Cubs Fans, Worried Yet?

[Tugg Speedman]

The Cubs are paying a price for their World Series title
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/sports/wp/2017/06/27/the-cubs-are-paying-a-price-for-their-world-series-title/?utm_term=.cd72ddb584ef

If you're perplexed by the question of what's wrong with the Chicago Cubs this season, as many still are, nearly halfway through the defending World Series champion's middling 2017 season, a good place to start is at the most fundamental level – the individual level, the human level, the molecular level.

[tower912]

Repeating is tough.  107 years to go.

[wadesworld]

The topic is discussed at length in the thread right below this one.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Fire Maddon!

[MUEng92]

Worried?  I was worried 7 years ago when i reached my forties and they hadn't sniffed the WS in my lifetime. 

Now I'm annoyed that they showed us how well they can play and now aren't playing anywhere near that level.

[dgies9156]

I'm delighted at this turn of Cub events.

For I am a St. Louis Cardinal fan.

We know the Cubs because our team has been playing the small and inadequate bears for more than 100 years. We know that for every flash of brilliance in Wrigley Field, there will be decades of futility.

We respect the Ricketts family because they're trying to bring the Cardinal Way to Wrigley Field. But we inevitably know that despite the family's best efforts, the Cubs will continue to be the Cubs.

In St. Louis, we know that at 36-40, the Cardinals are having a crappy year. That's true even though we're well within hailing distance of the NL Central Lead. Four games out and we're talking about firing our Manager and General Manager (and probably the head of player personnel).

Some think we're spoiled and that we're not true fans because we don't support our team through futility, like Cub Fans do. But folks, understand that we're demanding fans. We expect to win. We tolerate losing, but we do so with the expectation that our team and our players (yes, even though we don't own the team, we see them as "our" players) will do their best to win and that losing is not a permanent part of Cardinal lore.

[wadesworld]

If I'm a Cubs fan I'm far less worried about the Cubs and how they're playing/where they are in the standings than I am about how good the Dodgers and Nationals (and to a lesser extent the Rockies and Diamondbacks) appear to be.

If I'm a Cubs fan, the Cardinals, Pirates, and obviously Reds don't worry me because I don't think any of those teams are very good.  The Brewers don't worry me at all either, because even though they are clearly a better team than I would've expected going into the year and they might hang around until early August, the Cubs are by far the more talented team, and ultimately over a 162 game season talent tends to win out.

The Cubs will be in the Playoffs, and they have the pieces to get hot at the right time and make a run for another WS.  The question is whether they do that, and if they do do that, are the Dodgers or Nationals (or other 2 NL West teams) so good that even against a hot Cubs team they still win the series?  That is my only worry if I am a Cubs fan.

[BM1090]

Can we merge this with the MLB 2017 thread? There's a lot of good, active discussion there already.

[wadesworld]

Can we merge this with the MLB 2017 thread? There's a lot of good, active discussion there already.

Yup.  But Heise didn't start that thread so he wouldn't get click credit for that.

[jesmu84]

I'm delighted at this turn of Cub events.

For I am a St. Louis Cardinal fan.

We know the Cubs because our team has been playing the small and inadequate bears for more than 100 years. We know that for every flash of brilliance in Wrigley Field, there will be decades of futility.

We respect the Ricketts family because they're trying to bring the Cardinal Way to Wrigley Field. But we inevitably know that despite the family's best efforts, the Cubs will continue to be the Cubs.

In St. Louis, we know that at 36-40, the Cardinals are having a crappy year. That's true even though we're well within hailing distance of the NL Central Lead. Four games out and we're talking about firing our Manager and General Manager (and probably the head of player personnel).

Some think we're spoiled and that we're not true fans because we don't support our team through futility, like Cub Fans do. But folks, understand that we're demanding fans. We expect to win. We tolerate losing, but we do so with the expectation that our team and our players (yes, even though we don't own the team, we see them as "our" players) will do their best to win and that losing is not a permanent part of Cardinal lore.

I don't even know where to begin with this stuff.

https://twitter.com/BestFansStLouis

[MerrittsMustache]

I don't even know where to begin with this stuff.

https://twitter.com/BestFansStLouis

StL Cardinals fans are to MLB what GB Packers fans are to the NFL.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

I'm delighted at this turn of Cub events.

For I am a St. Louis Cardinal fan.

We know the Cubs because our team has been playing the small and inadequate bears for more than 100 years. We know that for every flash of brilliance in Wrigley Field, there will be decades of futility.

