101...

I don't know what to say. Last night's performance by the Cubs was pathetic. Their performance this entire postseason was literally the worst possible scenario. I'll have more to say in a day or so. I'm still stunned that it's all over. 101 years...blah, blah, blah. The Cubs have to do something about Soriano, he hurts this team too much in big spots.
I'm going to go knock my head into the wall for an hour or so--finish watching the Bears-Lions game. Collect my thoughts and think more about this performance that we won't soon forget. Fuck.

Game 1 Post Game

Not quite the way Cubs fans were hoping the Northsiders would start off their playoff run. Let's be honest, the game looked good for the first four innings. DeRosa's home run traveled just far enough and led us all to believe (at least for tonight) that the Cubs were going to get some of the breaks during the game...then there was Dempster. Ryan was on a tightrope starting in the third where he was able to strike out Andre Ethier with a ball in the dirt.

Well, we all know what happened two innings later--Loney goes yard. Sonofabitch!

Wrigley Field was dead from the fifth inning on until Edmonds shot in the eighth with the warning track power.

Ladies and gentemen, your Chicago Cubs are finding themselves in a must win game tomorrow night. How does it make you feel knowing that Big Z is pitching the biggest game of the season? Personally, I wonder why would you want anyone else on the mound? Yes, Zambrano has struggled over his last two starts. But if you think he's not coming out charged tomorrow with the Wrigley faithful cheering him on, you're crazy. Zambrano probably needs to go 7 innings tomorrow and I believe he's going to do it.

Well, let's dish out some awards:

MVP: James Loney--The grand slam put the Dodgers on top for good. Part of me wants to give this award to Manny, but I just can't pass up Loney. So, there's your MVP, damn him.

LVP: Alfonso Soriano--Speaking of damn him...we've known this for two years now: As Soriano goes...so does the offense. If Soriano can't lay off the fucking slider down and away, Lou can't have him leading off against good pitchers. Look, I'll give Soriano credit for his catch on the warning track, but it doesn't change the fact that he went 0-5. I have news for you Alfonso, this is where you earn the contract. I'm not real up on Billingsly, so I'm not sure what kind of pitches he throws, so I'm still holding out hope for Soriano tomorrow night.

Anyhow, the debate for tonight is this: How do I get this game out of my mind? Do I try and go to sleep? As is my life as a Cubs fan...

And Now The Season Begins...

Ok, 97 wins was awesome. Yes, we might've seen the greatest Cubs team in nearly 75 years. Throw it out the window because it's old news. The only thing 97 wins are good for is home field advantage. Yes, that's a real nice thing to have--but it doesn't promise you anything. The Cubs are 11 victories away from the ultimate goal. Their first task in the postseason is to win three games before the Los Angeles Dodgers do.
Record wise, it would appear that the Cubs have the heavy advantage (Dodgers only won 84 games). However, LA has been as red hot as any team in baseball over the last month. The Dodgers are not the same team the Cubs went 4-2 against over the first two months of the season (including a three game sweep in Wrigley). Their bullpen is stronger and their lineup is deadlier thanks to Casey Blake, Angel Berrora, Manny Ramirez...Jesus Christ, I just got goosebumps typing the name. At this point in time, Ramirez is the only Dodger that strikes the fear of god into me (truth be told, there are only a handful of players that can actually do that--Manny is #1 on that list as far as hitters go with Pujols being a close second).
My friends, let's not forget, this year the Cubs have been a stellar club. Their lineup is stacked from top to bottom and their pitching staff can hang with any ballclub on the planet (name another team who has a #4 pitcher as solid as Ted Lilly). Most importantly, the Cubs seem to still have the bitter taste in their mouth from last season's blowjob of a postseason (horrible choice of words--I know and I apologize).
For now, as I get ready to watch game 1 with my Dad, I feel compelled to make a prediction. So...here it goes: Cubs in 4.
And one more thing...Fuck Rick Reilly

Also...click here for a great piece from the New York Times about the Cubs and their century long search for a World Series title.

