Carol Slezak isn't familiar with the WBC

"The schedule has been out of control for years, but it keeps getting worse. Just six years ago, the Cubs and Florida Marlins played Game 7 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15. Just four years ago, the White Sox won the World Series on Oct. 26. But today, Oct. 20, the Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees will play Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, and Game 7 of the World Series is scheduled for Nov. 5." --- direct passage from Carol Slezak's latest column...

Seriously?

Apparently she doesn't realize that the World Baseball Classic is the reasoning behind the World Series probably running into the first week of Nov. and not because MLB wants to drag this thing out as long as it can.

It's just dumb. She made no reference of the WBC either. Maybe she forgot it happened. I mean it was boring and I couldn't even tell you who won it at this point. The idea is cool but it's not worth it.

That's not the point though.

The point is, the season runs long this year because of the WBC and for no other reason.

But it gets even more dumb. She says the World Series should be played at a neutral site.

Why? Who cares if it's cold? Did White Sox fans not show up in 2005 when it was freezing rain? Would the Cubbie Blue faithful not show up if it was 20-degrees and windy at Wrigley Field in 2010?

I would much rather freeze to death and be able to enjoy a game in person rather than watch a watered-down version take place at a dome in Florida with only the wealthy elite in attendance.

That's just dumb.

Fraudtober: Where Amazingly Bad Happens (With Poll Question)

[Ed. Note: If the NBA is where amazing happens, then Fraudtober is where amazingly bad baseball happens.  It seems that every October brings a goat -- and being a Cubs fan -- I know October failure when I see it.  So after every round of playoffs, there will be a poll after the jump to see who will be named each round's OctoberFraud.  In the end, we'll take all the winners and pit them against one another.]

Matt Holliday was not the only star to fall in October.  Check out the rest of the OctoberFrauds after the jump.

Holliday's struggles are well documented.  He hit only .167 (2-for-12) in the NLDS after posting a .353/.419/.604/1.023 line in 270 plate appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals after posting  who were expected to be the National League's representative in the World Series.  His homer, one of only two dingers hit by the Cards, gave his team a 1-0 lead in Game 2.  But it was his error that opened the flood gates to a Dodgers come-from-behind win, and eventually, a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.

But he's not the only Cardinal up for the LDS OctoberFraud award.  Teammate Joel Pineiro took to the bump for Game 3 and struggled.  After going 15-12 with a 3.49 earned run average and 1.145 WHIP, one of Dave Duncan's pet projects allowed four runs on seven hits in four innings in the Redbirds' Game 3 loss.

After winning Game 163, the Minnesota Twins were swept out of the playoffs as All-Star closer Joe Nathan was amazingly bad in his two outings.  In Game 2, Nathan allowed a game-tying two-run home run to Alex Rodriguez in what turned out to be an extra-inning loss.  He would go on to allow two more runs in the team's Game 3 loss, as well.

Nathan's numbers: 9.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 blown save, 5 hits, 2 IP

Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was more like Papelboned... am I right?  In two innings of work, Papelbon posted an 0-1 record, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and allowed three earned runs and four hits.  His blown save ended the Red Sox's season while sending the Angels to an ALCS showdown with the Yankees.

Let the trade rumors begin!

The only hugs Colorado Rockies closer Huston Street received might have been from Phillies fans, because for the second straight game, Street picked up the "L" as Philadelphia escaped the NLDS to set up another showdown with the Dodgers.

Street's numbers are astonishingly bad, especially for someone who converted 35 saves and notched a 3.06 ERA.  In 2.2 IP, Street allowed six hits, four earned runs and posted a 3.38 WHIP en route to failing his October test.

So, who wears the goat horns after the LDS round?

Biggest LDS OctoberFraud?

• Matt Holliday (2-for-12, 1 HR, 1 costly error)
• Joe Nathan (9.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 blown save, 5 hits, 2 IP)
• Jonathan Papelbon (0-1, 13.50 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 blown save, 2 IP)
• Huston Street (0-2, 13.50 ERA, 6 H, 4 ER, 3.38 WHIP, 1 blown save, 2.2 IP)
• Joel Pineiro (0-1, 9.00 ERA, 4 IP, 4 ER, 7 H)

Created on Oct 13, 2009

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

MLB Playoffs: It's LIke Deja Vu All Over Again

I know I was supposed to be on vacation, but...

