OT: Cubs Offseason Thread

Chi town · Post #441 » by **Chi town** » Mon Jul 28, 2025 11:54 pm

Big series with the Brew Crew for first place.

Miz crumbling under the pressure.

Cubs 3-0 due to wild pitches and his throwing error.

Betta Bulleavit · Post #442 » by **Betta Bulleavit** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 1:34 am

https://www.instagram.com/cubs/p/DMrFK_dIH1Y/

DropStep · Post #443 » by **DropStep** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 1:42 am

Betta Bulleavit wrote::(

https://www.instagram.com/cubs/p/DMrFK_dIH1Y/

Wow. RIP Ryno. Gut punch. Not to make it about me, but ... another piece of my childhood gone too soon.

June 23, 1984 was one of the very best sporting events I have ever witnessed.

Dresden · Post #444 » by **Dresden** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 1:43 am

Yeah, so sad to read about that just now. Only 65- my age. Hard to believe it. I thought he had it beat. What a wonderful ball player he was- he'll live on as one of the best Cubs of all time.

Betta Bulleavit · Post #445 » by **Betta Bulleavit** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 1:55 am

Dresden wrote:Yeah, so sad to read about that just now. Only 65- my age. Hard to believe it. I thought he had it beat. What a wonderful ball player he was- he'll live on as one of the best Cubs of all time.

Man, this one is tough.

_txchilibowl_ · Post #446 » by **_txchilibowl_** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 2:33 am

I'm gutted. All I ever wanted to do was play 2nd like Ryne Sandberg...

Chi town · Post #447 » by **Chi town** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 1:54 pm

Ryno was the Cubs as a kid. I wanted to play 2B in little league just because of him. Pro’s pro.

DropStep · Post #448 » by **DropStep** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 4:02 pm

Chi town wrote: Ryno was the Cubs as a kid. I wanted to play 2B in little league just because of him. Pro’s pro.

Man, I loved that 1984 team. We had just moved to Chicago the year before, and of course every Cubs game was on, and they were one of my first ways of hooking into the culture before I knew anyone. The Daily Double. Jody, Jody Davis. Bull Durham's black bat, goatee, and chain, and the hunched left-handed batting stance that made him actually look like a bull. The Penguin coming over the season before - are we even allowed to take players from the Dodgers? Sarge saluting. Sutcliff cupping the ball behind his back. Eckersley and Trout and Sanderson. Bowa looking like he could barely get the ball out of the infield or throw over to first base, but making all the plays anyway with those flippy sunglasses. Moreland spinning on his heels and "turning on it" as literally as anyone I can remember. Buckner and his knees - a great Cub before getting traded. Lee Smith sweating bullets in the sun, and throwing them too. And of course Ryno becoming real before our eyes, with Harry ridiculously narrating it all. It's so great to love a team as a teenager.

Dresden · Post #449 » by **Dresden** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 4:31 pm

DropStep wrote:
Chi town wrote: Ryno was the Cubs as a kid. I wanted to play 2B in little league just because of him. Pro’s pro.

Man, I loved that 1984 team. We had just moved to Chicago the year before, and of course every Cubs game was on, and they were one of my first ways of hooking into the culture. The Daily Double. Jody, Jody Davis. Bull Durham's black bat, goatee, and chain, and the hunched left-handed batting stance that made him actually look like a bull. The Penguin coming over the season before - are we even allowed to take players from the Dodgers? Sarge saluting. Sutcliff cupping the ball behind his back. Eckersley and Trout and Sanderson. Bowa looking like he could barely get the ball out of the infield or throw over to first base, but making all the plays anyway with those flippy sunglasses. Moreland spinning on his heels and "turning on it" as literally as anyone I can remember. Buckner and his knees - a great Cub before getting traded. Lee Smith sweating bullets in the sun, and throwing them too. And of course Ryno becoming real before our eyes, with Harry ridiculously narrating it all. It's so great to love a team as a teenager.

That team brings back bittersweet memories. They had so much potential, and were so much fun, and then they choked in the playoffs to the Padres and frickin' Steve Garvey, and were never the same afterwards. I was sure they would win it all that year, especially when they won that first playoff game 13-0 or something like that, with Dernier leading off the game with a homer, then Sarge hitting one, and later Sutcliffe launching one into the right field bleachers. But it wasn't to be. A lot of good memories of that summer anyway.

DropStep · Post #450 » by **DropStep** » Tue Jul 29, 2025 4:47 pm

Dresden wrote:
DropStep wrote:
Chi town wrote: Ryno was the Cubs as a kid. I wanted to play 2B in little league just because of him. Pro’s pro.

Man, I loved that 1984 team. We had just moved to Chicago the year before, and of course every Cubs game was on, and they were one of my first ways of hooking into the culture. The Daily Double. Jody, Jody Davis. Bull Durham's black bat, goatee, and chain, and the hunched left-handed batting stance that made him actually look like a bull. The Penguin coming over the season before - are we even allowed to take players from the Dodgers? Sarge saluting. Sutcliff cupping the ball behind his back. Eckersley and Trout and Sanderson. Bowa looking like he could barely get the ball out of the infield or throw over to first base, but making all the plays anyway with those flippy sunglasses. Moreland spinning on his heels and "turning on it" as literally as anyone I can remember. Buckner and his knees - a great Cub before getting traded. Lee Smith sweating bullets in the sun, and throwing them too. And of course Ryno becoming real before our eyes, with Harry ridiculously narrating it all. It's so great to love a team as a teenager.

