Where's He Been?

[BigMacFU]

Hey Guys,

Sorry I've been MIA lately. Went on the 2nd honeymoon, started teaching immediately upon getting back and have barely even had time for my fantasy teams. Life is going well and the semester is also progressing well. I recommend screwing with kids' heads as a profession for everybody. And no, for you newbs I'm not a psychologist. I'm even better, a Professor, the kids actually buy most of what I sell them

Anyway, I'll be getting back on here soon enough, don't worry. I will be gone next week thought visiting the parents. I'll get to meet up with the new corporate man in town Señor Giese which will be nice.

Hope you are all doing well and for the Football league, watch out, cause I'm gonna bury you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best,
The original BIG MAC

[cigar no baka]

Welcome back, miss you participating in the forums, you're a BOTL and add a lot to this board!

[stjohnroe]

Congratulations for achieving the second honeymoon, I maust manage one myself (another trip to Bali would be wonderfull).

Good to see you back Mac.

[Bkcloud114]

Who are you ????

[CoventryCat86]

Big WHAT? Hmmmmm, I don't remember this guy at all.

Does anyone know which baseball team in the National League has the worst record this year?

Bueller........., BigMac........., anyone........?

[BigMacFU]

Hey Bill, how's payin' a pitcher 18 million for 2/3's a season working out? Oh that's right, it's not. Bill, the Cubs may suck worse than the Astros, or any other team, but you know what, who cares, it's what we expect. At least the real fans know never to get their hopes up, whereas management gets you ignorant Astros fan's hopes up every year. Shoulda traded Clemens to the Yanks and gotten something worth while. Oh Bill, I pity you.

[CoventryCat86]

Hey Bill, how's payin' a pitcher 18 million for 2/3's a season working out? Oh that's right, it's not. Bill, the Cubs may suck worse than the Astros, or any other team, but you know what, who cares, it's what we expect. At least the real fans know never to get their hopes up, whereas management gets you ignorant Astros fan's hopes up every year. Shoulda traded Clemens to the Yanks and gotten something worth while. Oh Bill, I pity you.

It's working out quite well actually, how can you say it's not? I'd much rather be two under .500 than 30 Face it, the Cubs are a piss poor organization and that ain't changing anytime soon. At least the Astros have a credible team and have won more games in the NL Central than any other team in the NL Central since MLB went to the three division format in the 1990's. Just because the Cubs SUCK, why call fans of real teams "ignorant"?

[CoventryCat86]

[CoventryCat86]

DAMN!! Look what happens when you google "Cubs Suck" there's are HUNDREDS like this:

[BigMacFU]

With the exception of Yankees fans and Cardinals fans, most others are ignorant. Most other teams operate for profit, not for winning, and this includes the Astros. The Cubs have been a for profit team, not winning team ever since the Trib bought them out. But as fans we know this and expect nothing more than 60-80 wins a year, only hovering near .500 occasionally. We have a ballpark that brings in all the revenue regardless of winning or losing, the world's largest biergarten is too beautiful to ignore for the Wrigley faithful. But, no other team, with the exception of the Red Sox have a stadium like this (or fans like the Yanks and Cards). So, the owners have to tease the fans and make them think they'll be good or get them in to the playoffs often enough to peak interest, but never enough to actually win.

If the Astros wanted to win, they could have kept Randy a long time ago, kept Gonzo, kept Wagner, kept so many others that they let go. Why'd they let go, profit, plain and simple. So, fans of teams with owners who are for profit, not winning, yet do not acknowledge this, and thus acknowledge that it is stupid to talk about their organization as if it were a "good" organization is ignorant.

Have there been exceptions occasionally, yes. But these flukes are a) the exception to the rule and b) usually generate from a just above .500 Wild Card team that gets two hot pitchers in the post-season (aka Marlins, Angels, White Sox, and Red Sox in the past many years, though the Red Sox that year abandoned the profit only model and went for an all-star lineup and the highest payroll world series champ ever). So yes Bill, IGNORANT, you are IGNORANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Or, should I spell it for you as you ignorant Astros fans need, IGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CoventryCat86]

I asked a question about who has the worst record in the National League and you told me I was "ignorant" which is not true and does not change the fact the the Cubs SUCK.

[BigMacFU]

Bill, when did I ever say the Cubs didn't suck. You continually to try and get my goat (pun intended) by saying the Cubs suck, but I don't care, I know this, I've accepted this, I don't care. I've never said they were the greatest team ever, that's the Yankees. So again, I haven't ignored anything. Do they have the worst record in the NL, absolutely, but that's not hard to know; every year it's them, the bucs/pirates and brewers at the bottom of the pack. That's a given. So, my point still stands, and you still can't face the fact you root for a for-profit team, you prefer illusion to truth, that McLane wants money, not wins, or at least only enough wins to drive profits. Although he spent 18 million for 2/3's a season out of Roger, the money he makes through people actually showing up because of Roger is just so much more.

[WhiteWidow]

Hey Bill, how's payin' a pitcher 18 million for 2/3's a season working out? Oh that's right, it's not.

FA!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CoventryCat86]

Bill, when did I ever say the Cubs didn't suck. You continually to try and get my goat (pun intended) by saying the Cubs suck, but I don't care, I know this, I've accepted this, I don't care. I've never said they were the greatest team ever, that's the Yankees. So again, I haven't ignored anything. Do they have the worst record in the NL, absolutely, but that's not hard to know; every year it's them, the bucs/pirates and brewers at the bottom of the pack. That's a given. So, my point still stands, and you still can't face the fact you root for a for-profit team, you prefer illusion to truth, that McLane wants money, not wins, or at least only enough wins to drive profits. Although he spent 18 million for 2/3's a season out of Roger, the money he makes through people actually showing up because of Roger is just so much more.

