(no subject)
One overly-enthusiastic Cubs player previews the 2008 season:
"I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do."
More from Ryan Dempster:
"Funny when people make predictions or they say things and people are like, 'How could you say that?'"
This reaction is usually reserved for predictions (or 'things') that bear a great deal of incongruity with the natural world. Predictions like:
"I think [the 2008 Cubs] are going to win the World Series. I really do."
When someone replies, "How could you say that?", I'll agree, it IS funny. But not in the bemused, appreciating-the-irony-for-a-moment sort of way that Ryan Dempster seems to be referring to.
"Enough of all the ... you know the curse this, the curse that, the goat this, the black cat, the 100 years, whatever it is."
I totally agree with this too. Way too much attention is given to the phantasmic non-real-world reasons for teams having extended title droughts. When a team has a handful of improbable misfortunes happen to them like the Red Sox, you scratch your head a little. But the only curse visited upon the Cubs for 100 years involves fielding crappy teams. If they could just reverse that curse, they'd have a good chance.
"We're a better team than we were last year, I truly believe. And last year we made it to the playoffs."
Problem solved! Ryan has pointed out an important element of success. Good teams make it to the playoffs. But a team BETTER than a playoff team makes it to the SUPER PLAYOFFS, which is in fact not a playoff format, but rather automatically bestows upon participants a World Series title. It's really the most efficient way to win that elusive ring. Alex Rodriguez would be wise to listen to Ryan Dempster.
"I wouldn't show up here and work as hard as I did and everybody work as hard as they did to not believe that."
The English here is a little choppy but until we get a clarification, Royals, Rays and Pirates fans might want to take note. If Ryan Dempster ends up on your team and doesn't retire, he will not work as hard as he used to when he gets to spring training.
Now, it's possible that I'm just being an ass here, so I need to take a look at the 2008 Cubs, to see if they might actually be a better team (a SUPER PLAYOFF team) than the 2007 Cubs (a regular playoff team).
A lot of times, to get better, a team will add some players. Better players. Here are the players added to the Cubs this off-season:
Jose Ascanio
Tim Lahey
Kosuke Fukudome
Jon Lieber
Well, they're different players anyway. The Fukudome might be awesome, but it's hard to say one way or the other from here. Jon Lieber is not awesome, and those other two guys are relief pitchers. What is easier to tell is that, among returning Cubs players, only three full-time players posted an OPS above .800 last year, and only one other if you count the part-timers. Since they play in Wrigley, the slugging was decent, so this is mostly attributable to their inability not to be called out. Oops, that's a triple negative, let me clean that up: This is mostly attributable to the Cubs ability to be called out. There we go. And for any Australian Rules Football fans who might be reading, the object of American Baseball is NOT TO GET CALLED OUT, which the Cubs are kind of sucky at.
I don't know why I'm ragging on Ryan Dempster. February is boring, what can I say? It is admirable that he has such optimism in his lot in life employment opportunity. And I do share his optimism, just not for the Cubs. Every time I buy a lottery ticket I say to myself, "I think I'm going to win $10 million. I really do. I wouldn't show up here and pay $1 at this convenience store counter to not believe that."
"I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do."
More from Ryan Dempster:
"Funny when people make predictions or they say things and people are like, 'How could you say that?'"
This reaction is usually reserved for predictions (or 'things') that bear a great deal of incongruity with the natural world. Predictions like:
"I think [the 2008 Cubs] are going to win the World Series. I really do."
When someone replies, "How could you say that?", I'll agree, it IS funny. But not in the bemused, appreciating-the-irony-for-a-moment sort of way that Ryan Dempster seems to be referring to.
"Enough of all the ... you know the curse this, the curse that, the goat this, the black cat, the 100 years, whatever it is."
I totally agree with this too. Way too much attention is given to the phantasmic non-real-world reasons for teams having extended title droughts. When a team has a handful of improbable misfortunes happen to them like the Red Sox, you scratch your head a little. But the only curse visited upon the Cubs for 100 years involves fielding crappy teams. If they could just reverse that curse, they'd have a good chance.
"We're a better team than we were last year, I truly believe. And last year we made it to the playoffs."
Problem solved! Ryan has pointed out an important element of success. Good teams make it to the playoffs. But a team BETTER than a playoff team makes it to the SUPER PLAYOFFS, which is in fact not a playoff format, but rather automatically bestows upon participants a World Series title. It's really the most efficient way to win that elusive ring. Alex Rodriguez would be wise to listen to Ryan Dempster.
"I wouldn't show up here and work as hard as I did and everybody work as hard as they did to not believe that."
The English here is a little choppy but until we get a clarification, Royals, Rays and Pirates fans might want to take note. If Ryan Dempster ends up on your team and doesn't retire, he will not work as hard as he used to when he gets to spring training.
Now, it's possible that I'm just being an ass here, so I need to take a look at the 2008 Cubs, to see if they might actually be a better team (a SUPER PLAYOFF team) than the 2007 Cubs (a regular playoff team).
A lot of times, to get better, a team will add some players. Better players. Here are the players added to the Cubs this off-season:
Jose Ascanio
Tim Lahey
Kosuke Fukudome
Jon Lieber
Well, they're different players anyway. The Fukudome might be awesome, but it's hard to say one way or the other from here. Jon Lieber is not awesome, and those other two guys are relief pitchers. What is easier to tell is that, among returning Cubs players, only three full-time players posted an OPS above .800 last year, and only one other if you count the part-timers. Since they play in Wrigley, the slugging was decent, so this is mostly attributable to their inability not to be called out. Oops, that's a triple negative, let me clean that up: This is mostly attributable to the Cubs ability to be called out. There we go. And for any Australian Rules Football fans who might be reading, the object of American Baseball is NOT TO GET CALLED OUT, which the Cubs are kind of sucky at.
I don't know why I'm ragging on Ryan Dempster. February is boring, what can I say? It is admirable that he has such optimism in his lot in life employment opportunity. And I do share his optimism, just not for the Cubs. Every time I buy a lottery ticket I say to myself, "I think I'm going to win $10 million. I really do. I wouldn't show up here and pay $1 at this convenience store counter to not believe that."