The Cardinals crashed and burned in a way that I always thought was reserved for my beloved Cubs.  They forgot how to hit.  They forgot how to field.  And Joel Pineiro returned to earth as he allowed four earned runs in four innings of work.  This from a guy who won 15 games, struck out 105 batters and posted a 3.89-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.145 WHIP in a contract year.

Chicago Tribune baseball scribe Paul Sullivan (via his Twitter account) asks if Cubs fans are getting too much joy out of the Cardinals' postseason troubles.

In a word, no.  In two words, hell no.

It's almost as if the baseball Gods are righting the wrongs in baseball.  Everything Cardinals fans gave to Cubs fans last year is returning to Redbird nation.  My mother calls it karma.  I call it comedy.  Remember when the Cardinals and their patch-work 2006 team won the World Series?  How can that team be so much better than a team that won more than 90 games this season.

And to think,  Matt Holiday hit .253/.419/.604/.1.023 with 13 home runs and 55 runs batted in during his 63 game stay in St. Louis.  But unless he helps rally the troops from an 0-2 hole, he will always be remembered as a glorified Hans Moleman.

The literal crotch shot Holliday took was like the figurative one I (as well as the rest of Cubdom) took last October.  Whether it was James Loney's Game 1 homer which still haunts me today.  Or Mark DeRosa's stone hands in Game 2.  Or the overall collapse in Game 3.  That entire series was like taking a steel-toed boot to the groin over and over again.

As for the Cards,  watching the collapse via social networking couldn't have been more entertaining.

One status read: "I'm glad we traded the top player in our organization to get a guy who helps get us to the playoffs, then chokes it all up in the post season and will probably leave after it's all over. F*** YOU MATT HOLLIDAY!!!!! (AND YOU TOO RYAN FRANKLIN)"

Another: "This must. be how Cubs fans feel all the time."

And another: Dear Cardinals: I am very disappointed with you. -Me

It was like I had gone to bizarro world where hot snow falls up.  (Yes, two Simpson's references FTW!)

Via Twitter, Desipio said: So is this what it's like when other people watch the Cubs? Muahahaha!  Another status referenced players "Alfonso Holliday" and "Ryan Gregg."  Several others expressed their love for the west coast.

Heck, even Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright channeled his inner goat-blaming child, blaming the Dodgers' white towels for Holliday misplaying the ball.

The Curse of the White Towel?  Ha.  Welcome to Cubdom, Mr. Wainwright, we'll have a table for you shortly. 

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, I might as well have been literally beaten over the head, for figuratively, I was.  Via e-mail, text message, Twitter, Facebook ... I was reamed and cornholed 'till the wee hours of the next morning.

It was the kind of pain that could only be cured by heavy drinking and loose women.   Thank God I was in a college town.

Eventually, I recovered to become a normal member of society.  Whatever that's supposed to be.  And now, Cardinals fans are getting back what they gave almost a year ago.  But this time, actually getting hit in the baby-making factory.

And in the end, one text message kind of ties it all together for yours truly.

"I would like to send my sincerest apologies for the shit I gave you last postseason."

All is forgiven, my good friend.

Lackey, Holliday Go Opposite Ways In Paper Chase

Thursday was a tale of two potential free agents.
 

The Best of Times:

• John Lackey -- Lackey headlines a relatively weak starting pitchers free agent pool, but is a certified ace. He threw seven scoreless innings as he scattered four hits and struck out four in the Angels' Game 1 win against the Red Sox. Lackey is now 3-3 all time in postseason games with a 3.04 earned run average in 11 games (9 starts)

The Worst of Times:

• Matt Holliday -- The big fish the Redbirds were able to snag in the offseason hit an early home run to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead against the Dodgers.  Somewhere, Scott Boras was calculating how many millions he could get out of a team with each hit Holliday collects in the postseason.  The problem was that the next hit Holliday would get would be to his crotch.  His outfield gaffe with two outs and no one on sparked Los Angeles' game-winning rally.  He is now 2-for-8 in the series.
  
• Ryan Franklin --  The St. Louis closer already got his money,  but do you think the Redbirds' front office is having buyers remorse right now?  Since Sept. 1, Franklin owns a 2-2 record and 6.75 ERA.  He's allowed 15 hits in 9 innings and has allowed 10 walks after allowing nine in the previous three months combined.  His 2.760 WHIP is more than three times higher than what it was in the month of June.

