BaconOnAStick

I dont know what makes this KC team so damn good in the playoffs.

Ask him about his favorite moment from 2005. Truth is the Cubs expect their World Series win (if ever, or whenever it happens) to be a landmark in human history. Make a federal holiday, tons of movies and music and video games, a global special broadcast over every network, executive visits around the world to come pay their respects and, just for yucks, reset the calenders. They've built so much mythology into the curse from thin air they've made it out to be some crazy watershed moment for mankind. What they dont realize, or more likely choose not to realize, is that half the people in their own city aren't Cubs fans and dont care. Most of that number are actively rooting for them to lose and would quicky cobble together plans to the get the hell out of town should the Cubs ever play a World Series clinching game. Seriously, if the Cubs come back and win this series then have the Jays/Royals down 3-0 are you staying in town? Unless you absolutely have to no. You're gonna spend the weekend in Milwaukee or go visit your elderly relatives in Arizona/Florida. You aren't alone either, a ton of people wN of Roosevelt and E of Pulaski will do the same thing. A third of Chicago dreads the fake-ass celebration that would come with a Cubs World Series title. The Cubs are as Chicagoan as deep dish pizza, which is to say that yes they have a place here but its wildly exaggerated. Nobody really eats deep dish more than once a month (those that do die from heart disease almost instantly) and nobody sits around dwelling on another futile Cubs season. It's just all part of the carefully crafted marketing of Chicago to create an identity surrounding the city that's palatable to the rest of the country, since segregation, crime, traffic and inferiority complexes aren't all that appealing to people. They play in a damn museum for chrissakes! So yea, dont be one of the people who just has to hop on the bandwagon because everyone else is. Either be a hater because hating is fun and watching Cubs fans cry is brilliant television or be proud of the fact that you couldn't care less.

I actually think the Cubs win tonight because deGrom was very shaky in his last start. The ERA is very misleading. But the road only gets tougher for them after tonight.

I know, my point is down 0-2 the way to come back is through good pitching matchups, and the Cubs wont have any until Syndergaard/Arrieta swings back around. That doesn't even seem like a good matchup for the Cubs anymore. And that will be in New York. If Cespedes, Duda and Wright break out of their slumps, which on an unseasonably warm night in Chicago with wind blowing out against a guy who cant throw 90 mph seems plausible, it gets even worse. Same can be said for a lot of the Cubs hitters, though. Difference is the Cubs need their hitters to all be firing to win this thing and the Mets could very well do it with Wright, Duda and Cespedes being complete non-factors offensively.

Harvey and Syndergaard didn't appear to mind. But again, Arrieta went CGSO against the Pirates in the play-in game and now look at him. deGrom, even on his deathbed, throws harder than Hendricks anyways so maybe tonight will just be a big 8-10 slug-a-thon. The Cubs pitching is all but confirmed dead, Arrieta's postseason ERA (not incl the play-in game because that's not really postseason anymore) is almost 9 and Lester just looks lost. The Mets we dont know, and wont know until the series is over at this point. Harvey and Syndergaard might not have anything left after their last starts, deGrom might already be toast, Matz is going to start Game 4 on 7 days rest w/ only 140 IP this year, but maybe that doesn't mean anything either. Luckily for the Mets is unless deGrom/Matz are completely gassed I cant imagine either being much worse than Hendricks and Hammel. That and the Mets are full of maybe's while the Cubs pitching problems seem a lot more definitive and are coming from an 0-2 hole in the series.

The Cubs have a better chance of winning with Hammel than either of those options. I'm not sure tonight will be a Mets win. deGrom looked sloppy last time out and might just be running on fumes. The problem is the Mets are just going to keep coming with guys who, if they are on, are shutdown caliber and the Cubs $180m man looks over-the-hill and the emergent ace got inexplicably ran into the ground by a manager with nothing to win for. Can the Cubs just out slug the Mets in 4 of the remaining 5 games of the series (2 of which are in New York)? Maybe? Doesn't seem likely though. The Mets haven't had a big offensive explosion yet either, and they outslugged the NL after they got Cespedes.

Who's the last first round QB to ride the bench as long as Rodgers? I still think that decision contributed greatly to his success. If the Bears take Goff or Cook #1 I wouldn't be opposed to keeping Cutler one (maybe even two!) seasons. It's a development strategy that has simply vanished and I don't know why.

The Bears need help everywhere but at WR also, and because the Patriots forfeit their first rounder the 2nd round pick is basically a first (32 overall). So it's actually not a bad year to be picking #1.

No but those only come along every 15 or so years (Luck is also kind of overrated but whatever). This year's QB class is pretty typical so far, Goff is separating from the pack though.

If the Bears are going to sell off what few pieces they have which have value but are not part of this team's future they might as well just say f*** it and start Fales.

I dont count Forte with those other guys that you just dump for late round special teams guy. Getting Forte costs at minimum a 3rd round pick, or they are better off keeping him and resigning him.

As of 9/2 the Bears had all 7 of their picks, now they have 9. http://www.prosportstransactions.com/footb...uture/Bears.htm I say get a couple more. Willie Young gets a 5th or 6th. The corpse of McClellin maybe gets a conditional 6th, or a 7th. If you can somehow procure a 3rd rounder or better without dealing Long, McPhee or Alshon I'm all about that too.

It's a 6th for Bostic according to Biggs.

If the Bears can trade their way to 10+ picks plus the likely 1st overall in the coming draft that would be a big positive.

Marchman's love of the White Sox always keeps them relevant on at least one site.

Chicago Police (bless em) have a bit of an earned reputation for arbitrarily assigning priority to cases. I don't think there's a single police department in the country quite like the CPD. Wouldn't be surprised if Buffalo is handling this a lot differently than it would be here.

The Sox are playing like it's 2005 and Boston is playing like us in April.

Nightengale has a very good Sox source, worth remembering.

Yes. I'd want salary relief from the Cubs if I gave up something worthwhile for him, though.

At least the Sox aren't owned by some hick from Nebraska who bought the team with his dad's money to self-authenticate himself as a real Chicagoan the same way self obsessed Columbia students do by moving to Logan Sq. Make that into a chant, someone.

It would be something if after the break we see some serious regression out of guys like Melky and Alexei. The pitching can put them on a major run. We'll see. I'm not sold, I dont see how anyone could be.

That would be kinda cool wouldnt it.

Also, the Cubs looooove to strike out. I'm kinda excited to see how Sale does.

This was kind of the series I was looking forward to either way, now the Sox have crept right back onto the fringe of the playoff picture and it might matter for real. Maybe we wont collapse this time who knows.

The Sox had weather, the Baltimore riots... one thing is the Sox have played a solid week less worth of games than the rest of the league.