*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****
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The Brewers are at it again, trying to keep Miller Park from becoming “Wrigley North” by offering a presale promotion for Wisconsin residents for games against the Cubs.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, tickets for the Brewers’ 10 games against the Cubs at Miller Park will be available to Wisconsin residents only. The promotion ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
As the Brewers’ Twitter account put it: “Any claims that this presale is an attempt to prevent Cubs fans from getting Brewers tickets are... well, pretty accurate, actually.”
The Brewers put on the same promotion last year, over a six-day span in February. The big difference between the 2018 promotion and this one? No one can deny that the Cubs and Brewers are rivals now. Not after the Brewers won the National League Central Division over the heavily favored Cubs in a Game 163 tiebreaker on Oct. 1.
“If last season’s Game 163 taught us anything, it’s that every single game matters — especially in a rivalry like this,” the Brewers said in a statement. “And, while we don’t dislike all Cubs fans, we just really prefer when Miller Park is packed to the brim with Brewers faithful.”
Cubs fans historically haven’t considered the Brewers much of a rival, due in part to Milwaukee’s relatively recent addition to the National League in 1998 and Cubs fans’ preoccupation with trading barbs with followers of the Cardinals and White Sox. Another big reason is the ease with which Cubs fans have taken over Miller Park during series between the teams since the stadium opened in 2001.
That subject has long been a sore one in Milwaukee, and the Brewers have tried to battle it since at least 2006, when a “Take Back Miller Park” promotion was aimed at providing a better home-field advantage against the Cubs and Cardinals, another NL Central team with an eager-to-travel fan base.
Pitcher Cole Hamels summed up most Cubs fans’ views on Sept. 3, when he said he didn’t consider Cubs-Brewers much of a rivalry after his first game as a Cub at Miller Park.
“I know the rivalries I’ve had in the past, you can definitely feel it,” Hamels said after the Brewers’ 4-3 win in a Labor Day thriller. “When you have majority Cubs fans in the stands, I don’t know if it’s a rivalry yet.”
Ultimately, though, rivalries are created on the field. It was easier to dismiss the Brewers when they went 227-259 (.467) while the Cubs went 292-193 (.602) in 2015-17.
Things started trending toward a real rivalry in September 2017, when the teams played one of the best MLB series of the season at Miller Park. The Cubs won three of four games, but each was decided late and played with playoff intensity. The Brewers finished the season 86-76 and finished in second place in the NL Central, six games behind the Cubs.
Last year, the teams tied for the best record in the National League after 162 games at 95-67, forcing a one-game tiebreaker for the NL Central title. The Brewers won 3-1 at Wrigley Field, sending the Cubs to the wild-card game, which they lost to the Rockies the next day to abruptly end their season while the Brewers eventually advanced to the NLCS.
The Brewers felt like they had slayed a dragon, much like the Cubs did in 2015 after eliminating the 100-win Cardinals in the NL Division Series.
“There’s a reason they won the World Series (in 2016),” Brewers outfielder and longtime Cubs nemesis Ryan Braun said. “They are so talented, such a good team. Ultimately we had to take it from them, and we did.”
Three weeks earlier, Braun actually agreed with Hamels’ assessment of the rivalry but looked forward to a day when more Brewers fans filled Miller Park for games against the Cubs.
“To me, the rivalry has more to do with us arriving as a team and playing competitive baseball games in which both teams are winning and you have great games ... more than how many fans for each team attend at any given venue,” Braun said.
“But we’d love for there to have more Brewers fans here when we play against them, obviously.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...er-park-wisconsin-tickets-20190213-story.html
Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, tickets for the Brewers’ 10 games against the Cubs at Miller Park will be available to Wisconsin residents only. The promotion ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
As the Brewers’ Twitter account put it: “Any claims that this presale is an attempt to prevent Cubs fans from getting Brewers tickets are... well, pretty accurate, actually.”
The Brewers put on the same promotion last year, over a six-day span in February. The big difference between the 2018 promotion and this one? No one can deny that the Cubs and Brewers are rivals now. Not after the Brewers won the National League Central Division over the heavily favored Cubs in a Game 163 tiebreaker on Oct. 1.
“If last season’s Game 163 taught us anything, it’s that every single game matters — especially in a rivalry like this,” the Brewers said in a statement. “And, while we don’t dislike all Cubs fans, we just really prefer when Miller Park is packed to the brim with Brewers faithful.”