Off To Milwaukee

In about a half hour or so, I'm hitting the road for Milwaukee with my buddy Dan. My goal is to be able to post some pictures on this site as early as tonight or tomorrow morning--in a perfect world. However, I'm not sure what the internet situation at the Howard Johnson in Milwaukee is. So, it may have to wait until Sunday (after the Bears game of course). So, to tide you over until then, here's a bit some players from our favorite baseball team put together on Funny or Die (Will Ferrell's website) that's worth a looksee when you have some time. In the video: Mark Derosa, Ryan Dempster, Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and Geovany Soto.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Cubs Clinch--now what?

After popping champagne until what I can only assume was about fifteen minutes before the first pitch of todays game against St. Louis, most of the Cubs regulars were granted the day off. So, I can only assume that Lou will give the players a few games off--but not enough to allow the team to get too rusty...easy to say, but really what is the right formula in this situation? No manager truly knows--I mean, could you imagine if one of the major players gets hurt in a meaningless game this week?
Fukudome has been having trouble hitting over the last month and a half or so. It would be great if Lou would get him plenty of at bats over the next week. If nothing else, it could help him gain some confidence at the plate.
How about Big Z? Unhittable against Houston--shelled against St. Louis. He's scheduled to go on Wednesday, do you think we'll see him go more than 5 innings? Personally, I just don't see it happening. I think we'll see Zambrano, Harden, Dempster each get a few innings in their starts to keep them fresh...especially given the extra care the team has given to the first two in the recent weeks.
Now it's time to play the "if the season ended today" game. If the season ended today, the Cubs will go up against the New York Mets (best of 5). Johan Santana has never been lights out in the playoffs (then again, neither has Zambrano), but does Pedro Martinez strike the fear of god into anyone anymore? The Pedro Martinez that we all remember as the "take no shit from anyone" pitcher hasn't been himself in five years (and that's being gracious). Carlos Delgado strikes the fear of god into me, especially given the way he's carried the Metropolitans over the last month or so.
So, just touching base here (no pun). The division is wrapped up--another week until the second season gets going...I cannot wait, and I know you feel the same way. As the playoff picture gets clearer, there will be some analysis...some, but it's time to make some history. It's gonna happen.

Carlos Zambrano Day

In case you missed the story, September 16 was officially named "Carlos Zambrano Day" in the state of Illinois. Schools and public buildings were not closed yesterday for the occassion, however, I can only assume they will from here on out.
Ok, I'll admit that was a lame joke--if it can even be called that, but let's talk about out favorite baseball team for a little bit (since this is the point of the site and it's been too damn long). First off, I've finally had a chance to watch the no hitter in it's entirity (thanks to MLB.tv). Let's not be too surprised this happened, maybe surprised that it took this long. Zambrano is on that short list of pitchers where a no hitter isn't a matter of "if" but more of a matter of "when" (along with Johan Santana, C.C. Sabathia, etc...). We've seen Z grow as a pitcher over the last six years or so and you knew that he had a no hitter in him. In fact, the first time I saw him pitch in person was in 2003 during an August matchup against Houston. Z ended up going the distance and only surrenduring 2 hits along the way. There was the San Diego game last season where Derek Lee and Chris Young threw down--Z lost his no hit bid late in the game (if I remember correctly, it was a weak, but well placed ground ball to the third base side of the infield that Carlos couldn't field in time). Regardless, we knew that it would happen eventually--the man's got wicked stuff. So, I'll leave the topic with this video (granted it's not the best video quality--but combined with the WGN radio call, it's well worth it).

