Go Cubs!!! Two of Three Best Teams in MLB Play Wild Card Tonight

[Hardspoon]

Both of those ideas are debatable, and it's probably a matter of perspective right now.  Cubs and Astros fans would generally agree with you on the first point, but Pirates and Yankees fans would agree on the second.

Whats not nearly as debatable is that as it stands now is very much less than ideal.

Fair enough.

The way I see it is that baseball has an advantage over the NFL (or even the NBA) by virtue of having such a lengthy regular season...it is much less likely that a team can significantly outperform its "true" skill level because of luck.

The playoffs are always going to be a crapshoot, but when you have the advantage of such a robust regular season, it seems a shame not to use that to select and seed the playoff teams based solely on their records.

[iacas]

The playoffs are always going to be a crapshoot, but when you have the advantage of such a robust regular season, it seems a shame not to use that to select and seed the playoff teams based solely on their records.

Yup.

It's tough to invest much emotion into a season when you can have the second best record in baseball, play one game, and be done for the year.

It's a joke. If this year doesn't prove it to the MLB, then nothing will.

[Golfingdad]

Fair enough.

The way I see it is that baseball has an advantage over the NFL (or even the NBA) by virtue of having such a lengthy regular season...it is much less likely that a team can significantly outperform its "true" skill level because of luck.

The playoffs are always going to be a crapshoot, but when you have the advantage of such a robust regular season, it seems a shame not to use that to select and seed the playoff teams based solely on their records.

Good point.  And it wouldn't be any less true if they knocked a half dozen games off the end of it either, such that they could have a longer wild card series.

[iacas]

Good point.  And it wouldn't be any less true if they knocked a half dozen games off the end of it either, such that they could have a longer wild card series.

Yep. Go back to 154 and re-seed for the playoffs. Winning the division gets you in, but it doesn't guarantee a bye.

[Gator Hazard]

Well, no matter how it played out, one of the best teams in MLB was going home last night.  Think it is unfortunate for the Pirates but let's see if the Cubs can give them some vindication by also taking out the Cardinals.  Early in the season the Cardinals were clearly better, however recently the Cubs have held their own against St. Louis, winning two out of three last time in St. Louis and winning two out of three at home against the Cardinals.  The edge and advantage still goes clearly to the Cardinals, but the Cubs since September are 23-9 whereas the Cardinals are 15-17.  

I don't know if the Cubs are the hottest team in baseball right now but they sure have done a good job and should be proud, they have a lot to build on from this season.  

 

[Pendragon]

I'm sorry that I can't share Gator Hazards love for the Cubs. It may be childish, but I've intensely disliked the Cubs since 1978. I had just moved from San Diego to Silver City, NM, and was excited to see that my cable system there carried WGN. I'd kinda been a lukewarm Cubs fan until then, probably due to their total lack of success. But all that changed after I'd seen my first Cubs telecast on WGN. Why? Here's a little background first.

I grew up in the Boston suburbs and I've loved the Red Sox ever since I was old enough to grasp what was happening on the diamond. Through the 50's and into the 60's, the Red Sox were horrible, and seemed to battle it out for last place every year with the Senators and the Kansas City A's. The Sox stunk, but they had great play-by-play announcers through the years, such as Curt Gowdy, Ned Martin, and Ken Coleman, and what they all had in common was that they called the game as professionals, and showed no bias towards the Sox.

Later, after moving to southern California, I was lucky to be able to hear the likes of Dick Enberg, Jerry Coleman, anmd the great Vin Scully calling games for the Angels, Padres, and Dodgers, respectively. And again, all were pro's. They called the games straight up, and never showed favoritism towards their own teams.

Then, here I am in New Mexico in 1978, and I tune in to watch my first Cubs game on WGN. Yikes! The Cubs broadcast team of Jack Brickhouse and Lou Boudreau were the most blatant "homers" I'd ever heard. They turned me into a Cub hater almost overnight. For me, there is no excuse whatsoever for a team's announcers to openly root on the air. The only way I can describe it is that it's simply unprofessional. After Brickhouse retired in 1981, he was succeeded by Harry Caray, who was an even bigger homer. 

Of course, the Cubs have no monopoly on unprofessional announcers. You need only to look across town to the White Sox to find someone who might be an even bigger homer, the intensely annoying Ken Harrelson. What is it about Chicago that attracts unprofessional play-by-play guys?

I moved to the Bay Area in 1979, and have had the immense pleasure of listening to a string of truly professional announcers through the years since then, most notably Hank Greenwald, Duane Kuiper, Ted Robinson, Greg Papa, Dave Flemming, and the inimitable Jon Miller with the Giants, and Ray Fosse, Ken Korach, and the great Bill King across the bay with the A's. 

So, there it is...I absolutely HATE homers, and that means I'll probably never be able to root for the Cubs in my lifetime...and I'll be 70 in January. I'm not a Cardinals' fan either, so this upcoming series has me kinda on the fence. I'm convinced that the winner of the Cubs-Cards series will advance to the World Series, so I can only say that I hope the better team wins. 

[westcyderydin]

GO CUBS GO!  That playoff game was crazy.  I was at the Cubbie bar in my town and it was awesome, just all the excitement. 

Now time to take on the Cardinals....down 1-0 right now but I'm not really worried.

This is really fun, especially after the 4 years it took to build up the organization to get to this point.  And it was a surprise that they are here this early.  It seemed like it would take another year to get a chance at the playoffs, but this young team surprised almost everybody.

[Gator Hazard]

Lots of history made by the Cubs last night, can they seal the deal and move on to the NLCS tonight?  I know I do not want them to have to go back to St. Louis to play game 5.

[Gator Hazard]

Cubs win!!!!

[Kenny Lee]

The Cubs are the best team in baseball.

Enjoy it Cubs fans. You're gonna win it all.

I'm a lifelong Pirate fan, by the way.

[boogielicious]

As a Boston Red Sox fan, I know what it's like having a drought. So I am cheering for the Cubs! That being said, unless they allow goats in the stadium, they may not have a chance! 

[nevets88]

 

[Gator Hazard]

 

Dude is a ball murderer!

[nevets88]

Dude is a ball murderer!

LOL. Isn't a golf ball more down and out? Or low and away? Yeah, I know, who cares. 

[saevel25]

The Cubs are the best team in baseball.

Enjoy it Cubs fans. You're gonna win it all.

If I was a cubs fan I would be getting more and more anxious the further they get into the plays. If they do make it to the WS and get to a game 7 fate might just intervene again :p 

Edited October 15, 2015 by saevel25

[pumaAttack]

Hoping for a Jays and Cubs WS.

[nevets88]

Steve Bartman

[Gator Hazard]

 

Hidden Content

I am hazy on it and could not find it online but one of the best cartoons about Steve Bartman showed him hiding in a cave with Osama Bin Laden and he asks Bartman something like "what did you do to be hiding here?" and Bartman replies that he caught a foul ball at a Cubs game.  It was funny.  Feel bad for that guy still, at least 4 people tried to do the same thing he did if you watch the video but he caught it.  Was a coaching error in my opinion.  Go calm your pitcher down, stall the game a bit, and you win.  Prior was one of the best pitchers in the league that year.

 

As soon as they said they were going to win it for Bartman so he didn't have to feel bad I knew with 100% certainty that the Cubs were going to lose.