Cubs fans historically haven’t considered the Brewers much of a rival, due in part to Milwaukee’s relatively recent addition to the National League in 1998 and Cubs fans’ preoccupation with trading barbs with followers of the Cardinals and White Sox. Another big reason is the ease with which Cubs fans have taken over Miller Park during series between the teams since the stadium opened in 2001.
That subject has long been a sore one in Milwaukee, and the Brewers have tried to battle it since at least 2006, when a “Take Back Miller Park” promotion was aimed at providing a better home-field advantage against the Cubs and Cardinals, another NL Central team with an eager-to-travel fan base.
Pitcher Cole Hamels summed up most Cubs fans’ views on Sept. 3, when he said he didn’t consider Cubs-Brewers much of a rivalry after his first game as a Cub at Miller Park.
“I know the rivalries I’ve had in the past, you can definitely feel it,” Hamels said after the Brewers’ 4-3 win in a Labor Day thriller. “When you have majority Cubs fans in the stands, I don’t know if it’s a rivalry yet.”
Ultimately, though, rivalries are created on the field. It was easier to dismiss the Brewers when they went 227-259 (.467) while the Cubs went 292-193 (.602) in 2015-17.
Things started trending toward a real rivalry in September 2017, when the teams played one of the best MLB series of the season at Miller Park. The Cubs won three of four games, but each was decided late and played with playoff intensity. The Brewers finished the season 86-76 and finished in second place in the NL Central, six games behind the Cubs.
Last year, the teams tied for the best record in the National League after 162 games at 95-67, forcing a one-game tiebreaker for the NL Central title. The Brewers won 3-1 at Wrigley Field, sending the Cubs to the wild-card game, which they lost to the Rockies the next day to abruptly end their season while the Brewers eventually advanced to the NLCS.
The Brewers felt like they had slayed a dragon, much like the Cubs did in 2015 after eliminating the 100-win Cardinals in the NL Division Series.
“There’s a reason they won the World Series (in 2016),” Brewers outfielder and longtime Cubs nemesis Ryan Braun said. “They are so talented, such a good team. Ultimately we had to take it from them, and we did.”
Three weeks earlier, Braun actually agreed with Hamels’ assessment of the rivalry but looked forward to a day when more Brewers fans filled Miller Park for games against the Cubs.
“To me, the rivalry has more to do with us arriving as a team and playing competitive baseball games in which both teams are winning and you have great games ... more than how many fans for each team attend at any given venue,” Braun said.
“But we’d love for there to have more Brewers fans here when we play against them, obviously.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...er-park-wisconsin-tickets-20190213-story.html
For now the Brewers should just shut up and cherish the money that Cubs fans deposit in their bank account. They only week day games they sell out all year long are games against the Cubs.
Is the Cubs’ era of dominance in the National League Central over?
Will the nice guys finish last?
That’s the way it looks to PECOTA, which projects the Cubs to finish fifth in the Central with an 80-82 record, behind the Brewers (88 wins), Cardinals (87), Reds and Pirates (81 apiece).
While the projections of the Baseball Prospectus computer aren’t always accurate, they usually provide fodder during spring training for teams that don’t fare well. Coming off a 95-win season with most of the same crew, it’s hard to believe the Cubs would make such a major drop, but that’s what PECOTA projects.
“Ha, that’s cool,” Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber said. “I guess they want to be different, right? I guess they want to get some publicity. We all know what we have in this clubhouse. Baseball is baseball. It might happen, but I’m betting that it won’t happen. So I don’t think we’ll do that. So next question.”
PECOTA, an acronym that stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, projects the Cubs to score 730 runs, down from 761 last year, and to give up 743 runs, up from 645 in 2018. Obviously they’re not impressed with the Cubs rotation, which finished 10th with a 3.84 ERA last year despite injuries and poor seasons by Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood.
Darvish is healthy back in the rotation, while Chatwood is in limbo, waiting to find out his bullpen role. Cole Hamels takes over the spot that should’ve been reserved for Chatwood after Chatwood signed a three-year free-agent deal after the 2017 season.
A rotation of Jon Lester, Hamels, Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana looks pretty strong, at least on paper.
“Paper is paper,” outfielder Jason Heyward said. “Hopefully we’re healthy. That’s something you really can’t control. It’s a tough thing. I feel like everyone in here works their tails off to try and come and compete and help each other. I love our experience. I guess that’s on paper. … No one wants more than to come out here and prove some people wrong than our starting staff.”
The Cubs haven’t finished under .500 since 2014, which was Year 3 of the rebuild and the only season of the Rick Renteria era. If PECOTA’s projection comes true, it figures to be the end of the Joe Maddon era and would likely lead to a break-up of the core that won a World Series in 2016.
