If it was possible, I could read and write about baseball all day. I love reading the thoughts and ideas of some of baseball's most prominent writers to try and learn from their expertise from being in the industry for decades on end. There are very few writers that I read that really puzzle me because the guys in the industry that I really respect: Jesse Rogers, Gordon Wittenmyer, and Mark Gonzalez usually write about things that I'd agree with 99% of the time.
On the other hand however, there's Phil Rogers.
I'm sure Phil is an outstanding citizen of this country and to be honest, he has a lot more credibility from being involved with the MLB since 1984.
However, I've already ripped apart one of his earlier columns this month and just yesterday he wrote an article telling Cubs fans how we should "handle success" and to be honest with you, after I finished reading it, my head almost exploded.
I'm happy to report that my head did NOT explode but I was still perplexed this morning when I woke up so of course I felt obligated to respond to Phil yet again.
If Phil would have prefaced his article with something along the lines of, "Only meatball Cubs fans should read this," I probably wouldn't have had any issue with what he wrote. In case you're unaware of the term "meatball fan" let me quickly explain.
A meatball fan (for any team) sees absolutely no wrong in their team whatsoever and any decision the team makes is, without a doubt, the best decision in history. They are blinded by their loyalty and cheer their team on with unrealistic expectations. A quick example: meatball fans lost their shit last season when the Cubs lost twice in one day to the shitty Padres.
It's safe to say that most fans have turned the page now that Spring Training has started but Phil wants us to make sure that we're aware that there are other good baseball teams in the National League.
*gasp*
What's more annoying with this is the fact that Phil quoted the Dodgers PREDICTED win total for 2017 as a cause of concern for Cubs fans. The Cubs projected win total for 2016 was pretty spot on (101) but other teams had huge misses, most notably the other baseball team on the South Side. The Sox were projected to win 90 games in 2016 and stumbled across the finish line in 2016 with 78 wins.
Point being is these are projections. Every fan knows that the NL will be a tough haul to get through and it'll be a bridge that we'll worry about if we get another change to cross it.
Which brings me to my next point.
Phil thought it'd be good to remind us Cubs fans "not to take the Divisional Series for granted." This leads me to believe that Phil truly doesn't understand Cubs fans excitement the past two seasons when the team was able to get past the NLDS and advance to the League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.
Playoff baseball on the North side of Chicago is something that is almost as good as waking up to freshly baked cookies and a pint of Guinness on Christmas morning.
Wait, so nobody else does that huh?
I was lucky enough to attend a few games of both the 2015 and 2016 NLDS and the electricity was just as high as it was during the NLCS or the World Series. When Javier Baez took Johnny Cueto deep in the bottom of the 8th of Game 1 of the NLDS, I literally threw my $8.75 beer on the poor fellow in front of me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi0x4WVh-Zk
Every Cubs fan that I associate with know good and well that even REACHING the postseason is something that is very difficult to do in a very rugged National League.
Which brings me to my last point.
Phil tells us Cubs fans that we need to do a better job of cheering on our OWN players. He actually makes two separate points on this but because they are both so dumb, I'll save you the time and combine them into one dumb point.
Essentially Phil says that we should love Jake Arrieta, Javier Baez, and Ben Zobrist in their own unique ways. When it comes to Baez and Zobrist, he says,
Look, EVERY fan base has idiot fans so I'm not claiming that Cubs fans are the best fans on Earth. However, I do feel that for the most part, they are pretty knowledgeable about the game of baseball and have a genuine love for their team and a loyalty that is unparalleled in the sports world. Rogers attempt to "explain" to Cubs fans how we should handle the success of the 2016 World Series championship came off as very "holier than thou" if you'll allow me to use that phrase. Phil gives us Cubs fans a list of 10 things that we should do before, during, and after the 2017 season because as he puts it, "He's here to help." On behalf of Cubs fans everywhere Phil, I can safely say that we don't need your help. He opens up his article saying that we should not be celebrating the recent news of St. Louis pitcher Alex Reyes being lost for the season to undergo Tommy John surgery. Any true fan of sports would NEVER celebrate injury on ANY player, even one on their rival's team. Speaking of rivals, Phil goes on to say that we shouldn't "disavow Dexter Fowler." True Cubs fans will stand and cheer for Fowler when the Cardinals make their first trip to Wrigley on Friday, June 2. Even Fowler himself expects a warm welcome when he returns to Wrigley for the first time. Fowler will ALWAYS be a part of the Cubs family because let's face it, without him, a World Series championship probably doesn't happen. In addition to that, why hate on a man who took a gamble on himself to sign a one-year deal with the Cubs? Cubs fans understand that while it absolutely sucks that he had to sign with St. Louis, he 100% deserves every penny of that hefty contract he signed and should be thanked for his service to the Chicago Cubs.