Now, moving onto to the matter at hand. Magic number: 4. Will the Cubs clinch the division before the weekend? They get Marquis and Harden vs Sheets and Bush over the next two games. Sheets was roughed up in his last start (against San Diego and their scorching offense).
Let's also take a look at what the Cubs could possibly accomplish over the next few days. Their biggest competition in the division is Milwaukee--the same team that could be blownup over the next offseason. Do not underestimate the havoc that the Cubs could induce on the Brew Crew and their fanbase in the next two days (and the three games next week). If Milwaukee fails to make the playoffs, their streak will extend to 27 seasons without an appearance...they lose Sheets and/or Sabathia in the offseason, along with (possibly) Prince Fielder through the rumored trade demand.
Basically, the Cubs could put to rest, their biggest rival in the division over the last two seasons. Going into next season, who else would push the Cubs for the Central Division title? Pittsburgh? Come on now. Reds? Maybe in another year or two. The Cardinals and Astros probably push the Cubs the most, but does either team strike the fear of god into the hearts of Cubs fans? Yeah, I'm probably getting ahead of myself (not so much in regards to advancing in the postseason--but into the next season. Has anyone ever done that?).
Anyhow, any combination of six Cubs victories or Brewers losses and the Cubs win the division for the second year in a row, for first time ever. They also make the postseason in conseceutive seasons for the first time in--100 years.
Expect plenty of posts over the next few weeks, including (hopefully) a pictoral from next week's Brewers series at Miller Park, which I will be attending. Enjoy the rest of the season Cubs fans.

The Battle For Lake Michigan

It's on now right? Maybe I'm guilty to some degree of the Brewers getting Sabathia last month--maybe. You see, I scored tickets to the final series of the weekend in Milwaukee. As the Cubs jumped out to a lead in the division and the Brew struggled, I began to wonder if the tickets would be to an important game or if it would be the Cubs giving their expanded roster some p.t. as they geared up for the playoffs. Fuck me.
The underlining lesson all Cubs fans need to learn is not to get ahead of themselves (a lesson more than likely learned by my father and everyone else in his generation back in 1969...a lesson learned by people in the 1984 season...and a lesson I had beaten into my head everytime I watch "the inning"). So I slipped up. I started to feel disappointed that the Cubs were going to "walk away" with the division crown (and that's not even bringing the Cardinals into consideration). So--my punishment from the baseball gods, or whoever decides how these things go down--give the Brewers one of the five best pitchers in baseball...give them Ray Durham (who seems inspired after his first few games in Milwaukee)...and give them the Cubs as the North Siders are playing their worst ball of the season. Fuck me.
For a minute though, let's be honest with ourselves. I had a conversation with a co-worker of mine named Dan. Dan is one of those fans that I would classify "1969". It's more or less of a lable one could use to pigeon hole a Cubs fan into when they "lost their cherry". For most Cubs fans over the age of 50, it was 1969...for fans over the age of 30 it was 1984 or 1989. People my age, it's 2003. In fact the interesting thing about "cherries popped" in 2003, is that it managed to claim the 1969 group all over again. I'll never forget my father telling me in the final weeks of the regular season and into the Atlanta series, "don't get ahead of yourself". About a week and a half after the Atlanta series ended, we sat in silence as the Marlins mobbed each other on the infield. My dad was caught up in it again. The team that pulled the rug out from underneath him in 1969 and 1984, did it too him again (even though he probably never thought he'd let it happen again).
Back to Dan. I was working with him one day and we got on the topic of how the dream scenario would go if the Cubs won the series. He said, "Win it in four games--win it by 10 runs each time."
I called bullshit to his suggestion that it be easy for the Cubs. The fact is, this is the Chicago Cubs we're talking about--they'll never make it easy on their fans. Think back to 1998 when they beat the Giants in the one game playoff. The Cubs appeared to be on their way to an easy 5-0 win until the late Rod Beck allowed 3 runs and about a million heart attacks in the top of the 9th. The Cubs will eventually prevail (we're still about 10,000,000 years from the Earth crashing into the sun)--but they're going to take as many of their fans with them before they do. It comes with wearing a red C on your blue baseball cap.
It's the same thing as the Boston Red Sox. When they won the pennent in 1986 it was after a cardiac arrest game 5 that led to the losing pitcher's suicide three years later. When they finally broke through in 2004 it was after dropping 3 games and 8.5 innings to the hated Yankees before pulling the fading pulse of nearly 15 million back to life and capping the most improbable comeback of all time.
If the Cubs do win this whole thing with ease--it might be spectacular. It might be among the greatest days in the lives of every fan. But in no way is it the Cubs way of doing things. We want the pain if through it we'll get the pleasure. The problem is--the pain kills our own before the pleasure. Two generations of Cubs fans have died off without seeing a World Series title. Quite frankly, if the win the World Series, it'll kill off the third.
But ask any Red Sox fan if they'd trade the 2004 scenario for a less gut wrenching route to the title...they'll tell you no...and I'll bet they don't even think about it.
Hold on to your fucking hat Chicago--this thing is just about to get interesting.