The only thing that seems certain is the NL Central will be a stronger division, with the Cardinals and Reds adding significant pieces and the Brewers returning with most of their dominant bullpen arms.
“I’m going to say it was a great division last year, and this year it should be even better,” Heyward said. “I expect this year to be even better, and that’s going to be a lot of fun. That makes playing in the NL Central what it is, man. Play on a Tuesday night against anybody it’s playoff-atmosphere baseball.”
The bitter ending for the Cubs in 2018 — losing Game 163 to the Brewers to blow the division and falling to the Rockies in the wild-card game — should lead to greater urgency at the start of the season. Even the front office, which was deified by the fans and media for the successful rebuild, knows they underachieved in 2018 and deserve a big share of the blame for the poor finish.
“That emotion was raw right after the season, and we viewed part of our role collectively this offseason as to take that feeling and channel it into something productive,” President Theo Epstein said. “As Joe (Maddon) said, had we not done anything this winter we were going to return a highly motivated group of players, and you’ll probably see that look in their eye.
“We’ve tried to really focus it, and it started with a process of being really honest about everything that happened, and why we felt short, and being accountable, each of us, for our roles in that. When you fall one game short, 90 feet short (in the wild-card loss), you have to look in the mirror — I know I have — and say ‘there are a lot of things I could’ve done better so that we would’ve won that one extra game.’ ”
The PECOTA computer can’t look in anyone’s eyes to see if that “look” is there.
Does it know something we don’t?
“It is entertaining,” Maddon said. “Who knows why or how they arrive at that stuff. It really means nothing.
“You’ve got to go out and play the game. You’ve got to compete. I have zero interest in something like that.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...t-place-projection-pecota-20190214-story.html
Will the nice guys finish last?
That’s the way it looks to PECOTA, which projects the Cubs to finish fifth in the Central with an 80-82 record, behind the Brewers (88 wins), Cardinals (87), Reds and Pirates (81 apiece).
While the projections of the Baseball Prospectus computer aren’t always accurate, they usually provide fodder during spring training for teams that don’t fare well. Coming off a 95-win season with most of the same crew, it’s hard to believe the Cubs would make such a major drop, but that’s what PECOTA projects.
“Ha, that’s cool,” Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber said. “I guess they want to be different, right? I guess they want to get some publicity. We all know what we have in this clubhouse. Baseball is baseball. It might happen, but I’m betting that it won’t happen. So I don’t think we’ll do that. So next question.”
PECOTA, an acronym that stands for Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, projects the Cubs to score 730 runs, down from 761 last year, and to give up 743 runs, up from 645 in 2018. Obviously they’re not impressed with the Cubs rotation, which finished 10th with a 3.84 ERA last year despite injuries and poor seasons by Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood.
Darvish is healthy back in the rotation, while Chatwood is in limbo, waiting to find out his bullpen role. Cole Hamels takes over the spot that should’ve been reserved for Chatwood after Chatwood signed a three-year free-agent deal after the 2017 season.
A rotation of Jon Lester, Hamels, Darvish, Kyle Hendricks and Jose Quintana looks pretty strong, at least on paper.
“Paper is paper,” outfielder Jason Heyward said. “Hopefully we’re healthy. That’s something you really can’t control. It’s a tough thing. I feel like everyone in here works their tails off to try and come and compete and help each other. I love our experience. I guess that’s on paper. … No one wants more than to come out here and prove some people wrong than our starting staff.”
The Cubs haven’t finished under .500 since 2014, which was Year 3 of the rebuild and the only season of the Rick Renteria era. If PECOTA’s projection comes true, it figures to be the end of the Joe Maddon era and would likely lead to a break-up of the core that won a World Series in 2016.
The only thing that seems certain is the NL Central will be a stronger division, with the Cardinals and Reds adding significant pieces and the Brewers returning with most of their dominant bullpen arms.
“I’m going to say it was a great division last year, and this year it should be even better,” Heyward said. “I expect this year to be even better, and that’s going to be a lot of fun. That makes playing in the NL Central what it is, man. Play on a Tuesday night against anybody it’s playoff-atmosphere baseball.”
The bitter ending for the Cubs in 2018 — losing Game 163 to the Brewers to blow the division and falling to the Rockies in the wild-card game — should lead to greater urgency at the start of the season. Even the front office, which was deified by the fans and media for the successful rebuild, knows they underachieved in 2018 and deserve a big share of the blame for the poor finish.
