OT: The Sox AND the Cubs are atop the standings (as of 8/31/2020)

gardenofsound · Post #1 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 2:04 am

Guys, these teams are looking good.

Sox in particular are SCARY with the young talent that's already paying dividends a year early, with Robert looking like he's on a HOF trajectory and Abreu/Anderson playing like MVP's.

The Cubs are atop the (weak) division but Yu is a CYA front runner and the team has the experience and talent to beat anyone.

Until a coaching hire and the draft, there isn't really much tangible Bulls news so figured I'd start a catch-all Chicago baseball thread.

Ben Wilson25 · Post #2 » by **Ben Wilson25** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 2:30 am

Robert is a beast. It’s like if Harold Baines and Greg Luzinski had a baby and that baby grew up and had a baby with a panther.

Post #3 » by **Michael Jackson** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 12:29 pm

The Sox are putting it together sooner than expected. Let’s hope they can sustain it but they do have talent that’s for sure.

The cubs are looking better than they have. They need to jump on the window they have this year imho. Darvish is long in the tooth and won’t have many more years playing like this.

To me it’s always fun when there is good baseball on both sides in Chicago.

weneeda2guard · Post #4 » by **weneeda2guard** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 3:02 pm

sox fan

and we NOT going to act like the sox didnt take 2 out of 3 from cubs in the cross town classic lets get all the way into it!!

naw seriously, im hoping things normalize a bit def wont mind catching a few games this season with my sons

Dresden · Post #5 » by **Dresden** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 3:18 pm

It's great seeing both teams playing well at the same time. Doesn't happen that often, that's for sure. I follow the Cubs much more closely than the Sox, so I can't comment much on the south siders, but I don't have a lot of faith in this Cubs team. Their hitting is awfully weak- some nights they start lineups where 2/3's of the lineup is hitting under .230, and that's with a DH! Their bullpen is also very shaky. The starting pitching has been much better than expected, and that's what's gotten them off to this tremendous start. But we'll see how well it holds up.

Post #6 » by **dougthonus** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 3:45 pm

Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Dresden · Post #7 » by **Dresden** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 4:37 pm

dougthonus wrote:Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

gardenofsound · Post #8 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:07 pm

Dresden wrote:It's great seeing both teams playing well at the same time. Doesn't happen that often, that's for sure. I follow the Cubs much more closely than the Sox, so I can't comment much on the south siders, but I don't have a lot of faith in this Cubs team. Their hitting is awfully weak- some nights they start lineups where 2/3's of the lineup is hitting under .230, and that's with a DH! Their bullpen is also very shaky. The starting pitching has been much better than expected, and that's what's gotten them off to this tremendous start. But we'll see how well it holds up.

Totally see that, but it's only a matter of time before, once healthy, Bryant, Rizzo, and Baez heat up. That team has the experience and talent to get hot and run through the playoffs.

I'm the opposite... been a die hard Sox fan for a long time, though the last decade or so has been tough to watch.

I think Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez have brought a fun attitude to the team that is being further bolstered by Luis Robert. Abreu continues to just be a consummate professional RBI machine. What adds to the intrigue is that Moncada has had a down year so far. Whenever he gets going, he's another huge bat in the lineup.

Madrigal has been a pleasant surprise thus far also. He's not liable to get you many XBH's (at least not yet), but he can hit for average and run the bases while playing quality defense at 2B.

I don't think the Sox are true contenders this year with the pitching staff still having clear holes. Cordero and Cishek are liabilities in the pen, and the rotation is pretty crappy after Giolito and Keuchel. Cease is getting results but is also getting pretty lucky. His advanced stats are actually showing some regression from last year. Lopez and Gonzalez have also been unreliable. Next year we need Rodon, Cease, and one of Dunning/Kelly to round into good form, or sign a FA starter to round out the rotation. At that point I think the Sox will be WS contenders.

