the goddamn University Of Louisville
Conclusion
This is a tough decision. Brohm likes it here. We like him here. That said, the heart wants what the heart wants. It’s not coming down to money – I don’t think either team is going to lose this battle over money, they’ll both pay him up to top-10 in the country – so it’s really just a matter if Brohm thinks it’s time to come home (and if really DOES want to come home). I think he does, and I’ll hate to see him go.
Comments
I feel like you left out David Akers and Jay Gruden as part of a bit…
RynoQuote Reply
It could go either way.
JKVQuote Reply
Go Hoosiers
sharpchicityQuote Reply
You forgot a section:
RynoQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
(dying laughing), Myles
berseliusQuote Reply
Hey now, lucking into one season of a decent quarterback in 20 years and running the ball 50 times a game is the wave of the future, the rest of the football world just hasn’t caught up yet. Wake up, sheeple.
berseliusQuote Reply
I think that’s probably OK if your RBs are Melvin Gordon, James White and Corey Clement.
RynoQuote Reply
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/elegy-for-18-chicago-cubs/
berseliusQuote Reply
Not so much if they are John Clay, Montee Ball, PJ Hill, etc.
Seeing White basically turn into a slot receiver for NE has been pretty bizarre.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
It shouldn’t be. NE has been turning whites into slot receivers for years.
RynoQuote Reply
Mack Brown ——–> UNC
berseliusQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
mylesQuote Reply
#jairealexanderisgood
RynoQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
Feel like I did that backward.
NE has been turning whites into slot receivers for years.
RynoQuote Reply
Brohm is meeting with U of L right now. My butt is clenched.
mylesQuote Reply
Did it for you.
mylesQuote Reply
He’s a fuckin’ liar.
RynoQuote Reply
Jesse Chavez was never my friend.
mylesQuote Reply
Maybe the Cubs saw some red flags on Chavez that weren’t obvious from the results or my eyes, but it’s troubling that Theo’s season ending mantra of “everyone should be pissed off with how that ended; do better, fuckfaces” doesn’t seem to have translated into “make sure the roster is constructed to dominate the NL.”
Chavez didn’t get a whole lot of money from the Rangers. And he was really good for the Cubs down the stretch. Seems like a guy they’d want to retain.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
According to Jesse Rogers, the 2nd year is what got it done with Chavez. Maybe Theo wasn’t in the mood to overpay to get Chavez to take one year, nor was he all that excited to risk getting Duensing-ed again.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Probably fair for a 35 year old reliever. Duensing was a disaster in 2018.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
Yeah, when a pitcher doesn’t have youth on their side, and they are a non-elite reliever to begin with, I can understand the reticence to sign them longer than a season. Which is why I was a somewhat baffled by the Duensing re-up last year. Cubs already caught lightning in the bottle once for practically nothing. Why take on the additional risk considering the overall track record? Maybe this is Theo learning that lesson.
At the same time, it would be nice to see the Cubs do something that belies the narrative that they’re broke and in chaos. Refusing to sign an affordable reliever who wanted to stay to a non-onerous contract doesn’t help.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Is it weird the Cubs have done almost nothing so far? It’s weird, right?
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I don’t think it’s all that weird, but some of the things that they have done don’t give me a lot of hope that this team intends to do much (or more likely that they don’t have the money to do it).
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Well, they have the money to do it, but it looks like they want to keep that money and not do it.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
which voting button is appropriate for “i agree with the accuracy of this statement but do not approve of its content”
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
This one:
BVSQuote Reply
Ronald Torreyes -> Cubs
PTBNL or cash -> Yankees
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
PerkinsQuote Reply
Wasn’t Torreyes DFA’d by the Yankees? Why not take a chance and see if he clears waivers? It’s not like a big deal if some other team claims him.
dmick89Quote Reply
I hear Torreyes has elite spin rate on his throws to first, not to mention a scorching 23% hard-hit rate. A player like that comes around, you don’t wait, you overpay.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Perkins,
(dying laughing)
berseliusQuote Reply
Tony Clark ——–> MLBPA leader through 2022
*hacks site to give this 1000 thumbs down*
berseliusQuote Reply
Jeff Brohm -> Still Purdue
Boiler -> The Fuck Up
MylesQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
Myles,
Don’t tell me what to do
berseliusQuote Reply
https://www.cubsinsider.com/2018/11/28/already-longshots-for-harper-cubs-might-even-avoid-next-tier-of-free-agents-with-eye-on-2020/
yay
RynoQuote Reply
Of course they are.
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
It still pisses me off that the Cubs spent so much money on a horrible pitcher and then they acted surprised when they got horrible results. The results were predictable because Chatwood fucking sucks. If the Cubs hadn’t won the World Series in 2016 I’d have started a campaign to fire the entire front office after that move. Since they did win the WS in 2016, I figure I should give them at least one stupid mistake. That was it. Unfortunately, I still see no signs this front office knows how to dig themselves out of the hole they dug despite having a number of very talented players playing for little money.
I’d have played for the Cubs for league minimum and been as productive as Chatwood. It boggles my mind that the Cubs gave a replacement level pitcher a multi-year deal and one that paid him nicely.
dmick89Quote Reply
Ryno,
Yeah, they have money to spend and talent to trade unlike the Cubs. I expect the Brewers will have a huge advantage over the Cubs once the offseason is over. I also expect the Cardinals to be in a better position than the Cubs (they might already be there).
dmick89Quote Reply
Guess the Mike Freeman experiment is over.
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
The Chatwood contract essentially necessitated the Hammels contract, which means signing Tyler cost the Cubs $33 million in 2019. Now, if the Cubs have a rotation of Lester, Hendricks, Quintana, Darvish Hammels that turns out to be as good as that list of names looks, a mediocre offense with no splashy free-agent signings and just a not-dead-yet Rizzo, a mean-defying Javy, and a two-shouldered Kris Bryant could still be enough to dominate. But if a bunch of normal, predictable shit happens, next year will really suck.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Which is to say that if spending $33 million on Tyler Chatwood and his replacement in the rotation stops the Cubs from signing anyone meaningful, it could still work out for one more year if everything miraculously goes well. It won’t, but it could.
andcountingQuote Reply
Too late.
MylesQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
andcounting,
Yeah, it’s not the kind of money that prohibits you from getting better, but as you mentioned, it pretty much required the Cubs go out and trade for Hamels last year. It also required they keep Hamels around so it cost the Cubs even more than Chatwood was being paid in money and in players given up for Hamels. Signing Chatwood was one of the dumbest deals I remember the Cubs giving out when it happened and it somehow turned out even worse than I imagined. If the Cubs aren’t able to trade Chatwood you have to wonder at what point will he be DFA’d next season. My guess is they get something for nothing this offseason, but I think there’s also a decent chance they just end up DFA’ing him by June or July. He and Russell both because who the fuck is going to trade for Russell?
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I guess no one thinks the Chatwood for Cozart trade would work. Exact same money and contract length. Cubs could throw in Russell and $5M to make San Diego (Anaheim? Can’t remember who has Cozart at moment) bite. Maybe a low level RP comes back too.
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
Seattle. They’ve never seen a trade they are afraid to make. Detroit–no one will be watching them next year, since everyone will still be celebrating legal weed. Marlins–ditto, except the weed. Reds–Marge Schott says so what, posthumously. Twins –part of the treatment for Florida-boy Russell will be hours of ice fishing without an ice house.
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
Is it Brohm as in comb, or Brohm as in doom?
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
dmick89,
I do think they will give Chatwood a few months to try to right the ship or find the strike zone or whatever. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow about Russell, but my hunch is that they will keep him. He’s a rotten trade chip, absolutely, but if he actually takes this opportunity to own up to His problems, he still has a chance to be a decent human being, and once he starts down that road, we can worry about whether he can be a decent shortstop. I think Theo will approach it that way, altruistically or not.
andcountingQuote Reply
What if the Cubs don’t make any significant moves this offseason?
Once again Alvin makes brilliant use of a subhead:
And then this confusing graf:
RynoQuote Reply
I’d be very surprised if the Cubs didn’t tender him a contract for next season. They almost have to even if they have any interest in trading him. They can then decide what to do the rest of the offseason, but yeah, my guess is they keep him around.
dmick89Quote Reply
That’s something Trump would say. It’s completely stupid and makes no sense.
dmick89Quote Reply
Hasta La Stella, Tommy.
andcountingQuote Reply
Jesse Rogers———————> Anaheim.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
That is if he didn’t commit suicide when he heard La Stella went to be with the angels.
andcountingQuote Reply
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Elite Spinner.
JKVQuote Reply
I guess this is my last chance ever to post this.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
And, for good measure,
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Interleague play against the Cubs?
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
BVS at lunch,
It just won’t be the same.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
I just made up that tweet as an example of what I don’t expect to see at any point this offseason.
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
Damnit Ryno, for a minute you’d turned around a pretty lousy day.
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
BVS at lunch,
I first saw it and knew it was bullshit because the Cubs don’t have any prospects. Also, I doubt Javy would even be enough to get that deal done.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Yes, but you and I subscribe to different schools of optimism. (dying laughing)
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
dmick89,
If it had been a trade for Robinson Cano I would’ve believed it.
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
That’s why I don’t expect to see any tweets like the example I made up.
RynoQuote Reply
andcounting,
RynoQuote Reply
Addison Russell ————-> therapy
Decent statement from the Cubs and Russell.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Or Mike Hampton
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
andcounting,
Yes. More to the statement than I expected to see, based on my foray into the dmick school of optimism.
BVS at lunchQuote Reply
BVS at lunch,
(dying laughing) or even normal optimism. I don’t recall a comparable example of both player and team so thoroughly acknowledging dual responsibility of the player’s actions and reform and toward victim, victims in general, and society at large. I know its sincerity could be dubious, but I’m glad to see it, especially in the case of a player who kinda sucks right now and could be easily dismissed with faux piety instead.
andcountingQuote Reply
Sounds like Billy Hamilton is getting non-tendered. Now’s the Cubs’ chance to pick him up so he doesn’t have a chance to kill them anymore.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Fuck the Cubs.
Seriously, if you’d been told two years ago that this team would spend the 2018 offseason serving up slice after piping hot slice of fuck pie, would you have believed it? I might have in December of 2013, but the pace at which this club is regressing back to Tribune Co. territory is stunning.
Fuck the Rickettses. This isn’t even about the luxury tax. It’s just about colluding to not pay players as a matter of general principle.
mobile daveQuote Reply
Seriously, fuck these clowns. They can go do the splits on a running chainsaw.
mobile daveQuote Reply
mobile dave,
My Dad asked me about a week ago if I’d read The Cubs Way (Verducci maybe?). I think he was wondering if it’s a book I might be interested in for Christmas. I told him I was waiting for the sequel about how quickly the Cubs were run into the ground after winning it all.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
It’s the Cubs Way, after all.
mobile daveQuote Reply
I really do find it troubling how quickly this organization has started to turn to shit. I know it’s easy to say we still have 2016, but 2016 was two years ago.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Is this the longest World’s Series drought ever? It sure feels like it.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Let’s be honest here. It wasn’t all that enjoyable when they won it either.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Ok, at this point I have no idea who’s kidding.
andcountingQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I mean, I get it. It’s been a good run. It’s just shitty that this club has had the chance to shove its boot up the ass of the National League and chosen to just let its window gently close.
They should be the 90s/00s Yankees, not…this. They have the resources and a core still largely near-ish it’s prime.
mobile daveQuote Reply
mobile dave,
This. I don’t mean to complain about the recent stretch the Cubs have been on. It just irritates me that this team can’t be expected to dominate their division year in and year out. It shouldn’t be that hard. In the division the Cubs are in, the Cubs have a huge financial advantage.