Back At It...The Purpose of This Site

First of all, the gap between posts is inexcusable. I decided to start writing this blog in the first place to give a diary--or journal perspective on what is shaping up to be one of the most memorable Cubs seasons in franchise history. It has been my belief in my life as a Cubs fan (first Cubs memory--1987, 5 year old), that if the Cubs went championshipless, that 2008 would be the year they finally came through (making the bold prediction back in 1993). This can't go on for longer than 100 years, right?

So I began taking down notes, formulating opinion, and watching damn near every game this season (not an easy task in the past being that I moved to Minneapolis when I was five) thanks to MLB.tv. No longer were my experiences limited to national telecasts and WGN--sure, I went to games every season...but ticket prices are going through the roof at Wrigley and gas prices are a consistant kick to the bag. What's a guy to do?

Honestly, when I write these entries, I feel they're really only for selfish reasons. I want to document my personal experiences this season...and so far I've done a shitty job. I still believe that this is the year (not a phrase I've used too many seasons before--like most Cubs fans I bought in up until "the inning" in '03). What makes this season different? It really kicked me in the ass back on April 19 in a Saturday afternoon game against Pittsburgh. I sat in the bleachers that day and from the time I got off the train at Wrigley until the time I left the neighborhood, the feeling in the air was different than in years past. It was a sense of calmness, no real sense of impending doom.

Now if you dispise the Cubs or enjoy their repeated failure, you might point to the fact that it was only April and we still have five or six more months of stomach-punches before we start to wince at every seeing-eye single hit by the visitors.

To hell with that.

There is something different about this Cubs team--let's face it, they have struggled in the past week or two, but every team hits a lull every year. This is no need to panic. The team is made up of winners--guys I want to see my team go into battle with come September and October. Every single player on the team seems to understand the opportunity that sits in front of them this season. Even for the guys who already own rings (Cotts, Marquis, Lee, and Edmonds), they have to know that a title with the Cubs would be their legacy in Major League Baseball. This season is being setup for the dream ending. They've had one of those "shake your head in disbelief wins" (against Colorado on May 30).

Management seems to also believe something special is in the works. Look at the moves they've pulled the trigger on. A lot has been made about Sabathia's first four starts in Milwaukee (and rightfully so--I don't want to take anything away from what he's done) but do you realize the numbers that Rich Harden has put up since the trade from Oakland? His only problem has been the team itself backed him up (17.1 IP, 30K, 2 ER--0-1 record). The offense has swooned in his starts--it's a trend they won't continue the rest of the season. How do you feel about a rotation or Zambrano, Dempster, Harden towards the end of the season? Personally, I'm optomistic (assuming we can either fix Demp on the road or strictly hold him to Wrigley starts, but since the Cubs only play 9 of their last 25 games come at home--he'll have to fix the problem).

It's being played out like a Hollywood script with the midseason 4 game Milwaukee series going down right as the teams meet up in the standings. How would the screenwriter have the story climax? October. Wrigley Field. Cubs with a chance to clinch. Kerry Wood on the mound bottom of 9. Redemption.

I promise to do a better job the rest of this season. What sparked this entry? I had a really strange dream last night. I'll tell you about it later this season.

