The Lovable Losers - 2008 (& beyond) Chicago Cubs

md5423 · 03-19-2019, 11:20 PM

I used to love writing about my OOTP saves, but I'd always lose patience as I'd get too sucked into the save and stop writing in order to invest more time playing the actual game. However, thanks to a new desk job where I have lots of downtime but no administrator privileges on my computer...

I am pleased to present to you this dynasty report, which will take us back to a time when I was just a young lad in the 5th-grade... rushing home after school, hoping to catch the last few innings of an afternoon Cubs game on WGN, before firing up my brand new PS3 to continue my franchise on MLB 08: The Show. A time before I discovered the beautiful world of OOTP...

A time when the Chicago Cubs were still the 'Lovable Losers'. A world series title was just a pipe-dream. "The curse" loomed large. The year is 2007... The Cubs are quickly approaching their 100th season without winning a World Series championship, the longest such streak in all of baseball.

We're coming off of a 2006 season in which we compiled 66-96 record, finishing last in the NL Central. With hopes of earning our first taste of October baseball since the infamous 2003 NLCS meltdown, we spent big this offseason. Making a massive splash in the free agent market, we gave out an 8-year, $128 mil. contract to the newest member of the 40-40 club, LF Alfonso Soriano. Furthermore, we added a handful of veterans -- utility man Mark DeRosa, as well as Ted Lillly and Jason Marquis to stabilize our starting rotation.

Perhaps the biggest change was the addition of experienced and hot-headed manager, Lou Piniella. Dusty Baker was able to build a strong bond in the clubhouse, but perhaps he lacked the tenacity to really motivate the squad.

EDIT: This was originally intended to be an OOTP 20 historical game, however, I wasn't happy with the way prospects were ranked coming into the game (Major League rosters being flooded with 18-19 y.o. players who shouldn't be making their debuts until several years later), so I'll be actually playing the game on OOTP 8! The game will start in 2007 instead of 2008, and I've modified the opening post to adapt to this change.

md5423 · 03-22-2019, 12:58 AM

Cubs acquire Rich Harden via trade
January 2, 2007

The Cubs have continued making big moves in their blockbuster offseason, adding 25-year-old pitcher Rich Harden to their starting rotation. In a surprising move, the Cubs have acquired one of the brightest young talents from the Oakland A's organization. Harden has struggled with injuries, but he's shown electrifying stuff when healthy.

In return, the Cubs send 1B Daryle Ward, LF Matt Murton, and minor league 3B Scott Moore to Oakland. Less than one month after signing a 1-year deal to play in Chicago, Ward has a new home. The 31-year-old has shown great power and a tremendous eye at the plate, throughout his nine years in the big leagues, however, he's never really had the chance to be an everyday player. Oakland looks like a good home for the veteran, as he is in a great position to earn the starting spot at 1B.

Murton, 25, looked poised for a long and successful career at LF at Wrigley, however, the recent signing of Alfonso Soriano made him suddenly expendable. The former first-round pick posted a .297/.365/.444 slash-line in 2006, his first full MLB season. Murton should fit nicely in the A's versatile lineup.

Note: The Cubs actually did acquire Harden in 2008, and he quickly became one of my favorite players. Lets hope that his career in Chicago will last longer this time around!

md5423 · 03-22-2019, 01:17 AM

Roger Clemens signs with Florida Marlins
January 18, 2007

One of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, Roger Clemens, has agreed to terms on a 2-year, 20.5 mil. contract with the Florida Marlins. The 44-year-old, who has compiled 348 wins over his legendary 23-season career, is amazingly still at the peak of his game. Analysts credit his intense work-out and nutrition regime for his career longevity. The Yankees looked to be front-runners to sign the star pitcher, but it was the Marlins who swooped in at the last-minute to get the deal done.

With this signing, the Marlins have made their intentions clear. With a young core of stars such as Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Miguel Cabrera, and Dontrelle Willis... The Marlins are looking like a serious threat in the NL East.

md5423 · 03-22-2019, 02:43 AM

Chicago Cubs 2007 Opening Day Roster

Pitching Staff

SP Carlos Zambrano
SP Rich Harden
SP Ted Lilly (LHP)
SP Mark Prior
SP Jason Marquis

MR Ryan Dempster
MR Scott Eyre (LHP)
MR Carlos Marmol
MR Angel Guzman
MR Neal Cotts (LHP

SU Michael Wuertz
SU Will Ohman (LHP)
CL Bob Howry

Starting Lineup

LF Alfonso Soriano
CF Jacque Jones (L)

1B Derrek Lee
3B Aramis Ramirez
C Michael Barrett
2B Mike Fontenot (L)
RF Mark DeRosa
SS Ryan Theriot

Bench

C Henry Blanco
IF Utility Ronny Cedeno
OF Angel Pagan (S)
LF Cliff Floyd

After a disastrous 2006 season, former phenom Mark Prior has earned himself a spot in the starting rotation. A 7.26 ERA in 9 starts last season had many wondering whether Prior would return to the excellent form he showed in the early years of his career. Although his velocity has dipped, a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings during Spring Training has given management and fans a glimmer of hope that the 26-year-old still has something left in the tank. Certainly a small sample size, but hopefully he can right the ship in what has been an injury-plagued career thus far.