Pitchin' Ain't Easy: Why I Love The MLB Playoffs

The Major League Baseball playoffs began Wednesday, and there was one common feature found in each of the three games.

Damn. Good. Pitching.

The MLB playoffs are better than the other pro sports' playoffs because you need stellar performances from the most significant player on the field.

The pitcher.

The names and numbers will astound you.  This year's playoffs will feature five Cy Young Award winners with Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Chris Carpenter.  The quintet of aces have combined for a total of seven awards for being the best in their field, with Pedro and his jheri-curled greatness leading the pack with three.  Lee and Sabathia are the AL's last two winners -- both pitched for the Indians -- who fell off the face of the earth without them.

The five Cy Young champs combined to post a collective 49-20 record for their respective teams in 2009.

But Pitcherpalooza doesn't end there.

The eight postseason closers boast a collective 317 saves.  The class of closers lies in the American League  and is headed by Mariano Rivera, the Greatest Of All Time.  But it doesn't end there.  Joe Nathan (47 saves) and Jonathan Papelbon (38 saves) are as automatic as they come, representing Minnesota and Boston, respectively.  Brian Fuentes somehow saved 48 games for the Angels despite a 1.400 WHIP and 3.93 ERA.

In the National League, even Brad Lidge's return to earth yielded 31 saved despite an ugly 7.21 earned run average.  Jonathan Broxton of Dodgers converted 36 saves and whiffed a whopping 114 batters in 76 innings.  Huston Street regained the form that made him an All-Star closer in Oakland.  And Ryan Franklin learned under the watchful eye of Dave Duncan as he re-invented himself as an All-Star closer for the Cardinals.

Oh, and then there's Billy Wagner of the Red Sox, who has converted 385 saves over his 15-year career.  He'll help set up down the stretch for the BoSox in what is surely an audition to land a closer's role in the offseason.

Rex Grossman led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl.  He was the quarterback known for fumbling, bumbling and finding the other team's open receivers more often than he found his own.  There is no doubt in my mind that quarterback is the most important position in football, and there is an argument that it is the most important position in professional sports.

Baseball is full of Grossmans in the starting rotations.  Most of them don't get a chance to see the bright lights and pressure situations that come with playoff baseball because they have usually been eliminated for months by now.  Clunkers at the back-end of the rotation of playoff teams usually don't make the rosters.

Sixteen of the National Hockey League's 30 teams make the playoffs.  Same for the NBA.  In my eyes, that's a joke.  We're talking about more than 50 percent of teams being rewarded, and at least four of them are being rewarded by getting meeting the league's top teams.  Quite a reward for being mediocre.

In The Association, the point guard is arguably the most important position and is the focal point of each offense.  Yet, the Bulls won championships with Ron Harper and B.J. Armstrong running the point.  The Sixers went to the NBA Finals with Eric Snow running the show.  In most cases, superstars at other positions -- usually in the post (Shaq, Hakeem)or on the wing (Kobe, Jordan) -- carry NBA teams to titles.  In Roger Goodell's NFL dictatorship of parity and parody, you can make the playoffs with an awesome offense-lackluster defense combo, and visa versa.  But you won't win anything of significance without balance.  And the next year, you might end up picking in the top five.

 

Then there are the future aces of baseball.  Clayton Kershaw only went 8-8 in his first full season in the bigs, yet he posted a 2.79 ERA and struck out a team-best 185 batters in 171 innings.  Three-fifths of the Angels rotation is under 30, led by Jered Weaver (16-8, age 26), Joe Saunders (16-7, age 28) and Ervin Santana  (one year removed from a 16-7 season at age 25).  J.A. Happ (26) of the Phillies won 12 games as a rookie, and Ubaldo Jimenez (25) won 15 games for the Rockies who play in one of baseball's most hitter friendly parks.

Young stud pitchers aren't relegated to the starting rotation as the Yankees will feature fireballing 23-year-olds Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain out of the bullpen before Mariano ends your offense's night.  Not to be outdone, the Red Sox will send hard-throwing Daniel Bard (23) and Ramon Ramirez (27) to set up the just as hard throwing Papelbon.

