nutsackylacky / March 26, 2007 10:45 AM

Here it comes...a slew of unrelated hipster posts pissed at the very mention of professional sports.

"What does sports have to do with fixed-gear messenger bikes!? I think the Chicago Sting will win the Soccer Bowl this season. Natch!"

(Sox win World Series, again)

Shaz / March 26, 2007 10:50 AM

I think we can expect the Cubs to continue their long tradition of sucking. I don't think much about the Sox, but I did go to my first Sox game (in, like, EVER) last year and was super impressed with the place.

Jeff / March 26, 2007 10:55 AM

Disclaimer: I'm a Cubs fan and have been since I was about 10 years old, in 1982. But my hatred is reserved only for St. Louis. I say "go Sox," as well, but root for/follow the Cubbies.

Cubs -- lots of hitting, but unless Soriano has a 30/30 year that consists of 30 wins and 30 saves, the Cubs will struggle to finish just over .500.

Pitching. Wins. Championships.

And we don't have enough. Zambrano is an ace; Hill is pretty good (probably a #3 or #4 in most clubs) but Lilly, Marquis, and Miller don't have 200 good innings among the 3 .

Cubs: 82 wins, 80 losses, 3d in NL Central behind St. Louis and Milwaukee.

White Sox -- Better overall, but in a much tougher division than the Cubs.

I'd take the infield core to the bank -- Konerko/Iguichi/Crede are 3 of the most underrated baseball players working today. An aging group of sluggers (Dye and Thome in particular) make this a solid lineup.

Williams has shown he can evaluate talent quite well, but I think they let too much pitching get away -- the Sox are going to miss McCarthay.

I say: Sox go 91-69 but finish 3rd behind the Indians and the Tigers, who will win the wildcard.

By the way: the Cubs and Sox will split the cross-town classic[s], 3-3.

Jeff / March 26, 2007 10:59 AM

oops - my math and spelling were a little off, but I still say the Sox (and Iguchi - sorry) win 91, but lose 71.

skafiend / March 26, 2007 11:03 AM

In the interest of Full Disclosure: I started my baseball life as a Cubs fan (who also kept an eye on the White Sox), but became a full-fledged White Sox fan when the Cubs just let Bill Madlock, the best third baseman they probably ever had (and I'm including Ron Santo) walk away because Wrigley was too cheap to pay the batting title holder what he deserved. But I'm still a "Chicago Baseball Fan with a heavy emphasis on the White Sox"

That said, I don't think the Sox will do it this year, or get even in the playoffs. Too many question marks for me in the pitching department. You can always find decent hitting, but in this stretched-out league, pitching is important. And they're relying too much (in my opinion) on guys who are unproven.

Consequently, I think the Cubs have a decent shot at making the playoffs. The fact that Lou Pinella basically said "So what?" to the whole issue of Prior and Wood makes him a winner in my eyes (I'd been saying they're relying too much on them for the past two seasons). Good hitting, decent pitching... I think I'm becoming a Lou Head!

Cliff / March 26, 2007 11:07 AM

Sox = Some pretty funny adds from the TSSCBOT (The Southside Chicago Board of Tourism).

Cubs = Suck.

Mac / March 26, 2007 11:07 AM

Who?

Mikey / March 26, 2007 11:17 AM

My general interest in baseball has slowly been waning over the years to the point where I don't really care anymore...

I'm much more interested in what the Bears do during the off-season, and am also looking forward to attending some of my first Chicago Fire games ever...

That being said, I hope both clubs have a good season, but as a North-sider, I have to pull for the Cubs in the subway series...

Pedro / March 26, 2007 11:44 AM

I root for both teams, but am more of a Sox fan overall.

The Cubs have annoyed me over the last few years with their whole "woe is me" act, so my patience with the team in general has waned. I like the DeRosa and Soriano deals. I don't like the Floyd deal. I still can't understand why they won't make time for some Pie in the outfield. My prediction is that they will do enough to give people hope this year - narrowly missing the playoffs. I do think that they are doing a good job of building a foundation for success.

