Desipio Message Board

Yes I'm doing this.  If the Cubs actually manage to step on their dicks, continuously, for these final 6+weeks against teams who could all conceivably be under .500 by the time the Cubs play them, then let this thread stand as a sad, pathetic example of hubris of the highest order.

But that ain't gonna fucking happen, sorry.  Besides, these guys already won the World Series.  I ain't jinxing shit.

So, unless you're still a little too skittish to so willfully shake your fists at the gods, let this be your repository for the 25-man playoff roster.


No-Brainers:
SP Lester
SP Arrieta
SP Hendricks
SP Quintana
(bye Blackey)
RP Davis
RP CEJ
RP Strop
RP Wilson
RP Duensing
RP Montgomery
C WillyCon
C Avila
1B Rizzo
2B Baez
SS Russell
3B Bryant
LF Schwarber
CF Jay/Almora
RF Heyward
Bench: Zobrist, Happ, LaStella

So far that's 10 pitchers and 13 position players

So the final two spots comes down to Grimm and Rondon...or Grimm or Rondon, with 1 more bench player.

So who would be that bench player if they decide to just roll with 11 pitchers (and 7 relievers)?  Or do they actually go with 12 pitchers and 8 relievers and shorten their bench, hoping heir versatility covers them?  Or do they--heaven forbid--keep Lackey as some sort of "In case of emergency, please break" thing?  Perish the thought.

Jimmy Piersall, 87

Filmmaker Jonathan Demme, 73.

Also, "Stop Making Breath"

Tough week for Chucks.  First Chuck Barry, and now the host of my favorite game show as a kid, Chuck Barris, has been Gonged, at 87.

HAS ANYONE DONE A WELLNESS CHUCK ON GITLES?

Reports're swirling that legendary guitarist Chuck Berry has passed away at the ripe old age of 90.

Iconic Star Wars actress, and presumptive popular 2017 pick, Carrie Fisher, 60.

Longtime, iconic voice of Arlington Racetrack, Phil Georgeff, 85.

Since the division title is a fait accompli, I figured we could pop the top off this thread.  Though the Cubs won't be playing their first postseason game for 4 weeks, there's already begun plenty of talk about who makes the playoff 25-man roster and who gets left holding their dicks in their hands, so I figured that's as good of a place to start as any.

Sure things:

C Contreras
C Ross

IF Rizzo
IF Zobrist
IF Baez
IF Russell
IF Bryant

OF Heyward
OF Fowler
OF Soler

SP Lester
SP Hendricks
SP Arrieta
SP Lackey

RP Chapman
RP Rondon
RP Strop
RP Edwards
RP Grimm
RP Montgomery
RP Wood

That's 21 sure bets (some may quibble with Wood considering how he's pitched the last month but if Maddon's going to (rightfully) use him as a LOOGY then I figure he's a sure thing).

Of those 21 spots that's 10 position players and 11 pitchers, leaving 4 roster spots.  These spots will be dictated by whether they go with 12 pitchers (likely) or 13 (hard to figure the need) or stay with 11 (unlikely).

If they're going with 12 pitchers, that means there's room for 3 position players.

First the extra pitcher spot.  Here are the candidates:

Hammel
Cahill
Joe Smith
Rob Zastrihoweverthefuckyouspellit

If they are going with 12 pitchers, then that leaves 3 spots for the following position players:

Szczur
Almora
LaStella
Coghlan
Montero

Personally, I think Szczur and LaStella make the cut, which brings the last spot down to Almora, Coghlan, and Montero.  If they feel they need another lefty bat then the decision comes down to Coghlan and Montero and I would prefer Montero--Miggy looks like he may yet prove to be useful with the bat and Coghlan does nothing for me. OTOH if Joe would prefer to punt on the 2nd lefty bat and go with defense, then it'd be Almora.

As of today, if they do go with 12 pitchers, I think I'd take Joe Smith, who's been much better since coming back.

This formula could change if they elect to just go with 11 pitchers, in which I imagine Almora and a second lefty bat make the cut.

Roster configuration can very well change from the LDS to LCS.  It's possible that they go with 11 pitchers for the LDS and 12 for the LCS, which would have a ripple effect on the position players.

Discuss!

Gene Wilder, 83

Longtime WXRT DJ Leslie Witt

Buddy Ryan, 82.

Pat Summitt, 64.

Might as well get this started...

