Today we are excited to start another new feature where we will answer our readers' questions. Of course, since this is the first installment, we haven't had any questions actually submitted to us. That would be a problem for a lesser blog, but not for one as discredited as we are. Occasionally, people will find their way to our corner of the internet by asking a question of their Google machine and they somehow wind up here. Well, now we'll answer some of the queries that have led here. For anyone who wants to submit a question directly to us, please use the Contact tab above or this link to submit your question along with the subject, "Ask OV." We can't guarantee when we'll get around to answering it because, frankly, we've got shit to do, but we do want this to be a regular enough feature that I don't feel like I wasted my time creating a banner for it.
Q. Why can't you measure intangibles?
Because you can't measure heart, that's why. But seriously, how would one measure leadership? Or grittiness? Or chemistry? The reason they are called intangibles is that they can't really be quantified in any meaningful way. Sure, there are people who believe that Koyie Hill's clubhouse presence made everyone on the team better by half of a win, but that is just assigning value arbitrarily. If teams ever figure out a meaningful metric to use to determine intangible qualities in players, it would revolutionize player analysis. Maybe this is what the Cubs have Ari Kaplan working on these days.
Q. When John Elway was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1979 who was the Kansas City Royals third baseman who said John Elway should play football instead of baseball?
I am not making these questions up. This is an awfully complicated way of asking who the 3rd baseman for the 1979 Royals was, but it was George Brett.
Q. Why are Cubs bleachers 140?
I'm going to intrepret this to mean, "Why do the Cubs Bleacher tickets cost $140?" Well, the Cubs are trying out a dynamic pricing model for the Bleacher seats that will change the price of the game based on how popular it is. I'm assuming whoever asked this question is trying to get Bleacher seats for the Red Sox series. Those are currently the highest prices Bleacher seats available at $140 each (before taxes, fees, and convenience charges). Opening Day will run you $100, The White Sox series are running from $78 to $100, depending on when you want to go. The July Cardinals series Bleacher tickets are currently between $78 to $110.
Q. Old Style not being sold at Cubs games?
Last year there was a report that Old Style wanted out of its contract with the Cubs. Our friend, wpbc (who runs the awesome tumblr site, Holy Coleslaw), wrote an Unobstructed View about it. But then in September, the contract got renewed. Fear not. That shitty Midwest beer will still be flowing at Wrigley.
Q. What is Kim DeJesus' breast size?
I want to assure David DeJesus (whom we are sure is a very reasonable and peace-loving man) and his giant kick-ass truck, that none of us on this blog would have inside information on this topic. Please do not run us over. Thank you.
Q. Who did the Cubs trade for Theo Epstein?
Until recently, this seemed like it was going to forever be one of those unknowable mysteries, like what Aramis Ramirez's contract said or how much the Cubs owe Carlos Silva. But then, from out of nowhere, an answer to this question is taking shape. In late February, the Cubs' relief pitching prospect, Chris Carpenter was informed he would be heading to Boston as part of the compensation package for Theo. But we also learned that day that there would be two Players to be Named Later to be involved in the deal, one going from the Cubs to the Red Sox, and another going from the Red Sox to the Cubs. Yesterday, another relief pitcher prospect from A ball, Aaron Kurcz, was named the Cubs PTBNL to go to the Red Sox. Now the only remaining piece of the puzzle is who the player coming back from the Sox will be. We expect to learn that sometime during the regular season…. of 2020.
We hope you enjoyed the first installment of Ask OV. We hope you'll send us your questions so we can bestow our vast wisdom and knowledge upon you in the near future.
Comments
DeJesus ——–> bunting champ
BerseliusQuote Reply
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
So that’s why he’s leading off.
ACTQuote Reply
Who owns the Cubs?
Al YellonQuote Reply
(dying laughing)
WaLiQuote Reply
Anybody know who this is? If the Cubs claim a player, does that player have to be put on the 40 man?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/03/cubs-claim-frankie-de-la-cruz.html
MuckerQuote Reply
Al Yellon wrote:
Al, don’t you have your own site to ask redundant questions?
MuckerQuote Reply
@ Mucker:
I always thought a “claim” implied having to put him on the 40-man roster. Didn’t the Cubs have to put Cardenas on the 40-man when they claimed him from Oakland?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
I guess that should’ve been an Ask OV.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
No elevensies for you tomorrow
BerseliusQuote Reply
LSU fundamentals in the lineup for SF today.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Thank goodness my Final Four is still intact (dying laughing)
Now if Florida State would quit messing around and play basketball already…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Bonnies up 34-28 at the half against FSU. I guess several cubs fans are too busy enjoying that game to care about Baseball.
PezcoreQuote Reply
Does anyone actually read this site?
MishQuote Reply
Mish wrote:
Spambots.
Aisle424Quote Reply
Well done, 424. Are you serious about that being DeJesus’s truck? What the hell is that thing?
mb21Quote Reply
Rizzo ————> HR to CF, around 400 ft per Len
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ mb21:
That’s every-baseball-player-I’ve-ever-met’s wet dream.
Granted, that’s a small sample set.
joshQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Was he on the Brewers 40-man roster? If he was, then he is added to the Cubs 40-man unless he cleared waivers first. If he cleared waivers he could have become a free agent at which point the transaction would be called signing. I’m guessing he was placed on waivers so the Brewers could open a spot on their 40-man. I didn’t think the Cubs had a spot open though.
mb21Quote Reply
mb21 wrote:
That is his truck. Someone tweeted a picture of it when he first arrived at camp. It’s like a Hummer on steroids.