Who gives a crap if they're what you refer to as a "for profit" team? I really don't want to argue the particulars of that with you because it doesn't fucking matter one iota. Don't most teams/orginazations strive to make money rather than lose it? I really don't see or understand the point you're trying to make at all. The Astros have a great team, a great manager, a great stadium in a great city a great owner, great fans and they're a whole lot of fun to watch. The Astros are almost ALWAYS in the playoff hunt unlike MANY other teams so what's to complain about? As I mentioned before, they have won more games than any other team in the NL Central since the inception of the three divisions, they've been steadily improving since the team began in the early 1960's and I've been following them and their climb for over 30 years. Sure, I wish they could win the World Series every year but that's an unrealistic want on my part. I tip my hat to other teams like the Yankees, the Red Sox and the Cardinals who consistantly put together great teams and organizations and once in a while it's nice to see teams pop up out of nowhere like the Tigers and the White Sox. The White Sox were awesome last year and if the Twins and the Tigers weren't playing so well this year, the White Sox would have made the playoffs again because unlike the Cubs, they're a very good team/organization.

Sorry but the Cubs suck The only real team in Chicago is the White Sox.

[BigMacFU]

The reason for-profit should matter to you is because you have an owner who is only willing to keep the fans in the seats by dangling a carrot that he never will give you. He doesn't want to win the world series, the cost to do so given the way the organization is built (not around scouting anymore, but free agency) is too much. Your owner could operate like Steinbrenner and be willing to lose money as an organization just to get those few extra players at the deadline or in the off season. Yes, most teams operate on a for profit model. I'm not saying that's a good thing, I'm saying that fans of those teams that don't admit this, that actually cheer for their team as if they thought the owner was one of them are foolish. The astros will not win a world series any time at all in the near future until they get different ownership. This is a horrible fact with so many teams because the owners do not treat these operations as they should, a non-revenue source, rather they treat them as a way for their personal net worth to increase. Unfortunately, the Astros, the Royals, the Brewers, the Marlins, the Cubs and so many others do this, it's disgusting. So, although I recognize someone's desire to cheer for their team, don't do so with disillusioned lollipop dreams, that is where the ignorance lies. You have a great stadium, no doubt, an awesome pitcher in Clemens and one in Oswalt, no doubt, but a great owner, not a chance. He would have kept Beltran, Randy, Wagner, and all those others. I'm sure Oswalt will be leaving once his contract is up too and he's worth even more.

You can make fun of the Cubs all you want, I don't care because they are one of these for-profit teams only in existence to increase a company's net worth.

But you continue to talk as if the Astros were doing anything special. The Cubs had no supposed hopes, the Astros imploded and they have an owner that only spends enough to keep you thinking they're a good team. Heck, in the NL that doesn't take much, you guys still have hopes at under .500. So, how can you call them a great team, unless you mean in the abstract sense of the Astros being your team, because there's no way a sub-.500 or .500 team could ever be considered great.

[CoventryCat86]

The reason for-profit should matter to you is because you have an owner who is only willing to keep the fans in the seats by dangling a carrot that he never will give you. He doesn't want to win the world series, the cost to do so given the way the organization is built (not around scouting anymore, but free agency) is too much. Your owner could operate like Steinbrenner and be willing to lose money as an organization just to get those few extra players at the deadline or in the off season. Yes, most teams operate on a for profit model. I'm not saying that's a good thing, I'm saying that fans of those teams that don't admit this, that actually cheer for their team as if they thought the owner was one of them are foolish. The astros will not win a world series any time at all in the near future until they get different ownership. This is a horrible fact with so many teams because the owners do not treat these operations as they should, a non-revenue source, rather they treat them as a way for their personal net worth to increase. Unfortunately, the Astros, the Royals, the Brewers, the Marlins, the Cubs and so many others do this, it's disgusting. So, although I recognize someone's desire to cheer for their team, don't do so with disillusioned lollipop dreams, that is where the ignorance lies. You have a great stadium, no doubt, an awesome pitcher in Clemens and one in Oswalt, no doubt, but a great owner, not a chance. He would have kept Beltran, Randy, Wagner, and all those others. I'm sure Oswalt will be leaving once his contract is up too and he's worth even more.

You can make fun of the Cubs all you want, I don't care because they are one of these for-profit teams only in existence to increase a company's net worth.

But you continue to talk as if the Astros were doing anything special. The Cubs had no supposed hopes, the Astros imploded and they have an owner that only spends enough to keep you thinking they're a good team. Heck, in the NL that doesn't take much, you guys still have hopes at under .500. So, how can you call them a great team, unless you mean in the abstract sense of the Astros being your team, because there's no way a sub-.500 or .500 team could ever be considered great.

You are so full of shit. They signed Oswalt to at least a five year contract and look at the fucking win-loss record, it's IMPOSSIBLE for the Astros to have a sub .500 record this year. They had their reasons for getting Beltran for the half year in 2004 and their reasons to not pay him the ridiculous money he could and did get elsewhere, good for Beltran, good for the Astros and good for the Mets.

And dammit, stop twisting my words. My statement about them being a "great team" was in relation to their performance and what they've accomplished over the course of their existance and in particular since the NL went to three divisions. You try and make me look like a fool because their win-loss record this year is below average in comparison to their average over the last 12 years.

Once again, I really don't care about your opinions or crazed theories on what makes a good owner or a bad one because it doesn't matter....