The Sox? I don't know. I thought we got nothing for Garcia. The McCarthy trade looks like it may turn out nicely. The signing of Vasqeuz, but not Buehrle, makes me want to puke. For all the talk of "grinders" and loyalty, Williams is a schmuck. I think they will end up winning the division and making it past the first round in the playoffs.

Jeff - the Indians?!?

mike / March 26, 2007 11:55 AM

I don't have high hopes for the Cubs winning the central. The pitching just isn't there. But with their offense, we should see a revival of the good old fashion summer slugfest at Wrigley.

The ball hawks on Waveland and Sheffield will be nursing their hamstrings by late April.

White Sox? I think of them as little as possible.

Emerson Dameron / March 26, 2007 11:57 AM

Nutsack - Beware the international anti-sports conspiracy! The hipsters are coming! Chill the fuck out, asshat.

Sox will be good but not quite up to their new standards, and will thus delight their haterade-guzzling fanbase. The Cubs will start strong and fall off, as always. The Red Line commutes will be harrowing.

Cheryl / March 26, 2007 12:01 PM

I don't think my Sox will make it back to the WS this year and the lack of a Buerhle contract annoys/puzzles me.

The Cubs? I think signing Lou will make the Crosstown interesting for once.

Bill V / March 26, 2007 12:26 PM

Expect nothing from either. My guess is that one team sneaks into the playoffs.

eep / March 26, 2007 1:14 PM

I'm just going to hide my head in the sand until it all goes away.

kleinstadt / March 26, 2007 1:16 PM

I predict the Cubs will continue to be pwned by the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals.

NSH / March 26, 2007 1:31 PM

Emerdson says:
Sox will be good but not quite up to their new standards, and will thus delight their haterade-guzzling fanbase.

Well that's not very nice to say, some may even go as far as to call it hypocritical.

Oh yeah 2004 called, it wants it's cub fans vs sox fans rant back.

kate / March 26, 2007 1:37 PM

I don't watch AL baseball.

This year will play host to a blue moon. So of course I'm convinced that this year is THE YEAR for the Cubs.

Emerson Dameron / March 26, 2007 1:51 PM

NSH,
I'm a Sox fan. I've watched a lot of Sox games in Sox-fan bars. I know that watching the Sox fall short of their potential, spitting blistering critique all the way, is part of the fun of rooting for them. When I'm alone, I like to see them win. When I'm with other Sox fans, watching them lose can be a lot more gratifying. If "schadenfreude" wasn't a word, Chicago sports fans would've had to coin one.

skafiend / March 26, 2007 1:56 PM

The Cubs? I think signing Lou will make the Crosstown interesting for once.

Interesting for ONCE??? Cheryl, how soon they forget... Michael Barrett sucker-punching A.J.??? Players jawing back and forth from each dugout across the field? Threat? Beanings?

Out of all the interleague "natural rivals", the Cubs/Sox series is by far the most interesting and heated. Even the Yankees/Mets is a yawner and New Yorkers are certifiably crazy...

james / March 26, 2007 1:56 PM

I'm a Mets fan, but I cannot wait to see some Lou Piniella outbursts this season. I'm sure it'll happen quite soon in the season.

I've heard Buerhle's on the block if the Sox aren't competitive early.

NSH / March 26, 2007 1:57 PM

Nevermind Emerson, carry on! Go Sox

printdude / March 26, 2007 2:01 PM

I have wagers on the Cubs getting to the WS, so that shows you what I believe.

I think the Sox wil win 85 games and miss the playoffs (again).

That's right, i'm a CubFan, BudMan.

Hey skafiend - you is my opp-o-site! I was born a Cub fan raised a Sox fan, only to find out my blood is blue in High School.

Jeff / March 26, 2007 2:14 PM

Pedro:

1) I'd love to believe the cubs have a plan for the future, but "the future" isn't based on paying $137,000,000 for a guy who will be 38 and well past his prime at the end of the contract.