Sometimes, baseball fans and followers get caught up in the gaudy numbers put up by offenses.  And I guess I can't blame them.  There is so much star power in guys such as Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

But as the old saying goes, "Good pitching will always beat good hitting."

I'm not going out on a limb by saying that will continue to stand as true when the 2009 playoffs are completed.

Philles one win from championship, freeing Mitch Williams' soul

The Philadelphia Phillies are one win away from the World Series championship that the Chicago Cubs were supposed to win.

What? Did you not expect me to go there.

I have mixed emotions about this series ... and by mixed emotions I mean I don't care as much as an extreme baseball enthusiast should be, but I care enough to watch highlights on SportsCenter multiple times.

See, the Phillies have that whole tortured team/fan aspect that I can relate to. None of Philadelphia's four teams have won a professional sports title in 25 years.

That makes it an even 100 seasons since a championship banner has been waived in the City of Brotherly Love.

As for the Tampa Bay Rays, they've done two things no Cubs team has done since 1945.

Go to the World Series and win a game in the World Series.

And the Cubs spotted the Rays a head start of more than 100 years.

Ouch, that smarts.

From afar, I must admit to having a slight admiration for the Rays because they built their champion the old fashioned way: through the farm system.

Well, kind of.

The Rays get a lot of credit (and deservedly so) for building a productive farm system that has brought Evan Longoria, David Price and B.J. Upton to stardom.

However, to get those players, the former Devil Rays had to compile some of the worst records in baseball to do so.

Eventually, you're going to land some quality players when you've got more top-10 picks than you know what to do with.

Right, Elgin Baylor?

In the end, there is only one city that will be celebrating a championship by week's end. And since that city isn't Chicago (or Carbondale, or Chapel Hill...) I really don't care.

The Price is Right: The Rays are AL Champs!

You know what this world needs?

More clever headlines referencing one of the greatest television game shows in history and the name of the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Amateur draft.

Yeah!

Oh and more cool celebration shots like the one on the right.

I'm sure Scoop Jackson LOVES! this pic.

Anyway, I'd like to send a personal shout out to the Tampa Bay Rays, who by virtue of their 3-1 victory in Game 7 of the ALCS, put to bed any possibility of the New England area having another championship run.

I know I'm not the only one who's happy to see it come to the end.

I'm tired of the constant fellatio that is given to the Red Sox, Red Sox Nation and former Red Sox by ESPN. I'm tired of the blogosphere going all Papelbon-and-Papi over the new New York Yankees. I'm tired of Theo Epstein hogging the Moneyball era when Billy Beane should be raking in the benefits.

As for the Rays (a team without a batter with a .300 batting average and a payroll that mirrors what Ted Lilly is getting over four years) they'll be going to the World Series.

While both Chicago teams, both New York teams, both Los Angeles area teams and ESPN's love-children will be at home watching the World Series like the rest of us.

Oh yeah, and the Philadelphia Phillies are playing too.

Here We Go Again Pt. 2

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

The Boston Red Sox are pushed to the brink of elimination and thanks to the contributions of David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Jason Varitek they're baseball season lives long enough to force a Game 7.

OK, I thought we've gone through this scenario once or twice.

If the Red Sox do indeed come all the way back to win this series, the Tampa Bay Rays will likely be written off as frauds by the media folk out there. They would go immediately from the darlings to the dumpster.

It'd be the biggest collapse since - dare I say? - the 2003 Chicago Cubs had a 3-1 lead and then choked away their best opportunity to go to the World Series since 1945.

Yeah, I'd say it.

Tonight's Game 7 matchup doesn't provide the sexy pitching names of this series like Beckett (who was darn good last night), Matsuzaka or Kazmir but baseball people like myself will enjoy tonight's pitching duel between Jon Lester and Matt Garza.

Lester and Garza are both wealthy with young talent and if both teams do their part, it won't be the last time we'll see these two square off in a big game.

So long from Austintown, Ohio. We've gotta go back to Carbondale.

[Red Sox 4 Rays 2]

Here we go again...

Photo Credit: AP

Remember that MLB campaign "You can't script October?"

I do.

And I hate to say it but tonight's ALCS Game 5 looked like something straight out of a Disney movie.

