Contest update

In early June we set up a contest where the winner would win an Obstructed View t-shirt. All you had to do was guess what the Cubs record in June was going to be. The tiebreakers were runs scored, runs allowed and the number of hits by Starlin Castro. With 5 games left in the month, I thought I’d post the predictions. I entered one, but can’t win. There were 22 people eliglble to win the shirt.

Name W L RS RA Castro Hits
Mercurial Outfielder* 10 18 56 80 15
Rice Cube 8 21 85 142 39
Arturs Weible 10 19 90 120 35
talkingtocactus 13 16 87 123 31
Megan 11 18 95 150 32
cwolf 12 17 113 134 24
dwag29 26 3 32 14 99
Josh 16 13 65 110 36
Urk 9 20 58 136 23
koboldekobold 7 22 64 159 36
Suburban Kid 10 19 104 142 27
xoomwaffle 12 17 110 145 26
Mish 9 20 105 141 28
dylanj 8 17 75 125 25
Wrigley Mike 8 21 78 287 614
mb21** 9 20 119 177 25
Bubba Biscuit 6 23 120 150 30
jherky 11 18 116 288 25
ACT 10 19 118 160 32
WaLi 12 17 123 171 30
jtsunami 9 20 117 157 34
Down by Keith Law 10 19 94 147 31
melissa 7 22 101 150 40

Being the dumbass that I am, I missed the scheduled doubleheader on Tuesday and counted only 28 games initially. Mercurial Outfielder entered his prediction prior to my correcting it so I’ll give him one win or loss after the month in whatever direction helps him out.

The Cubs are currenly 8-16 and they’ve sored 84, allowed 113 and Castro has 33 base hits. We can eliminate dwag, but he wasn’t really trying to win anyway. He must already have a shirt. A lot of people do. Josh is also eliminated as he picked 16-13 and so is melissa and Bubba Biscuit. If the Cubs win the next five, talkingtocactus wins.

If the Cubs lose every remaining game there would be a 3-way tie between Rice Cube, dylanj and Wrigley Mike. Rice Cube will be closest in the first tiebreaker so dylanj and Wrigley Mike are out.

If they win one more, there would be a 4-way tie. Urk is out because he can’t be closest in the first tiebreaker. If they go 1-4, jtsunami needs the Cubs to score 27 or more runs to win. If they scored exactly 27 more runs, it would go to the second tiebreaker.

If they win two more, it would be a 4-way tie. We can eliminate Mercurial Outfielder because his tiebreaker loses. If somebody else wants to run all the scenarios, go for it. I’m way too lazy.

The Breaking Bad OV shirt is no longer available. Cafe Press won’t allow it to be sold unfortunately.


197 thoughts on “Contest update”

  1. Winning the T-shirt is now officially more exciting than the Cubs winning any other games for the rest of the month (dying laughing)

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  2. [quote name=josh]I don’t know, I think I still have a chance. Once Byrd comes back, some of those Ls will turn to Ws.[/quote]
    Byrd doesn’t come back until after the Fourth of July. You’re fucked.

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  3. I’m telling you, their record will improve immediately. Those hits will retroactively fall in. Rami will notice he now has 15 homeruns and Grabow will wake up with a horse head in his bed. 8-21 will instantly become 16-13.

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  4. I have to say that the Cubs winning 3 of 4 against the Brewers really screwed me up. I had them losing 3 of 4. Stupid Cubs.

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  5. I didn’t expect the losing streak to go on so long. I really did think Ramirez was going to have a good month.

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  6. Wow, I am way high RS and RA. Maybe the Cubs will score 34 and allow 9.4 over the next 5 games, and Castro will have -1 hits.

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  7. [quote name=jtsunami]mb, are you DQ-ing yourself?[/quote]yes. I just put in a prediction for fun. I already have two shirts anyway and wear them every day. At the same time.

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  8. [quote name=mb21]I already have two shirts[/quote]
    Well check out Mr. Moneybags over here!

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  9. [quote name=ACT]Wow, I am way high RS and RA. Maybe the Cubs will score 34 and allow 9.4 over the next 5 games, and Castro will have -1 hits.[/quote]That’s in part because the Cubs have scored a measly 3.5 runs per game in June so far. Not sure why you had so many RA though.

