MLB FINAL FOUR

[Messiah717]

Toronto vs Kansas City

Chicago vs New York

Predictions?

 

[Rick2583]

Toronto vs. New York.

 

[Messiah717]

It shouldn't matter at this point but the Cubs were 7-0 against the Mets this year.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Cubs all the way..........been way too damn long for the North Siders.

Amazing how far they came in such a short time. 107 years is too long to wait.

Cubs over Jays....

and- don't forget in "Back To The Future II" The Cubs win the Series in 2015.......

 

[Rick2583]

Cubs all the way..........been way too damn long for the North Siders.

Amazing how far they came in such a short time. 107 years is too long to wait.

Cubs over Jays....

and- don't forget in "Back To The Future II" The Cubs win the Series in 2015.......

It's a good thing that they didn't pick an even year, those apparently belong to my Giants.

 

[yankeesince59]

...I predict Tiger Woods will have a big year.

 

[SaveLundy]

Cubbies vs royals, cubs win.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

 

[blgridesagain]

It's a good thing that they didn't pick an even year, those apparently belong to my Giants.

You're Giants?

Interesting....

 

[totus44]

Cubs vs Royals, cubs in 7.

 

[Rick2583]

Yeah

Cubs vs Royals, cubs in 7.

As a New Yorker I'd like to see the Mets get there first WS in almost 30 years but honestly I think its going to be the Cubs & the Blue Jays with the Cubs winning in 7 & after 107 years I'd be okay with that also.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

It shouldn't matter at this point but the Cubs were 7-0 against the Mets this year.

I think at this point a vast majority wants to see the Cubs win a Series.

The 7-0 drubbing of the Mets by the Cubs, reminds me a bit of the 88 NLCS, with the Bums losing 10 of 11 during the Season, and we know how that turned out. Believe it or not, I was pulling for the Mets in 88, I could never stand any Lasorda Led Team.

I think the entire MLB community was shocked, not only the Bums won the NLCS, but the Series when they were BIG Under Dogs......

 

[blgridesagain]

Cubs vs Royals, cubs in 7.

Cubbies are not getting past the Mets...IMHO......and for all the rah rah stuff about the Cubs' good young players.....they will have to address their SP in the next few seasons before "we" give them a free pass to post season success in next couple/few years.
Be hard for the Cubs to overcome the Mets pitching and hitting in a seven game series.
Mets are a better all around team at this point than the paper tiger Cardinals -imo.
Something else to consider, Arrieta hasn't done very well in his career vs Toronto and KC, but to be fair, maybe he is a different pitcher now.

 

[Yankeefan5545]

I know this couple from Chicago, huge White Sox Fans so they say. Always told me in Chicago that one was a Sox Fan, or Cubs fan you could not be for both. Last night they were giving me shit about the Yankees and pimping the Cubs saying we guess you are now for the Mets. My answer no, I am a Yankee Fan I have no other team. I'm not going to "band wagon" over to another team, buy gear and boast yes I've always been a ___________________Fan. I just don't want to see the championship go to Canada. When questioning their sudden shift from Sox to Cubs the answer was, well the Cubs are in the playoffs, ah well so much for the bandwagon. Really sucks to be a Yankee Fan seeing our team on the outside looking in.

 

[blgridesagain]

I know this couple from Chicago, huge White Sox Fans so they say. Always told me in Chicago that one was a Sox Fan, or Cubs fan you could not be for both. Last night they were giving me shit about the Yankees and pimping the Cubs saying we guess you are now for the Mets. My answer no, I am a Yankee Fan I have no other team. I'm not going to "band wagon" over to another team, buy gear and boast yes I've always been a ___________________Fan. I just don't want to see the championship go to Canada. When questioning their sudden shift from Sox to Cubs the answer was, well the Cubs are in the playoffs, ah well so much for the bandwagon. Really sucks to be a Yankee Fan seeing our team on the outside looking in.

Hang in there 5545, even the Yanks don't (shouldn't) have to feel embarrassed about not winning a WS in 6 (eesh 7?) years especially in this day and age of costly revenue sharing and big TV cable network deals. I admit, time IS getting a bit long, lol.
It would be a different story if the Yanks were dregs and non competitive for a bunch of these last years.
I also have one team.....willing to face the music and wear my allegiance to one team (Yanks) for all to see. Kinda makes it that much BETTER when they DO win.
Better days are coming. Maybe its all in the grand scheme of things....next time the Yanks arrive with a serious WS contending team, those wishy washy Yankee fans will appreciate it more and not have the bullsh!t "business as usual" attitude.
The kid fans will always get "excited", bless their hearts.

