34 minutes ago, pcq said:

Getting a trophy was encouraging to my son who turned out to be very competent in his chosen field but not an athlete. 

Read the posts again. I was detailing why generalizations are inaccurate. 

4 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

One of the things I was noticing during Moncada's hot streak was that he was making adjustments as well. He's starting to be more selective swinging the bat early in counts. Instead of free swinging, he's only going after meatballs now which is what we wanted him to do all along. Moncada and Eloy are both about to take off into the stratosphere of superstardom. 

They will have a good amount of company.

39 minutes ago, Richie said:

Eloy and Cease for Quintana? Who has largely been a league average pitcher and has contributed to zero world series runs? I doubt it. There is zero doubt that Eloy/Cease still have uncertain futures. However, they gave up a Chris Sale type of haul for a guy who hasn't done much to write home about. 

This is why the time is now to trade Abreu & Colome if we're going to.  Teams overpay when they view a player through the eyes of improving their playoff chances.  Everyone is more rational in the off season.

48 minutes ago, Richie said:

Eloy and Cease for Quintana? Who has largely been a league average pitcher and has contributed to zero world series runs? I doubt it. There is zero doubt that Eloy/Cease still have uncertain futures. However, they gave up a Chris Sale type of haul for a guy who hasn't done much to write home about. 

Rick Hahn is really something.

6 minutes ago, poppysox said:

Rick Hahn is really something.

Fernando Tatis Jr for James Shields. It goes both ways. 

20 minutes ago, poppysox said:

This is why the time is now to trade Abreu & Colome if we're going to.  Teams overpay when they view a player through the eyes of improving their playoff chances.  Everyone is more rational in the off season.

I've ranted on the topic before: no, no, no, no. Don't get rid of our good players for someone who might be in the majors in two or three years. You win with good players. Can we get off this continual rebuild mode and start to enjoy winning.

The window opens next year and goes from there, not five years from now. 

1 hour ago, Richie said:

Eloy and Cease for Quintana? Who has largely been a league average pitcher and has contributed to zero world series runs? I doubt it. There is zero doubt that Eloy/Cease still have uncertain futures. However, they gave up a Chris Sale type of haul for a guy who hasn't done much to write home about. 

Yes and no. They haven't won a series since getting Quintana, but that year, when they got him, they were five games out of the division lead. I don't think you can look back at that year and think the Cubs would have made the playoffs without Quintana. So, he definitely was important to them that year, at least. 

26 minutes ago, ron883 said:

Fernando Tatis Jr for James Shields. It goes both ways. 

The question always remains: do the positives outweigh the negatives?

No GM has made all positive or all negative deals.

1 hour ago, gusguyman said:

And now the Cubs have rocks on their fingers. I don't think they'd undo the trade.

Quintana doesn't have a rock on his finger, pal

28 minutes ago, vilehoopster said:

Can we get off this continual rebuild mode and start to enjoy winning.

The answer is no for reasons I've stated. The rebuild/tanking and acquiring of unknown players is too sexy. Because of injuries to prospects, it continues in a never-ending loop of rebuilding for many many years. Wait til next year ....

3 hours ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

The participation trophy knock always cracks me up because it was actually the boomers who wouldnt stop crying that their kids didnt get a reward that created that culture. 10 year old kids were not demanding trophies. 

That said, the boomer generation also has had no issues giving absurdly big bonuses to countless executives who have driven companies into the ground... my favorite thing in my finance life is hearing the excuses for giving out these massive bonuses to executives at companies who are hemorrhaging money and cutting labor. Its comical and so widespread it hurts.

That said, I agree with you that generalizations are poor and people should be judged individually. I just think the "millenials or lazy or privileged" cliche is absolutely absurd. 

Correct. It's weird but the boomers, who were the last generation to be treated "poorly" by their parents (by that I mean no praise from parents, lot of criticism, not going to many if any of their extracurricular events, always siding with teachers not their precious kids, actually spanking and disciplining, being anything but a 'friend' to their kiddies) are the first generation to coddle their kids and try to be friends with them, coddle them, tell 'em they are special, get em participation trophies, go to ALL of their events, not let them be kids at all. And it's been just as bad or worse in the generations since. Kids are snowflakes; good luck to them when they hit the working world, which has NOT CHANGED much at all. In the working world, you still have very mean, cruel bosses and a very mean environment (do your job and be glad you have a job). Should be interesting to see if it ever changes when the millenials and Xers are in charge someday. But u are right the boomers started this.

That said ... Eloy mania baby! My Hahn comment is simple and direct. If you are able to acquire somebody THIS man mountainish, this special, you do not lose your job. If Eloy stays healthy (please), he like I said is Dave Winfield times two or three. That good.

Edited June 12, 20196 yr by greg775

1 hour ago, poppysox said:

This is why the time is now to trade Abreu & Colome if we're going to.  Teams overpay when they view a player through the eyes of improving their playoff chances.  Everyone is more rational in the off season.