03-19-2019, 11:20 PM	#1
md5423 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 539	The Lovable Losers - 2007 (& beyond) Chicago Cubs I used to love writing about my OOTP saves, but I'd always lose patience as I'd get too sucked into the save and stop writing in order to invest more time playing the actual game. However, thanks to a new desk job where I have lots of downtime but no administrator privileges on my computer... I am pleased to present to you this dynasty report, which will take us back to a time when I was just a young lad in the 5th-grade... rushing home after school, hoping to catch the last few innings of an afternoon Cubs game on WGN, before firing up my brand new PS3 to continue my franchise on MLB 08: The Show. A time before I discovered the beautiful world of OOTP... A time when the Chicago Cubs were still the 'Lovable Losers'. A world series title was just a pipe-dream. "The curse" loomed large. The year is 2007... The Cubs are quickly approaching their 100th season without winning a World Series championship, the longest such streak in all of baseball. We're coming off of a 2006 season in which we compiled 66-96 record, finishing last in the NL Central. With hopes of earning our first taste of October baseball since the infamous 2003 NLCS meltdown, we spent big this offseason. Making a massive splash in the free agent market, we gave out an 8-year, $128 mil. contract to the newest member of the 40-40 club, LF Alfonso Soriano. Furthermore, we added a handful of veterans -- utility man Mark DeRosa, as well as Ted Lillly and Jason Marquis to stabilize our starting rotation. Perhaps the biggest change was the addition of experienced and hot-headed manager, Lou Piniella. Dusty Baker was able to build a strong bond in the clubhouse, but perhaps he lacked the tenacity to really motivate the squad. EDIT: This was originally intended to be an OOTP 20 historical game, however, I wasn't happy with the way prospects were ranked coming into the game (Major League rosters being flooded with 18-19 y.o. players who shouldn't be making their debuts until several years later), so I'll be actually playing the game on OOTP 8! The game will start in 2007 instead of 2008, and I've modified the opening post to adapt to this change. Last edited by md5423; 03-22-2019 at 01:04 AM.

03-22-2019, 12:58 AM	#2
md5423 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 539	Cubs acquire Rich Harden via trade January 2, 2007 The Cubs have continued making big moves in their blockbuster offseason, adding 25-year-old pitcher Rich Harden to their starting rotation. In a surprising move, the Cubs have acquired one of the brightest young talents from the Oakland A's organization. Harden has struggled with injuries, but he's shown electrifying stuff when healthy. In return, the Cubs send 1B Daryle Ward, LF Matt Murton, and minor league 3B Scott Moore to Oakland. Less than one month after signing a 1-year deal to play in Chicago, Ward has a new home. The 31-year-old has shown great power and a tremendous eye at the plate, throughout his nine years in the big leagues, however, he's never really had the chance to be an everyday player. Oakland looks like a good home for the veteran, as he is in a great position to earn the starting spot at 1B. Murton, 25, looked poised for a long and successful career at LF at Wrigley, however, the recent signing of Alfonso Soriano made him suddenly expendable. The former first-round pick posted a .297/.365/.444 slash-line in 2006, his first full MLB season. Murton should fit nicely in the A's versatile lineup. Note: The Cubs actually did acquire Harden in 2008, and he quickly became one of my favorite players. Lets hope that his career in Chicago will last longer this time around! Last edited by md5423; 03-22-2019 at 01:07 AM.

03-22-2019, 01:17 AM	#3
md5423 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 539	Roger Clemens signs with Florida Marlins January 18, 2007 One of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game, Roger Clemens, has agreed to terms on a 2-year, 20.5 mil. contract with the Florida Marlins. The 44-year-old, who has compiled 348 wins over his legendary 23-season career, is amazingly still at the peak of his game. Analysts credit his intense work-out and nutrition regime for his career longevity. The Yankees looked to be front-runners to sign the star pitcher, but it was the Marlins who swooped in at the last-minute to get the deal done. With this signing, the Marlins have made their intentions clear. With a young core of stars such as Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, Miguel Cabrera, and Dontrelle Willis... The Marlins are looking like a serious threat in the NL East.

03-22-2019, 02:43 AM	#4
md5423 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 539	Chicago Cubs 2007 Opening Day Roster Pitching Staff SP Carlos Zambrano SP Rich Harden SP Ted Lilly (LHP) SP Mark Prior SP Jason Marquis MR Ryan Dempster MR Scott Eyre (LHP) MR Carlos Marmol MR Angel Guzman MR Neal Cotts (LHP SU Michael Wuertz SU Will Ohman (LHP) CL Bob Howry Starting Lineup LF Alfonso Soriano CF Jacque Jones (L) 1B Derrek Lee 3B Aramis Ramirez C Michael Barrett 2B Mike Fontenot (L) RF Mark DeRosa SS Ryan Theriot Bench C Henry Blanco IF Utility Ronny Cedeno OF Angel Pagan (S) LF Cliff Floyd After a disastrous 2006 season, former phenom Mark Prior has earned himself a spot in the starting rotation. A 7.26 ERA in 9 starts last season had many wondering whether Prior would return to the excellent form he showed in the early years of his career. Although his velocity has dipped, a 3.86 ERA in 14 innings during Spring Training has given management and fans a glimmer of hope that the 26-year-old still has something left in the tank. Certainly a small sample size, but hopefully he can right the ship in what has been an injury-plagued career thus far.