2) That said, here are 5 young Cubbies worth watching: Murton, Pie, Theriot, Patterson (the younger), and Samardja

3) Yes, The Tribe will win the AL Central. I'm not the only one who thinks so (see this weeks SI) but here's why:
a) pitching (Sabathia, Westbrook, Lee -- though on the DL for a brief stint as 2007 starts -- and Byrd all had 10-15 wins last season and all are improving);
b) hitting (Sizemore, Hafner, Martinez, Peralta, Barfield, are some of the best hitters in the game, plus they have my new favorite baseball/train-related name: Shin-Soo Choo.) I can hear it now -- SOO-CHOO! (Shin-Soo Choo stole 20+ bases in each of 3 minor-league season and had .361 OBP/.475 SLG in the majors last year).

SR / March 26, 2007 2:15 PM

The Sox play in the toughest division in baseball and will still be in the hunt for the playoffs come season's end. Kenny's going to pull off some crazy unexpected trade during the regular season.

The Cubs are built to win alot of 8-6 Ballgames and will look good early in the season but will likely end up around .500

skafiend / March 26, 2007 2:22 PM

Hey skafiend - you is my opp-o-site! I was born a Cub fan raised a Sox fan, only to find out my blood is blue in High School.

Printdude, you are my doppleganger. And the weird thing is, I grew up not too far from Comiskey Park. I could see the fireworks at the ballpark on Saturday night.

And in the "When Will Lou Pinella Lose It, Rip A Base Out of the Ground and Toss It," I have just before the All-Star break, either July 5 or 6...or the third game of the season.

skafiend / March 26, 2007 2:22 PM

Hey skafiend - you is my opp-o-site! I was born a Cub fan raised a Sox fan, only to find out my blood is blue in High School.

Printdude, you are my doppleganger. And the weird thing is, I grew up not too far from Comiskey Park. I could see the fireworks at the ballpark on Saturday night.

And in the "When Will Lou Pinella Lose It, Rip A Base Out of the Ground and Toss It," I have just before the All-Star break, either July 5 or 6... the third game of the season.

jaymce / March 26, 2007 2:43 PM

sox win 90 plus behind a solid young bullpen. i can't forecast victory of the toughest division in baseball... that is why the games are played.

(i would really HATE to be a royal about right now)

cubs lose 80 plus as they continue to scalp tickets to their own fan base who just don't care enough to get pissed off about anything... all that money and STILL no pitchers (minus z of course). lots of money earned and lots of money spent.. on what?

cards win the central. lou explodes in mid may as wood blows his tenth game of the year.

Pedro / March 26, 2007 3:22 PM

Jeff,

The Cubs do have some good youngsters - like you mention. The unfortunate thing is that youngsters don't sell tickets. Let's face it, the Cubs are more of a marketing organization than a baseball organization, so the Soriano deal is to put butts in the seats like Sammy did when he was corking homers out of Wrigley.

You must be drinking straight out of the Cuyahoga River to think the Indians will win the Central. Their lineup is Hafner and a bunch of floppy dicks, Sabathia scares people but the rest of their staff is C+. You're better off rooting for the Brownies.

SI thought the Indians would win last year, too.

spook / March 26, 2007 3:54 PM

Dearest nutsackylacky

Drats. Here I am, unable to scathingly criticize this blind intellectual consumer sports crack head zombie nation, while turning this “room” into a war zone of the few hipster intellectuals against an army of baseball hat wearing backwards, Stupid Eye reading, bud lite drinking yuppies, who post repeatedly under “aon”. Why? Because IM Still Celebrating the HOYAS's grand smack down of that team from the south! The South hasn’t had a beat down that bad since Brother Sherman rolled
through in 64! So in the sprit of sports comradery I contribute a GOoooooo HOYAS!!!! And a go sox.

p.s,
I don't have a fixed-gear messenger bike, I drive a Buddy Scooter!

ken / March 26, 2007 3:58 PM

I'm not a fan of baseball,

I'm a Cubs fan.

jaymce / March 26, 2007 4:02 PM

thank you for summing up cubdom in a single post, ken.

BRAVO!

dino / March 26, 2007 5:16 PM

The Cubs will win 83 games and finish second (obviously, no wild card).

The White Sox will also win 83 games but finish fourth.

james / March 27, 2007 8:53 AM

jaymce - you're an optimist for thinking wood will even have ten opportunities to blow a game by mid-may.

mike / March 27, 2007 9:13 AM

Pedro Pedro Pedro,

You must be drinking straight out of the Cuyahoga River to think the Indians will win the Central. Their lineup is Hafner and a bunch of floppy dicks...