Here's To Kerry Wood Retiring In A Cubs Uniform

On Fire At Home

Nine straight home wins? Not bad. Two more left against the Braves (who happen to be the worst road team in the Majors). After this series, things get interesting.
Our favorite baseball team heads on the road to Toronto for 3 and Tampa Bay for 3 before coming home to what I can only assume is the toughest ticket this entire season, a potential first place showdown with the Sox at Wrigley. After that, the Cubs get 3 more at home against Baltimore and finish up one long Interleague stretch by going to The Cell for another weekend series against the Sox. For those keeping track at home: that's 15 straight against the AL. Getting a crack at the Sox for six games and Tampa Bay for three should give fans an idea of just how great this Cubs team is going forward.
When the dust settles from the Interleague Series', the All Star Game will be just over one week away. It's an interesting way too put things in perspective. As for the All Star Game: I'm going to start watching closely who from the Cubs might be heading to Yankee Stadium this July.
In: Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Fukudome, Wood, Zambrano
Let's be honest right now, Fukudome is a product of the voting system. He is not, nor do I think he will be an all star calibar OF by early July. Not to say he isn't solid. It's the Yao Ming effect, international votes get him.
On The Fence: Marmol, Dempster, Soto
Ryan is pitching out of his mind so far. His numbers are incredible considering what was expected by most: 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA? Nobody saw this coming. In fact, his ERA is good enough for top 10 in the NL. If he keeps this up? I think he's rewarded with a spot on the team. Marmol keeps dominating with 60 K's in only 40.1 innings. To say he's been lights out is fair, however, he's a reliever and not a closer which might hurt his chances come July. Now, as far as Soto, he's leading NL catchers in voting. At this point in time, he's probably the NL Rookie of the Year--he's also well on his way to a 30 HR, 100 RBI season. I think he's an All Star whether or not he gets the votes. His numbers are too good to ignore. Barring injury, he's at Yankee Stadium as the first rookie to start for the NL All Star Team in Major League history.

Cubs Win #9 With Notes To Boot!

Another win last night runs the North Siders' streak to nine in a row! The team looked anything but flawless but it was enough. The thinking is: when this team is swining the bats right, I don't see another team that can beat them in their division (maybe the NL, who knows?). It's the second game I've had a chance to watch in great detail this season (Monday night's was the first). On that note, let it be said that it's one thing to follow your team from another market via internet and magazines, and it's another to get to watch every game. You can only pick so much up from reading Paul Sullivan and the Chicago newspapers.
So, from the second inning on, I kept some notes from last night's Cubs-Padres game. Maybe just for my benefit--who knows. I guess it's just for first impressions, both about this team and the telecasts themselves (the Padres announcers were featured again last night on MLB.tv).
Game Notes:
-Wil Ledezma pitched for San Deigo. Apparently, the 2nd base umpire pulled the stopwatch out on him during his releif appearance at Wrigley earlier this year because he was taking too long in between pitches. The announcers refer to him as Alan Embreesque (never before has that term been used).
-Since I'm bringing up the announcers, I should mention them by name. The play by play guy is Matt Vasgersian while the color is former major league pitcher Mark Grant.
-It's worth telling you that Vasgersian and Grant seem to complain--a lot. Any break the Padres don't get and they're on it. Two nights ago a fan threw a baseball back onto the field and Vasgersian pulled out his best Joe Buck/Randy Moss mooning voice. I won't say that they're being big homers, but they're going over the top a bit. This brings up a good point...I've watched the NBA League Pass the last five years or so, and the down side of the pass is that you have to deal with the opposing team's announcers half the time. I find myself hating Tommy Heinson for the same reason I love Johnny Red Kerr. They're both so passionate about their teams it glows in their announcing--(actually, scratch that. Heinson is just awful. I can't listen to him. Makes my ears bleed).
-Marquis gets into some trouble in the fourth inning and Lou comes out to talk to him. It's so painfully obvious that Piniella HATES Marquis. Personally, I don't think it's out of the question that Lou slips into the clubhouse while Marquis is on the mound and shits in Jason's locker. The destain seems that strong.
-My favorite moment of last night? During the 2nd inning when I was turning on the game, my girlfriend's phone rang. The call was from her friend in South Carolina. Knowing that when they get on the phone, I'll have 90 minutes of Cubs all to myself, I urge her to pick up the phone. She answers and manages to stay on the phone until the 7th inning. The timing of it all...
-Bottom of 5, the Cubs are fighting back. Ladezma is facing Ryan Theriot with the bases loaded. I don't have the exact number, but I think Theriot fouled off 32,123 full count pitches in that at bat. Cubs are trailing 3-1, and this is the at bat of the game in my opinion--Theriot manages to draw the walk and a runner trots home 3-2 Padres, which led to Derek Lee's bases loaded single. 3-3.
-Next batter was Aramis (facing new pitcher Brian Corey), who strikes out swinging but manages to turn the swing into a full out tantrum that results in him whipping his bat to the ground in disgust in one fluid motion. Short of snapping his bat over his knee, that's about as good of a tantrum as you can throw.
-It warrents mentioning that during Aramis' at bat, you could hear the "Let's Go Cubs" chant echoing through a pretty much half full Petco Park...always a good sign.
-Adrian Gonzales has been on a streak for the Padres. He was the first overall pick in the 2000 MLB Draft according to the announcers which leads me to check out who else was drafted that year...I'll put it nicely and say it was only an "awful" draft--at least through the first five rounds...I'm not going through all 50 rounds but it might as well point out that pick 1443 was Brooks Bollinger (Dodgers)--so we have our first Minnesota Vikings backup QB reference of the night.
-Speaking of the NFL, there is about 20 seconds of silence in the middle of the 7th inning when, for lack of a better topic, Vasgersian mentions out of nowhere: "Most Cubs fans probably don't even care that the Bears don't have anyone to play WR this year". I did a double take because I was so caught off guard by that back handed slap to any Bears fans that might be watching the game. But honestly, if you are a Cubs and Bears fan--who would you rather see win? As long as the Cubs keep winning games, Lovie Smith could throw Orton at WR and we wouldn't care.

