2006 Chicago Cubs

[airspuds]

If healthy,  Cubs will lose to White Sox in World Series !!!!!

[stpitner]

Well, at least you put the Cubs in the Series   Healthy is definitely the key word for the Cubs, but that's true for ALL the teams.  I think it's going to come down to Wood and Wade Miller to come back strong (and so far they are) and STAY strong throughout the year.  Pierre is going to give such a boost to this team (just look at what the Cubs did in '03 with Lofton at leadoff).  I'm going to really enjoy watching Jacque Jones and Matt Murton pop doubles all over the place.  The last two years everyone is freaking out that the Cubs are too much of a homerun team and not a small-ball team, and now that a lot of those guys are gone and FASTER, they will be as pesky as those '03 Marlins or the '05 White Sox.

Win the world series? Boy would that be awesome.  I want it to happen, but I'm not sure it will actually happen.  I have to wait until the end of March before there's a better feel of what's going to happen (especially with the WBC this March and all).

[Bruce Brakel]

I have to wait until the end of March before there's a better feel of what's going to happen (especially with the WBC this March and all).

My psychic powers are so weak, I always have to wait until the season starts!     But don't diss my telekinesis or Jon's power with hoodoos. 

[Mike S]

Managed to get a hold of 42 tickets today, the maximum you could buy.  I had 45 windows open on my computer at once in the "virtual waiting rooms".  I plan on going to the cubs-brewers games and selling the rest for a healthy profit.  Yea, I'm that guy.

[stpitner]

gah. I couldn't get in.  Hopefully the family that I know won't renig on 2 sets of season tix that I'm going to get.  I should receive 2 tix to the home opener and 2 for Sept 2 vs. the Giants.  It's section 419.  The radio booth is practically right behind you.  *Beautiful* view of the stadium.

If you plan on selling anything for a (reasonable) price tag Mike, let me know-

Scott

[Mike S]

gah. I couldn't get in.  Hopefully the family that I know won't renig on 2 sets of season tix that I'm going to get.  I should receive 2 tix to the home opener and 2 for Sept 2 vs. the Giants.  It's section 419.  The radio booth is practically right behind you.  *Beautiful* view of the stadium.

If you plan on selling anything for a (reasonable) price tag Mike, let me know-

Scott

As long as I'm selling them at or above what I paid, I'm happy.  I would like to get back the money I'm spending on the 6 brewers games I'll be attending.  So, if I can average 10-20 bucks profit on every ticket I'll be set.  I'll make way more than that for sure on the 6/30 Sox tickets and the opening weekend Cardinals tickets.

[Dan Michler]

didn't get any tickets today.  hopefully i'll go to a game or two this year though.  u can always go to the cubs games in milwaukee if you have to.  its a good time up there!

As for the 2006 Cubbies, I am really pumped for this season (i'm sure ur all real surpised about that  ) 

Michler's Prediction:  Cubs 2006 World Series Champions 

I like our pitching as always.  I think its much deeper this year that in recent years.  Signed a couple guys to help out in the pen, plus we go into this season with a confident closer in Dempster who saved 33 of 35.

Zambrano is a horse at the top of the rotation who u can count on for 30 starts.  I think Prior can stay healthy.  He has a freak ankle injury the first year, then had that elbow thing last year that he did come back strong from.  He's not the injury prone guy that some people make him out to be (that would be Woody).  If healthy, Prior has Cy Young potential.  Thats an awesome 1-2 at the top of the rotation and we have alot of options after that.  Wood     Rusch, Williams, Maddux.

I'm really excited about some of the changes in the field.  Fielding, speed, and hitting for contact will be much improved this year with Pierre and Jones out there instead of Patterson/Burnitz.  This is the change we needed to make.  I'm optimistic about getting a good year out of Cedeno at short who did well at the end of last year as a rookie.  Murton has potential as well.  Also, look for Barrett to have a good year.  I'll be getting him on my fantasy squads.

We only have 1 problem...Dusty sux micack.

Another 2006 Prediction:  The Sox will SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Cubs better record that Sox.  10 bucks Walsh?  Pay me at the Homie this fall.

[discmonkey]

Dan,

Sox better record than Cubs this year.  Stakes - $20 and the loser has put a patch for the other team on their disc golf bag for the entire 2007 season.  Plus pretty much anything else you want to put up.  If you want to bet on a woman's softball team winning the world series this year, I'll take that bet too, you have a better chance of that happening than the Cubs doing anything good.

Bring it.  Bring it.  BRING IT!!!!!!!   

[Dan Michler]

ha,  thats a good offer tim.  i can't make bets with every cubs hater on the forum though.  going to limit myself to taking just Spuds' money this year if he is still convinced his team doesn't suck.

[airspuds]

10 buck it is dan

total wins

[Dan Michler]

total wins in the regular season.  just to clarify.

[Mike S]

Ive already got 200 riding on brewers-cubs this year...  100 each on head-to-head and overall season records.  Prince Fielder is gonna make some strides this year, and nobody is gonna touch the Kolb-Turnbow combination.

[Dan Michler]

so you bet on the BREWERS 

[Mike S]

Why dont you check out the newest ESPN power rankings, or maybe the results of last season.