Huh? Grady Sizemore is a floppy dick? Victor Martinez?

Their pitching staff does suck, but their lineup isn't as nearly as weak as you make it out to be. If a young guy like Barfield can hit .300 and go 20/20 and Peralta can finally see the ball, I think they'll have one of the top offenses in the division.

brian / March 27, 2007 10:00 AM

Cubs fans should be dancing on their jetta's tho.. NL central, hell the ENTIRE NL is so weak that Cubs should be able to plow through.
I'm kinda looking forward to Pinella going Lee Elia on the cubs fans if they start booing Soriano or throwing old style cans on the field.

Sox... I'm cautiously optimistic about them in 2007.

paul / March 27, 2007 10:53 AM

When anyone in this town brings up the potentially dangerous political discussion of Cubs/Sox, I start talking NASCAR, that shuts 'em up.

But, it is true, Lou will be fun to watch this year.

(Go Montoya!)

printdude / March 27, 2007 11:11 AM

Me & Skafiend are gonna hang out on Sheffield, drinnking Tall Boys of OldStyles so we can toss the empties on the field with the boos heaved at Soriano.

Oh help me! i've come down with loupinella. It musta been a cheddarwurst from the Cell.

NSH / March 27, 2007 11:23 AM

cheddarwurst? no not from the cell dude, you're thinking of moms fridge back in Ann Arbor.

jj / March 27, 2007 11:54 AM

I think both teams will have strong starts and get us all excited, and then about halfway through the season, both will fall apart.

I also predict I will continue to perfect my skill of pretending to know what I'm talking about when I talk baseball to see how many people I can trick (see above), much to the amusement of my loved ones.

fanofonecub / March 27, 2007 1:08 PM

two words: Matt Murton

printdude / March 27, 2007 1:46 PM

NSH:
I have had many cheddarwurst from the cell. Many.

I may be a Cub fan, but I am a baseball fan first, so I like gwan to tha cell and gettin' crazy with my neighbors.

Jaymce will tell you all about someday.

NSH / March 27, 2007 2:16 PM

The only way i know of to get a cheddarwurst within the grounds surrounding 35th & Shields is to BYOC (Bring Your Own Cheddar), or to dip your bratwurst in someone's nacho (wink wink, nudge nudge)

printdude / March 27, 2007 2:45 PM

Then, NSH, I must assume you don't venture around the park very much, or perhaps you are masquerading as a southsider. Perhaps you are like most of your Sox Fan brethren and don't actually go to the park.

you prolly don't even know how to get an OldStyle in the Cell!

NSH / March 27, 2007 2:52 PM

cheddarwurst and Old Style, now that is a combination only a cub fan could could concoct. I will stand corrected, if you say you can get a cheddarwurst then I will have to believe you.
I will stick to my elotes and coronas.

skafiend / March 27, 2007 3:14 PM

Number of other sausages I ate: 2 (kielbasa at Comerica Park; cheddarwurst at U.S. Cellular Field)

White Sox fans will enjoy cheddarwurst at concessions this year.

Thanks Miller. Was the cheddarwurst had last night?

blackeye / March 27, 2007 4:46 PM

yeah i'm pretty sure they have cheddarwursts at sox park.

jumbo best's koshers > cheddarwursts imo

Jeff / March 27, 2007 5:39 PM

Two more Cubs/Sox predictions:

1) 2007 will be the year of the Murt. Cliff Floyd will be injured and out for the season by midMay, and Matt Murton will emerge, like a red-headed version of the Incredible Hulk, and get 25 HR/90 RBI/.280 AVG -- maybe that's like a mini-version of the Hulk. Who was a lesser comic book strongman hero? Any fanboys have a good analogy? Bonus points if the superhero's alter ego was a redhead.

2) ScoPo will return to mid-level greatness and steal 50+ bases.

Steve / March 27, 2007 10:16 PM

I predict that JW will continue to love Scott Podsednik like no one else this side of Lisa Dergan.