Cubs-Padres Preview

The Cubs looked sloppy at the end of last night's game. There was nail biting and there shouldn't have been nail biting. Thankfully, the Michael Barrett's fly ball landed about seven feet short or I would've been forced to slam my head into the wall over and over. Lesson learned--give Marmol a night off here and there.
Tonight though, the Cubs look to make it nine straight and they throw Jason Marquis on the hill. Why should this worry the Cubs? Simply put: he's not facing the Pirates. Marquis has two victories on the season, both coming against Pittsburgh. This will be the second time he faces the Padres this season 5.2 innings giving up 4 runs and 6 hits on May 13.

Wilfredo Ledezma (0-2)
vs
Jason Marquis (2-3)
Petco Park
9:05pm

Cubs Win 8th In A Row

Cubs-7
Padres-6
Finally got the MLB.tv package hooked up at home so I'll be more in tune with the Cubs and whatnot for the rest of this season. Actually, since moving to Minnesota at age 5, 2005 was the only season I was able to catch every Cubs game (thanks to Direct TV), however, thanks to bartending, I never had a chance to watch the games.
Got home from the Twins-Yankees game last night in time to catch the Cubs grab the lead in the 5th. With the exception of the hiccup in the first (again, I didn't see it), Zambrano pitched average but still picked up the victory and moved to 8-1 and moving him to second in the NL in wins behind Brandon Webb (10).
Kerry came in in the 9th and picked up his 15th save (5th in their 8 game streak), thanks in no part to (an overworked?) Carlos Marmol. Surprised I didn't see Eyre come in instead of Marmol who gave up a three run home run to Adrian Gonzales in the 9th.
And how about the final out of the game? I thought Barrett tied it up--exhale.
Not even one game into the MLB.tv experience and I already got a look from the girlfriend after slammed my hand into a pillow following Theriot's RBI single in the 6th...she seemed irritated by the end of last season and I didn't even have access to too many games. Stay tuned, this could get interesting.

What A Weekend

This site has been in the works for some time now. Forgive us for some of the bugs we need to work out before too long.
How about that homestand? 7-0, best record in baseball, something something 1908. Now, this could all come crashing down in the next few games as our Cubbies take to the West Coast and try and figure out this whole winning on the road thing. This is a different Cubs team and the game on Friday should be the perfect example. They never say die and if they can get through the next month--look out.
Big Z is taking the hill tonight, you couldn't pick a better way to kick off the roadtrip. Seven straight wins (just think if they don't let those two against Pittsburgh--we're looking at 10 in a row).