“That emotion was raw right after the season, and we viewed part of our role collectively this offseason as to take that feeling and channel it into something productive,” President Theo Epstein said. “As Joe (Maddon) said, had we not done anything this winter we were going to return a highly motivated group of players, and you’ll probably see that look in their eye.
“We’ve tried to really focus it, and it started with a process of being really honest about everything that happened, and why we felt short, and being accountable, each of us, for our roles in that. When you fall one game short, 90 feet short (in the wild-card loss), you have to look in the mirror — I know I have — and say ‘there are a lot of things I could’ve done better so that we would’ve won that one extra game.’ ”
The PECOTA computer can’t look in anyone’s eyes to see if that “look” is there.
Does it know something we don’t?
“It is entertaining,” Maddon said. “Who knows why or how they arrive at that stuff. It really means nothing.
“You’ve got to go out and play the game. You’ve got to compete. I have zero interest in something like that.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...t-place-projection-pecota-20190214-story.html
You can go to the Score's website, but there was some interesting commentary the last few days about the network. Crane Kenney made the expected announcement that the Cubs will control all content on the new network, so, don't expect anything other than North Korean state television level commentary.
The interesting other interesting discussion was about what will be on when the Cubs aren't on? 95 percent of the air time will be something other than pre/post game coverage, or an actual game. Will they attempt to negotiate deals with some other sports to help fill in the time? Maybe some college sports, or lower tier pro sports?
The interesting other interesting discussion was about what will be on when the Cubs aren't on? 95 percent of the air time will be something other than pre/post game coverage, or an actual game. Will they attempt to negotiate deals with some other sports to help fill in the time? Maybe some college sports, or lower tier pro sports?
A 95-win season with no Darvish, injured Bryant, useless Chatwood and a half season of Hamels.
All those things will be positively resolved yet they’re going to win 15 LESS games?
WTF.
And, now, this handle is on ignore. I can tolerate recycled trolls most of the time, but don't invade my inner sanctum Cubs thread.
PECOTA is projecting Javy Baez to be a negative defender next season. PECOTA thinks Baez will be something between average and poor, based on their guidelines.
He’s been one of the best defensive players in the league. Did he lose an arm this offseason that I’m not aware of?
He’s been one of the best defensive players in the league. Did he lose an arm this offseason that I’m not aware of?
The Cubs TV partnership with conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting has some fans concerned.
Will we see pro-Trump pundits in the booth during the seventh-inning stretch or discussions on the need for the border wall while Anthony Rizzo is at the plate?
The Cubs insist it won’t be like the ill-fated “Monday Night Football” decision in the ’90s to use conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh as an analyst. In other words, we won’t see Sinclair commentator Boris Epshteyn in the booth with Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies.
Cubs business president Crane Kenney tried to calm the nerves of jittery fans during an interview Thursday with ESPN-AM 1000’s David Kaplan.
“The programming is in our hands, the distribution will be in their hands,” Kenney said.
“I’ve seen some of the narrative on social media around the worry on right-wing bias. And I’d say, A: It doesn’t exist on the Tennis Channel (which Sinclair owns) if you watch any of their programming there. There’s no news bias.
“I’d also point out whether you’re right wing or left-wing bent, Fox News Channel has a right-wing agenda, but you don’t see any of that creeping into their NFL broadcast or the Fox broadcasts of Major League Baseball for that matter. And the same thing too with NBC.
“So you don’t see Tucker Carlson showing up in any of the Fox Major League Baseball broadcasts, and you won’t see any of that with Marquee Sports Network either. So that really is not a worry.”
We won’t know until 2020 whether the telecasts will be the same, but it would seem insane to mix Sinclair’s politics with Cubs baseball.
The biggest problem with Fox broadcasts during the baseball postseason are the cutaways to actors starring in Fox TV shows.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...nclair-tv-political-slant-20190215-story.html
Will we see pro-Trump pundits in the booth during the seventh-inning stretch or discussions on the need for the border wall while Anthony Rizzo is at the plate?
The Cubs insist it won’t be like the ill-fated “Monday Night Football” decision in the ’90s to use conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh as an analyst. In other words, we won’t see Sinclair commentator Boris Epshteyn in the booth with Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies.
Cubs business president Crane Kenney tried to calm the nerves of jittery fans during an interview Thursday with ESPN-AM 1000’s David Kaplan.
“The programming is in our hands, the distribution will be in their hands,” Kenney said.