The up-and-coming Tampa Bay Rays were looking to knock off the big bad Boston Red Sox from their championship form. And up 7-0 with the franchise's best pitcher it looks bleek for the home team.

Then the big bad Red Sox took a risk throwing their all-world closer in the seventh inning.

The move will go down in history as helping to spark the BoSox's 8-0 run to end the game, giving the team an extra life and helped send the series back to Tampa Bay.

If the Red Sox win this series, I'll be sick. But I won't be surprised.

Because I've seen this movie before and to be honest, I didn't wanna see another sequel.

[Rays 7 Red Sox 8]

Are the Rays ready to go all the way?

A franchise that was the laughing stock of baseball just one season ago could be getting the last laugh with a victory tonight in Game 5 of the ALCS.

Standing between the Boston Red Sox and their chance to send the series back to Tropicana Field is one Scott Kazmir, whose flame-throwing left arm is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA at Fenway Park with 68 strikeouts in 62.2 innings at the venerable Boston ballpark.

(On a somewhat related note: standing between a New York Mets fan and suicide watch is the picture in this post. I digress.)

The Rays are hot and have been the talk of the baseball world of late. ESPN is catching on, and it almost seems as if (for once) they will be ready to relinquish Sawks/Yanks talk if only for one night because of the Rays' surge.

But don't count out the Red Sox just yet. We've seen this song and dance before and to be honest, it's getting kind of old.

"Oh, let's dig ourselves a deep hole and then slowly climb our way out of it and gain the love and recognition for being a bunch of gritty grinders."

Bleh. Screw that.

Dear Scott: Finish them.

I promise a better blogging day tomorrow.

Until then...

Good night from Carbondale.

Someone needs to keep an eye on Brad Lidge

Maybe I'm the only person who remembers the last time Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge was in the clinching game of the NLCS.

It was Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS and last I checked St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols hit a home run at Minute Maid Park that still hasn't landed.

Three years later, Lidge is lights-out once again and his team is one win from clinching the NL Pennant.

But with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, can Lidge be trusted?

Will he have visions of Pujols dancing through his head?

I guess we find out tonight.

Good night from Carbondale.

Rays of Power

Photo Credit: AP

Part two of my series on how I'm jealous of the remaining teams in the LCS. This segment stars the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. Notice: I didn't say New York Yankees.

Raise your hand if you expected to see the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS this season?

(That's a good amount of you. Makes sense, seeing that the BoSox are coming off their second World Series title this decade.)

Alright, hands down.

By a show of hands, how many of you expected the Tampa Bay Rays to be facing the Red Sox in the ALCS?

(No one. Not shocking, seeing that the Rays have been a bottom feeder since entering the league in 1998.)

OK. How many of you folks knew that the Rays changed their team colors, logo and dropped the "Devil" out of their name?

(Not a flinch.)

And that's why I am in love with the Tampa Bay Rays.

As a tortured Cubs fan, I learned early to adopt playoff teams when October rolled around so I can keep up with the happenings of my favorite sport, baseball. This year's squad: The Rays.

For the longest time it was the Red Sox because my godfather (Luis Rivera) was a utility infielder for Boston in the early-mid '90s. And I still have those ties and now I have ties to the Cleveland Indians, for whom he now coaches.

I digress.

The Rays, well, they have a chance to make a young sportswriter look like a genius.

In September, a certain future sportswriter said the Rays reminded him of the 2003 Florida Marlins. They were young, dumb and therefore oblivious to pressure.

Remember when Derek Jeter and the '03 Yanks tried spooking the upstart Marlins by warning them of the "Ghosts of Yankee Stadium."

After blowing up Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in back-to-back starts, the Fighting Fish basically said 'f*ck your ghosts' and pissed all over the Pinstripes and clinched on the Yankees' home field.

Back to the Rays. I'm sorry, I'm off my rocker this morning.

The Cubs need to do what they Rays have done to build a winner. Without the whole years of suck thing because the North Siders got that down pat.

The Rays have built from the ground up. Smart draft choices made by smart baseball people developed by even smarter baseball people and managed by a coach who studied under one of baseball's best minds, the L.A. Angels' Mike Scoscisia.