It remains to be seen what exactly happens of this stretch. I’ll admit that I’m more pessimistic that I probably should be considering they won 95 games and did so with multiple injuries and even when KB was healthy he wasn’t the same. A hit here or there early in the season or in the final couple months and the Cubs win the division. Maybe the outlook is a little brighter. Maybe the front office or ownership is willing to invest a little more money in the offseason. Then again, if we’re going to play that game I’m sure a healthy Nelson for the Brewers helps even it back up and I’m sure there’s a stretch where we could play the “a hit here or there” game for them.
I should maybe give the Cubs a chance in 2019 to see how it goes, but there’s no denying that the awesome core talent that we thought we had in 2015 is a lot less impressive than we initially thought. That sucks because the Cubs have next to nothing coming up in the minors.
dmick89Quote Reply
Me neither. I think maybe Dave had a little too much eggnog at the company Christmas party where the boss once again took credit for his staff’s work while throwing them under the bus. Either that or he’s really pissed there wasn’t more fallout from Duncan Hunter’s wife’s office design choices.
Anyway in the spirit of all things Purdue on this thread, Mitch Daniels, the PU Pres, has an op ed about some universities dumping ACT/SAT. He even uses the phrase “participation trophies” so you know he has my attention. (dying laughing)
BVSQuote Reply
I don’t think this is true at all. Nor do I think we had any right to expect the team to be more successful than they have been the last three years.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
I’m not talking about the last three years. Well, maybe 2018, but it’s obvious the Cubs have had a great stretch. That’s not my concern. Maybe you’re more optimistic about this team than I am, but I think this team’s run is nearly over (or already over) and then they’re left with huge contracts for aging players.
As for this core, I’m curious why you disagree with my statement? Cubs fans were going apeshit crazy about how good all these young players were going to do. Russell has been a huge disappointment to say the least. Schwarber has been a disappointment and so have Happ and Almora Jr. That leaves Bryant, Rizzo and Baez (who most people didn’t even talk about in large part because he was a Hendry pick). That’s a solid core, especially if Baez can come anywhere close to repeating his 2018 season, which I think it unlikely. Solid is far from spectacular and Cubs fans expected a spectacular core. That didn’t work out and it’s disappointing for a number of reasons.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I think the biggest question mark between optimism and pessimism is Kris Bryant.
If he is the player he was in April 2018, the solid 3rd-tier players like Happ/Schwarber/Almora go from disappointing to dependable. If he disintegrates into nothingness, the rest of the core looks like frivolous shit. Seriously, you could be talking about a 6-win difference just from one player. If Kris Bryant had avoided that injury and extended his MVP-caliber pace, along with the year Baez had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We’d probably be celebrating another World Series. We spend so much time in disbelief over what a haphazard ragtag offense did without Bryant, we fail to really imagine what the Cubs would have accomplished with him healthy.
We don’t know how KB is going to be in the future, but we know what his trajectory looked like before the injury. It was insane. Any vision of what the next few years would look like for the Cubs centered around Kris Bryant being healthy and super productive. True, we also pictured possibly adding Machado or Harper, along with not having Chatwood, so it’s natural to blame the front office for creating the current scenario in which none of that looks possible. But Bryant’s injury and subsequent absence from our confident vision of the Cubs’ future is not their fault, and anyone’s optimism about a Cubs dynasty would be diminished without Bryant.
So I’m not super negative about the team’s efforts to dominate, though I am skeptical about how this team will look over the next couple of years. The real KB would change that, for sure. Any surprise action by the front office wouldn’t hurt, obviously.
andcountingQuote Reply
I guess my expectations on these guys were more modest. Almora never hit much in the minors and I think Happ has performed in line with expectations. Schwarber is a good hitter, but I was never expecting him to be David Ortiz. I’ll admit that Russell has fallen off since his strong 2016 campaign, but Baez has gone in the other direction.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I’m more disappointed in how the entire pitching rotation lost 1-2 mph in their fastball in 2017, and Quintana’s performance and velocity fell off last year, while Darvish coudn’t stay healthy (nothing new, but still disappointing). I’m really more concerned about the pitching staff than I am disappointed in the young core of position players.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I’m also disappointed in Heyward, of course, but he wasn’t part of the 2015 young core.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
I’m not sure I do either. (dying laughing)
I will say that on a pure enjoyment level, 2015 was the most fun I had watching this team, especially the second half.
First 6 weeks of 2016 were pretty fun too. And maybe the last out of 2016. That was a good time, I think.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I’m hoping Hickey was somehow to blame for all of that. But then, I am admittedly a sucker for the notion that firing one person can somehow fix everything.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Folks are indeed lining up around the block to piss on my Wheaties these days, but I’m legit angry that the Cubs aren’t players this offseason. That comes on the heels of watching last season, where the Red Sox were seemingly the only team that chose not to participate in collusion and they hung another banner. It does not help at all that I have multiple Red Sox fans in my life and they are more reliably Professional Assholes than any other group of people I know, of course.
There’s a generational talent on the market who ostensibly wants to play for this team. You don’t see that very often, so take a fucking shot and worry about the rest later.
I can’t even look at eggnog, by the way. Years ago, I was on a bus coming home from work on a warm summer day, and this rather interesting gent steps on, you know, the type of guy where all of the square, decent commuters start wondering how their days are going to get fucked up this time. It’s nasty, humid, and everyone is dressed for work, so it already smells like a locker room in there.
What did the guy do to fuck up everyone’s day? He reached in his CVS bag, produced a quart of eggnog, and started chugging right from the carton. Whole bus smells like eggnog and ass combined, it was just rancid. I don’t know where the fuck one gets eggnog in the middle of August (CVS, I guess), but this guy somehow pulled it off.
I can’t even think about drinking it to this day, and that was like 20 years ago.
uncle daveQuote Reply
Big, if true.
I can’t help but wonder if money isn’t an issue, and Ricketts is simply looking at Theo’s track record with expensive free agent signings and thinking maybe this is the one thing this guy isn’t good at.
As Prince Akeem once said to Semmi in a tale of yore, “If you have no more money, you can cause no more mischief.”