“I’ve seen some of the narrative on social media around the worry on right-wing bias. And I’d say, A: It doesn’t exist on the Tennis Channel (which Sinclair owns) if you watch any of their programming there. There’s no news bias.
“I’d also point out whether you’re right wing or left-wing bent, Fox News Channel has a right-wing agenda, but you don’t see any of that creeping into their NFL broadcast or the Fox broadcasts of Major League Baseball for that matter. And the same thing too with NBC.
“So you don’t see Tucker Carlson showing up in any of the Fox Major League Baseball broadcasts, and you won’t see any of that with Marquee Sports Network either. So that really is not a worry.”
We won’t know until 2020 whether the telecasts will be the same, but it would seem insane to mix Sinclair’s politics with Cubs baseball.
The biggest problem with Fox broadcasts during the baseball postseason are the cutaways to actors starring in Fox TV shows.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/spor...nclair-tv-political-slant-20190215-story.html
I only saw snippets of Addison Russell’s press conference. Did he move the needle for you? To me it was clear he knew what words to use. He used them over and over. I am sure he was heavily coached to produce sound bites that showed contrition, remorse, and accountability. Maybe he isn’t that good in front of cameras, but it seemed forced, and kind of like what a politician says when caught up in a scandal. Say you are sorry, apologize in general to unnamed people, never really say what you are sorry for having done and to who, and then move on.
In fairness, while the Cubs could have taken an entirely different path, I'm not really sure what else anyone thinks they'd get from Russell. It's surely a very uncomfortable spotlight and there's literally nothing he can do in the short term to convince anyone of anything. We'll know whether he's changed years from now if/when he has established a history of not being abusive in relationships.
Yu darvish is throwing a baseball.
Darvish throwing still scares me. He was absolutely made of glass his first year. If right, he will be the ace of the staff. Darvish, Lester, Hammels, Hendricks and Quintana - each have the ability to have ace-like stuff. 1-5, that's one heck of a staff.
And somewhere, all alone, Mark Prior is still throwing a towel.
Think this will work for me next week when I am down there?
Honestly, most minor league stadiums aren’t set up equipment wise, or with a tv crew.
Well, if the Cubs give him 8 runs by the second game in all of his starts he’ll be fine this year. Otherwise I’d rather have the guy who started for the Giants today.
CSB I was three rows behind the Cubs dugout. Rizzo and Almora definitely look a few pounds lighter. Alan Webster might be useful. Hopefully Bote is okay.
If they all stay healthy and perform to their averages, it will be a great year.
Unfortunately, aside from Hendricks, they’re all old balls and are almost guaranteed to miss some time with injuries.
Yu Darvish reportedly threw 94-96 in his first start today. The control was a little spotty, but if he isn’t having surgery three days from now this is a good sign.
Two random things. The wife and I drove past the Cubs complex today, and it is impressive. You cannot complain about the money the Cubs are putting into facilities.
Second, at the game we went to on Sunday I saw Fergie Jenkins sitting at a table. I walked up and saw that Lee Smith and George Foster were all there signing stuff. As I waited my turn for a ball signed by Smith an elderly guy with a cane slowly walked up. All three guys got up and said hello. Smith and Jenkins gave him hugs, and there was a delay as they pulled to the side and talked. As they say back down and the old guy shuffled off I asked Jenkins who that was? Gaylord Perry.
I touched my fingers to the bill of my cap, wiped behind my right ear, and then moved to the inside of my belt line, and said, “Where is it, nobody knows”? It got a laugh from all the players.
Second, at the game we went to on Sunday I saw Fergie Jenkins sitting at a table. I walked up and saw that Lee Smith and George Foster were all there signing stuff. As I waited my turn for a ball signed by Smith an elderly guy with a cane slowly walked up. All three guys got up and said hello. Smith and Jenkins gave him hugs, and there was a delay as they pulled to the side and talked. As they say back down and the old guy shuffled off I asked Jenkins who that was? Gaylord Perry.
I touched my fingers to the bill of my cap, wiped behind my right ear, and then moved to the inside of my belt line, and said, “Where is it, nobody knows”? It got a laugh from all the players.
https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/yu-darvish-excited-to-be-back-to-full-strength
He is speaking great English for just learning it. He seems to be happy, so we'll call it a good day. 94-96 would be great if he stays at that.
He is speaking great English for just learning it. He seems to be happy, so we'll call it a good day. 94-96 would be great if he stays at that.
Working on framing ...
One of these days we’ll get robot umps and that will be the end of this framing garbage.
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