One BIG TIME young SP to go along with Severino and company, (top pick Kaprelian by most accounts is mature and ready beyond his age and is poised to move quickly through the system), and a couple of young exciting everyday players just might do the trick, for now, just to get the next possible multi-championship team heading in the right direction.
Seems to be how the Yanks have bounced back from WS title "droughts".

Yanks have a couple of good live young outfielders very close to WINNING a starting job (look out Gardy), Beltran soon GONE, and a very good hitting prospect in Sanchez.
Jagielo (Trenton) has "Yankee success" written all over him if he continues to progress along on schedule as he so far has....should be a year or two away.....unless he goes backwards in minors.
Lefty hitting 3b with good power (good BA, .842 OPS) who has also shown competency on defense.

 

[yankeesince59]

Cubbies are not getting past the Mets...IMHO......and for all the rah rah stuff about the Cubs' good young players.....they will have to address their SP in the next few seasons before "we" give them a free pass to post season success in next couple/few years.
Be hard for the Cubs to overcome the Mets pitching and hitting in a seven game series.
Mets are a better all around team at this point than the paper tiger Cardinals -imo.
Something else to consider, Arrieta hasn't done very well in his career vs Toronto and KC, but to be fair, maybe he is a different pitcher now.

...funny how some people feel we should be rah rah about the Yanx' young players but not the Cubs'. The Cubs' prospects/young players are light years better than the Yanx.

...and fwiw, the Cubs pitching was every bit as good if not better than the Met's pitching this year and the Cubs offense was every bit as good if not better than the Mets'.

 

[cagedlion]

Finally!
After 109 years, it will be the Cubs over Royals in 6 games,
and the Cubs will raise their World Series flag in the
honor of Ernie 'Let's Play Two' Banks.

Cubs vs Mets.......................Cubs 4 Mets 2

Royals vs Blue Jays.............Royals 4 Jays 2

 

[blgridesagain]

...funny how some people feel we should be rah rah about the Yanx' young players but not the Cubs'. The Cubs' prospects/young players are light years better than the Yanx.

...and fwiw, the Cubs pitching was every bit as good if not better than the Met's pitching this year and the Cubs offense was every bit as good if not better than the Mets'.

Yep, the Cubs' young players have been terrific.
I was merely pointing out how "we" shouldn't give them a free pass (and of course presume) they would be legitimate post season contenders for years to come without addressing their SP....and by the way, Lester will not be spring chicken in the next "couple" of years.....


My post (#12) you responded to-
"and for all the rah rah stuff about the Cubs' good young players.....they will have to address their SP in the next few seasons before "we" give them a free pass to post season success in next couple/few years-


Be hard for the Cubs to overcome the Mets pitching and hitting in a seven game series.


And furthermore, IMHO, you're appraisals of teams compared to the Yanks is tainted because you obviously are prejudiced against Cashman.

One more thing - IMO, the Mets as we NOW speak have the better AND more deeper SP.

I trust the rest of the board has read our pertinent posts and replies and will judge it knowing that neither you or I pay their bills or support their families. Lol


For all we know, this could be the Cubs best chance to get into and win a WS for years to come.....and before I go, IMO, if Maddon was managing the Yanks from the 2015 off season, they would've found a way to win at least as many games as the Toronto Blowjobs...er, I mean Bluejays.

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Better days are coming, they used to make propaganda movies about that during the Depression and the "better days" only lasted until the movie ended. I am pretty much convinced that as long as the Yankee Stadium marquee show Hal, Hank, and Brian the better days will be long in coming. If the Steins don't sell fine, get some knowledgeable men of action in there starting with Jeter in the ownership group for an indication credibility with the fans. Can't win all the time but should the trend of the last three seasons continue, be like '65 to '75. .Right now all I see for '16 is an ALF of old goats taking up roster spots while the youngsters line up to await the call when someone dies.

 

[yankeesince59]

...my disdain for Cashman has nothing to do with the fact that the Cubs young players/prospects/farm are considerably better than the Yanx',..and I'm "prejudiced"?...well, I could easy also flip your logic around and say that your opinion is tainted because you are obviously prejudiced towards the Yanx.
...the Cubs are a much better constructed team than the Yanx and are positioned to be so for many years...if you can illustrate with actual facts to the contrary, I'm all ears


...and "the rest of the board" has nothing to do with this, so I don't see the reasoning or relevance of that statement.