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  10. [quote name=jtsunami]mb, are you DQ-ing yourself?[/quote]
    That’s mb’s business, and frankly this is a family blog. I’m sure they’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up this kind of subject matter.

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  11. I need the Cubs to go 4-1 while scoring 7.8/game and allowing 11.6/game

    I have no chance (dying laughing)

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  12. [quote name=WaLi]I need the Cubs to go 4-1 while scoring 7.8/game and allowing 11.6/game

    I have no chance (dying laughing)[/quote]Maybe they lose that one by epic proportions.

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  13. [quote name=Jame Gumb]That’s mb’s business, and frankly this is a family blog. I’m sure they’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring up this kind of subject matter.[/quote]Flagged

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  14. Unfortunately I don’t think the Cubs can lose all five remaining games so I’m probably out.

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  15. [quote name=jtsunami]I think tie-breakers should be Price is Right-style. If you go over —> lose.[/quote]I probably would have done that if I was more clear at the time, but since I didn’t it’s just going to be whoever is closest.

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  16. [quote name=mb21]I probably would have done that if I was more clear at the time, but since I didn’t it’s just going to be whoever is closest.[/quote]Perhaps the distance of guess from actual should be weighted by optimism of guess (inversely proportional of course).

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  17. [quote name=mb21]That’s in part because the Cubs have scored a measly 3.5 runs per game in June so far. Not sure why you had so many RA though.[/quote]I was trying to get my pythoagorean expectation to agree with the W/L%

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  18. [quote name=ACT]I was trying to get my pythoagorean expectation to agree with the W/L%[/quote](dying laughing) that’s what I did and I’m way off, too. I had 1 more RS than you, but 17 more RA. Can’t remember if I used PythagenPat or just plain Pythag.

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  19. [quote name=josh]Don’t worry, Campy’s getting his first homer tonight. Tie it right up.[/quote]
    Not with that wide zone he’s not. Didn’t even take the bat off his shoulders.

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  20. [quote name=Rice Cube]Not with that wide zone he’s not. Didn’t even take the bat off his shoulders.[/quote]Rami, picking up Campy.

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  21. Yay! High scoring! Starlin should quiet down and give other hitters a chance, though. In fact, just give him the rest of the month off. He’s earned it.

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  22. [quote name=ACT]Yay! High scoring! Starlin should quiet down and give other hitters a chance, though. In fact, just give him the rest of the month off. He’s earned it.[/quote]
    Starlin’s play will almost assuredly be cut short because Quade loves it.

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  23. [quote name=Aisle424]Starlin’s play will almost assuredly be cut short because Koyie needs ABs.[/quote]I like this reason better.

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  24. [quote name=ACT]Yay! High scoring! Starlin should quiet down and give other hitters a chance, though. In fact, just give him the rest of the month off. He’s earned it.[/quote]I don’t like him. He’s got no power or speed. Anyone can hit a triple.

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  25. and in other news i just read we have a Doug Davis / Rodrigo Lopez doubleheader coming up.

    2008 was a long time ago

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  26. [quote name=dylanj]holy shit Blake DeWitt has been bad. I havent been paying enough attention i guess[/quote]I like him. He swings at three pitches then sits down. Doesn’t slow the game down with all those basehits.

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  27. [quote name=josh]I like him. He swings at three pitches then sits down. Doesn’t slow the game down with all those basehits.[/quote]
    Productive out shut you right up.

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  28. We’ve heard talk of like a computerized ball/strike caller, but I wonder how it would work, considering that balls and strikes are dependent on the batter’s stance.

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  29. [quote name=josh]We’ve heard talk of like a computerized ball/strike caller, but I wonder how it would work, considering that balls and strikes are dependent on the umpire’s mood.[/quote]
    Maybe if you bribed the computer a bit…

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  30. [quote name=josh]We’ve heard talk of like a computerized ball/strike caller, but I wonder how it would work, considering that balls and strikes are dependent on the batter’s stance.[/quote]They should have each player wear sensors and take a couple swings using their stances. The umps get really cool digital glasses that give a 3D image of the strike zone and have each batters stance sensors uploaded into them.

    Let’s see what happens.

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  31. [quote name=Muckey]They should have each player wear sensors and take a couple swings using their stances. The umps get really cool digital glasses that give a 3D image of the strike zone and have each batters stance sensors uploaded into them.