• B.J.Upton (1st round, 2nd pick - 2002)
• Evan Longoria (1st round, 3rd pick - 2006)
• Carl Crawford (2nd round, 1999)
• Rocco Baldelli (1st round, 6th pick - 2000)
• David Price (1st round, 1st pick - 2007)

See a pattern? Young and talented. And that's not even counting the Christmas gift from Steve Phillips and the New York Mets known as Scott Kazmir.

Wondering about the Cubs' home grown draft picks.

Only Kerry Wood (1st round, 4th pick - 1995), Geovany Soto (11th round, 2001), Sean Marshall (6th round, 2003) and Ryan Theriot (3rd round, 2001) contributed to the Cubs all season long.

Look at the rest of the roster and you'll find 11 free-agent signees and five players that came via trade.

Notice that Wood is the only former first-round pick to make it through the organizational ranks. Mark Prior earns partial credit in this category.

But where the Rays have succeeded, the Cubs have failed. Miserably.

Let's play a game I like to call 'Who Would You Rather Have?'

Would you rather have...

• Mark Pawelek (No. 20) or Jacoby Ellsbury (No. 22) - 2005 draft
• Ryan Harvey (No. 6) or Nick Markakis (No. 7) - 2003 draft
• Bobby Brownlie (No. 21) or Matt Cain (No. 25) - 2002 draft
• Luis Montanez (No. 4) or Chase Utley (No. 15) - 2000 draft
  

I could do this forever, in fact I'll do that one day.

The point is if the Cubs want to be a contender over a long period of time they need to start making smart draft choices.

Starting now!

Gettin' Silly in Philly

Photo credit: Getty Images.

This is part one of a two-part series in which I write about how jealous I am of the teams remaining in baseball's League Championship Series.

The Philadelphia Philles have a 3-1 lead in the NLCS, putting them one game away from their first World Series appearance since 1993.

As a baseball fan, there's a part of me that cares.

As a tortured Cubs fan, I want to say f*ck this series!

The Los Angeles Dodgers have no business being in the playoffs, let alone the League Championship Series.

I don't care what Ned Coletti thinks because if it weren't for Manny Ramirez the Dodgers would be watching the playoffs from the comfort of their collective homes.

OK, the return of Rafael Furcal helps (a lot) and Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and James Loney are solid youngsters that are budding stars.

But I still can't put together how an 84-win team in the worst division in baseball beat the team with the most wins in the National League that played in a division with four teams that were over the .500 mark.

I guess having the right combination of people that have been there, done that (Manny, Derrek Lowe, Joe Torre) and clueless youngsters (Kemp, Loney, Jonathan Broxton) can help you pull a surprise.

As for the Phillies, I understand how they got here, one game away from the NL pennant.

And as I look up and down the Phillies' roster, I'm jealous.

Not just because they're on the brink of winning the pennant, but because of what they've got.

They've got an ace starter in Cole Hamels, who is sane. Not that I don't like Carlos Zambrano's insanity because I think it brings something special to the team. It's a fire that doesn't come in most players.

They've got speed with Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, who combined to swipe 83 bags this season.

The Cubs only stole 87 bases this year led by Ryan Theriot's 22.

They've got power in the middle with the lefty sticks of Chase Utley (33 HRs) and Ryan Howard (48 dingers) and the right-handed heavy hitter Pat Burrell (33 bombs).

Alfonso Soriano led the Cubs with 29 homers as the Cubs lead-off man. Aramis Ramirez, who hit 38 homers in 2005, has hit 26 and 27 in the last two seasons.

But at least his OBP continues to rise (.380 this year compared to .366 and .352 the last two years) and his defense has been Gold Glove caliber of late.

The point is that despite the wins, run differential and the ultimate motivation of being titleless since the dawn of man kind, the Cubs weren't able to do what they were expected to do.

Eh, what else is new.

Are you ready for NLCS Game 1?

In a word: No.

I should be preparing for the Cubs third LCS appearance in franchise history. Instead, I'm checking out the rumor mill on a daily basis in hopes that the offseason gets here already.

Apparently Carlos Beltran is on the block. That's nice, seeing that the Cubs' best center field prospect is a platoon between Jim Edmonds and Reed Johnson.

If I were Jim Hendry I would put down the box of donuts, hook myself up to an EKG machine and send every Latin American prospect in the organization in exchange for Beltran.

Not now, but right now!

Just do it Jim.

100 years...and counting.

P.S. Good luck to the Tampa Bay Rays, who I have adopted as my new favorite team for the rest of the playoff season.