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
I think some of us didn’t think much of Almora and Happ’s estimates varied between fans (I was pretty high on him, but I don’t base what I’ve said on that). I don’t think we need to look any further than what Theo Epstein said after the season. I don’t remember the exact quote, but it was something along the lines of it being time for these young players to produce or they’ll figure something out. Clearly the front office is disappointed in what they’ve gotten from their core. Disappointed enough that there was actually a rumor the team will consider trade offers for Kris Bryant. I think that’s mostly nonsense. Why wouldn’t they entertain offers? I assume they’d entertain offers on any player since it’s the smart move. The Cubs spent in a way that expected their young core to produce at a much higher level than they have. And that is where I think we are. Theo said it’s time for the young players to produce or they’d figure something out. In other words, they aren’t adding to this roster if the young core can’t produce more than they have. It’s not a completely unreasonable line of thought, but I’m not sure what making threats will accomplish.
Yes, I agree that the decline in the pitching is quite troubling, but I also think some of that is due to the defense falling back to earth.
dmick89Quote Reply
Exactly. This organization has the money. If you go after Harper and Harper gets injured on day one and never plays again at least you tried. I’d much rather see this team try every single year to compete for a championship than sit back and hope for the best, which is what I think they’re basically doing. That’s what the Tribune did.
dmick89Quote Reply
I also understand that a fairly solid argument could be made that the Cubs are already in a position to reach the playoffs as they currently are. On paper they’re probably the best team in the division, but not by much and my guess is that the Brewers pass the Cubs this offseason.
I don’t know shit about the NBA, but Golden State was in a position to reach not just the playoffs, but were an almost certainty to reach the finals. What did they do? They went out and signed Kevin Durant and
entered last year (and this)have had basically a 50% chance of winning it all each of the last three seasons. IMO, that’s how you run a sports team. I know people love to hate Golden State and I couldn’t care less how they do, but I’ll always have respect for them and any other organization that goes for it. The Yankees didn’t sit back and hope for the best in the 90s/00s. They went out year after year and went for it. I know it’s a little different today with luxury tax and the draft, but that’s how you do it. You try to put as much distance between you and the next best team so that you can weather almost anything. The Cubs didn’t do that last season and they didn’t win the division. I won’t be the least bit surprised if they end up taking the same approach and fail to even finish in 2nd place in the NL Central.dmick89Quote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Also, it was nice of the packers to do the browns a solid by letting them get a head start on their next HC.
berseliusQuote Reply
DRC+ came out today by baseball prospectus. A new hitting statistic. It hated Javier Baez last year relative to other stats (115, 100 is average, 74th among qualified last season)
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
I don’t know what’s in the stat, but more important than how he performed last year is how he’ll perform going forward. Last year didn’t move my expectations all that much. If anything, his increased swing rate is even more troubling.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
yeah, the pitching version of that metric is extremely backwards-focused. control for everything and apportion credit. haven’t read anything about this one, but it’s likely the same
GWQuote Reply
Kris Bryant: .272/.374/.460/109
Kyle Schwarber: .238/.356/.467/118
Color me skeptical.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
So Brohm is staying. Congrats Myles.
BVSQuote Reply
How could that happen? I could see an argument that they were about equal, but even that argument would be tough to accept.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
The underlying stat line doesn’t seem to add up to the difference in DRC+. KB has higher OPS but lower DRC+?
BVSQuote Reply
Is Addison Russell technically on the restricted list to start 2019? He doesn’t count against the Cubs’ 25 man roster, right?
PerkinsQuote Reply
Ohio State –> rural
RynoQuote Reply
Well, OPS isn’t a great stat either. If Schwarber had a much higher OBP and a slightly lower slugging I could see him having had a better offensive season. OBP is more valuable than SLG. I think it’s about 1.7 times more valuable.
dmick89Quote Reply
Ryno,
No surprise. He’s been having health problems all year and when his wife is quoted in the paper expressing her concern about the tumor in his head, then the writing is on the wall. His assistant coach’s harassment issues also make it a good time to bow out and let the program retool with Day. I’d be happy if the Bucks wouldn’t regress to “prevent” mode as soon as they are 14 points up. More games like Michigan, please. Less like Nebraska.
BVSQuote Reply
dmick89,
I agree. Even KB’s OBP is projected as greater than Kyle….
That 1.7 value escalator is big, if true.
BVSQuote Reply
That’s about what it is.
dmick89Quote Reply
I’m honestly surprised that BP hasn’t just added wOBA to their offensive stats. I’m sure a slightly better stat could be developed, but it would be so complicated that few people would ever use it. wOBA isn’t easy, but it’s easy to explain.
dmick89Quote Reply
We already have the best stat available: record in games which you played. We don’t give championships for GWARP, gentlemen. Next is games played, because I need gamers. Maybe you could compare the dirtiness of jerseys if you’re looking for the frontier of the sport or something.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
You forgot about CERA and finger-taping.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
You’ve been paying attention.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
One might say I read every word.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Patrick Corbin ——————> Natinals
Contract details: Corbin will assume the role of “pitcher” for the Washington Nationals baseball club for years and will receive compensation in the form of U.S. currency.
This move will likely eliminate Washington from any Bryce Harper pursuit. I would care more if the Cubs hadn’t already bumblefucked (probably) their way out of the same pursuit.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
The Cubs were in the bidding, but could only offer bitcoin.
dmick89Quote Reply
Tomorrow we’ll discover that they made a mistake and signed the corpse of Barry Corbin instead.
berseliusQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
What’s the exchange rate of Schrute Bucks to Stanley Nickels?
PerkinsQuote Reply
Perkins,
The same as the over/under on whether or not Corbin would’ve signed with CHC.
RynoQuote Reply
“I like to trade my Schrute Bucks for ‘big, if true’ Stanley Nickels, please.”
MylesQuote Reply
Can somebody explain to me why the Cubs are being talked about not having the money to sign Harper or Machado? Is it because of the luxury tax? Why is a team, that is in the business of winning baseball games, reluctant to add more payroll to stay under the luxury tax? What is the highest luxury tax they could be penalized? If they are over the tax by $100 mil, that’s a $30 million tax right? But they wouldn’t be close to $100mil over if they signed both Harper and Machado so what gives? I have to imagine the Cubs made a lot of fucking money winning that 2016 WS. Why does it seem like the Cubs are being cheap? Is it because they are or because I’m just looking into this wrong?