 

[yankeesince59]

Better days are coming, they used to make propaganda movies about that during the Depression and the "better days" only lasted until the movie ended. I am pretty much convinced that as long as the Yankee Stadium marquee show Hal, Hank, and Brian the better days will be long in coming. If the Steins don't sell fine, get some knowledgeable men of action in there starting with Jeter in the ownership group for an indication credibility with the fans. Can't win all the time but should the trend of the last three seasons continue, be like '65 to '75. .Right now all I see for '16 is an ALF of old goats taking up roster spots while the youngsters line up to await the call when someone dies.

^^^this...the current Yankees are not a bad team, they're just not a very good one...there's no clear cut direction and no compass, and no one that seems to know how to read a compass if there was one.

...this franchise is floundering and has now gone 3 years without playing in a PS series. and no sign of relief for probably the next couple of years. Blind homers can wave their pompoms and moisten their lips with pinstriped kool-aide all they want but it does not change the fact that Cashman has no idea on how to construct a championship team and the Steins don't seem to care.

 

[blgridesagain]

this...the current Yankees are not a bad team, they're just not a very good one...there's no clear cut direction and no compass, and no one that seems to know how to read a compass if there was one.
_______________________

There's a very clear direction for those who can see beyond personal prejudices towards Cashman and ownership.

1) Get out from under remaining big contracts to older players, couple of which VERY FEW FOUND FAULT WITH at the original time and which also helped the Yanks WIN their last WS.
Talk about Monday morn QBs....lmao......hee haw....

2) Reduce payroll- and so far CASHMAN and the Yanks have stood on course by refusing to sign any big ticket free agent pitchers in the past off season, just as they said....if any were paying attention.

3) getting younger and relying more on the farm system and young products to replace "regulars" when the situation arrises - just as they did this past season if anyone cared to notice.

Refsnyder, Bird, Severino, Heathcott and Williams to name a few and a couple more who could be very close and will be given every opportunity to step in and make the big club.....and they will be given the opportunity.

Yanks (and Cashman) have done a nice job juggling big veteran contracts while also bringing along young players. Won 87 games and lost the WC card game to a team which won 86 games...heavens to Betsy....what a disaster...lmao.....20 years hard time for Cashman and ownership....lol

By the way....Jon Lester, game one NLCS - 4 ER, 6.2 IP....not too good....or shall we say kinda CC-like? And how much is Lester getting paid?

 

[Messiah717]

The Cubs won 97 games and are in the NLCS. To run down any of their players at this point in time is completely moronic. Equally moronic is to keep mentioning Cashman's juggling of big contracts when he was the friggin one who handed those contracts out. Like the analogy I used the first time you said it. It's like dropping dinner all over the floor and then praising yourself for cleaning it up. Sorry if it's harsh but I will point out and respond to completely idiotic comments. I don't even know what the hell you're talking about in regards to not giving the Cubs a pass because it makes no sense whatsoever at all. The team wasn't even supposed to do what they did this year, they beat the Cardinals and again are in the NLCS against the Mets. Why you're discussing what they need to do moving forward at this point is senseless and just stupid.

 

[Messiah717]

2014 Cubs 73-89
2015 Cubs 97-65

My God what a horrible job.

 

[blgridesagain]

The Cubs won 97 games and are in the NLCS. To run down any of their players at this point in time is completely moronic. Equally moronic is to keep mentioning Cashman's juggling of big contracts when he was the friggin one who handed those contracts out. Like the analogy I used the first time you said it. It's like dropping dinner all over the floor and then praising yourself for cleaning it up. Sorry if it's harsh but I will point out and respond to completely idiotic comments. I don't even know what the hell you're talking about in regards to not giving the Cubs a pass because it makes no sense whatsoever at all. The team wasn't even supposed to do what they did this year, they beat the Cardinals and again are in the NLCS against the Mets. Why you're discussing what they need to do moving forward at this point is senseless and just stupid.

