Posts filed under '100 years'
October 16th, 2008
This guy gets to play in the World Series?
If someone would have told me in March that Scott Eyre was definitely going to be playing in this year’s World Series, I would have said “He’s a Cub, so, awesome”, but then asked “Why Scott Eyre?”
Well, after two-and-a-half mediocre seasons with the Cubs (this season: 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings), the lucky SOB got traded on Aug. 7 to World Series-bound Philadelphia, where he decided was a good place to start pitching consistently well:  1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings.
And now that it’s October, I’m still asking myself: “Why Scott Eyre?”
I’m not bitter or anything.
October 4th, 2008
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What pressure?
If the 0-2 Cubs have anything going for them right now, it’s that all the pressure is now on the Dodgers to close the deal.
Lou Piniella and company are no longer expected to win this series. Historically speaking, they are already eliminated.
After finishing the regular season with a National League-best 55-26 home record, who ever thought that a change of scenery might actually do the Cubs some good? Â
Or, as a friend of mine put it: “If you’re not going to come home with two wins, don’t come home at all.”
OK, maybe some pressure.
September 30th, 2008
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After the Cubs clinched the NL Central title on Sept. 20, some (most notably Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein from 670 Score Radio) got on Lou Piniella’s case for taking a cautious approach to the playoffs. It’s no secret that the best team during the regular season doesn’t always win the World Series. Face it, if the Florida Marlins can win two World Series in seven years, the postseason is virtually a crapshoot.
Regardless of the fact that the Cubs are the best team in the NL, Piniella had plenty of reasons to be concerned with potential NLDS opponents like the Phillies and the Mets. And now that they officially begin NLDS play against the Dodgers tomorrow, a high level of concern is still warranted.
This Dodgers playoff lineup isn’t the Dodgers lineup the Cubs faced during the regular season, where the Cubs went 5-2.
Trade deadline acquisition Manny Ramirez easily makes a case that 53 games is plenty of time shore up an NL MVP. With Manny in the lineup for the last two months, the previously 54-54 Dodgers went 30-24 (17-8 in September) on the back of his .396 batting average, 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.Â
Also, don’t forget that Rafael Furcal, who missed both series against the Cubs and almost all of the 2008 season, is now healthy.
Looking ahead, if Carlos Zambrano continues to break down in game 2, the idea of Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda pitching game 3 in L.A. is very concerning. A June 6 Cubs loss at Dodger Stadium saw Kuroda pitch a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts and zero walks.
And it doesn’t matter that Rich Harden–even with his 89 strikeouts in 71 innings for the Cubs–is Kuroda’s counterpart in game 3. Cubs bats have been notorious when it comes to giving Harden run support.
But, if there’s one reason (and there are many) the Cubs will win the series, it’s because they have the 17-win Ted Lilly waiting to pitch an “if necessary” game.
September 20th, 2008
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It’s been 100 years since the NL Central Champion Cubs last clinched the playoffs in consecutive seasons. It’s also been 100 years for something else…something the Cubs had problems with last year.
Geovany Soto said it best after the division clincher:
“We’re not going to talk about it. We’re just going to go ahead and play.”
September 10th, 2008
With the Cubs experiencing a 1-6 start to Slumptember, it’s perfectly normal to get a little edgy (some more than others).
But it’s getting tiresome hearing fans drop curse bombs and columnists compare the 2008 Cubs to the 1969 Cubs. It’s that kind of pessimism that needs to be hosed down.
Overall, the Cubs aren’t in that bad of shape, still in first place, no serious injuries, depth to pick up individual funks and, if need be, there’s the wild card in the back pocket.
The last nine games (1-8) have been rough, no doubt. But maybe it’s what’s needed for the frail psyche of Cubbie Nation. Here’s something to consider: going into the playoffs, how comfortable would fans be knowing that the Cubs didn’t go through one slump the entire regular season?
July 21st, 2008
I’m not big on jinxes or curses. However, this makes me cringe.
It’s one thing to throw up a “It’s gonna happen” or “This is our year” sign in the bleachers. But it’s completely irresponsible as a Cubs fan to prematurely punch a World Series ticket in mid-July.
Patience is priceless.
June 2nd, 2008
It’s all over the news: the Cubs have the best record in baseball to start June for the first time since 1908, which of course will always be remembered as the year Ford debuted the famous Model T automobile, something opposing teams’ fans hold dear and never let anyone forget.
But as exciting (and ironic) that the Cubs have accomplished something the organization hasn’t done in 100 years, MLB doesn’t hand out World Series rings for having the best record after two months.
And of course, no matter the level of success, there will always be criticism from Cubs-haters and pessimistic Cubs fans alike. The latest bottom-of-barrel complaint? The Cubs’ schedule has been too easy. It’s an argument that means as little as having the best record after two months. Teams that were considered easy prey at the beginning of the season could be playoff contenders by September.
True, the Cubs have played a majority of their 57 games at home, where they have been nearly unbeatable at 26-8. But it’s asinine to find any fault in a team for doing what it’s supposed to do (especially at home).
The road has been a different story. The Cubs are 10-13, and today they begin a two-month stretch of 52 games where 33 are on the road. This month alone, the Cubs play at Tampa Bay and at the White Sox, two teams that were predicted as scrubs before the season began and now sit a top their respective divisions.