    Let’s see what happens.[/quote]That sounds pretty awesome. I’m definitely voting for this.

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  32. [quote name=Muckey]They should have each player wear sensors and take a couple swings using their stances. The umps get really cool digital glasses that give a 3D image of the strike zone and have each batters stance sensors uploaded into them.

    Let’s see what happens.[/quote]
    Umpire HUDs eh? That’s a sweet idea.

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  33. (dying laughing) I was actually joking around but I guess it does sound like a pretty cool idea. Maybe I should send this to MLB?

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  34. [quote name=Rice Cube]Guess I’m not winning that T-shirt (dying laughing)[/quote]You fucking loser! (dying laughing)

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  35. Keith: “They’ve had a runner in scoring position in every at-bat.”

    I didn’t pull up my spreadsheets, but that seems like a statistical anomaly.

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  36. [quote name=mb21]You fucking loser! (dying laughing)[/quote]

    I’m going to need an epic bullpen meltdown to keep my hopes alive!

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  37. [quote name=WenningtonsGorillaCock]Bobby Scales ——> fighting Japanese ham[/quote]
    Gooda ruck, Bobby.

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  38. [quote name=josh]Tony is somehow staying alive. Gearing up for that slam.[/quote]
    It’s gonna happen.

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  39. I guess Bobby wasn’t as good without Hoffpauier at his side. So do the Ham Fighters fight ham, or fight WITH ham?

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  40. [quote name=WaLi]So, assuming that this game continues this way, what is Quade’s record for wussouts?[/quote]
    We’ll find out tomorrow when the wussout against the Giants is made up. That one made no sense to me…Lincecum vs. Zambrano. Q really didn’t think we could win that one?

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  41. [quote name=Rice Cube]We’ll find out tomorrow when the wussout against the Giants is made up. That one made no sense to me…Lincecum vs. Zambrano. Q really didn’t think we could win that one?[/quote]My thought at the time was that it was more to do with the horrible lack of run production, and it does seem to be better now.

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  42. [quote name=josh]My thought at the time was that it was more to do with the horrible lack of run production, and it does seem to be better now.[/quote]
    I liked how Q thought we could win with Doug Davis on the hill in torrential rain but not with Z on the hill in halfway decent weather.

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  43. Trey McNutt barely has a reliever’s workload this season. That’s good since he’ll be converted to the bullpen after the season.

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  44. Don’t look now, but I think Julio Zuleta stopped by and talked to Aramis’ bats.

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  45. Anyway, so Q’s plan is: If the game is tied, bring in Grabow and Samardzija. If the Cubs have a sizeable lead, bring in Marshall and Marmol. Brilliant.

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  46. Well, no free T-shirt for me. Good luck, 9-win predictors! (dying laughing)

    Actually, I want to see a win tomorrow so good luck to 10-win predictors instead (dying laughing)

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  47. [quote name=ACT]Anyway, so Q’s plan is: If the game is tied, bring in Grabow and Samardzija. If the Cubs have a sizeable lead, bring in Marshall and Marmol. Brilliant.[/quote]And Marmol’s plan is to allow at least two people to reach base safely during every appearance.

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  48. Name IP TBF Pit H HR ER BB SO FIP pLI WPA

    M Garza 7.0 26 102 4 1 2 0 6 3.52 0.79 .210
    C Marmol 1.2 8 35 2 1 1 1 3 8.95 0.59 .011
    R Johnson 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.95

    Fangraphs box

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  49. [quote name=josh]AW YEAH! SWEEP BABY![/quote]
    Technically speaking, it’s CUBS NOT SWEPT BABY since this makeup game is from a series where the Rockies already won two games.

    Technically correct, which is the best kind of correct.

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  50. I really don’t understand how Selig has the authority to deny McCourt access to the TV rights.

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  51. [quote name=mb21]I don’t understand how MLB can even get involved.[/quote]Yeah. It’s very strange for Selig to have butted in on this thing.

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  52. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Yeah. It’s very strange for Selig to have butted in on this thing.[/quote]I get that MLB can probably say it’s best for the game of baseball, but if I’m the owner, that’s my fucking business. If somebody is going to run it into the ground, you can god damn bet it’s going to be me and nobody else. If I was in McCourt’s situation, I’d just fuck over MLB as best I can. (dying laughing)

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  53. [quote name=mb21]I don’t understand how MLB can even get involved.[/quote]
    Is what the MLB is trying to do illegal?