I mentioned "juggling big veteran contracts" in reply to a cheesy post which took a cheap shot (IMO) at the Yanks and management....and yes Cashman DID hand out those contracts a couple of which also helped the Yanks win their last WS....and I believe Cashman is a big boy who is well aware of the current situation and is doing a good job along with the minor league staff in bringing along young players who have already shown good promise and he's quite willing and able to bite the bullet and be done with those remaining contracts and proceed with infusing the team with young players via the farm and/or trades....see Gregorious, while reducing payroll.
I've already said the Cubs' young players have been terrific - just pointed out that they'll probably go as far as their pitching takes them (like most teams)....and with Lester not getting any younger and coming up small tonight, I just dont see the Cubbies going farther than the NLCS and NOTHING is guaranteed in the future.....

That's all I was saying in all the rah rah stuff about the Cubs being a fairly sure thing to be a perennial post season contender for "years to come".

 

[Messiah717]

No, you're running down the Cubs because somebody mentioned the good job Theo has done. You take this somehow as a shot at Cashman and god forbid the possibility exists that Theo is a better GM. I'm sorry but it's very transparent. Plus, unless you're related to Cashman or somebody in Yankee management you're constant need to have to run to their defense is quite mind boggling.

 

[blgridesagain]

No, you're running down the Cubs because somebody mentioned the good job Theo has done. You take this somehow as a shot at Cashman and god forbid the possibility exists that Theo is a better GM. I'm sorry but it's very transparent. Plus, unless you're related to Cashman or somebody in Yankee management you're constant need to have to run to their defense is quite mind boggling.

Theo? Nah, has nothing to do with it.
In my post (21) I responded to the following, and included it before I continued....this was what I was responding to:

this...the current Yankees are not a bad team, they're just not a very good one...there's no clear cut direction and no compass, and no one that seems to know how to read a compass if there was one.


Imo, there is a "direction", and Cashman is reading the compass.
It says- no more big long term contracts to players especially pitchers who will be in their later 30s during the contract and in the future go mostly with young players from the system and possibly via trades without surrendering any highly ranked prospects.

That's all....just my opinion in the face of an inaccurate discription (post) imo,of Yankee management ...and of course the poster, like me, has a right to opinion....but my post (21) was a reply to a direct comment to one of my posts.
It's over....no big thing.....someone said the Yankees were without direction and unable to find their way, I disagreed.
Cubs do indeed have a bunch of very talented young players.

 

[yankeesince59]

_______________________

There's a very clear direction for those who can see beyond personal prejudices towards Cashman and ownership.

...hmmm...you call it "prejudice" I call it "a logical assessment".

1) Get out from under remaining big contracts to older players, couple of which VERY FEW FOUND FAULT WITH at the original time and which also helped the Yanks WIN their last WS.
Talk about Monday morn QBs....lmao......hee haw....

...Cashman is the the one who created those contracts...how can you praise Cashman for cleaning up the mess that he himself created?

2) Reduce payroll- and so far CASHMAN and the Yanks have stood on course by refusing to sign any big ticket free agent pitchers in the past off season, just as they said....if any were paying attention.

...reduce payroll?...and just look at the fine mess it has left them in. And fyi, the Yanx payroll actually went up in 2015.

3) getting younger and relying more on the farm system and young products to replace "regulars" when the situation arrises - just as they did this past season if anyone cared to notice.

Refsnyder, Bird, Severino, Heathcott and Williams to name a few and a couple more who could be very close and will be given every opportunity to step in and make the big club.....and they will be given the opportunity.

...again, collectively, those players are nowhere near the level of the Cubs' youngsters.

Yanks (and Cashman) have done a nice job juggling big veteran contracts while also bringing along young players. Won 87 games and lost the WC card game to a team which won 86 games...heavens to Betsy....what a disaster...lmao.....20 years hard time for Cashman and ownership....lol

..."and lost"...you could have stopped right there. And who cares how many games the Yanx won this year?...they were a failure, period. But go ahead and paint a rosy picture anyway.

By the way....Jon Lester, game one NLCS - 4 ER, 6.2 IP....not too good....or shall we say kinda CC-like? And how much is Lester getting paid?

..what the hell does Lester have to do with this?...but since you brought it up, I seem to remember someone saying that CC giving up 4 runs over 6-7 innings should be acceptable.

 

[blgridesagain]

Okay, fair enough - this is (imo) an interesting discussion.
Allow me to expound and reply.
Your words are in bold italic letters as replys to me, and I'll follow them up with my answers. Here goes:

reduce payroll?...and just look at the fine mess it has left them. And fyi, the Yanx payroll actually went up in 2015.

Could it be the biggest single reason why the Yanks' payroll actually went up in 2015 was due to Arod's salary going back on the payroll book as was reported by Forbes Business- see following article from Forbes.

