The Official Wait-Til-Next-Year Cubs World Series thread

wejo wrote:

Baseball if full of random chance but get the Texas Rangers vs the Cubs in the World series and tell me why the Rangers don't beat the Cubs.

The Rangers lineup 1-9 is formidable and you'd have Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels picking 4 times in a 7 game series. 5 times if you wanted to bring one guy back on 3 days rest.

I never realized how piss poor an organization that the Rangers were for most of their existence. Took them 35 years to win a division title. Then 49 years to win the pennant. Awful.

Still the Cubs manage to be the worst of the lot. Since the last time the Cubs made the Series in 1945, all but two teams (Mariners and Expos/Senators) were able to at least make it to the Series. Both the Expos and Mariners still have a couple decades to match the futility of the Cubs.

If the Cubs don't win this year, they oughta just disband the organization, bulldoze Wrigley, and trade all the players for cash. Then all the leftover cash should be given to the White Sox, because they actually proved capable of putting together a winning team.

Marla Collins wrote:

Starting pitching wins the World Series. The Cubs won't win this year.

Except the Royals bullpen won the World Series last year, being basically unhittable and all, leading them to two extra inning wins. Their starters were a bunch of #3 starters.

Okay, also, I have to amend my original falling out with Cubs fandom. The back-to-back playoff sweeps in 2007 and 2008. The 100 year anniversary of the last title, that surely would be the year. They gave me hope, then crushed it all. After that, I was done, I couldn't take it anymore. Every time they get to the playoffs, they find to just be crushed or blow it in epic fashion.

Boston breaking their curse in 2004 and then the White Sox in 2005 were absolute slaps in the face. Oh, and the Cardinals piling on a couple more titles and appearances. Just kick the Cubs when they are down.

Last year, I actually was cheering for the Cubs to lose, just so I could get a good laugh from the usual Cubs disappointment. The whole Back to the Future foretelling angle got all the fans worked up. Even more excitement builds in the air when they beat their enternal rival, the Cardinals in the NLDS. But the ghosts of 1969 reappear against the Mets in the NLCS. You can't make this stuff up.

Sorry for being a crappy fan that no longer is a fan. I need to go drink, this is bringing back some trauma.

vivalarepublica wrote:

I never realized how piss poor an organization that the Rangers were for most of their existence. Took them 35 years to win a division title. Then 49 years to win the pennant. Awful.

But now we're pretty good. I was a huge Cubs fan when I was 4-5-6 years old living in Chicago. The Rangers I'm confident can stop the Cubs.

wejo wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

I never realized how piss poor an organization that the Rangers were for most of their existence. Took them 35 years to win a division title. Then 49 years to win the pennant. Awful.

But now we're pretty good. I was a huge Cubs fan when I was 4-5-6 years old living in Chicago. The Rangers I'm confident can stop the Cubs.

With the hitting and bullpen of the Rangers, I definitely think it could happen.

Anyways, playoffs baby!

The broken Mets will sweep the Cubs again but in the NLDS. Why? Because it makes no sense.

Cubs Win! Magic number at 14. Bullpen actually showed up tonight.

Now back to that "fastest pitcher in history" thing.

Aroldis Chapman has the fastest pitch recorded since they started measuring on a regular basis... 105.1 mph ... BUT there's evidence that others might have thrown harder. Netflix has a new documentary called Fastball where they go into detail on the history of the fastest fastball, how it's been measured over the years, the myths the legends, etc. It's great stuff and I won't give away their conclusions but they do name a player and pitch speed as the fastest ever. So check it out.

DiscoGary wrote:

Cubs Win! Magic number at 14. Bullpen actually showed up tonight.

Now back to that "fastest pitcher in history" thing.

Aroldis Chapman has the fastest pitch recorded since they started measuring on a regular basis... 105.1 mph ... BUT there's evidence that others might have thrown harder. Netflix has a new documentary called Fastball where they go into detail on the history of the fastest fastball, how it's been measured over the years, the myths the legends, etc. It's great stuff and I won't give away their conclusions but they do name a player and pitch speed as the fastest ever. So check it out.

The fastest pitchers of all time are Sidd Finch and Toe Nash. Come on, everyone knows that.

vivalarepublica wrote:

Sorry for being a crappy fan that no longer is a fan. I need to go drink, this is bringing back some trauma.

No Coke. Pepsi.

Cubs Win! Magic number at 12.

So what are the chances one of the original 16 teams would go 107 years without winning the world series? Glad you asked.

Chance of a 107 year futility streak -

1 in 16.25 eras

That's without the big market bias, which would raise those odds significantly. It doesn't look that impressive until you realize what it means. It means that to reproduce the Cubs futility streak you would have to play 16.25 eras of 107 years each before this would occur again.

How many years to duplicate it by chance -

1,739 years

But that's not biggest statistical outlier for the Cubs current futility streak. They only had to beat HALF the league to MAKE it to the world series.

Chance of not even making it to the world series since 1945 -

1 in 41.9 eras

Years to duplicate the effort -

2,933 years

Without the big market bias included. So clearly more than mere chance is at play. Darker forces are at work here.

St Louis will get the wildcard on the last day of the season and then beat the cubs in the first round.

Magic number down to 4. Postseason is a near certainty now.

NO chance the Cubs win it all. Doomed to fail.

Birdlegs wrote:

Mr. Vivalarepublica,

You claim that you used to be a die-hard Cub fan.

No you weren't.

If you were truly a die-hard Cub fan then you would still be a fan.

When the Cubs win the World Series this year, you better not jump on the bandwagon. You can't claim this team anymore.

Good luck with your new team, whoever they may be.

"Birdlegs" and others of that ilk are the reason why I absolutely HATE the Cubs. It's not the Cubs players...or the team as a whole...or the city...or even that people erroneously think Wrigley Field is anything more than a colossal dump. (Character? LOL!) It's that the totally obnoxious fan base is completely unbearable.

The only thing better than the Cubs falling short of the NL pennant would be getting to the World Series and losing!

5 not 4. If they beat the Cards tonight it will be 3.

DiscoGary wrote:

Magic number down to 4. Postseason is a near certainty now.

Used to be wrote:

5 not 4. If they beat the Cards tonight it will be 3.

DiscoGary wrote:

Magic number down to 4. Postseason is a near certainty now.

My source says 4, to clinch the playoffs. 5 to clinch 1st place in the division.

Cubs WIN! Beat St Louis 7-0. Cubs clinch a playoff birth.

We won't have to wait til next year for the playoffs.

Next up: Home field advantage.

Rangers are done, wejo. Toronto has some bats, and the starters are coming up big. Meanwhile, the Rangers bats can't keep up and the starters are useless.

Honestly, I think the Division Series needs to be a 7 game series and they should shorten the regular season a bit. Maybe 150 games. Too many teams that have played well all season get knocked in the Division Series when I think they would fare better over 7 games.

Phil Jackson is their coach?

Star wrote:

Phil Jackson is their coach?

If that is the case, the Cubs would be unbeatable.