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  54. [quote name=Rice Cube]Is what the MLB is trying to do illegal?[/quote]I don’t know the applicable law here, but it seems odd for Selig to assert any authority here. If McCourt owns the TV rights, they are his to do with as he wishes.

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  55. [quote name=mb21]I get that MLB can probably say it’s best for the game of baseball, but if I’m the owner, that’s my fucking business. If somebody is going to run it into the ground, you can god damn bet it’s going to be me and nobody else. If I was in McCourt’s situation, I’d just fuck over MLB as best I can. (dying laughing)[/quote](dying laughing), I just don’t understand how Selig has any jurisdiction here.

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  56. [quote name=Mercurial Outfielder](dying laughing), I just don’t understand how Selig has any jurisdiction here.[/quote]I’m sure there’s some clause that allows them to do this for the sake of MLB, but I think it’s bullshit. McCourt should be able to do with the Dodgers as he wants. Obviously the bankruptcy filing might change some things, but that was his decision to file. I just don’t see how MLB has any right to do the shit they’re talking about doing.

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  57. The following people are still alive in the contest:

    Mish
    jtsunami
    Arturs Weible
    Suburban Kid
    ACT
    Down by Keith Law
    Megan
    jherky
    cwolf
    xoomwaffle
    WaLi
    talkingtoacactus

    Mish and jtsunami need the Cubs to lose the rest of the games this month. If they do lose them all, Mish wins if they score no more than 20 additional runs. If they score more, jtsunami wins. If they score exactly 20, Mish needs the Cubs to allow no more than 32 runs. Anything more than that and jtsunami wins.

    If the Cubs win one more game and only score 1 run while allowing 20 or less, Arturs Weible wins. Otherwise he’s eliminaed. Then it’s between Suburban Kid and ACT he wins if the Cubs score no more 19 more runs (seems reasonable). More than 19 and SK is the lucky one.

    If they win 2 more it’s likely jherky wins unless they score very few runs.

    The 12 win predictions are close in the first tiebreaker. Anyone of them could win. If it goes tiebreaker 2, WaLi is out.

    If they win all of them, talkingtoactus wins.

    You’re all still eligible. (dying laughing)

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  58. There’s a table below the comments and on the main page with the reverse standings. Cubs are in 2nd place behind the Astros for the 2012 first overall pick. Tim and I will update these each day.

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  59. [quote name=mb21]The following people are still alive in the contest:

    Mish
    jtsunami
    Arturs Weible
    Suburban Kid
    ACT
    Down by Keith Law
    Megan
    jherky
    cwolf
    xoomwaffle
    WaLi
    talkingtoacactus

    Mish and jtsunami need the Cubs to lose the rest of the games this month. If they do lose them all, Mish wins if they score no more than 20 additional runs. If they score more, jtsunami wins. If they score exactly 20, Mish needs the Cubs to allow no more than 32 runs. Anything more than that and jtsunami wins.

    If the Cubs win one more game and only score 1 run while allowing 20 or less, Arturs Weible wins. Otherwise he’s eliminaed. Then it’s between Suburban Kid and ACT he wins if the Cubs score no more 19 more runs (seems reasonable). More than 19 and SK is the lucky one.

    If they win 2 more it’s likely jherky wins unless they score very few runs.

    The 12 win predictions are close in the first tiebreaker. Anyone of them could win. If it goes tiebreaker 2, WaLi is out.

    If they win all of them, talkingtoactus wins.

    You’re all still eligible. (dying laughing)[/quote]So… I’m winning?

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  60. [quote name=mb21]I’m sure there’s some clause that allows them to do this for the sake of MLB, but I think it’s bullshit. McCourt should be able to do with the Dodgers as he wants. Obviously the bankruptcy filing might change some things, but that was his decision to file. I just don’t see how MLB has any right to do the shit they’re talking about doing.[/quote]I think the argument is that he’s trying to sell low (give FOX a discount). If MLB lets one owner sell low, then that may devalue advertising for the other owners, so they have a mutual stake. Actually, that kind of sounds like price fixing. Maybe I’m way off.

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  61. [quote name=Berselius]Technically speaking, it’s CUBS NOT SWEPT BABY since this makeup game is from a series where the Rockies already won two games.

