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.