Aisle424Quote Reply
@ Aisle424:
It looks like someone glued a semi-cab onto a dodge ram frame.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
They cleared a spot when they outrighted Weathers the other day. I was guessing they were leaving it open for DeWitt/Mather to win the last roster spot
BerseliusQuote Reply
to include the word “breasts” in the header and not include any pictures is shameful.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
Mish taking the best seeds has paid off so far.
mb21Quote Reply
Berselius wrote:
Doesn’t it have to be to clear the CF wall?
MuckerQuote Reply
Mucker wrote:
Depends on how deep the CF wall is. Would have no idea otherwise.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Berselius wrote:
Oh sorry, I figured all stadiums had CF walls around 400 ft.
MuckerQuote Reply
Looks like if he went straight center field, he’d have to hit it much more than 400 feet to clear the batter’s eye. Is there a ground rule for the home run boundary to straight center?
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
It’s in play if it hits off the batter’s eye
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
Unless it’s Marlon Byrd’s.
GBTSQuote Reply
GBTS wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn2S7fq_p1E
Aisle424Quote Reply
Is Anthony Rizzo a good pitcher? If not, why did we trade for him?
Rodrigo RamirezQuote Reply
ThERRORiot.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rodrigo Ramirez:
Because Jeff Samardzija still can’t scoop a low throw from Castro.
joshQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Oh is the game still going on? Game day has been stuck on “Cardenas flies out to Melky Cabrera” for 20 minutes. I figured someone dropped the bomb on Ho Ho Kam.
EDIT: apparently I had to manually advance it. I’m an idiot.
joshQuote Reply
2x TOOTBLAN
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
Wow. Both times stealing 3rd. Why? Why do we even need to steal third? This spring is killing my desire to watch this team bungle through this season.
joshQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
He doesn’t learn how to kill mockingbirds, but he does learn an important lesson in tolerance and how to lose a court case.
joshQuote Reply
@ Suburban kid:
Soon they will rule us all
BerseliusQuote Reply
josh wrote:
It’s hard enough for this team to get on base. I can live with a couple guys trying to steal 2nd from time to time, but not 3rd base. The fact so many people attempt to steal 3rd is evidence that those running baseball aren’t real smart.
mb21Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
Because they’ll understand abstract algebra? It hasn’t helped the mathematicians rule anything.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I’m trying not to panic, because it’s still Spring Training, but this is looking even worse than I imagined.
joshQuote Reply
@ mb21:
I’m hoping that they’re just trying something and they don’t actually do this in games that matter.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Campana is now 0-14 for the Spring.
ACTQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
I pray to DeRosa that this is true.
joshQuote Reply
WTF Missouri.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
424, you suck: http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/group?groupID=91223
mb21Quote Reply
(dying laughing) @ Lendy Castillo
It’s always amusing to me how pitchers can throw within a certain zone 60 feet away but can’t throw to a guy at a base. I know the motions are a bit different, but damn.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Apparently not as bad as yours truly. My upsets did not upset.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
mb21 wrote:
wow, we’re tied. that’s pretty sad considering that i have watched zero seconds of NCAA basketball in the last 5 years and filled out my bracket largely based on what schools i have partied at. the rest were chosen at random.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
@ EnricoPallazzo:
I’ve watched about 1 game in the last 5 years. Not much of a fan anymore. Still like filling out the brackets though.
mb21Quote Reply
@ mb21:
mb, which bracket is yours?
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
@ mb21:
Certainly doesn’t help that Iowa hasn’t been to the NCAAs in 5 years or so
BerseliusQuote Reply
My bracket is officially dead if this holds up (dying laughing)
Stupid Norfolk State.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
@ Rice Cube:
we may be battling it out for dead last. i just looked at my bracket again and realized i had “st. b’nvntre” going to the sweet 16. i don’t even know who the fuck that is.
EnricoPallazzoQuote Reply
What the fuck was that last play all about. I get the idea, but come on…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Rice CubeQuote Reply
And thus endeth any hope I had to win the OV bracket tourney.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Mucker wrote:
Well whoop de fuckin doo
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Rice Cube wrote:
Same here.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
ACT wrote:
Suburban kidQuote Reply
@ EnricoPallazzo:
dmick89
mb21Quote Reply
@ Berselius:
Yeah, but I’ve lost all interest in college basketball at this point. I keep hearing how Iowa had a much improved season this year in basketball and they had a really good recruiting class. But I don’t care. (dying laughing)
mb21Quote Reply
mb21 wrote:
My 2nd bracket is doing much better. It would almost have to.
Aisle424Quote Reply
Special stuff, ey? If by special he means 4A, then fuck yea this team will be special.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0317-cubs-chicago–20120317,0,4153967.story
Rodrigo RamirezQuote Reply
If President Obama’s bracket was in our group, he would be tied with Mish for first place.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQdAO9UsWho&
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Suck it, Duke
BerseliusQuote Reply
I think this game broke twitter (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
@ Berselius:
Well…fuck.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
http://www.whosay.com/darrenrovell/photos/145741
Oops.
GBTSQuote Reply
Suburban kid wrote:
Suburban kidQuote Reply
new shit: http://obstructedview.net/projections/2012-cubs-playing-time-projections.html
mb21Quote Reply
I hardly have time to read this blog anymore, but I read this. So:
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
fang2415Quote Reply