Steve Stone: Cubs will run away with Central

[RobDeer 45]

Ol Stevey was just on the Dan Patrick show and twice said that the cubs will run away with the central and then said they were the only team in the central. Not even a mention of the Brewers. Kind of fired me up.

 

 

(unambigufied thread title --1992)

[splitterpfj]

He's always like that, he's had some sort of issue with Milwaukee for a long time. I don't listen to the man, he was a mediocre pitcher who had one great year, he is a mediocre announcer, who got to sit next to a fan favorite for years. I like his style as an announcer, but he's often short on substance.

[Tbadder]

What an idiot. Why can't we have something that at least approximates the truth. Yes, the Cubs will probably win the division, but unless there's some major injuries on the Crew it's gonna be close. What's wrong with saying that. I just don't get it. It's an insult to Cub fans if you think about too.

[hawing]

Well,

 

Upon seeing the thread title I thought about writing off the 2008 season and finding something else to do with the time I usually spend on bf.net (because what's the point? The Cubs will run away with the Central).

 

However, splitter's talked me off the ledge. Thanks, Todd!

[hauser42]

When the Brewers win the divsion I hope he is reminded of this statement and see than what he says. No doubt he will have some poor excuse just like most Cub backers do.

[brewerfan0425]

Steve Stone is a moron.

[giffted1]

He must not have heard that we are close to bring back Branyan.

[JohnBriggs12]

Stone was on WSCR last week and a caller from Kenosha asked him about the Brewers.

 

He said that while he likes the Brewers, he doesn't think Sheets qualifies as a ace because he's never won more than 12 games, and that's the difference. He went on to say the Cubs have 5 or 6 guys who can win 12 easily. Of course the caller failed to challange him by saying the Brewers have that too.

 

Stone is on the Score every Thursday, usually at noon but earlier likely tomorrow because Murphy is on vacation. Fans can call. Mayble he should be taken on with more vigor than the guy from Kenosha.

[homer]

It could logically be argued that the Cubs have a better team than the Brewers, but to say they will 'run away' with the division is just ignorant.

[TerraceReserved]

Wow, he's a smart guy, using W/L to judge pitchers and being completely wrong. Is it that tough for a for a radio show (or ESPN for that matter) to get a guy that actually knows what he's talking about?

[JohnBriggs12]

Wow, he's a smart guy, using W/L to judge pitchers and being completely wrong. Is it that tough for a for a radio show (or ESPN for that matter) to get a guy that actually knows what he's talking about?

 

Yeah, since when did W/L record mean anything?

 

Actually since the beginning of time. They don't call it the Cy Young award because he had a 2.63 ERA and I don't think there is a Hall of Fame pitcher with a .500 record.

[Ennder]

The entire W's argument is just silly (I'd use the real word for it but I'd get banned) so it isn't worth rehashing, anyone that judges a pitcher like that isn't going to change their mind no matter what you say and you have to just ignore it and move on.

 

Suppan has won 16 games twice, Capuano won 18 once. Sheets won 12 games last year in a partial season. Every pitcher in the Brewers rotation that has started a full season has won 12 games at least once.

 

The fact is even using his own terrible logic we have multiple pitchers on the team that have won 16+ games. Zambrano has never won more than Capuano's top end, Lilly/Marquis have never matched Suppan's. Hill has never matched Vargas/Bush/Sheets career high. Even using his ridiculous argument it doesn't favor the Cubs.

[Samurai Bucky]

Wasn't (former WSSP host) Peter Brown's big argument against Sheets was his W/L record? Sure, he was in the top five in ERA, but he sucks because he didn't get any wins. I guess that is why he is no longer working at the station.

[PKBadger]

He said that while he likes the Brewers, he doesn't think Sheets qualifies as a ace because he's never won more than 12 games, and that's the difference.

 

I just registered FireSteveStone.com (kidding)

 

Seriously though, I wish he would have made this claim in print instead of on a radio show so I could submit it to FJM.