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
no they’re definitely being cheap, but i think the real question is, why?
i suspect they were anticipating a major payday from a new tv deal and have recently been forced to consider “wait what if that doesn’t happen”
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Myles,
gimme five bees for a quarter
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
This is the only way any of this Cubs-suddenly-poor stuff will make sense to me. A lot of future spending was riding on getting the long-hyped massive TV deal, and it could be it’s now looking like it will be well short of what was previously expected. Shit happens. Markets change. That’s the breaks.
But even then, sure seems like this team should be able to find a way to stretch for Harper or Machado. They need one of those guys pretty badly. It’s not often you get a chance to get one with a good chunk of their prime years left for just money.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
On the slightest bright side, I have noticed a slight uptick in “Cubes playing possum?” pieces from the media. If this is all a big head fake, it’s not only a helluva head fake, it seems an unnecessary one, given that (to continue my awesome basketball analogy) the Cubs basically had an open lane to the basket and nobody around them.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
Would this sort of strategy work? This sort of thing comes up every once in awhile (probably back when the Cubs were cheap year in and year out). I guess I don’t see how it would work. I think you’ve got a better shot of faking everyone out by sending out messages that you’re going to blow away any offer the player gets from another team.
dmick89Quote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
If the Cubs can’t actually afford to add Harper or Machado then it’s piss poor management. There’s no nice way to say it. Fortunately that’s not actually true and they’ve just decided they don’t want to spend money.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Agreed. The Cubs, along with the rest of MLB, knew Machado and Harper would be potential free agents this year. If they needed to get creative with payroll and what not, then signing Chatwood was a really big head scratcher in my opinion. I struggle to understand how this team can’t afford either of them. If this team wants to compete for a WS every year, they don’t have the roster to do it and they certainly don’t have the farm system to replenish. I don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty satisfied they won in 16 but now I feel like they should be setting up a run for multiple titles and it seems like they are going in the wrong direction. They are certainly still a good to great team but I don’t see them beating any of the powerhouses in the AL.
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
If they don’t spend to upgrade, I bet they plan to wait and see (prove me wrong) that they can contend as is. If they don’t, they should consider another fire sale.
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
I agree and think it’s kind of sad the Cubs might be thinking that way. Like someone else said earlier, take a chance.
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker,
Obviously they can spend the money. The molecular composition of the Ricketts family is something like 99.99999999% money, the remaining .00000001% is some combination of humanity and bovine asshole, no time to discuss that ratio. They could add Harper and Machado without affecting those numbers. And the TV deal? It’s pretty interesting to think about how lucrative that could be since the broadcast/streaming industry is in serious flux right now. If the rest of MLB would allow them to stream Cubs games outside the MLB.tv service, particularly within their geographic market, that deal could be even more lucrative than previously thought—certainly not less.
So, yeah, the question of what the Cubs can afford is not in doubt. They can afford all the players. What they decide to afford and how much of a player they decide to be in free agency is very much in question. We just don’t know, and every piece of evidence we think we have could be misdirection. All our discussion and all media reporting on it is as close to pure conjecture as you can get.
At this moment I feel like they’ll actually be big spenders this year. But I’ve changed stances on this 1 million times.
Also Goldschmidt—————> Cardinals. Fuck.
andcountingQuote Reply
Nah, this is good news. Maybe it will help get the .000000001% to use the 99.9999999999.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Given the info we have, if this is the strategy, it would not appear to be an altogether clever one. But maybe the Cubs know shit we don’t (not likely, but it is possible), and this is the way to play it with Boras. Could be this is a way to smoke out other suitors. I really have no idea.
More than likely, the TV deal is about to be a relative disappointment, and to make up for the adjusted revenue projection, Ricketts has said no Bryce.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
If the TV deal looked good back in 2008, it has to look much better following the 2016 championship. I just don’t think there is even the remotest possibility that the TV deal is looking underwhelming to ownership right now.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Then I can’t fathom why the Cubs have apparently decided they can’t afford Bryce.
Unless the media narrative is mistaken, and he’ll soon be a Cub. But I can’t remember the last time the media got something wrong, so I don’t even entertain it as a possibility.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
😐
berseliusQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
It’s a pickle. I’m guessing there’s lots of posturing both to temper expectations from Harper and Boras as well as to drum up trade offers from teams who might believe the Cubs want to unload a blend of young talent and dead weight for a little financial freedom.
andcountingQuote Reply
Here’s a question: let’s say (please ignore actual numbers) that the cubs are currently worth $2b. The yankees are currently worth $3.5b. The marlins are currently worth $1b. Ten years from now, all mlb teams have increased (on average) by 2x in value.
So, ten years from now, let’s say that the yankees have performed as expected, and won 1 WS and made a few ALCS appearances. They follow the league average and are worth $7b. Marlins have performed as expected and have not won jack shit. Theyve been at the ass end of the NL east every year. But they too have doubled in value to $2b.
The cubs, meanwhile, from the years 2019-2028, have won 7 world series championships, due in large part to the fact that they signed bryce harper and he became a 19 WAR player every season. How much are the cubs worth? Baseline value is $4b, assuming they follow the league average of increase in value.
Are they worth $4.5b? $6b? Or just marginally more than $4b? My question (obviously) is, how far into the red can they afford to go on an annual basis to still realize a net positive financial return in the long term?
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
should’ve been a fanpost
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
I don’t think that’s how it works. The valuation of MLB teams was consistently lower than that for decades and I expect the annual increases in value to return to a semi-reasonable figure in the near future.
dmick89Quote Reply
And now the Cubs are the maybe the third best team in the division. Actually, I still think they’re the best on paper, but that paper includes a lot of starts from Darvish that we shouldn’t rely on.