And since it's an odd-numbered year, he may be onto something. Or maybe Ryan Sweeney will be up for good come late May. Ah, perchance to dream....

printdude / March 28, 2007 6:59 AM

Hey Jeff:

Mat Murdock was a red-head. He is known as the Man without Fear, or Daredevil.

Perhaps the Cubs marketing machine can make him the "Deardevil" and turn him into a heartthrob for all them Trixies.

jaymce / March 28, 2007 8:55 AM

printdude is the biggest baseball fan i know. he knows more about chicago baseball than pretty much anyone on this board (does that say a lot?) trust him when he says he can find an old style at the cell (thank you for that, my friend) and a cheddarwurst. i for one am a fan of "da polish with" found up behind first base @ da cell.

unfortunately printdude enjoys the minor league ballpark on the nortside over the cell. i guess i could understand, it is easier to get old styles there and the ladies are typically more naked. (they are absolutely not better than soutside women. they just have more day games up der) i have been to wrigley once that i remember and thought the baseball sucked, the seats sucked, and the fans sucked, but again, the old styles were cold and the party was fun.

i like watching baseball on the soutside. i know printdude does as well. it is an awesome park for watching a game and the team is competitive. the sox have raised the bar for putting a quality product on the field and make their fans at least feel like they are trying to win.

all that said... i am looking forward to that one magic day this summer (8/20 or 8/22) when printdude and i stow away all the smack talk and enjoy a blurry and hopefully conscious RED LINE DOUBLEHEADER!!

the crosstown series is for suburbanites and newcomers. true chicago baseball fans know the beauty of the red line doubleheader... see ya (but very blurry) on the red line in august!

Jeff / March 28, 2007 9:17 AM

I like the Daredevil reference, especially since Murton's OBP is so high (at least for the Cubs) that it is indicative of a kind of hyperawareness of the senses. He may not see the ball, but he can sense how close it gets.

By the way, does that somehow make Dusty Baker the Kingpin?

Oops, the Geek Alarm is ringing. I have to make my escape.

PS -- The Daredevil reference is even more approriate sine the "Man with No Fear" is kind of a double-reference to the Cubs: back in the 1980s, Harry C. used to call Cubbie backstop Jody Davis "the catcher with no fear," and would sing that praise to the tune of the theme of TV's "Davy Crockett."

Manny / March 28, 2007 9:45 AM

Carlos Zambrano will look fantastic in a Red Sox uniform next year.

skafiend / March 28, 2007 10:03 AM

OK, once and for all...

Number of other sausages I ate: 2 (kielbasa at Comerica Park; cheddarwurst at U.S. Cellular Field)

and from the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, 2003...(didn't know there was one, did you?)

White Sox fans will enjoy cheddarwurst at concessions this year.

printdude / March 28, 2007 10:17 AM

Thanks for all the back-up, boys.

Andrew / March 28, 2007 10:17 AM

Never did I expect this topic to contain such embattled opinions on cheesy sausage.

james / March 28, 2007 10:20 AM

jaymce - there are two red line doubleheaders in april and one in august. i'm not sure i'll be able to get there this year, but i'm going to try.

also, who's up for some kane county cougars this season?!

skafiend / March 28, 2007 10:39 AM

I love it when a discussion goes competely and ridiculously off topic!

"What do you think about the White Sox and Cubs chances this year?"

Cheddarwurst!

What the f...?

Jeff / March 28, 2007 11:06 AM

Manny:

Maybe stirring the pot is just your way of "being Manny," but even the Cubs won't let Z leave after this year (barring career-ending injury). Yes, yes, yes, I know: Brock, Maddux, etc., etc.

But I'm sure of it -- Manny I will pay you $103.1 million dollars (the approximate total BoSox outlay for Daisuke) if Z is on the BoSox in 2008.

Not really.

But seriously, the BoSox have arms and arms and arms already. They won't be willing pay Z the Z money he wants. In 2008, Z won't stand for Zambrano, it will stand for Zillionare.

Pitching. Wins. Championships.

