Top 25 talk

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I have Red Sox fans in my family... and while they haven't, many Red Sox fans have become intolerable... so I will take my enjoyment of one of the best baseball stadiums in the country and hope they figure it out. Also, Bartman had less to do with that play than Alou who barely made an effort and the fans next to Bartman who also were interfering. Plus... it was in the stands to begin with and the NEXT play is actually what undid the Cubs in that game. It's like blaming Bill Buckner for the Red Sox losing the World Series... because people forget how the Mets got into a scoring chance in the first place (Red Sox blowing the lead late with Buckner not playing a roll) and then blowing Game 7.

[Gregory Sager]

Maybe some Cubs fans... this Cubs fan just expects there to be 162 games of baseball... anything else would be considered gravy. It would be insane to expect them to win anything any year... especially with this management and ownership team!

Exactly. I haven't expected even minimal competence out of the Cubs for several years now, and I won't expect it again for at least another couple of seasons.

Which is what Cubs fans have been saying for decades:  not this year, or even next year, but in a few years we have a chance.

That's not true. Hopes were very high that the future was now back in the latter part of the decade, when the Cubs won the NL Central title in back-to-back seasons ('07 and '08).

And I said "minimal competence" in a few years, which is a different thing altogether than being a contender. I'm not bold enough (or deluded enough) to say about the Cubs that "in a few years we have a chance." Banking everything on a fistful of post-adolescents who are liked but not exactly drooled over by the farm-system mavens at Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America doth not a future pennant guarantee. Baseball isn't even close to being that predictable.

I wonder what the Red Sox' success has done to Cubs fans--hope that the curse can be reversed?

Cubs fans don't really believe in the goat curse. Don't mix up myth with reality. A good story sells books and newspapers and makes for fun conversation, but that doesn't mean that anybody really believes that some Greek tavern owner dosed the Cubs with bad juju 69 years ago because team management wouldn't let his pet goat into the ballpark. Nobody is more aware than Cubs fans of how chronic front-office incompetence is what has really doomed the franchise for all but a few stretches of years since World War II.

I don't think that Cubs fandom really pays all that much attention to the turnaround of the Red Sox, either, except indirectly via the presence of Theo Epstein as the man driving what's supposed to be the coming turnaround of the Cubs. The fan base of the Cubs is much more concerned with the success of their archrival, the Cardinals -- a franchise whose front office perennially does everything right while that of the Cubs perennially does everything wrong.

As for Bartman, D-Mac is right on target. The guy was just a scapegoat for an eighth-inning implosion that took place on the field and not in the stands, and for which the Cubs themselves (with a fair bit of help from the Marlins) were responsible rather than some hapless fan in a green hoodie and headphones.

[KnightSlappy]

As for Bartman, D-Mac is right on target. The guy was just a scapegoat for an eighth-inning implosion that took place on the field and not in the stands, and for which the Cubs themselves (with a fair bit of help from the Marlins) were responsible rather than some hapless fan in a green hoodie and headphones.

We must now call into question everything Mr. Sager has ever recollected: Bartman's sweatshirt was dark in color (either black or navy) and it did not have a hood (but he was wearing  green turtleneck).

[northb]

[
Cubs fans don't really believe in the goat curse. Don't mix up myth with reality. A good story sells books and newspapers and makes for fun conversation, but that doesn't mean that anybody really believes that some Greek tavern owner dosed the Cubs with bad juju 69 years ago because team management wouldn't let his pet goat into the ballpark. Nobody is more aware than Cubs fans of how chronic front-office incompetence is what has really doomed the franchise for all but a few stretches of years since World War II.

It was a Service Goat

[Gregory Sager]

As for Bartman, D-Mac is right on target. The guy was just a scapegoat for an eighth-inning implosion that took place on the field and not in the stands, and for which the Cubs themselves (with a fair bit of help from the Marlins) were responsible rather than some hapless fan in a green hoodie and headphones.

We must now call into question everything Mr. Sager has ever recollected: Bartman's sweatshirt was dark in color (either black or navy) and it did not have a hood (but he was wearing  green turtleneck).