The front office did a remarkable job in turning this organization around not once, but twice. In a couple years they will be back to their destined spot in the division, which is dead fucking last.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I also don’t think the valuations are anywhere close to accurate. Owners keep all such information private to keep the players union in the dark. We don’t know revenues, we don’t know values, but they’ll make damn sure we know what their expenses are. Even the actual terms of selling the team are kept private. (Loria claimed a loss on his sale of the Marlins even though his financial firm nabbed a $33 million share on their claim to 5% of the profits. He bought the team for under $200 million and sold it for more than a billion dollars above that number, 15 years later. ) Baseball is great and all, but the owners are a legal mafia. Nobody’s losing money.
andcountingQuote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
I’m going out on a limb and predicting the Cubs sign Harper on Tuesday.
andcountingQuote Reply
I have a sick fantasy where the Cubs dont sign anyone this offseason, let it ride, and the in 2020 they trade everyone not bolted down and just decide to go from 94 to 64 wins in one year. Leverage the huge number of assets theyll have that are going to get expensive into an instant top farm system. It’s not a good idea, but it would be very interesting.
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
Myles Handley,
Ok, I’m going to switch gears to a short-term fantasy in which Tyler Chatwood starts 30 games, wins 15, and Yu Darvish finishes the year as the closer.
andcountingQuote Reply
Yeah, I’m probably not giving enough credit to this angle. There’s always incentive for owners to dissemble over how much they have to spend. And probably even more so here, as dealing with Boras is a nightmare from their perspective. I would imagine Boras has been especially looking forward to this offseason ever since he signed on with Harper. He’ll be looking to break records, bankrolls, hearts, etc.
So there’s probably more value in the Cubs recasting themselves as a dark horse in this chase than I’ve thought. As much as we look back and think Cubs free agent targets were obvious and inevitable, IIRC, there was a lot of uncertainty in the moment. I remember plenty of that (and angst) over whether the Cubs would ever pay out for Darvish last year, and looking back to Heyward, it seemed like he was the sort of player the Cubs would go after, but nothing was really obvious or clear about it until Theo actually swooped in and signed him.
And when you have a player like Harper available, no matter how much money you have, it’s probably not the best to be in the position where the overwhelming expectation in all sectors of the galaxy is you sign that player. You have to leave yourself outs in case things go sideways. And fan/pundit expectation at the end of this season pretty much had the Cubs as the frontrunner. There’s likely more to gain throwing up a smokescreen than we think.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
One big difference between those years and this is that the reports are entirely different. We knew early on the Cubs had interest in Darvish and would be contenders. Yeah, it became uncertain, but not until after they put in a significant offer that was talked about for a couple months. The Cubs signed Heyward rather quickly if I recall, but he was exactly the kind of player this team would want and I think everyone assumed the Cubs would be major players. The reports and assumptions this year are the opposite of those.
dmick89Quote Reply
That would require the Cubs average about 10-12 runs per start.
dmick89Quote Reply
Myles Handley,
I’ve been pushing for that for years. They did it once and were World Series champions a few years later. #justsayin
RynoQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
“catching/strategy coach”
“OK, guys. From now on, we want the baseball to land inside our gloves. Understand?”
RynoQuote Reply
There are differences; we’re in a weird newish kind of place for this Cub administration (if the reports are true). I was just contesting the notion that the Cubs have always been super transparent and obvious in their pursuits and the underlying assumption that it’s generally been smooth sailing going from point A to B. A lot of time was spent last offseason handwringing and being super pissed and down about the Darvish situation, for instance. Many of our comments this offseason are similar to what was being said last year (except for me; I was in thrall to spin rate and not in my right mind), and it turned out to be a waste of time, as the Cubs got who we thought they should get (for better or worse). We’re not even at the point of this offseason that we were last year when the Cubs made their pitch to Darvish.
And given how the Cubs crying poor still doesn’t make any sense, I guess I’m still susceptible to the idea that there’s a lot more going on here than what we’ve been lead to believe.
But I suppose it could go either way.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Even money that Brandon Morrow never throws another pitch for the Cubs.
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
If this is a possible option for the Cubs, it’s one they should seriously consider this offseason. They’d get more for what they have this year than next. I’d prefer they spend, but if they aren’t going to do that, I’d be fine if they tore it down.
dmick89Quote Reply
The Cubs should have just given Chavez that extra year.
dmick89Quote Reply
The sky is falling schtick going on here lately is getting old.
JKVQuote Reply
I do appreciate how when I manage to struggle to some sort of reason to hope the Cubs will spend this offseason, some report comes out right away that pretty much shuts that shit down.
Theo apparently said today the Cubs would have to get real creative to add dollars of significance this year.
I’m assuming he’s not of the opinion that filling out a “clowns with balloons” check to Bryce Harper qualifies.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
JKV,
I don’t think the sky is falling, man. I assume the Cubs will be good to very good next year, and… we’ll somehow find a way to be mad about it.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
I assume as is the Cubs will contend. Even if they don’t get much or anything from Darvish I expect that is true. I don’t know that they’ll reach the playoffs, but I expect they’d be in the thick of it.
That being said, just because the sky isn’t falling doesn’t mean the Cubs shouldn’t consider options on getting better down the road rather than right now. Obviously that isn’t the ideal choice, but that apparently isn’t an option.
dmick89Quote Reply
RIP Luis Valbuena
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Holy shit. That sucks. Rest in peace, Lou Goodvalue.
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-31-prospects-chicago-cubs/
RynoQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
Ryno,
I guess I need to watch the last one now.
andcountingQuote Reply
Man, it was a shitty year for the farm.
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
I don’t think they’ve made that one yet.
RynoQuote Reply
RIP
https://www.mlb.com/video/valbuena-walks-flips-his-bat/c-667454783
PerkinsQuote Reply
i think everyone’s (justifiably) kinda bummed that the rumor mill went from “cubs are odds-on favorite to land harper” to “cubs are broke as shit” in like 2 weeks. i don’t think the sky is falling, but as dmick and others have said, that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning for longer-term success (even if that comes at the expense of the immediate future).
