Guest Redhawk Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Since we all can't closely follow every team out there, I was hoping some people who are fans of the traditionally or recently bad teams listed below can explain just what is really wrong with their franchise. For example, someone who lives in Cincinnati (or whom follows Cincy teams religiously) can better tell us what's wrong with the Bengals rather than those of us who just catch Bengals highlights on NFL Primetime. So if you can, what is wrong with these franchises.... Baseball Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Tampa Bay Devil Rays Texas Rangers New York Mets Florida Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Cincinnati Reds Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres Football Cincinnati Bengals Jacksonville Jaguars Detroit Lions Chicago Bears Carolina Panthers Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks Dallas Cowboys Basketball Washington Wizards New York Knicks Atlanta Hawks Chicago Bulls Miami Heat Toronto Raptors Cleveland Cavs Golden State Warriors Memphis/Vancouver Grizzlies Los Angeles Clippers Denver Nuggets Hockey (I'll admit I don't follow hockey at all, but from what I hear these three teams are bad.) New York Rangers Chicago Blackhawks Carolina Hurricanes (correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they in the Finals in 2002? And this year they were last place in their conference? What's up with that?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Czech Republic Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Milwaukee Brewers Chicago Bears Chicago Bulls Chicago Blackhawks Carolina Hurricanes Okay, here goes. 1. The Brewers are poorly operated (Selig), just plain untalented, and not very popular despite the new park. In fact, most people think the reason Milwaukee got bumped to the NL was to get more games against the Cubs, which would bring in a lot more fans, in theory. 2 and 3. Chicago loves its teams no matter how terrible they are. So why invest money on being good when you can make money while being bad? With all the storied history behind the Bears and Bulls, there's enough of that history to no longer necessitate giving a shit and adding more to that book. 4. The Blackhawks were strong in the mid 90s with Roenick, Goulet, Belfour, and Chelios, and started getting strong two years ago under coach Brian Sutter. Everything was going great last season until Theoren Fleury, who just keeps getting second chances, got drunk and had the shit beat out of him at a strip club. Team morale plummeted, Thibault started cracking under pressure, Sutter caught shit for assuring us Theo wouldn't screw up this time, and everything just spiraled downward and downward until April, when we JUST BARELY finished ahead of the Nashville Predators. 5. Eh. They're the Whalers, they'll always suck. Only now, they don't have Brass Bonanza or uber-swank green and blue sweaters to mask the suck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted July 11, 2003 The Indians are in rebuilding mode, and by all accounts they are loaded with talent in the minors. That's not to mention whose already in the bigs. Prospects don't always deliver, but if half of them do Cleveland should be a contender within 2 to 3 years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest phoenixrising Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Los Angeles Clippers Simple. The head guy doesn't care about the team. There's not much anyone can do when the owner refuses to spend money to keep its free agents and actively pursue others. The Clips also just seem to run into bad luck on the court too. Last year they had the best team they'd ever had in ages, and they just fell apart. It also doesn't help that they play in the same town as the Lakers. No matter how well the Clippers do, they'll always be seen as the red-headed stepchild when compared to the Lakers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alkeiper Report post Posted July 11, 2003 None of these are my hometown team, but I'll try and use my expertise here. Baltimore Orioles They built a team with old players and made the playoffs in '96 and '97. Then the players got old, and they didn't have good players on the farm. There's a bunch of B level pitching prospects, but not much else. Cleveland Indians As Vern said, they're rebuilding. They'll be good in a year or two. Detroit Tigers Rebuilding. Their problem is that they went with nostalgia to manage the team instead of someone with experience. Plus they're still paying for Damion Easley ($7 Million). Tampa Bay Devil Rays Tried to build a team of sluggers instead of building from within. On the right track, but won't contend for a couple of years. Texas Rangers They really could have baseball's best infield someday. Once they find pitching, they'll contend. Once the contracts of Carl Everett and Rusty Greer expire, they'll have money to spend. New York Mets The way I see it, they went for it all in 2000, and they've been scrambling since. They need to tear the team down and rebuild. Florida Marlins Great pitching prospects, but they need to learn how to handle the young arms. Milwaukee Brewers Incompetance. Cincinnati Reds As with the Rangers, they desperately need to find pitching. Pittsburgh Pirates Incompetance thanks to the recently departed Cam Bonifay. They need to build the farm system. San Diego Padres A lot of people thought they'd be good. Lots of good hitters and pitchers in the system. Could be good in the near future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Reds need to sacrifice one of the Outfielders or A pair of the Back Ups that Boone can't settle on and get a Ace Pitcher... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest razazteca Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Spurs tend to give up in the 4th Quarter and lose big leads. Popavich became the coach by taking advantage of a bad season that had alot of injuries which forced Hill out. Popavich seems to have problems as GM as he tends to get rid of quality guards for his personal favorites. Tried to grow a bad looking beard one year. Nobody on team seems to do well in interviews but Malik Rose and Bruce Bowen did get short pushes after winning the 2nd Championship. The Dallas Cowboys owner thinks he is the coach and wishes he was Mark Cuban or Al Davis. Jerry Jones personel fetish for the running QB made the Cowboys lose alot of games in the past 3 years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest nl5xsk1 Report post Posted July 11, 2003 I don't know of any Rangers or 'Canes fans on the board, so I'll answer those; I'm pretty sure that there's at least one 'Hawks fan, though, so I'll save them for him (or her, I guess) note: all things said are about the teams as of the end of last year, so things like the Rangers picking up Jagr don't count NYR: Have enough offensive talent to be really really good (Bure, Nedved, Carter, Leetch, Poti, Lindros) but don't have much in the way of defensive Defensemen. So, it's up to the goalie to win the games for them. Richter has seen his best days, and when they lost him to injury they were SOL. Plus, they have too many players with limited skillsets (Barnaby, McCarthy) that make up an entire line. And you need at least three decent lines to contend in the league now. Plus, they haven't had a good coach since Keenen left. Hurricanes: Got to the Finals on the backs of their goalies, but really weren't that good. Without Irbe/Weekes having career years, would have never made it to the Cup. Have a too much reliance on players that are borderline too old (Ronnie Franchise, Wesley) or borderline too young (Cole). Plus, their window at success is closing now that the teams in their division are improving (Lightning, Panthers, and Thrashers will all be better than expected, and there's no way everything can go wrong for the Capitals again) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted July 11, 2003 My hometown team is the Pirates. What's wrong with them? The only press they get is a player hitting a mascot with a bat. That's all that needs to be said... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Cool- None of my teams were listed on the shit list. WOO-HOO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest starvenger Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Toronto Raptors - I believe that last year the Raptors had the most 'man-games' lost due to injury, including their top two players, Vince Carter and Antonio Davis. When you're relying on Morris Peterson, Lindsey Hunter and Voshon Lenard to help carry you, there's a problem. Alvin Williams can't do it on his own. - Hakeem Olajuwon retired, meaning the Raptors carried 14 active players. Normally this isn't a problem, but given the injury problems, one less player compounds things. - Defence. As in, near-complete lack of. Which is fine if you've got the O to compensate for this (see: Dallas and San Antonio), but unfortunately that's not the case with Toronto. In theory, Kevin O'Neill is going to fix this. - Coaching. Lenny Wilkins started phoning it in about 1/3 of the way into the season, after the major injury bug hit. Without a head leading them, you've basically got 12 guys playing streetball against a pro team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest DerangedHermit Report post Posted July 11, 2003 NY Rangers: Injuries to quite a few of their "stars". Their defense is horrible and it's kinda sad when their best defenseman is an offensive defenseman. Plus, they have scrubs in spots where better players should be. NY Mets: I think we all know. Injuries and the ineffectiveness of quite few of their pickups (Alomar, Vaughn, Burnitz last year, Glavine) over the past few years have sunk this team. It could be worse, though (squirting bleach, firecrackers, etc.). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smell the ratings!!! Report post Posted July 11, 2003 wait, where are the White Sox? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gert T 0 Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Reds need to sacrifice one of the Outfielders or A pair of the Back Ups that Boone can't settle on and get a Ace Pitcher... Exactly, I know they trasure Dunn & Kearns, but since they cannot unload Griffey's contract to most teams they need to just bite it and trade one of them, otherwise what's happen the last two years and this year will continue to happen. Reds contend for two months until their arms get tired. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BobbyWhioux Report post Posted July 11, 2003 They weren't mentioned above, but I'd like to weigh in with my thoughts on what's wrong with a team near and dear to my sport fan heart, the 49ers. It came clear to me late last year, watching the FOX NFL talking heads, and Howie Long made a comment about them "chasing ghosts out in San Francisco, and right now those ghosts were just better than they are." I theorize that it's kinda similar to what goes on with the Montreal Canadians: A glorious past and long-term sucess (if not dominance) has raised the bar of acceptability to dizzying heights. AND, the organization has not fully accepted its separation from The Golden Age. There is some rebuilding going on, but I think the myth persists in the minds of the organization and MANY FANS, too, that the team is basically Super Bowl ready but just needs that one missing piece, one subtle yet important free agent acquisition away. Anything less than victory in the Super Bowl is a failure of a season, and failing to reach the super bowl must be the fault of an incompetent coach overwhelmed by the massive talent at his disposal. The press will mercilessly rip the team for starting out a mere 4-2 through 6 weeks, and people will phone in the sports talk shows and call for Erickson's head after every tiny mistake. [Remember, George Seifert amassed the greatest career winning percentage of any coach in NFL history over 1989-1996 {107-35, a .754 winning percentage}, and HE WAS RUN OUT OF TOWN. And Steve Marriucci's reward for preserving the denial by rushing through the "crash" period and saving the organization from the "humiliation" of having to (gasp!) rebuild and be mediocre like the common teams, so that rebuilding only took a year? FIRED. 6 years, no super bowls? What's wrong with you? Also, in an eery similarity to Vince McMahon, the "if it worked a decade ago it will work again" attitude prevails. Walsh the guru keeps being brought back in to oversee the sacred "system" he invented (and by his presence cause the coach to look over his shoulder), and I get the feeling they'd probably try to make him coach again and put a helmet back on His Joeliness if they could. Testament to the high standards in 49er fanland is the fact that a team could be the defending division champs, have the best wideout in the league on the roster, have made the playoffs 18 of the last 22 years, and its spoiled fans are whining "what's wrong with 'em?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest redbaron51 Report post Posted July 11, 2003 Montreal Canadiens: Somehow somewhere, Injuries find this team like a fat kid finding a cake. When dawning the Les Habitant jersey, you will get injured. The team is set, and is a contender, if injury-free. Montreal also has a shaky Defence (well just Breisbois) and need some body who is puck smart. The Habs also pay the most taxes in the league (thank you 72 Olympics) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest undisputedjericho Report post Posted July 11, 2003 New York Knicks Not a basketball guy, but it seems that ownership adds free agents that will allow them to make the playoffs so they can get at least two sellout playoff gates at MSG, and it just isn't working. (Example: Antonio McDyess) They cater to the Spike Lee's of the world who pay $2000 a ticket, but seem to be trying to retool/rebuild/rebound with the draft of Sweetney and there is a small rumbling around that they will go after Kobe Bryant when he becomes a free agent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted July 11, 2003 I'll take stab at the Bengals. They problem starts with Mike Brown. He brings a negative energy to the franchise. The coaches haven't been good. I think they have the talent. Finally, they have a QB in Palmer. Who I'm very high on. If Lewis can just enstill a positive attitude and get everyone to play up to expecations they can turn things around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest thetrendsetter Report post Posted July 12, 2003 It was the 76 Olympics... 