We respect the Ricketts family because they're trying to bring the Cardinal Way to Wrigley Field. But we inevitably know that despite the family's best efforts, the Cubs will continue to be the Cubs.

In St. Louis, we know that at 36-40, the Cardinals are having a crappy year. That's true even though we're well within hailing distance of the NL Central Lead. Four games out and we're talking about firing our Manager and General Manager (and probably the head of player personnel).

Some think we're spoiled and that we're not true fans because we don't support our team through futility, like Cub Fans do. But folks, understand that we're demanding fans. We expect to win. We tolerate losing, but we do so with the expectation that our team and our players (yes, even though we don't own the team, we see them as "our" players) will do their best to win and that losing is not a permanent part of Cardinal lore.

I sincerely don't know if you're pretending to be a Cardinals fan-- but if you are-- well done, sir.  Well done.

[brewcity77]

Still bathing in the afterglow of a World Series I never knew if I'd see and one game out of first despite being relatively terrible and you think we'd be worried? Hell no. I'm completely content and expect this team to compete for the next decade. If they don't win another one, that's okay, because one was more than I'd seen in my entire life.

The only titles that have me "worried" (and not really worried, but just still want to see before I die) are a Marquette National Title and a USA World Cup win. My hope is that we will be in the running for the first by 2019 and the second by 2026.

[Pakuni]

StL Cardinals fans are to MLB what GB Packers fans are to the NFL.

Worse.
And as a Sox fan, I have no dog in the Cubs-Cards fight.

[Jockey]

StL Cardinals fans are to MLB what GB Packers fans are to the NFL.

And cub fans are like Bears fans. Win one title and talk about it for the rest of your life like the team is still meaningful.

I'm guessing dumping a catcher will fix things, though. If Joe could just get a few more guys to play a few more positions, that would help, too.

[jesmu84]

And cub fans are like Bears fans. Win one title and talk about it for the rest of your life like the team is still meaningful.

I'm guessing dumping a catcher will fix things, though. If Joe could just get a few more guys to play a few more positions, that would help, too.

I mean... the Cubs winning last year's WS doesn't make them meaningful still?

[MUEng92]

And cub fans are like Bears fans. Win one title and talk about it for the rest of your life like the team is still meaningful.

I'm guessing dumping a catcher will fix things, though. If Joe could just get a few more guys to play a few more positions, that would help, too.

Well, I guess that is technically correct...the last 7 months have been "the rest of my life" up to this point.  I have been talking about the Cubs World Series for the rest of my life.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

StL Cardinals fans are to MLB what GB Packers fans are to the NFL.

You clearly haven't met many Lion, Patriot, or Steeler fans.

[Tugg Speedman]

Apparently, the Cubs visited the White House/Trump Today.  This after they did the same in January with Obama.

Has any team ever had two WH visits before?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-joe-maddon-white-house-20170627-story.html

[MerrittsMustache]

Apparently, the Cubs visited the White House/Trump Today.  This after they did the same in January with Obama.

Has any team ever had two WH visits before?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-joe-maddon-white-house-20170627-story.html

Today's visit is an informal visit because they're in DC and the opportunity was presented to them. Maddon wasn't even sure if they'd be meeting with the President. The Ricketts' family also has some close ties to the Commander in Chief so there's that too. It's not a second "championship celebration" visit.

[dgies9156]

The only titles that have me "worried" (and not really worried, but just still want to see before I die) are a Marquette National Title..... My hope is that we will be in the running for the first by 2019.

Brew, on that score you and I agree. I love baseball and the Cardinals. I'm a Bear season ticket holder who is a die-hard Packers fan.

But I would sacrifice my fandom for the Packers and the Cardinals if it would get us back to where we were in the 1960s and 1970s.

Me and God have a deal. I can't go before we win it again!

[Jockey]

Today's visit is an informal visit because they're in DC and the opportunity was presented to them. Maddon wasn't even sure if they'd be meeting with the President. The Ricketts' family also has some close ties to the Commander in Chief so there's that too. It's not a second "championship celebration" visit.

Hope they got lots of Orange Creep juice on them.

Does this visit mean that Maddon has to lie to Cub fans every day?

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Hope they got lots of Orange Creep juice on them.

Does this visit mean that Maddon has to lie to Cub fans every day?

That had Ricketts and Maddon all over it.

[Pakuni]

What's going on with Almora's left hand?

[MerrittsMustache]

What's going on with Almora's left hand?

His middle and index fingers are both visible. Nothing to see here aside from a bunch of guys who came up big in November 2016