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
yeah i’m not optimistic. but as BN Brett points out, if he actually contributes in 2019, it will just feel like a bonus anyway.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
EnricoPallazzo,
That is some hardcore silver lining production.
andcountingQuote Reply
Any time this idea of immediate vs. long term success comes up, the ghost of Gleyber Torres haunts me.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
Just imagine how you’d feel right now if they hadn’t won the ’16 WS.
I had gotten to the point where I could pretend to enjoy a season and not base its success on whether a championship had been won, but that’s bullshit. I’m still in the buffer of bliss with CHC.
RynoQuote Reply
And IoI at me feeling the need to include the year in my point for some reason.
RynoQuote Reply
I used to watch all of them, but I stopped doing that after Civil War. I think Black Panther is the only Marvel movie I’ve seen since then.
dmick89Quote Reply
Right. I want this team to contend each and every season, but apparently the Cubs have reached a point where doing so is getting a lot more difficult. Since the future looks like it’s going to suck since the Cubs farm system is no better than the Topeka High School team it seems like a good opportunity to maybe sell off a piece or two while still contending.
dmick89Quote Reply
Ryno,
Did dying laughing die?
andcountingQuote Reply
Ryno,
I often wonder what I’d do if I were given the chance to undo that trade. I think I’d leave history unchanged. But yeah, if they hadn’t won it all the loss would be excruciating.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I think the Cubs gave up too much. They maybe should have considered going after Chapman in the offseason since they apparently don’t care all that much about having pieces of shit on the team. The Yankees got him for next to nothing IIRC and then turned around a few months later and got a huge haul from the Cubs.
That being said, I think Chapman played a big role for the Cubs and they may not have won the WS without him. If I had a time machine, I’d go back to the offseason before 2016 and trade for Chapman when his value had declined.
dmick89Quote Reply
berseliusQuote Reply
dmick89,
Yeah, they definitely paid too much. Then again, I may or may not have spent over $500 on World Series t-shirts, so I get it.
andcountingQuote Reply
100 bottles of New Glarus beer ————-> berselius
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Hope you’re not driving home.
dmick89Quote Reply
I think it’ll remain conjecture even after the dust settles, but to me your first point is the most important one. The owners of this club would sooner prove a philosophical point about their power to fuck their employees than be competitive or even maximize their long-term financial gain, and because MLB teams print money for their owners, they’ll get away with it and not even get dinged financially in the short run.
We’re in a run of bad owner behavior that we’ve not seen since the mid-80s, or maybe since the advent of free agency, and these dipshits are front and center.
mobile daveQuote Reply
Harold Baines, Lee Smith ————> HOF, somehow
berseliusQuote Reply
I can see Smith as a HOFer, relative to his position (e.g., he compares well to Hoffman). Baines makes no sense whatsoever.
Rizzo the RatQuote Reply
Rizzo the Rat,
Yeah, no kidding. When I saw the list of people considered I figured it would just be Steinbrenner getting in. That he wasn’t elected was probably the most shocking thing from this vote.
berseliusQuote Reply
Harold Baines is a hall of famer? Being mediocre for a long time pays off I guess.
dmick89Quote Reply
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62 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 62 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 61 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
61 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 61 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 60 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
60 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 60 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 59 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
59 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 59 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 58 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
58 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 58 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 57 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
57 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 57 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 56 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
56 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 56 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 55 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
55 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 55 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 54 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
54 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 54 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 53 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
53 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 53 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 52 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
52 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 52 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 51 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
51 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 51 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 50 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
50 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 50 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 49 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
49 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 49 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 48 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
48 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 48 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 47 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
47 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 47 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 46 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
46 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 46 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 45 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
45 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 45 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 44 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
44 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 44 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 43 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
43 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 43 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 42 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
42 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 42 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 41 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
41 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 41 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 40 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
40 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 40 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 39 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
39 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 39 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 38 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
38 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 38 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 37 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
37 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 37 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 36 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
36 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 36 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 35 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
35 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 35 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 34 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
34 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 34 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 33 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
33 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 33 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 32 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
32 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 32 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 31 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
31 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 31 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 30 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
30 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 30 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 29 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
29 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 29 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 28 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
28 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 28 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 27 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
27 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 27 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 26 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
26 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 26 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 25 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
25 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 25 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 24 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
24 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 24 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 23 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
23 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 23 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 22 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
22 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 22 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 21 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
21 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 21 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 20 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
20 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 20 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 19 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
19 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 19 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 18 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
18 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 18 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 17 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
17 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 17 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 16 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
16 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 16 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 15 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
15 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 15 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 14 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
14 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 14 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 13 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
13 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 13 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 12 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
12 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 12 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 11 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
11 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 11 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 10 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
10 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 10 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 9 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
9 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 9 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 8 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
8 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 8 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 7 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
7 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 7 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 6 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
6 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 6 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 5 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
5 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 5 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 4 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
4 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 4 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 3 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
3 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 3 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 2 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
2 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 2 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around 1 bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
1 bottles of New Glarus beer on the wall, 1 bottles of New Glarus beer! Berselius takes one down, and passes it around no more bottles of New Glarus Beer on the wall!
WaLiQuote Reply
False. You’ll pry this beer out of my cold dead hands.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
Based on this weekend, the best way to do this would be to buy me more xmas lights and wait for me to fall off another ladder.
berseliusQuote Reply
berselius,
I strung a lot of lights around the 2nd story gutter. This year I decided to do it from the roof and reach over the edge. I was safe in the fact that I tied myself off with a rope. I wasn’t safe in that there was nothing to tie the other end too. I made it this time though, although last year I left the lights up until May. Might just leave them up all year this time.
WaLiQuote Reply
Just fire sale, Cubs.
RynoQuote Reply
WaLi,
The roof was the easy part – I was foolish enough to decide to light up the ~20 foot pine tree next to my house. There was lots of precarious ladder balancing.
berseliusQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
WaLiQuote Reply
I think this came from the Director of Damage Control.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
Or the whine prevention coordinator.
andcountingQuote Reply
Maybe.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
andcounting,
I’m gonna make sure that asshole clown earns every dime of his salary this winter.
mobile daveQuote Reply
Anyone think White Sox going to get Harper or Machado? The story seems to be they have the funds but Harper/Machado don’t want to play on the south side.