We aren't getting more than a fringe 100 guy for Abreu or Colome at best. 

Isn't Abreu a free agent after this year? If anybody wants him they'll just wait and sign him.

21 minutes ago, soxfan49 said:

Quintana doesn't have a rock on his finger, pal

Jose Can'tana and Yu Garbage are going to be moves the Cubs regret for a while. 

10 minutes ago, SonofaRoache said:

Jose Can'tana and Yu Garbage are going to be moves the Cubs regret for a while. 

But at least they don't have Heblows or Ceasetoamazeanyone anymore!

38 minutes ago, ptatc said:

The question always remains: do the positives outweigh the negatives?

No GM has made all positive or all negative deals.

If we use Tatis as a line of demarcation then everything up to and including that was an obvious no and since then has been mostly yes and time will tell if their biggest screw up is that much a screw up at all

its probably a bigger negative that they punted 2019 to get Machado than it is not getting him

Edited June 12, 20196 yr by mqr

2 hours ago, Richie said:

Do you really think that receiving participation trophies was an integral part of your son growing into a competent and respectable adult? 

I hope that is ok. Ironically he became quite conservative unlike his parents. At the time we thought he needed some encouragement. There are some kids who get overlooked or don't fit the mold at school. I would not use the word integral. 

1 hour ago, mqr said:

If we use Tatis as a line of demarcation then everything up to and including that was an obvious no and since then has been mostly yes and time will tell if their biggest screw up is that much a screw up at all

its probably a bigger negative that they punted 2019 to get Machado than it is not getting him

There is no reason to use that as a arbitrary demarcation line. However if you do you could say the FO was not good at building on the fly but has been pretty good at the rebuild. So if the rebuild is successful hopefully the prospects continue to develop and open the window for an extended period of time. 

2 minutes ago, ptatc said:

There is no reason to use that as a arbitrary demarcation line. However if you do you could say the FO was not good at building on the fly but has been pretty good at the rebuild. So if the rebuild is successful hopefully the prospects continue to develop and open the window for an extended period of time. 

I think being the point of a clear change in approach and strategy is a pretty good reason

3 minutes ago, mqr said:

I think being the point of a clear change in approach and strategy is a pretty good reason

To each his own. Because you could say that the bad deal was the reason for the change.

Edited June 13, 20196 yr by ptatc

2 hours ago, ptatc said:

The question always remains: do the positives outweigh the negatives?

No GM has made all positive or all negative deals.

His trades do but his free agent signings are about as bad as you can get.

4 hours ago, Juschill said:

They won the year before that particular trade.  They haven’t won since that trade.

 

 

4 hours ago, Richie said:

Eloy and Cease for Quintana? Who has largely been a league average pitcher and has contributed to zero world series runs? I doubt it. There is zero doubt that Eloy/Cease still have uncertain futures. However, they gave up a Chris Sale type of haul for a guy who hasn't done much to write home about. 

 

2 hours ago, soxfan49 said:

Quintana doesn't have a rock on his finger, pal

 

2 hours ago, SonofaRoache said:

Jose Can'tana and Yu Garbage are going to be moves the Cubs regret for a while. 

I get I get it, you think I was wrong, that it was a dumb thing to post. JOKES ON YOU ASSHATS, it was a TRAP! Only CHUBS FANS would actually know enough about that team to point out my "mistake," I've exposed you all!

Yeah I was definitely thinking of the Torres for Chapman trade my bad

8 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

I believe there is a segment of Sox fans who absolutely love to whine and complain, and are miserable when they're winning because they don't get to b**** about anything and everything. Their entire identity as a Sox fan is to b**** and complain about anything and everything, and when they're good they disappear. Note the gamethreads. When they're getting blasted there is more posting, and when they're winning the gamethread is much shorter. 

I chalk that up to human nature not being a Sox fan. It's just easier to put people down than it is to boost them up. Any parent should have already learned that support is everything and putting your child down is just bad for their ego's and sense of self worth.  Responding negatively out of anger and frustration is never a good way to communicate. Apply that thinking to everyone and you become a better person.

10 hours ago, BigHurt3515 said:

But imagine if those stairs weren't there an it landed on the actual concourse, I would imagine it would be an extra 30+ feet

This is where I am confused by HR tracking distance. Isn't it supposed to be measured as if the stands and the ballpark do not exist. For example the point from where he hit it to where it would've landed if it was allowed to travel unimpeded. Point A to point B would be the distance. Maybe that's the way they do it, I don't know.

3 hours ago, vilehoopster said:

Yes and no. They haven't won a series since getting Quintana, but that year, when they got him, they were five games out of the division lead. I don't think you can look back at that year and think the Cubs would have made the playoffs without Quintana. So, he definitely was important to them that year, at least. 

Contenders overpay for guys they view will put them into the playoff picture.  Q was one of those times.