72 was in Munich... Either way... the 76 Olympics were backyard all the way Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bored 0 Report post Posted July 12, 2003 Golden State Warriors Well the Warriors problems have been well documented nationally going back to the Chris Webber/Don Nelson feud that tore apart a team that looked like it was on the verge of competeing for a championship and sent it into a free fall that it might now only be getting out of. Oh and of course there was that whole Latrell Sprewell choking the coach thing that didn't exactly help things. The Warriors bad luck might be continuing though this offseason if they likley lose Gilbert Arenas just after they looked like they could compete for a playoff spot next season. Hmmm maybe start a topic on teams that are thought of as good and have their fans pick apart what is wrong with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest undisputedjericho Report post Posted July 12, 2003 New York Mets They are rebuilding the team right now around the young guys like Jose Reyes, Jason Phillips, Ty Wigginton, and Jae Seo. Bad off-season moves (Mo Vaughn, Roger Cedeno) and underachievers (Alomar, Burnitz, Tom Glavine; Al Leiter & Benitez to an extent) along with injuries (Vaughn, Burnitz, Piazza) have crushed this team. It's believed that this all started with the failure to land Alex Rodriguez after the 2000 season, which caused GM Steve Phillips to make some panic trades and aquisitions to make up for it and not succeeding. It's pretty much a fact that Burnitz, Armando Benitez, Steve Traschel among other high payed players are being shopped around. Now new GM Jim Duquette has a lot on his plate this offseason with what to do concerning the big free agents (Tejada, Guerrero, Colon) on this year's market. Aquiring manager Art Howe rather than trying to land Lou Piniella was another big mistake. Howe is not a New York guy, and Piniella would have been perfect to fire this bunch up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MarvinisaLunatic Report post Posted July 12, 2003 Washington Redskins (not on the list but they should be!) Dan Snyder is evil. Baltimore Orioles They need to dump guys like David Segui (Mr. Glass), Marty Cordova (Mr. Sunburn), BJ Surhoff (Mr. Crybaby) and try to trade Jeff Conine (lots of interest..). They need to keep the rest of the players they have (Batista, Ponson, Johnson..etc) and add another Starting Pitcher and another bat or two in the offseason and they'll be set for next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted July 12, 2003 Reds need to sacrifice one of the Outfielders or A pair of the Back Ups that Boone can't settle on and get a Ace Pitcher... Exactly, I know they trasure Dunn & Kearns, but since they cannot unload Griffey's contract to most teams they need to just bite it and trade one of them, otherwise what's happen the last two years and this year will continue to happen. Reds contend for two months until their arms get tired. The only teams that can buy out Junior are the two teams Junior doesn't want to play for (Nym and Nyy) Atlanta was the other team he was interested in playing with but they don't need an outfielder... Reds will bite the Bullet and send away Casey instead for a B Pitcher Which would make sense...They just move Dunn to first and then you got Kearns in Right...Junior Center...Gillien in Left... Or you trade Gillien (whom is this years Encarceion) and a couple others as well... I mean shit...If we're not using Pena and Bryanan for anything but Pinch hit detail...JUST unload them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Human Fly Report post Posted July 12, 2003 The problem with the Reds (besides lack of pitching) is Bob Boone. His micro-managing tactics get on my nerves to no end. On top of that his idiotic idea for a four man rotation has proved to be just that. That rotation has killed our already weak stable of starting pitching, and on top of that over worked the bullpen even more than usual. It's no coincidence that the second time around the rotation when the guys weren't getting there usual rest the Reds started losing and didn't stop for 8 games. Get some chump in there from AAA he can't do any worse than they are doing now. Also, the Reds scouting sucks, we have nothing in the minors when it comes to pitching, but that is all they draft year after year. They complain about lack of left handers yet this year in the draft 18 out of 20 pitchers were right handers. Out first round pick from a few months ago is already in AAA and they are fast tracking him to the majors so he can take over the closer role. That way when Scott Williamson is up for abitration this year they can trade him. The Reds owner sucks as well. Carl Linder has no interest in puttin gmoney in the team. He said that if the fans would show up he would pay for a decent pitcher. Well the Reds were in the top 10 in attendance, and no deal has been made, now after the 8 game tailspin and basically the end of the season, no one is going to be going to games anymore. I know I won't be. That will be there excuse. And they blew it last year when they didn't get Bartolo Colon and they could have had him for peanuts. I could go on but this will suffice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest alkeiper Report post Posted July 12, 2003 Keep in mind that Wily Mo Pena's contract forces the Reds to play him on the big club. He's not ready. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