WaLiQuote Reply
TFW the White Sox trade for Ivan Nova and it’s a bigger move than any you’ll make this offseason
mylesQuote Reply
Toronto cuts Tulo w two years left to pay. He’s available for league minimum. Sounds like the perfect signing for this offseason’s Cubs.
BVSQuote Reply
BVS,
That might be too much money for this ownership group.
berseliusQuote Reply
McCutchen ——-> Phillies (3/$50MM)
PerkinsQuote Reply
berselius,
They aren’t as well heeled as we thought.
BVSQuote Reply
It’s even more infuriating when I remember that the Ricketts family pours a ton of money into right wing super PACs, but don’t seem to have enough money to lock up a generational talent for their baseball team.
I think we’d all agree that the country could use fewer right wing politicians and more Cubs World Series titles.
PerkinsQuote Reply
Brandon Hyde ————> O’s manager
That’s it, time for a fire sale.
berseliusQuote Reply
Perkins,
While I agree with your last statement, at least be relevant instead of stirring up hate. Members of the Rickett’s family also donated to Obama when he was running for election. And the contributions are pennies compared to the amount of money invested in the Cubs franchise and the player contracts. Furthermore, what they do with the political contributions has nothing to do with the amount of investment in the Cubs.
WaLiQuote Reply
OK, yeah, let’s just do that one little thing…
RynoQuote Reply
berselius,
I wonder if this means David Ross will join the coaching staff and presumably take over as manager next season. I think that’s why the Cubs aren’t interested in talking extension with Maddon.
dmick89Quote Reply
A) Yes, I prefer my hate to have a nice layer of oil on top like nature intended.
Or . . .
A’) Yes, hate should be shaken, not stirred.
B) Well, come on. Money they spend/invest in something other than baseball is money they can’t spend/invest in baseball. And we don’t know that the amounts were small. We could be talking tens of millions or more, and that could be per family member. But since the family is all over the place politically, I wish they could all agree their donations cancel each other out and would be more usefully invested in free agents.
andcountingQuote Reply
dmick89,
I think there’s zero chance they haven’t reached out to him about this. Although they may name him Vice President of Being a Good Clubhouse Guy and Director of Hitting Unlikely Game 7 Home Runs and Jon Lester’s Personal Run Prevention Assistant.
andcountingQuote Reply
They aren’t even looking for good relievers. Tyler Chatwood is an established Major League starter. This team is frustrating.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
some gm: “hey theo, i’ve got a couple of really high-end relievers that you can have on the cheap. they’re basically free. want ’em?”
epstein: “i’m sorry, i’m specifically looking for NOT high-end relievers, you know like shawn camp or bob howry. those types of guys. maybe try the brewers?”
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Relievers – what? High end. VIP.
Tom HaverfordQuote Reply
More life Tom Havenotford
MylesQuote Reply
Bad players are the new market inefficiency.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
Smokestack Lightning,
I don’t really understand what this team is doing. Chavez isn’t as good as he performed with the Cubs, but if you’re wanting “established relievers” why not just give him that second year? You know he performed extremely well and was quite durable. He was presumably someone that the team liked having around or they wouldn’t even have engaged with him at all. It’s not like he was asking for tons of money. I’m fairly certain that signing him to a two year deal would have worked out fairly well for the Cubs and I’m equally certain that whoever they end up signing will fail to live up to whatever expectations the front office has. It makes no sense to me.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’ve given up trying to figure out what the Cubs are up to this offseason. I can’t think of a single report we’ve gotten that’s made sense thus far. Cubs should have plenty of money to pursue Harper. Cubs should have leftover money to keep guys like Chavez if they want to. It’s just bizarre.
Smokestack LightningQuote Reply
The Reds and the Nationals traded Tanners, which I find strangely depressing for some reason.
andcountingQuote Reply
So the rumors are that Harper wants the Cubs and is willing to wait. If we fuck this up, I’m going to be pissed.
Myles HandleyQuote Reply
I dunno. When those political contributions betray a strong hostility towards paying your employees what they are worth, it would seem to me that they are directly related to payroll expenditures.
uncle daveQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
RynoQuote Reply
Even better!
MylesQuote Reply
He’s a great, great player, and we don’t want any of those in our system right now.
MylesQuote Reply
Myles,
That’s even funnier when you consider they also traded one of the league’s best players a few months earlier. And it’s even funnier when you consider they traded him to the CHI when SF had a better offer on the table. And it’s even funnier when you consider that OAK could’ve had SF pick in the top 5 this year instead of CHI’s, which will be at least 20 spots lower.
RynoQuote Reply
My latest desperate theory is that the grumbling about not having enough money to do anything significant is this front office’s attempt to use the press, rumor mill, and fan discontent to pressure the owners to pay up for Harper.
andcountingQuote Reply
andcounting,
I wish I could believe that. I just don’t see how that kind of strategy would be effective for a player that literally every team is going to check in on. If this was someone who you’d expect only a few teams to be in on I could see that being effective, but not for someone like Harper.
dmick89Quote Reply
It appears the Cubs are gunning for the 2nd wild card spot next season.
dmick89Quote Reply
dmick89,
I’m still taking it as a good sign Harper and Machado haven’t signed yet.
andcountingQuote Reply
They probably need to play a year or two in independent league ball to rebuild their value.
Wenningtons Gorilla CockQuote Reply
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1073238331109072896
RynoQuote Reply
Come now, Bob Howry WAS a high end reliever (until he wasn’t). You are thinking of, say, Michael Wuertz or some shit.
SK too lzay toQuote Reply
Ryno,
Does anyone else have a hard time figuring out how to read the order of twitter posts?
WaLiQuote Reply
WaLi,
It can be kind of frustrating. What happened to the old fashioned way like we do it here? All these threaded comments still piss me off and keep me away from reading just about any comments on any site. I miss the days when comment sections were neatly organized.
dmick89Quote Reply
New Shit
http://www.obstructedview.net/cubs-winter-meetings-extravaganza/
mylesQuote Reply