[stpitner]

Ive already got 200 riding on brewers-cubs this year...  100 each on head-to-head and overall season records.  Prince Fielder is gonna make some strides this year, and nobody is gonna touch the Kolb-Turnbow combination.

Kolb may like to be back in Milwaukee, but I can't see him being the dominant setup guy.  Sheets needs to have a good year because Capuano and Davis can't do it all.  Weak rotation other than that, and pitching is always key.  All of the middle-relievers are quetion marks.  You need to be able to get through those 6th and 7th innings before Kolb in 8th and Turnbow in the 9th.

I just can't really see the Brewers being more than a .500 ball club this year.  How are they going to fare against the Cubs?  It always seems like the Brewers are a world-champion team against the Cubs.  I think it's really going to just come down to how the starting rotation fares for the Cubs.  I would love to see Kerry Wood continue to progress as well as the reports have been saying and use Rusch as the long-inning man in the bullpen.  The only downfall of that would be a rotation of 5 righties.  I'm not worried about Zambrano Maddux or Prior.  They all could easily have 14-15 win seasons.  DLee at first has already proven he can play while Prince still is unproven.  Carlos Lee is a huge asset for the Brewers, but the Cubs can counter with similar stats in Aramis Ramirez.  Throw a speedy Juan Pierre in the mix for the Cubs, and I could definitely see the Cubs beating the Brewers in the season series this year.

[stpitner]

We only have 1 problem...Dusty sux

Why is Dusty that bad?  I think he's one of the best managers out there.  The Cubs are 256-230 in the 3 seasons with Dusty.  Sure they wound up under .500 last year, but what manager has put up stuff like that recently for the Cubs?  He has a good team to put to good use this year.  I can definitely see more hit and runs happening this year, especially if Juan Pierre is on base or up to bat.  I definitely think we'll see an above .500 year for the Cubs, and there's a DEFINITE shot at the playoffs this time around.

[airspuds]

yes - 2 dan

[Dan Michler]

Dusty sux micack.  I hate how he handles the pitchers.  I hate how is way too loyal to guys he shouldnt' be loyal too.  He is too worried about being every player's best friend.  I'll give him this, players DO want to play for him.  But when he is shrugging off Zambrano completely losing his head on a number of occasions, or backing up players who are more concerned with what Steve Stone is saying that whats going on on the field, or playing guys like Lenny Harris, Macias, or whatever ballbags follow Dusty from team to team racking up playing time while producing nothing.  Dusty always has an excuse.  Its always somebody else's fault.  His interviews make me want to punch the wall.  I wish he was just a bench coach and not the manager.  He's not cut out for it in my opinion.  We have an above .500 record in spite of Dusty, NOT BECAUSE of Dusty.  With a payroll in the top 5, shouldn't we expect more??

[stpitner]

oh how it would be nice if spring training scores counted (at times).  Cubs 4-1, White Sox 1-6.  Happy days   I have the gameday audio thing from mlb.com, so I was able to listen to today's game via Oakland's broadcast.  The best thing I heard them say at the end of the top of the 2nd after the cubs made it 3-0 was, "So the Cubs add 1 more after playing a little bit of small ball in the top half of the second."  It's a beautiful thing

Hopefully the infection on Aramis' finger, or whatever it was, doesn't keep him out for too long!  And stupid ball in the back of the helmet for Hairston on Sunday.  Thankfully he wasn't hurt.

[stpitner]

oh how it would be nice if spring training scores counted (at times).  Cubs 4-1, White Sox 1-6.  Happy days   I have the gameday audio thing from mlb.com, so I was able to listen to today's game via Oakland's broadcast.  The best thing I heard them say at the end of the top of the 2nd after the cubs made it 3-0 was, "So the Cubs add 1 more after playing a little bit of small ball in the top half of the second."  It's a beautiful thing

Hopefully the infection on Aramis' finger, or whatever it was, doesn't keep him out for too long!  And stupid ball in the back of the helmet for Hairston on Sunday.  Thankfully he wasn't hurt.

I had to quote the current record, didn't I?  Sheesh.  Since then the Cubs are 0-3 and the Sox are 2-1.  Ah well, it's all a bunch of no names playing these games by the time the 5th inning hits anyway.

Jerome Williams was rocked pretty hard today.  Who do you think will be the 4th and 5th starters?  I think Rusch might get a spot because he's a lefty.  There might be a chance of Rich Hill beating out Jerome, but I have a feeling that once Wood is back, Hill will drop to AAA, and Wood would take that spot.  Williams would either be in the bullpen or... who knows what.  I don't know if they can send him to AAA.  They might push Rusch to the bullpen, bring in Woody, and drop Hill and keep Williams as 5th starter.  I also think that once Wade Miller is back it will push out whoever is at the 5th starter position.

Wow what a rotation that would be: Zambrano, Prior, Maddux, Wood, Wade Miller.  I'm not concerned about Wood coming back either, even with the knee surgery this past Tuesday.  He threw 90 times yesterday while standing.  Prior will probably be pitching in April but have a slow start.  He'll heat it up though.

Things look good this year for the Cubbies.