    Technically correct, which is the best kind of correct.[/quote]DEAR GOD JUST LET ME HAVE THIS!!

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  62. [quote name=mb21]

    You’re all still eligible. (dying laughing)[/quote]
    I heard that ACT and SK are getting free tattoos, and Mish was seen walking past an agent. Better get the NCAA on it.

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  63. Why did MLB last week refuse the deal with Fox in the first place, one which would have secured, according to McCourt, almost $3 BILLION dollars? I don’t know if that amount is accurate, but if true that’s a lot of fucking money. The only reason could be that McCourt fucked it up before and might do it again, and MLB has the authority to veto any deal under some law.

    http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-bankruptcy-20110628,0,6381242.story?page=1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=bleacherreport.com

    Hilarious that Manny Ramirez is their biggest creditor at this point (dying laughing)

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  64. anyone else watching the CWS? I mean besides Bubbles. 1-0 Florida in the 6th. Game 1 of the best of 3. They just showed Bucky Dent in the stands. his son is a Gator.

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  65. [quote name=Horny Goat]anyone else watching the CWS? I mean besides Bubbles. 1-0 Florida in the 6th. Game 1 of the best of 3. They just showed Bucky Dent in the stands. his son is a Gator.[/quote]
    I am. Awesome pitchers duel. I am surprised at the number of popups induced so far.

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  66. [quote name=Horny Goat]WOW

    seeing-eye indeed[/quote]
    It bounced like four times before it squeaked by the diving second baseman. Talk about shitty luck (dying laughing)

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  67. shitty luck for sure. Randall was sailing along. I thought he got ripped off on a couple pitches that inning.

    This has the makings of a great final.

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  68. is it me or is that K zone they show on espn really small in the high strike area? I think so.

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  69. Florida FAIL (dying laughing) (dying laughing) (dying laughing)

    WTF. That was so terrible. Great plays by SC to get out of it.

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  70. That infield setup they had was brilliant. The Wingo guy was in perfect position each time to cut down the runner at the plate. Awesome.

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  71. [quote name=Rice Cube]Why is the outfield so damned deep?[/quote]
    no kidding! they needed to cut the run down on a line drive or bloop. not sure wtf they were doing, but wow, give the Chad Bradford-like pitcher credit for throwing strikes and getting the grounders.

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  72. Bubbles is happy

    Bublles went to atlantic city for dmb this weekend.. He came back beligerently drunk to see UVA melt down.. He loves this team.. They are so good. He cant believe that Matt price wasnt draftd higher… Christain Walker might come to us in the 12 draft

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  73. Wow, just getting my bearings from a long weekend – are the Cubs really pitching Doug Davis and Rodrigo Lopez in today’s doubleheader?? I might be halfway to my T-Shirt by the end of the night.

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  74. [quote name=Mish]Wow, just getting my bearings from a long weekend – are the Cubs really pitching Doug Davis and Rodrigo Lopez in today’s doubleheader?? I might be halfway to my T-Shirt by the end of the night.[/quote]The Giants have already elected not to take BP before the game because it just seems so redundant.

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  75. [quote name=AndCounting]The Giants have already elected not to take BP before the game because it just seems so redundant.[/quote]
    (dying laughing)

    Although the Giants are matching with the return of Barry Zito…

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  76. [quote name=AndCounting]The Giants have already elected not to take BP before the game because it just seems so redundant.[/quote](dying laughing)

    BTW – I’m half stealing this joke. Maybe.

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  77. Me, yesterday:

    “Pena is a 100 RBI guy since he will drive in 80 and save 40 runs with his glove”. This is the idiocy #Cubs fans endure from @thekapman

    thekapman David Kaplan
    Hey dude….listening is a skill. I said that a major league scout said that. If it is idiocy then don’t follow.

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  78. [quote name=Mish]Me, yesterday:

    “Pena is a 100 RBI guy since he will drive in 80 and save 40 runs with his glove”. This is the idiocy #Cubs fans endure from @thekapman

    thekapman David Kaplan
    Hey dude….listening is a skill. I said that a major league scout said that. If it is idiocy then don’t follow.[/quote]
    I guess you are only following for your own amusement?

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  79. [quote name=Rice Cube]I guess you are only following for your own amusement?[/quote]
    I honestly just followed two days ago because I don’t follow any of the trolls (aka Cubs reporters) so I figured I should follow a couple just so I can troll them.