The 162-game ban means that A-Rod will be sidelined for the entire 2014 season and forego the vast majority of his $25 million salary. The New York Yankees will save millions in salary and luxury tax payments from the suspension, but they still must cut the third baseman a $3 million check today based on the terms of the 10-year, $275 million contract..

Cashman did not make any ridiculous free agent signing unless you want to call the Headley deal "ridiculous", fair enough....but it was washed with the replacing of Jeter and Cervelli for Miller (instead of Drob), Murphy and Gregorious -Yanks added two young inexpensive contributors.
Pineda was due a 1.6 mil (approx) raise....or should he NOT be making 2.1 mil coming into 2015? Drew gone in 2016, Refsnyder in, and Yanks could save another 4-5 mil if they go with Heathcott or Williams as the 4th outfielder instead of bringing Young back.....the plan is slowly but surely moving forward.
Lol
___________________________

3) getting younger and relying more on the farm system and young products to replace "regulars" when the situation arrises - just as they did this past season if anyone cared to notice.

Refsnyder, Bird, Severino, Heathcott and Williams to name a few and a couple more who could be very close and will be given every opportunity to step in and make the big club.....and they will be given the opportunity.

...lol...again, those players are nowhere near the level of the Cubs' youngsters.
I never said the Yankee youngsters were on the same level as the Cubs' youngsters. Show me where I said it.
However, Severino just might be better than any current Cubs' homegrown "youngster" SP....LOL
Lol.
_________________________

Yanks (and Cashman) have done a nice job juggling big veteran contracts while also bringing along young players. Won 87 games and lost the WC card game to a team which won 86 games...heavens to Betsy....what a disaster...lmao.....20 years hard time for Cashman and ownership....lol

..."and lost"...you could have stopped right there. And who gice a shit how many games the Yanx won this year?...they were a failure, period. But go ahead and paint a rosy picture anyway.

Yanks finished with the fourth best record in the league good enough for them to have a chance at winning one game to play in the LDS......"rosey picture" ?.....nope, but certainly not nearly as bad as all of your bluster would have us believe........and last time I checked, only ONE team can win the WS which means the Yanks and 28 other teams were 2015 "failures"...
Lol.
_________________________
By the way....Jon Lester, game one NLCS - 4 ER, 6.2 IP....not too good....or shall we say kinda CC-like? And how much is Lester getting paid?

..what the hell does Lester have to do with this?...but since you brought it up, I seem to remember someone saying that CC giving up 4 runs over 6-7 innings should be acceptable.

One big difference - Lester was signed for THIS SEASON to be an ace-type top of the rotation SP and don't tell me the Cubs expected Arrieta to have this kind of season while CC has clearly been struggling since 2013 and was coming off 2014 knee surgery.
Expectations?
I very much doubt if "4 ER in 6.2 IP" is what the Cubs had in mind.
Regarding CC, I had previously asked, tongue in cheek (long while back) if it would be acceptable if we were guaranteed 4 ER in 7 IP in EVERY START for CC.

You can at least get that part correct, can't you?
Lol


Cashman's plan will continue....I believe Yankee ownership is on board.
The plan is - get out from under these remaining big contracts, do not hand out anymore long term contracts which will pay players into their later 30s, especially pitchers.....continue to reduce payroll AND continue to go with young farmhands and "younger" less expensive players.
I could be wrong, but I believe it will be proven out in the coming couple/ few years.
We shall see, one way or another.

This was fun.

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Old Johnny Burnett record: "Dreaming, I'm always dreaming.

 

[yankeesince59]

...lol...just gotta love how the "plan" seemed to change as the year went on...yeah, the "plan" to get younger evidently was to begin the season with great Cashman acquisitions like Capuano, Drew, Ryan, Garrett Jones, etc., and then replace them as their suckage factor showed them to be what they were, which is garbage.
...and again, if part of the "plan" was to reduce payroll, the over paying and over extending of Headley, and the signing of Drew and Capuano and others, completely contradicts that theory...so if reducing payroll was the goal, the plan failed, period...because the payroll in fact, went up.

...and now you're claiming that your contention that CC allowing 4 runs in 6-7 innings being a acceptable, was only "tongue in cheek"?... that's laughable.



...n/m, I've already had enough of your mindless revisionist history...you just don't get it, and you just never learn...back to the "ignore" list for you.