That team brings back bittersweet memories. They had so much potential, and were so much fun, and then they choked in the playoffs to the Padres and frickin' Steve Garvey, and were never the same afterwards. I was sure they would win it all that year, especially when they won that first playoff game 13-0 or something like that, with Dernier leading off the game with a homer, then Sarge hitting one, and later Sutcliffe launching one into the right field bleachers. But it wasn't to be. A lot of good memories of that summer anyway.

Crushing. I thought they were so solid everywhere, and after they won the first two... heartbreaking. Even then it had been eons since they'd won, after the Fergie/Banks/Santo teams never broke through (much like the Bulls)... and we didn't know there would be three decades left to go. The season just had a sort of golden sheen to it, and even in my cynical moments I thought they'd at least win the first round, then maybe one of the "big" teams who lived in the playoffs all the time would beat them. Ugh. But I was smitten nonetheless. Wait 'til next year!

Dresden · Post #451 » by **Dresden** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 1:31 am

Looks like Cubs are going to drop the first two in this series with MIL. That's not a good sign.

nomorezorro · Post #452 » by **nomorezorro** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 2:14 am

not going to overreact to a summer slump, but the bullpen might have just shifted its way back up to priority no. 1 for me. all of the journeymen scrapheap guys regressing back to the mean at the same time is making it pretty clear that palencia was always the only real plus relief arm they have

go to minnesota and ask em how much it takes to get both duran and jax, maybe throw in willi castro for good measure so you don't have to use turner as your primary platoon guy against lefties

Dresden · Post #453 » by **Dresden** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 5:02 am

I'm pretty concerned. They have been playing sub .500 ball for awhile now, and the schedule has not been that tough (or has it?). It's looking like a typical Cubs season, where they fool us all into believing they're going to be something special, only to fade back into mediocrity.

Chi town · Post #454 » by **Chi town** » Thu Jul 31, 2025 1:37 am

Good win today.

MoBaller with the big bases clearing double.

Amaya Assad and JaMo all playing today for Iowa Cubs and almost back.

Let’s see what Jed can do. I think we need Suarez and an ace pitcher like Gore to make us real contenders. I think he will get Suarez and two rental starting pitchers.

Dresden · Post #455 » by **Dresden** » Thu Jul 31, 2025 9:48 pm

Jed needs to do something. Although I'm fine with taking the patient approach as well. I'd hate to give away a top talent who could be a contributor for a decade just to make a run this year. But if it's just a matter of money, I hope they take the plunge.

Chi town · Post #456 » by **Chi town** » Thu Jul 31, 2025 10:25 pm

Jed gets resigned and then does nothing at the deadline.

What a great way to convince Tucker we are committed to winning.

Don’t know we will even make the playoffs. Been .500 since middle of June.

Dresden · Post #457 » by **Dresden** » Fri Aug 1, 2025 12:09 am

yeah, Jed does absolutely nothing. Mets, Yankees, Padres, Phillies all got better. Cubs....zero.

Dresden · Post #458 » by **Dresden** » Fri Aug 1, 2025 12:11 am

I guess we did add a reliever and a utility IF. Minor stuff.

Betta Bulleavit · Post #459 » by **Betta Bulleavit** » Fri Aug 1, 2025 12:30 am

Dresden wrote:I guess we did add a reliever and a utility IF. Minor stuff.

Deadline splashes are always exciting. However, they often lead to less than satisfactory results. Particularly when the prospects that you give up start to pan out elsewhere. Many of these moves start to turn into buyer’s remorse fairly quickly.

With that said, I was okay with the Cubs not selling off future assets for what would have been rentals in most cases. I felt like we enhanced the areas that we needed to and we are pretty much leaving with the girl we came with. No harm in that.

Chi town · Post #460 » by **Chi town** » Fri Aug 1, 2025 1:29 am

Betta Bulleavit wrote:
Dresden wrote:I guess we did add a reliever and a utility IF. Minor stuff.

Deadline splashes are always exciting. However, they often lead to less than satisfactory results. Particularly when the prospects that you give up start to pan out elsewhere. Many of these moves start to turn into buyer’s remorse fairly quickly.

With that said, I was okay with the Cubs not selling off future assets for what would have been rentals in most cases. I felt like we enhanced the areas that we needed to and we are pretty much leaving with the girl we came with. No harm in that.

It felt safe. Playing not to lose. I wouldn’t want to trade MoBaller but I sure would with Cassie for Gore.

Next season our money will be tied up in Tucker if we get him and we will be in the same place without enough SP. We are banking on Steele returning to ace stuff post TJ surgery and Cade becoming a top end SP. Not good odds.

Jed was playing it safe if Tucker leaves you still have replacements bats with MoBaller and Cassie.

I would have traded the farm for Ryan or Gore and shown Tucker we are winners and willing to risk.