Two other people who need to be thanked for the Cubs success last year would be the team's President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and the club's manager, Joe Maddon. Epstein was the mastermind behind creating a roster that was chalk full of young talent, outstanding starting pitching, and a perfect mix of veterans and youngsters. In the last five years the Cubs have completely turned over their major league roster from 2011 (when Epstein took over), and only one current player played for the Cubs in 2012 -- Anthony Rizzo. In just five short years, Theo overhauled a roster and made moves that included 140 players, 37 trades, 80 signings and 85 departures. Theo handed the keys to Maddon in 2015 and the Cubs skipper quickly made a huge impact. His laid back, quirky, unpredictable managing style was exactly what the young Cubs needed in both 2015 and 2016. While he wasn't always perfect in his managerial decisions (I'm looking at you Game 7 of the World Series), everything always seemed to work out for Maddon. Phil felt that Cubs fans should know that we shouldn't "feel entitled" or "turn on our manager" during the 2017 season. He shares that another 100-win season isn't guaranteed (no shit?), there will be injuries (remember Schwarber?), and there will also be slumps. This is stuff that we've ALREADY gone through in 2016 Phil, so there's not a whole lot that can happen that true Cubs fans won't be prepared for. Then he drops a line that literally made me shake my head.
More to the point, enjoy the wins just as much as you did before Game 7 of last year's World Series. Don't micromanage the fun out of success.First off, there will be NO WIN that will be as important as the 'W' after Game 7 of the World Series so you can take that nonsense else where. Second, who in their right mind would "micromanage the fun out of success?" So because the Cubs won it all in 2016, fans are assuming that every team that shows up will just lay down and let the Cubs win? Every time the Cubs win, I genuinely feel happy. So because I'm not crying and in a fetal position (like I was after Game 7) after the Cubs win a meaningless game in May that'd be "micromanaging" success? Stop it Phil. Cubs fans are well aware that the team now has a HUGE bulls eye on their back and from what I've been hearing coming out of Spring Training, they are ok with that. The team quickly has risen in the ranks of "most hated team" but current Cubs are laughing at the notion that they could ever reach the ranks of some of the most hated teams in history.
There's no doubt that other NL teams will be gunning for the Cubs this year and they'll be teams like the Mets, Nationals, Dodgers, and Giants that will be leading the charge. When you look back at the Cubs 2016 run and really think about what they did, it's pretty damn remarkable. The ninth inning comeback to defeat the Giants, rebounding from back-to-back shutouts to defeat the Dodgers, and overcoming a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Indians. Wild. We understand that this is a new year and it's a clean slate, or as Kyle Schwarber says, it's time to "turn the page."
It's safe to say that most fans have turned the page now that Spring Training has started but Phil wants us to make sure that we're aware that there are other good baseball teams in the National League.
*gasp*
What's more annoying with this is the fact that Phil quoted the Dodgers PREDICTED win total for 2017 as a cause of concern for Cubs fans. The Cubs projected win total for 2016 was pretty spot on (101) but other teams had huge misses, most notably the other baseball team on the South Side. The Sox were projected to win 90 games in 2016 and stumbled across the finish line in 2016 with 78 wins.
Point being is these are projections. Every fan knows that the NL will be a tough haul to get through and it'll be a bridge that we'll worry about if we get another change to cross it.
Which brings me to my next point.
Phil thought it'd be good to remind us Cubs fans "not to take the Divisional Series for granted." This leads me to believe that Phil truly doesn't understand Cubs fans excitement the past two seasons when the team was able to get past the NLDS and advance to the League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.