[brewtank34]

Steve Stone is almost as idiotic as the guy from ESPN who ranked the Crew as the 29th in MLB.

[PKBadger]

Steve Stone is almost as idiotic as the guy from ESPN who ranked the Crew as the 29th in MLB.

 

That ESPN thing was obviously supposed to be taken as a joke though....only problem was that it wasn't funny.

To paraphrase that line from Seinfeld (when Jerry's dentist coverted to Judaism): "I'm not offended as a Brewers fan, I'm offended as a comedian!"

 

[Patrick425]

I'm having a real hard time trying to figure out the so called "experts" (I'm not saying Steve Stone is an expert by any means, I'm talking about everything I read about the NL Central) spin on the NL Central this year. I truely don't get this annointing of the Cubs as the kings of the NL Central. This isn't just because I'm a Brewer fan. I actually do not really have the hatred towards the Cubs that most of the other people on this site do. However, what have they done this off season? They acquired Fukodome. That's it. They also lost Cliff Floyd and Jaque Jones. I can't believe that Fukodome will put up much better (if better at all) numbers than those two combined. Their starting pitching is laughable and I have this feeling that Zambrano is not going to have a great year.

 

If they go out and acquire Brian Roberts, I might change my view a little, but their starting pitching will still be weak. They may have enough to get to the playoffs, but they definitely are not built to be successful in the playoffs. I really don't get all the hype.

[JohnBriggs12]

Look I don't agree with Stone's analysis of the NL Central but I respect a guy who's been in baseball for 40 years, won a Cy Young award, and put up sitting next to Harry Carey more than for more than a dozen years. He does know a thing or two about the game.

 

It's no secret that the Brewers need either Sheets to stay healthy for a full season or have another pitcher emerge with an "ace like" season. That was true last year, the year before and the year before that. Had that happened they would have won the division at least once if not twice in that time. But I can't fault Stone for basing his prediction on history especially considering his natural Cub bias.

[BrewCrewForever]

It could logically be argued that the Cubs have a better team than the Brewers, but to say they will 'run away' with the division is just ignorant.

Exactly. It should be a close race that could go either way. Didn't Stone get fired by WGN? You would think he would have something against them and not us?

 

[apirk]

Good

Let the media hype up the Cubs as the favorite put all the pressure on them and set them up to fail.

[Bring Back the Stein]

I agree entirely with Stoney. Totally logical.

 

In fact, I doubt the Cubs will lose a single game. The problem will be deciding who their team MVP will be: Fukudome, who will have a .700 OBP with 212 RBI, or Henry Blanco, who will successfully flush the clubhouse toilet after his b.m. But yes, they will runaway with it. I also think the Cubs will win the Stanley Cup, the Calder Cup, three Tonys, a BAFTA, the Bay View Parochial Soccer League, Iron Chef America (battle onions) and then be assumed bodily into heaven.

[pg44]

Who cares if they do? If we take the wild card and kick their butts in the playoffs it'll be sweet.

[Brewguru2]

I understand W's are a function of the team and shouldn't be the sole judge of a pitcher's merits.

 

However, what I think Stone was trying to say is that if you are considered an ace, you should have won more than 12 games at least once in your 7-year career. Sometimes an ace has to pitch when his team is struggling to score runs, so he has to put up a zero. You can't always pitch down to your competition.

 

And you have to stay healthy.

[Bert55]

I guess Stonie either needs to be drug tested like the balance of the Cubs, or his last name is indicative of what is in his head. Lastly, ESPN must have had a non-news day when they have to resort to Cub stories in Feb.

[rluzinski]

If Sheets had even gotten average run support in 2004, he probably would have been a 20 game winner. Of course, why would that have any effect on his expected performance in 2008, anyway? If Stone was really referring to Sheets' injuries over the last 3 years, fine. Anything else and it's just the same old "analysis" I've learned to just ignore.

 

Also, predicting in February that any team will run away with any division race is pure fantasy. To me, a run away race is something like a 10+ game lead. Does he expect the Cubs to win 95 games or something?