# Are ya happy now? YA FUCKING GOAT? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 11, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056 "2002-04-11T17:09:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/21 "2002-04-13T14:06:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jarbabyj \* > \*\* Every fucking day it’s something new! My shoulder hurts, I chewed my nails too short…my elbow is killing me, I have a blister…MY VAGINA HURTS. j \*\* Gotta tell ya, I was rolling on the floor for a good ten minutes when I first read that.😃 😃 It still makes me giggle. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/22 "2002-04-13T15:21:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Why A Duck \* > \*\* > However, I did want to point out that “If the choice is YOU or Glass Joe from Mike Tyson Punch out” made my day. I used to love that game (back in my arcade days. I don’t think it had the Tyson moniker then). What was the second guy’s name? Hurricane something or other? Oh yeah, “Bald Bull”. \*\* \*Body Blow Body Blow Uppercut Great Job … You’re an up and coming fighter.\* Ahhh, the memories. And as to the Cubs, it really is refreshing to see people who go to Cub games and actually know who the players are, have intelligent opinions about the coach, and who follow the games. Keep up the good work and maybe Wrigley won’t just be the world’s largest outdoor bar, and the Cubs will be more than just a sideshow. ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/23 "2002-04-13T16:20:21Z")
The goat curse expired eons ago. The Cubs are currently cursed by going against God’s plan by dropping Rick Reuschel from the 1984 playoff roster. If you doubt me-just look what happened in 1989 to Candlestick Park when God looked down during game 3 of the World Series & noticed Reuschel in the wrong uniform & remembered how pissed he was at the '84 Cubs. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/24 "2002-04-13T16:36:49Z")
It’s all Baylor, remember that. Allow me to introduce the concept of ‘replacement level player’. At any one time there are players out there, just below average players, who can be had for the minimum wage. Using these players allows a team to better use its resources. On the other hand…signing replacement level players for MORE than the minimum wage hurts a team. Girardi - below replacement level Deshields - replacement level Lewis - below replacement level Borowski - replacement level Mueller - replacement level Machado - replacement level Stynes - replacement level Gonzalez - replacement level Ohlman - replacement level Osborne - replacement level Ojeda - below replacement level God help us that’s 44% of the roster that’s replacement level or below. There are some players for which their true level of ability is not yet known: Rosey Brown Corey Patterson Mark Bellhorn Carlos Zambrano Jesus Sanchez Matt Clement So more than 50% of the roster falls to the ‘unknown’ category of replacement level. And they managed to turn the strongest bullpen in the game into a liability in the off season. I can’t believe that. Baylor must go. His ‘get tough’ and ‘small ball’ crap is hurting the team. I’d kill to get a manager who could understand the Baseball Prospectus. I think I would. ---
**Author:** ![madcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@madcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madcat)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/25 "2002-04-13T18:10:04Z")
Anyone who thinks the Cubs’ problems begin & end with Don Baylor should read _The Million-To-One-Team:Why the Chicago Cubs Haven’t Won a Pennant Since 1945_ by George Castle. I’d offer to share my copy, but the library insisted they only ‘loaned’ it to me. ---
**Author:** ![DynoSaur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DynoSaur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DynoSaur)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/26 "2002-04-13T22:53:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*It’s all Baylor, remember that. > > Allow me to introduce the concept of ‘replacement level player’. At any one time there are players out there, just below average players, who can be had for the minimum wage. Using these players allows a team to better use its resources. > > On the other hand…signing replacement level players for MORE than the minimum wage hurts a team. > > Girardi - below replacement level > Deshields - replacement level > Mueller - replacement level > Machado - replacement level > Stynes - replacement level > Gonzalez - replacement level > Ohlman - replacement level > Ojeda - below replacement level > > God help us that’s 44% of the roster that’s replacement level or below. There are some players for which their true level of ability is not yet known: > > Rosey Brown > Corey Patterson > Mark Bellhorn > Carlos Zambrano > Jesus Sanchez > Matt Clement > So more than 50% of the roster falls to the ‘unknown’ category of replacement level. > > And they managed to turn the strongest bullpen in the game into a liability in the off season. I can’t believe that. > > Baylor must go. His ‘get tough’ and ‘small ball’ crap is hurting the team. > > I’d kill to get a manager who could understand the Baseball Prospectus. I think I would. \*\* A couple points: you forgot our OTHER catcher (y’know, the third one on the major-league roster? and don’t you HATE that?) as being replacement-level. Hundley’s the only one that really has a hope of being BETTER than replacement level, of course, but… I think Ohman and Ojeda, at least, are still making major-league minimum, so they’re paying exactly what they should be for replacement-level talent in those cases. Deshields, I hate. But, I don’t really see a better option until Hill is ready. Oh, wait, Hill _is_ ready. You also forgot McGriff. I’m not sure if he has a history of slow starts, or has finally turned old on us, though. Choi better be ready soon. Alfonseca’s another good example of replacement-level talent. I would also quibble with some of your “unknown” designations. Brown’s a decent 4th outfielder. Clement’s a decent 4th starter, as is. If he actually learns how to pitch, he’s a #2. And we already know Bellhorn’s better than Stynes. Of course, Mueller would probably be better than Stynes with BOTH knees broken. Jesus Sanchez will probably end up in the Felix Heredia “You only get to pitch to lefties role”. Hopefully, he’s better-suited to it than Felix was. And, lastly, I have hopes for Gonzalez, although I admit that there’s not really any good reason to. In closing: Bring back Oscar! ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/27 "2002-04-15T14:34:40Z")
Hey guys! The Cubs won yesterday! Two wins over the weekend at what expense? Todd Hundley’s thumb falling off. Yay. ---
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/28 "2002-04-15T14:42:21Z")
I dream of a Red Sox - Cubs World Series. THEN we’d see whose curse was boss! ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/29 "2002-04-15T14:45:45Z")
I think we’d also get to witness the apocalypse, which is always a conversation piece ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/30 "2002-04-15T14:50:55Z")
I think they’d just fight to a draw. Game 7 would go to about 40 innings, at which point the commissioner would say “eh. fuck it. tie game.” Or a tragic peanut vendor accident would claim the lives of both teams just as the seventh game were about to start… There are some things man was not meant to know. Two of those are “Will the Red Sox ever win again” and “Will the Cubs ever win again”. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056/31 "2002-04-15T15:51:14Z")
> [@](#): > > I dream of a Red Sox - Cubs World Series. THEN we’d see whose curse was boss! At this point, the Cubs’ curse is that they can’t even **get** to the Series. So whenever the Red Sox finally make it back, there’ll still be nothing to prevent them from the traditional losing-in-7. And a tip of the hat to **Jonathan Chance** for bringing replacement-level players into the thread. Someday we need to have a Bill James appreciation thread here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ya-happy-now-ya-fucking-goat/103056.md?page=1)