Playoff baseball on the North side of Chicago is something that is almost as good as waking up to freshly baked cookies and a pint of Guinness on Christmas morning.
Wait, so nobody else does that huh?
I was lucky enough to attend a few games of both the 2015 and 2016 NLDS and the electricity was just as high as it was during the NLCS or the World Series. When Javier Baez took Johnny Cueto deep in the bottom of the 8th of Game 1 of the NLDS, I literally threw my $8.75 beer on the poor fellow in front of me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi0x4WVh-Zk
Every Cubs fan that I associate with know good and well that even REACHING the postseason is something that is very difficult to do in a very rugged National League.
Which brings me to my last point.
Phil tells us Cubs fans that we need to do a better job of cheering on our OWN players. He actually makes two separate points on this but because they are both so dumb, I'll save you the time and combine them into one dumb point.
Essentially Phil says that we should love Jake Arrieta, Javier Baez, and Ben Zobrist in their own unique ways. When it comes to Baez and Zobrist, he says,
"Don't favor one so much that you complain about the other one."I'd assume he was referring to Baez's hitting skid during the NLCS and World Series of last year when fans stupidly were calling for him to be on the bench. Baez is a SPECIAL player who has evolved from a role player to an everyday second baseman for the Cubs. Maddon will have to get a bit creative as to how he's going to get both Baez and Zobrist in the lineup this season now that Schwarber is back to 100% and will occupy left field most of the time. My suggestion? Heyward in center, Zobrist in right, and Javy at second. But if there's any manger that will move all the right pieces, it's Maddon (see point number two). And just because watching him work his magic in the field never gets old, here's #ELMAGO doing what he does best. https://youtu.be/xoY9IMsO_nY I can also say with full certainty that I've never had a true Cubs fan complain about Zobrist in regards to anything he does. He's a great switch hitter, has defensive versatility, he's a great club house guy, and got the winning hit of Game 7 of the World Series. What's there to complain about? Once fans can struggle through the whole Baez/Zobrist thing, Phil turns his attention to Cubs ace Jake Arrieta. Every fan knows that Arrieta is in his last year of his contract and the odds of re-signing the soon to be 31-year-old after this season remains pretty slim. The 2015 Cy Young winner has made it known that he'd like to remain a Cub but the odds of Theo and company pulling the trigger on a long term deal looks bleak. Add to that, the Cubs have already started piling up young arms in preparation for Arrieta's departure. I asked my fellow Cubs writers at Sports Mockery, Aldo Soto and Sean Sears, to give their thoughts on the 2018 decision on Arrieta and both brought up outstanding points. Sean told me,
"I would love to see Arrieta retire a Cub, but the money side of things is going to make that almost impossible to work. Arrieta is going to ask for Max Scherzer/Zach Grienke type of money and the Cubs won't give it to him. And from the way the cubs have been collecting young arms in recent months, it looks like the club is planning for life after Jake Arrieta."
Aldo agreed with Sean's point and added some additional insight into some of the numbers that will be facing the Cubs and Arrieta."I think there's no way the Cubs re-sign Arrieta unless Arrieta gives a huge home town discount. On one hand, if pitches good to great again this year, he'll be the No. 1 SP in free agency. He'll be that regardless really, so that means $25 million at the minimum for him. He'll be 32-years-old in 2018, so he's trying to get at least 5 years on a deal. I just don't see the Cubs giving in."
I agree with both of these guys that the team will move on from Arrieta after this season. He's going to pitch lights out this season because it's the final deal of his contract and will be looking to get paid in 2018. Phil says we shouldn't "treat Jake Arrieta like he's waving adios" this season and the only reason why Phil says that is because there's still a possibility that the Cubs give Arrieta the long term deal that he'd be looking for. Well no shit Phil. Of course there's a chance but that chance is slim and none. Immediately after I read his reasoning on why we should hold out hope that we re-sign Arrieta next season, my mind jumped to this. via GIPHY So let's recap Phil Rogers advice to Cubs fans on how to handle success:- Don't cheer for an injury to an opposing player
- Don't turn against Theo, Maddon, or Dexter Fowler.
- There are other good baseball teams in the National League
- Don't take the NLDS for granted
- Cheer for your favorite Cubs, regardless of their situation.