P.P.S. Prepare for tomorrow's blackout...details at 11:30 a.m., tomorrow!

Steve Goodman takes you to bed

I have nothing to say.

Nothing.

Not 'til tomorrow.

When I'm not full of alcohol. Or depression.

Let Steve Goodman take you through the night.

A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request, Steve Goodman

It ain't over 'til it's over: Why Cubs fans should continue to believe this is the year

Cubs fans, heed my advice.

Don't look back.

If Dusty Baker taught me anything in his four years in Chicago, it's that "the past is for losers and cowards, and I ain't neither."

While I could argue against the first part of the statement, I understand the gist of it. And even though you truly don't know where you're going until you know where you've been, sometimes you just have to move forward and forget the past.

With that said, there are plenty of reasons to hold out hope that the Cubs can make history, starting tonight.

Rich Harden is the best No. 3 starter in these playoffs

I already covered Harden in a previous post, but it's worth repeating.

He's awesome.

10-2 overall, but against NL teams he went 7-1 including wins against the Phillies and Brewers, both are in the playoffs this year.

Harden was on the wrong side of the 0-2 comeback in 2003. He's looking for payback.

Ted Lilly has been a beast in the second half

Many people ridiculed Lilly's four-year $40 million contract when it was signed, but he's been big money for the Cubs, especially in the second half.

Lilly finished the season with a 3-1 mark in September and an 8-3 record in the second half with a 3.32 ERA.

Not only will Lilly take that into Game 4, he'll be pitching in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.

That softens the blow a little.

Little Babe Ruth

I hope Kosuke Fukudome is going to be wearing some comfortable baseball pants because I doubt he'll be seeing any playing time.

In fact, K-Fuk won't get a chance to face fellow countryman Hiroki Kuroda, Mark DeRosa will get the start in right field as Mike Fontenot gets the start at second base.

Fontenot, who was acquired in the Sammy Sosa trade to Baltimore, has been one of the Cubs' best reserve players this year. He posted a .909 OPS this season and hit only one less homer than the Fuk in almost half the at-bats.

The kid's a sparkplug.

Payback

The 2003 Florida Marlins did it to us. They won three straight games with their backs against the walls and won the NL pennant and did it against Carlos Zambrano, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood.

The 1984 San Diego Padres did it to us, too. They won three-in-a-row after being down 0-2 to Ryne Sandberg, Rick Sutcliffe and the rest of the gang. All they had was Tony Gwynn...and Steve f*cking Garvey.

Payback is a bitch.

A few years ago, I coined the concept that this would be the year that Cubdom would strike back - loosely based off The Empire striking back in Star Wars.

Return of Demp

Ryan Dempster hasn't had back-to-back bad starts all season. Why would he do it now?

After Harden and Lilly take care of business, the Cubs will have their home-field ace, a lot of positive energy and hopefully an excited crowd in Wrigleyville.

And then possibly Big Z coming out of the pen to go with Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood.

Lou's gotta pull out all the stops. And I expect him to do so.

Closing Argument

Ladies and gentlemen, these are the Chicago Cubs.

You should already know what to expect: heartbreak followed by hope.

You've been in this position before. You've been ridiculed by friends and co-workers for being a Cubs fan. Your girlfriend probably is angered by the fact that from April through October, your primary focus is on 25 guys instead of her.

You've already wasted six months of your life, what's another few games? Do you have a hot date tonight? Probably not. So watch the game. Have a beer (or two or three) and a hot dog (or two or three).

If you're off the bandwagon and the Cubs somehow do the unthinkable, don't even think about coming back on. You're not welcome here anymore.

The Cubs have the Dodgers right where they want them. Lulled into a sense of security and thinking there will be clinching with Alyssa Milano downing Dodger Dogs.

The Cubs are going to win this series not because they have the better talent on the field. Not because of vodoo. Not because of some priest.

The Cubs are going to win this series because no one expects them to do so.

The Cubs won three games in a row 14 times this season. What's one more?

F*ck three games, how about 11 straight?

Let's get 'em!

The Harden they come, the Harden they fall

When the Chicago Cubs acquired Rich Harden prior to the All-Star break, it wasn't just to get the Cubs to the playoffs.

It was to get them to and beyond.