So just about a month ago, while at the game and watching the Cubs pin Max Scherzer's ears back, I dismissed, completely out of hand, the notion that was brought to me that Kyle Schwarber could make it back, at the very least in time to simply DH in the World Series.  However, some further discussion on that matter made me pause.  Like Adrian Peterson, for example, a FOOTBALL player, a freaking Running Back, tore his ACL and MCL around Christmas, 2011 and was in the starting lineup the following September--8 months later.  Now even factoring in that Schwarber also messed up his ankle as well, and by all accounts AP may have proven to be a freak of nature, I'm not entirely letting go this.  Nor or others lately, I've noticed.

Clearly, Cubs management wants the expectation set that he's done for the year--and they should.  But hearing recently that he's now gone down from 2 crutches to one, and assuming he's probably already been increasing his rehab, my interest gets piqued.  It's been 2 months since the injury and just a little less than that since the surgery, and 2 months into the future and it's still only early August...is there a reason why Kyle couldn't be hitting off a tee by then, possibly get into some minor league playoff games as a DH by early September?  And if so, then maybe...

He's still young, my thinking is that he his body can recover a little more quickly, sports science/medicine continues to evolve--though AP is no doubt a freak of nature, he probably doesn't make such a quick comeback had then injury occurred a decade earlier.  Just throwing it out there.  Feel free to tell me I'm a shithead (per usual), or feel free to henceforth add any "Bigfoot"-type Schwarber sightings that'll stir mens' souls.*

*Not that the Cubs truly need need Schwarber...they're going to the World Series regardless...still--just to have Schwarber for the potential 3 AL games when they get there might be all they need to push them over.

Milt Pappas?

Eddie Einhorn, who teamed with Jerry Reinsdorf as co-owner of the White Sox (and was more of the face of the franchise than Uncle Jerry in the early years of the post-Veeck Sox) and who was also the driving force behind putting the Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks (away games only, natch) on newly created (by him) all-new local cable sports channel Sportsvision (which became Sportschannel which became Fox Sports Chicago which became Comcast Sports Net Chicago), which directly led to Harry Caray defecting to the Cubs, is dead at 80.

Johnny Lattner, the only Chicago-area native to win a Heisman Trophy, dead at 83.

Side note:  My parents, who dabbled in local Democratic Party politics when I was a kid, once hosted a fundraiser at our house for Lattner, who  was running for some local seat (County Board or something...doesn't matter, he got trounced).  In any event, during this fundraiser--Fall of '86 I want to say--Lattner brought his Heisman Trophy with (turns out it was his second one as the first one was lost in a fire at his restaurant), and so I got to hold it and take a picture with it.  #coolstorybro

Paul Kantner, founding member of Jefferson Airplane (and father of "summertime" MTV veejay and spank bank source for adolescent me in the 1980's China Slick Kantner)   dead at 74.

Since there's nothing else to do but to wait until Wednesday (which has basically been the case for over a week now...how unusual is that?), figured we might as well set up a largely separate repository for the gnashing of the teeth and latent cries for help now and run it up to and through the game, if necessary.

Would make sense to begin with who's starting before anything else. I'll start.

We never know what crazy lineup Joe will feel like going with, and I don't care nearly as much as who the 8 guys will be.  

This seems reasonable to me:

P Jake
C Miggy Monty
1B Rizz
2B Castro
SS Russel
3B Bryant
LF Austin
CF Dex
RF Schwarbs

Cole's a stud of course, but also has reverse splits.  He actually does better vs. righties LEFTYS, but it doesn't matter.  Coghlan's 0-8 against him anyway.  My suspicion is that Maddon will hope to get an early lead and then start bolstering the defense behind Jake, so I wouldn't expect to see Schwarber and Castro beyond the 6th if the Cubs're winning, but those two absolutely should be in the starting lineup.  Schwarber in RF might seem unusual until you consider that in Pittsburgh left field (left-center) is more expansive and thus more critical (and that's why I think Joe's getting Schwarber some reps in RF right now, to get a feel for RF in general).

No matter what lineup Crazy Joe rolls out there, if it's a tight game I gather everyone will get a crack.  Hopefully that'd get tiring for Pittsburgh for 9 or 9+ innings because that bench suddenly seems pretty decent.

Discuss.

One time Cub broadcaster--and Harry Caray antagonist-- Milo Hamilton, 88.

Horror Film titan Wes Craven, 76.