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  80. Levine isn’t bad. He never really shares his opinion even if it is shitty reporting. I follow Bruce Miles as well.

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  81. [quote name=jtsunami]Levine isn’t bad. He never really shares his opinion even if it is shitty reporting. I follow Bruce Miles as well.[/quote]I’m not a fan of Levine but I like Miles a lot, and follow him because I like him.

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  82. [quote name=jtsunami]So we can agree that we don’t follow Paul Sullivan (dying laughing)[/quote]
    Agreed, tho I have tweeted at him from time to time (or tagged him in a tweet mentioning how he’s a cuntsucker).

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  83. I got bored making fun of the beat reporters. It was fun getting banned by Sullivan (and then reinstated for some unknown reason), but at this point, unless they say something tremendously over-the-top ridiculous or racist, I leave it alone.

    I still take shots at Rosenbloom periodically, but I just can’t help myself there. That guy has pissed me off for years.

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  84. It’s mostly boring because it’s an everyday job and you have so many to make fun of. I don’t follow any other team’s sportswriters, but it’s hard to imagine them being worse than the Cubs.

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  85. [quote name=Aisle424]I got bored making fun of the beat reporters. It was fun getting banned by Sullivan (and then reinstated for some unknown reason), but at this point, unless they say something tremendously over-the-top ridiculous or racist, I leave it alone.

    I still take shots at Rosenbloom periodically, but I just can’t help myself there. That guy has pissed me off for years.[/quote]
    I don’t really follow anyone (at least baseball-wise) who is an idiot or hack, mostly because I’m like this guy:

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  86. Batting Campana 2nd workedso well yesterday, we’re doing it again!
    Game 1 lineup:

    RF Fukudome

    CF Campana

    SS Castro

    3B Ramirez

    1B Pena

    LF Soriano

    2B DeWitt

    C Hill

    P Davis

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  87. I don’t think I follow any Cubs sportswriters. I know I don’t follow Sullivan, Gordo, Miles, Muskat or Levine. Who else is there? I’ve just gotten to the point over the last few years that not one of them can give me any information I really care about. Muskat’s post-games are solid because they’re packed with quotes, which is something I like, but I’ve only read a dozen or so recaps since May of last season. The only time I visit Sullivan’s blog without a link is if I’m looking for an injury update on a player who was injured the night before. I don’t remember the last time I read anything by Miles or even visited his blog. I’ve been a lot happier fan since I stopped reading what these guys write on a daily basis.

    I follow most of the Hawkeyes sportswriters though. (dying laughing)

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  88. [quote name=Mish]I do like Miles, I followed Kap to troll, and I follow Muskat for lineups and postgame stuff.[/quote](dying laughing) I don’t even care about the lineups or the postgame stuff anymore. Unless something interesting happens (injury, blowup, etc) then I just don’t care. Looking at the Cubs lineups these days is about like looking at the I-Cubs lineup before their game starts in my opinion. I’ve never liked Miles as much as some of you have and based on what I’ve seen this season, I have even less reason to think he’s good. It’s inexcusable that a person around baseball as much as he doesn’t know that team presidents aren’t always baseball guys. I get how some fans didn’t know since these guys didn’t do their work and didn’t tell people, but it’s their fucking job to do it. Not to mention, the most popular GM these days is someone that almost everybody knows is not a baseball guy. And they’re doing pretty damn well, aren’t they? (dying laughing)

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  89. [quote name=mb21](dying laughing) I don’t even care about the lineups or the postgame stuff anymore. Unless something interesting happens (injury, blowup, etc) then I just don’t care. Looking at the Cubs lineups these days is about like looking at the I-Cubs lineup before their game starts in my opinion. I’ve never liked Miles as much as some of you have and based on what I’ve seen this season, I have even less reason to think he’s good. It’s inexcusable that a person around baseball as much as he doesn’t know that team presidents aren’t always baseball guys. I get how some fans didn’t know since these guys didn’t do their work and didn’t tell people, but it’s their fucking job to do it. Not to mention, the most popular GM these days is someone that almost everybody knows is not a baseball guy. And they’re doing pretty damn well, aren’t they? (dying laughing)[/quote]
    The whole baseball guy/non-baseball guy is just one of those things people say without really thinking about it. It’s intuitive.