Is now the proper time for me to fall upon my sword? I'm not sure about the etiquette of such things.

[
Cubs fans don't really believe in the goat curse. Don't mix up myth with reality. A good story sells books and newspapers and makes for fun conversation, but that doesn't mean that anybody really believes that some Greek tavern owner dosed the Cubs with bad juju 69 years ago because team management wouldn't let his pet goat into the ballpark. Nobody is more aware than Cubs fans of how chronic front-office incompetence is what has really doomed the franchise for all but a few stretches of years since World War II.

It was a Service Goat

[magicman]

A seeing eye goat???

[Just Bill]

No, no, no. A service goat is a goat in the military. Like this one:

[Pat Coleman]

As for Bartman, D-Mac is right on target. The guy was just a scapegoat for an eighth-inning implosion that took place on the field and not in the stands, and for which the Cubs themselves (with a fair bit of help from the Marlins) were responsible rather than some hapless fan in a green hoodie and headphones.

We must now call into question everything Mr. Sager has ever recollected: Bartman's sweatshirt was dark in color (either black or navy) and it did not have a hood (but he was wearing  green turtleneck).

Is now the proper time for me to fall upon my sword? I'm not sure about the etiquette of such things.

You have to commit Harry Caray ...

[Gregory Sager]

As for Bartman, D-Mac is right on target. The guy was just a scapegoat for an eighth-inning implosion that took place on the field and not in the stands, and for which the Cubs themselves (with a fair bit of help from the Marlins) were responsible rather than some hapless fan in a green hoodie and headphones.

We must now call into question everything Mr. Sager has ever recollected: Bartman's sweatshirt was dark in color (either black or navy) and it did not have a hood (but he was wearing  green turtleneck).

Is now the proper time for me to fall upon my sword? I'm not sure about the etiquette of such things.

You have to commit Harry Caray ...

[mailsy]

Cabrini has hired a new coach. Previous assistant to Marcus, Tim McDonald.

http://www.cabriniathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=513

[nescac1]

On paper, but for the coaching change, Cabrini looks like a clear-cut choice for pre-season number two, after Wisconsin Whitewater (who after two titles in three years, and with two likely pre-season all-Americans leading the way, is a surefire number one).  Do folks think the coaching change will hurt Cabrini's outlook much? 

I say no, given that next year seems like a year where most of the top 12 in the final poll have been fairly decimated by graduation, so it's hard to see who else would supplant them.  Williams and IWU both bring back a lot of perimeter firepower and are legit top-10 teams for sure, but each lost elite guys on the interior with no obvious replacements in sight.  Amherst will be right there again thanks to two D1 transfers, but losing the best player in program history plus two other top-notch starters will surely lead to some early growing pains.  And Stevens-Point, Wash U., Mary Washington and St. Norbert might not even be top-25 squads in light of the guys they are graduating ...

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

I wouldn't put Cabrini in the Top 5 - not to start the year.  They're bringing back much of their talent, but they're losing two starters and they weren't a Top 10 team at the end of last year.  If they can get the chemistry worked out and fit everybody into the system, then, yes, they will be very good - but based on the end of last season, I couldn't justify them so high in the preseason.

I'd add Augustana to your list.  They graduated no one from a pretty good team.  MIT should be very good as well - they suffered through a lot of injuries last year and didn't lose anyone from the team.

There's a post here somewhere where I listed teams from the tournament who had the best returning cast.  I'll have to see if I can find it again.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

From what I have been told... there is a 6-6 A10 transfer headed to Cabrini for next season... just an FYI. The coach I was talking to made the transfer sound like a big deal for Cabrini.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

From what I have been told... there is a 6-6 A10 transfer headed to Cabrini for next season... just an FYI. The coach I was talking to made the transfer sound like a big deal for Cabrini.

Well, that might change things.

[dcahill44]

http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/blog/lessons-learned-student-athlete Everyone should read this story. Really cool. Division 3 gained another fan this day. Purity of D3 is like no other. I love the Purity of the sport.