The only thing standing between the Cubs and being swept for the second straight year is the 6-foot-1 flame-throwing Canadian.

Once the prized possession of Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane, Harden posted a 5-1 record with a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts with the Cubs after going 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA in 13 starts with the A's.

Harden might be the best Game 3 starter in baseball history. The Cubs went 9-3 in Harden's starts and in his worst outing as a Cub (against the Houston Astros) he allowed four runs in 5.2 innings and struck out eight batters.

On extra rest, Harden's been flat-out nasty, posting a 2.83 ERA. He'll be pitching on eight days rest.

While CC Sabathia going to Milwaukee grabbed all the headlines, Harden did his part to help the Cubs get to the playoffs.

As the Cubs' playoff dreams are on life support, it's up to Harden to recessitate them.

"Make history or we're history"

Remember in the movie 'Fever Pitch' starring Jimmy Fallon where the Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the ALCS and Fallon and Drew Berrymore got together and then the Red Sox came all the way back to win the AL pennant and eventually the World Series?

That's the kind of storyline the Chicago Cubs are going to need in Hollywood and it all starts tonight.

Because this is Hollywood people, where dreams come true. Where hookers become housewives. Where actors become political figures. And where the Cubs are World Series winners.

The point is that anything is possible, even though everything isn't probable.

While many Cubs fans have packed it up and called it a season, I'm not ready to just yet. Believe me, I wanted to do so on Thursday night as I sat in Buffalo Wild Wings in Carbondale as Cardinals and White Sox fans rejoiced as the Cubs booted their chance to even the series at 1-1.

However, I just couldn't do it. Why? Maybe I like pain and suffering.

Or it could be the idea that if the 2008 season was truly meant to be a historical season that the Cubs would have to do something historical.

It's not like this hasn't happened before.

The Cubs won three games in a row many times this season. In fact, the Cubs won three-in-a-row against the Dodgers earlier in the season.

Oh, but the Doubting Thomas in you wants some playoff examples. Well, look no further than the Chicago Cubs.

In 2003, the Florida Marlins won three consecutive games (two on the road) to take themselves from the brink of elimination to an NL pennant and eventually the 2003 World Series title.

How about 1984 when the Cubs took a 2-0 lead into San Diego just to see Steve Garvey and the Padres snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with three straight wins against the Cubs.

How about the 2001 New York Yankees having to beat Oakland's Big Three to take the ALDS after being down 0-2.

How about the 2003 Red Sox that did the same thing to Oakland.

This isn't rocket science people, it's baseball!

Playoff baseball!

97 wins doesn't mean a thing without the ring and I think everyone realizes that.

It's time to write a true Hollywood ending.

Kosuke's Fuk'd

Lou Piniella just pissed all over Kosuke Fukudome.

The rookie All-Star right fielder has struggled since the All-Star break and those struggles have continued into K-Fuk's first post season appearance.

And Piniella doesn't want to hear about it any more.

"From now on I don't want to hear about Fukudome anymore as far as whether he's going to play or not. I'm gonna play (Mike) Fontenot or Reed Johnson or somebody else and that's the end of that story. The kid's struggling and there's no sense sending him out there anymore."

Will there be a Little Babe Ruth sighting? Maybe some Reed Johnson action in right?

Decisions, decisions.

I guess that's why Piniella looks pissed in this pic.

Lou Piniella Benches Kosuke Fukudome, So Please Stop Asking About Him [Fanhouse]

Chicago D'oh!

The Chicago Cubs weren't the only Chicago baseball team stumbling out of the gate to start the playoffs.

Javier Vazquez welcomed Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria to the playoff party by allowing him to go long (twice) in the Rays 6-4 victory against the White Sox.

At least the White Sox believed in scoring runs at some point.

Dewayne Wise hit a three-run homer and A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko were in 2005 form, combining to go 4-for-7 with two runs scored.

Unfortunately for the South Siders, Vazquez continued a Cub-like choke fest in big games, allowing six runs in 4.1 innings.

Luckily for the Sox, the series just started and have the face of the franchise, Mark Buehrle, taking the bump for Game 2.

If the Sox can somehow come away with a split in F-L-A, they could spring an upset when they return to U.S. Cellular Field.

Longoria's 2 homers lead Rays over White Sox 6-4 [Yahoo! Sports]