Jeffster81 · Post #9 » by **Jeffster81** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:22 pm

Dresden wrote:
dougthonus wrote:Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

I think the Cubs have an easier road than the Sox. Other than the Dodgers and maybe the Padres, there's not a team I would take over the Cubs in the playoffs. Whereas the WS would have to beat a combination of Rays/A's/Twins/Indians/Yankees/Blue Jays. Not impossible but quite difficult, especially against the Rays/A's/Yankees.

Jeffster81 · Post #10 » by **Jeffster81** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:24 pm

weneeda2guard wrote:sox fan

and we NOT going to act like the sox didnt take 2 out of 3 from cubs in the cross town classic lets get all the way into it!!

naw seriously, im hoping things normalize a bit def wont mind catching a few games this season with my sons

I would not get all that lippy about beating the Cubs 2/3 times at Wrigley. Remember the Cubs/White Sox finish out the regular season at {whatever the White Sox are calling it now} Field.

the ultimates · Post #11 » by **the ultimates** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:30 pm

I look at the sox and see the patience they had with Giolito, Moncada, and especially Anderson. The white sox helped them develop and the players themselves did things to change their skill set and approach. It's why I bristle when people want to trade Lavine, Lauri, WCJ or White. For 99% of young players, development is filled with peaks and valleys.

gardenofsound · Post #12 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:45 pm

Jeffster81 wrote:
weneeda2guard wrote:sox fan

and we NOT going to act like the sox didnt take 2 out of 3 from cubs in the cross town classic lets get all the way into it!!

naw seriously, im hoping things normalize a bit def wont mind catching a few games this season with my sons

I would not get all that lippy about beating the Cubs 2/3 times at Wrigley. Remember the Cubs/White Sox finish out the regular season at {whatever the White Sox are calling it now} Field.

At least we don't pee in a trough and our park doesn't smell like the largest urinal in world history. :lol:

But yeah, 2/3 in a single series don't mean ****. Here's hoping another 2/3 or a sweep to close out the season and secure good seeding for the playoffs.

gardenofsound · Post #13 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 5:47 pm

the ultimates wrote:I look at the sox and see the patience they had with Giolito, Moncada, and especially Anderson. The white sox helped them develop and the players themselves did things to change their skill set and approach. It's why I bristle when people want to trade Lavine, Lauri, WCJ or White. For 99% of young players, development is filled with peaks and valleys.

Not to OT the OT thread, but I think the difference in these situations is the way the Sox have handled contracts and the lack of a salary cap in the MLB. The Bulls can't do that by nature of the CBA. Lauri, WCJ and White will eventually hit RFA, and the cap room they absorb means cap room that can't be spent on other players that may be able to make more meaningful contributions..

Post #14 » by **dougthonus** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 6:34 pm

the ultimates wrote:I look at the sox and see the patience they had with Giolito, Moncada, and especially Anderson. The white sox helped them develop and the players themselves did things to change their skill set and approach. It's why I bristle when people want to trade Lavine, Lauri, WCJ or White. For 99% of young players, development is filled with peaks and valleys.

Great teams in the NBA almost never develop in the same fashion. This is a baseball/football tactic. Yes, you can definitely develop really good role players this way, but there are just so many fewer players, and unlike baseball, you can have your best player take as many shots as you want instead of going in an even rotation.

the ultimates · Post #15 » by **the ultimates** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 7:55 pm

dougthonus wrote:
the ultimates wrote:I look at the sox and see the patience they had with Giolito, Moncada, and especially Anderson. The white sox helped them develop and the players themselves did things to change their skill set and approach. It's why I bristle when people want to trade Lavine, Lauri, WCJ or White. For 99% of young players, development is filled with peaks and valleys.

Great teams in the NBA almost never develop in the same fashion. This is a baseball/football tactic. Yes, you can definitely develop really good role players this way, but there are just so many fewer players, and unlike baseball, you can have your best player take as many shots as you want instead of going in an even rotation.