    We need to fix the bad baseball. Who is good at that? Someone who has spent their life in baseball! They couldn’t have made a career out of it if they weren’t any good!

    The funny thing to me about it is that there are managers who have been around forever, who are no good, and fans and reporters realize it and criticize the hirings. Like Jim Riggleman. He’s been employed in baseball since pretty much as long as I can remember and him quitting the other day was the most notable thing he’s ever done since he brought Terry Mulholland in from the bullpen the day after he started in 1998.

    I’m sure that is true of management-type baseball guys as well, but they don’t get the same scrutiny or critique from the media, and by extension, the fans.

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  90. I’m sure you guys discussed yesterday that Riggleman will be doing coverage of this weekend’s crosstown series? Serially, the BP Cup couldn’t be full of more fail, and it’s only been happening for 2 years.

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  91. Excellent point. I think it explains perfectly why the fans didn’t or shouldn’t be expected to know, but I do expect the journalists who are going to grill someone about it to know. I expect them to know for a couple of reasons. First, it’s important for them to tell us what’s going on because few people are going to look into this as much as we have. Second, it’s hard for me to believe they don’t actually already know their criticism is nonsense. That leaves me thinking the only reason they’re doing what they are is to make news themselves. I just hate it when the journalists create the stories. Paul Sullivan is fantastic at it. What Miles did is what I expect from Sullivan. These guys are in a powerful position because they decide what information is important. It’s important for us to understand that the three best organizations in baseball over the last 5 or so years have team presidents who have nothing to do with baseball. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing for the Cubs to do, but it’s obviously a structure that can work.

    Most importantly, I want to know what the fuck Crane Kenney does. Until someone can tell me what it is that he is in charge of, I just can’t get on the fire Kenney bandwagon. Maybe it’s the right thing to do, but I’d feel a lot more comfortable agreeing with the position if I had any clue what kind of a job he is doing. Since we don’t really know, it’s entirely possible he’s awesome at his job.

    When MO said the other day there’s no way the Yankees would hire Kenney, how do we know? What we know is that the Yankees don’t want anyone higher than their GM other than the owning family. Levine and Trott are the Yankees attorneys. Nothing more. Nothing less.

    There are two situations with a team that causes an enormous amount of rhetoric from the fans and sportswriters. The first and most enjoyable is when the team is good. People credit Ryan Theriot with 50 wins or Koyie Hill with 100 more. Dusty Baker is the greatest manager ever or Lou Piniella is the greatest ever. The other situation is when the team sucks. Dusty Baker is a moron. Lou Piniella isn’t even paying attention. The GM, who was awesome years earlier, now sucks. And so on.

    There’s nothing that can be done to change that, but I don’t think either extreme moves the discussion forward. Actually, I think it does the exact opposite. It’s just more obvious when people are crediting Ryan Theriot with 168 wins per season. We can look at stats and know for an absolute fact that is bullshit. We can’t do the same with the extremely negative remarks when things suck.

    I’m not calling anybody out. I’m as guilty as anybody else.

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  92. Most importantly, I want to know what the fuck Crane Kenney does.

    I seriously want an answer to this question. These journalists have sources. Even if Tommy won’t talk about it, there are ways to find out.

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  93. [quote name=mb21]I’ve never liked Miles as much as some of you have and based on what I’ve seen this season, I have even less reason to think he’s good[/quote]
    Ok, fine. You think his opinion sucks on one particular subject. But I don’t see why that should cloud his entire body of work.

    His blog has a lot of turd posters on it, but he answers legitimate questions. If you ask him “hey, what is the story with Hayden Simpson’s velocity?” He will ask Oneri and legitimately answer on his blog.

    If you asked that question of Paul Sullivan, there’s even money he’s not sure who Hayden Simpson is and a zero % chance he would answer.

    You’re right that a team president doesn’t have to be a ‘baseball guy’ (whatever that means), but I don’t think one bad opinion makes Bruce Miles a bad beat writer.

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  94. Ok, fine. You think his opinion sucks on one particular subject. But I don’t see why that should cloud his entire body of work.

    I haven’t been a fan for a long time now. That’s just the most recent example of why. If you really care why, search the archives on ACB.

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  95. I never said he was a bad beat writer. Compared to others in Chicago he’s obviously good, but that’s like being the tallest midget.

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