And dollars buy pitching.

jaymce / March 28, 2007 11:13 AM

and we will see if good scouting FINDS great pitching at low cost...

skafiend / March 28, 2007 11:17 AM

Looking in my baseball crystal ball, I see ... the year 2008!... I see... Big Z...wearing pinstripes.... playing in a major U.S.city... near a large body of water... in one of the shrines of baseball...and there's a guy named Steinbrenner looking down on him... I see Barry Zito-type money... oh, wait, the image is fading... damn, it's gone...

Steve / March 28, 2007 11:59 AM

Pitching. Wins. Championships.

And dollars buy pitching.

Free agent pitching busts are the norm, not the exception. More often than not, dollars buy pitching that is already past its prime.

Consider the top 10 SPs according to The Sporting News:
Johan Santana (homegrown)
Chris Carpenter (free agent signee coming off surgery)
Roy Oswalt (homegrown)
Brandon Webb (homegrown)
Roy Halladay (homegrown)
C.C. Sabathia (homegrown)
John Smoltz (acquired as a minor leaguer)
Carlos Zambrano (homegrown)
John Lackey (homegrown)
Jake Peavy (homegrown)

Lest this list seem cherry-picked, TSN's next 10 are Ben Sheets, Brett Myers, Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir, Justin Verlander, Aaron Harang, Cole Hamels, Chris Young, Erik Bedard and Jeremy Bonderman. There's not a single big-name free agent signee in this entire top 20!

Smart drafting and a whole lot of luck (healthwise) lead to strong pitching staffs. And the six years of service time required to earn free agency ensures that more often than not, pitchers do their best pitching with their original major league teams. It's the fairly recent exceptions like Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Mike Mussina, Greg Maddux and Kevin Brown that help prove the rule.

Now if you wanna make the case that dollars help round out pitching staffs/add pitching DEPTH you might be onto something....

NSH / March 28, 2007 12:19 PM

Yes thanks everyone for your research on availability of cheddarwurst at the Cell. I stand corrected, yet, intrigued. Could the inclusion of cheesy encased meat on the menu board just be a trap to send any visiting Packer Fans to an early grave?

fanofonecub / March 28, 2007 12:56 PM

I'm a Sox fan and nowhere near a Trixie, but the boyfriend is a Cubs fan, so I do end up watching more Cub games and in the process have grown a huge crush on Matt Murton. Without him there would be major fights over the clicker. To all the ladies, if you find yourself being forced to watch the games, he makes it worth it.

kate / March 28, 2007 1:06 PM

Kane County Cougars:

Best excuse to yell for 19 year old boys to "TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS!"

Getting rowdy and ridiculous in Geneva is so so fun.

Single A baseball = awesome.

mike / March 28, 2007 1:22 PM

In AL Central news: C.C. Sabathia went down today after getting hit on his throwing hand by a line drive. Early reports don't sound good.

Steve / March 28, 2007 1:53 PM

Kate -- until they promise that Marvin Noodleman will never again be allowed to enter the park, I'm steering clear of Cougars Stadium.

(Besides, the Joliet Jackhammers are where it's at!)

Manny / March 28, 2007 1:56 PM

I 'm not sure I want to play in Boston now either. But maybe Santana and Zambrano will make things more fun next year? Please visit my Ebay store. Sayonara.

God / March 28, 2007 3:05 PM

I hereby decree that in 2007, the Chicago Cubs will win the World . . .

just kidding. No way, dudes.

Burn!

NSH / March 28, 2007 3:13 PM

This just in: One of Jerry Reinsdorf's partners Sam Zell is the front runner to buy TribCo and the cubbies
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6428596.html?display=Breaking+News

Printdude no worries mate, your cheddar sausage will be availbble by next season in the friendly confines (probably right underneath the exploding scoreboard)

k. vincent / March 29, 2007 8:20 AM

I AM a baseball fan, and as such, am no longer a Cubs fan. Their offseason moves were the equivalent of launching tons of arrows into the sky, a la "300" and praying they hit something. Now, they're not just a joke, they're an expensive joke.

On principle, I won't root for the Sox. But they'll be competent, not competitive. I don't see the fire they had in the championship season anymore.

Speaking of Fire, that's who I'll spend my energy cheering for this summer.