How are you defining great teams? Teams that won titles? Obviously the Warriors with Curry, Thompson and Green. Spurs with Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Cav's Lebron and Kyrie. Yes Lebron left and came back but he was still a draft pick of theirs. OKC the year they lost in the finals to the Heat had Harden, Westbrook and KD. Boston got to the ECF behind Tatum and Brown and if they go further it'll be because of them.

Post #16 » by **dougthonus** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 8:04 pm

the ultimates wrote:How are you defining great teams? Teams that won titles? Obviously the Warriors with Curry, Thompson and Green. Spurs with Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Cav's Lebron and Kyrie. Yes Lebron left and came back but he was still a draft pick of theirs. OKC the year they lost in the finals to the Heat had Harden, Westbrook and KD. Boston got to the ECF behind Tatum and Brown and if they go further it'll be because of them.

This seems like a list of teams that drafted good players. Not a group of players that teams were patient with and developed into players you wouldn't have expected them to become.

Jeffster81 · Post #17 » by **Jeffster81** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 10:13 pm

gardenofsound wrote:
Jeffster81 wrote:
weneeda2guard wrote:sox fan

and we NOT going to act like the sox didnt take 2 out of 3 from cubs in the cross town classic lets get all the way into it!!

naw seriously, im hoping things normalize a bit def wont mind catching a few games this season with my sons

I would not get all that lippy about beating the Cubs 2/3 times at Wrigley. Remember the Cubs/White Sox finish out the regular season at {whatever the White Sox are calling it now} Field.

At least we don't pee in a trough and our park doesn't smell like the largest urinal in world history.

But yeah, 2/3 in a single series don't mean ****. Here's hoping another 2/3 or a sweep to close out the season and secure good seeding for the playoffs.

FFS garden. Complaining about Wrigley coming from a WS fan is laughable. But at least Cubs fans don't have to wear bulletproof vest to enter their stadium, excluding the 2020 season,of course.

dice · Post #18 » by **dice** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 10:28 pm

Dresden wrote:
dougthonus wrote:Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

w/o fans in the stands that would kinda be a cruel joke. baseball needs playoff atmosphere even more than basketball does. and a crosstown world series would provide one hell of an atmosphere in a normal year

gardenofsound · Post #19 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 10:31 pm

Jeffster81 wrote:
gardenofsound wrote:
Jeffster81 wrote:
I would not get all that lippy about beating the Cubs 2/3 times at Wrigley. Remember the Cubs/White Sox finish out the regular season at {whatever the White Sox are calling it now} Field.

At least we don't pee in a trough and our park doesn't smell like the largest urinal in world history.

But yeah, 2/3 in a single series don't mean ****. Here's hoping another 2/3 or a sweep to close out the season and secure good seeding for the playoffs.

FFS garden. Complaining about Wrigley coming from a WS fan is laughable. But at least Cubs fans don't have to wear bulletproof vest to enter their stadium, excluding the 2020 season,of course.

Ok... so first off it seems you haven't been to Bridgeport or Bronzeville in ages. Secondly, crime rates in Wrigleyville have been higher than Bridgeport for quite a few years now. Your statement sounds really ignorant (in a non-baseball way) and I'll leave it at that before this goes and gets political.

I'm hoping for a Cubs/Sox World Series in my lifetime, and I can't see a better opportunity than within the next 3-5 years.

gardenofsound · Post #20 » by **gardenofsound** » Wed Sep 2, 2020 10:32 pm

dice wrote:
Dresden wrote:
dougthonus wrote:Just more signs that the apocalypse is upon us.

Ha ha! Now if they meet in the World Series....

w/o fans in the stands that would kinda be a cruel joke. baseball needs playoff atmosphere even more than basketball does. and a crosstown world series would one hell of an atmosphere in a normal year

IDK, the fights in the stands would be epic level in a crosstown series that means something. They're already pretty intense without the playoff pressure added in.