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.
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