Stat Boy Speaks: Hey Manny, You Owe Me A NLCS Appearance

Last year at this time, the Chicago Cubs were cruising right along toward a 97-win season and home field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.  They were on a collision course with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were being sparked by Manny Ramirez's .396/.489/.743/1.232 line.

And as Stat Boy will present to you, what a difference a year can make.

Manny really hasn't been Manny since being slapped with that 50-game suspension earlier this season.  And when he struggles, so do the Dodgers.  Specifically, right fielder Andre Ethier.

Ramirez is 4-for-25 (.160) over his last 10 games which spans his last 39 plate appearances.  In the month of September he has posted a .229/.407/.486/.892 line.  A far cry from the .370/.465/.753/1.218 line he posted over the last month of baseball that included 8 homers, 7 two-baggers and 28 ribbies.

As Ramirez goes, Ethier usually follows.  The lefty-swinging Dodger right fielder is 2-for-32 in the last 10 games he has seen action in -- and has been held hit-less since Sept. 24.  The drought spans his last seven games, 21 plate appearances.  The numbers get uglier when you get closer with a magnifying glass as Ethier is struggling through a 1-for-22 slump over from Sept. 24 to Sept. 30.

This month, Ethier has batted .212/.304/.394/.698.  In the final month of the 2008 baseball campaign, Ethier hit .462/.557/.692/1.249.

Ramirez continued to pummel the baseball when the Dodgers came rolling into the playoffs, posting a .500/.643/1.100/1.743 line.  Along with James Loney's soul-crushing two-out, two-strike grand slam that yours truly had to witness at Wrigley Field, that's all Los Angeles would need to pull past the Cubs.

Now, I'm not one to bitch about what coulda, woulda and shoulda been.  But this Manny situation has got me feeling a bit slighted.  I mean, if not for Manny's torrid run with the Dodgers, they would have clearly been after thoughts in the NL West.  (See: If he's not BALCO'd Up, the Dodgers are D.O.A.)

Arizona wins that division, and maybe the Cubs slip past the Diamondbacks and with home field advantage are able to get past the Phightin' Phillies.  Then, possibly the Cubs, working with the momentum of finally making it past the NLCS for the first time since 1945 are able to knock off the upstart Tampa Bay Devil Rays to win the franchise's first World Series title since 1908.

Lou Piniella won't have to call for Jim Hendry to blow up the team.  Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood never leave as both would offer to play at Wrigley Field for free.  Kevin Gregg never comes, and neither do Aaron Miles or Milton Bradley.  Knowing Hendry's love for not changing things for the better, the Cubs would have likely fielded the exact same team in 2009 as he did in 2008.

By then, Jim Edmonds would have forgotten how to hit or field a baseball as age would have finally caught up to the aging outfielder.  Aramis Ramirez would have never hurt himself trying really hard to get a ground ball down the third base line because he'd be thinking "fuck it, we won a World Series last year" as the ball trickled down into the left field corner.

It is quite likely the Cubs would have imploded again, but in a more spectacular way with it being under different circumstances and all.  But I wouldn't give a damn.  Because they'd have their World Series and I'd have my memories until the day I'm stricken with Alzheimer's.

STFU LaTroy Hawkins

Dear LaTroy: A message from TBDS.

In my 23 years of life, there are only a handful (if that) of Chicago Cubs players that I did not like. Some I did not like because of their attitudes. Others I disliked because of their performance on the field. But when it comes to LaTroy Hawkins, it was a little bit of everything.

When Hawkins was a Cub, his numbers weren't terrible -- on paper. 2.76 earned run average, 29 saves and a 1.099 WHIP in 98 career games looks good to the naked eye, but his attitude and his inability to close games down the stretch in 2004 are the reasons he will go down in Cubs lore as one of the all-time free agent busts.

That, and his crummy attitude.

He did nothing but blame others for his shortcomings. Teammates, fans, media members -- none of whom were safe from LaTroy's wrath. And while his mechanics are different since finding a new home in Houston, his attitude apparently hasn't.

Paul Sullivan from the Trib drops this nugget on us via the Internet:

Houston reliever LaTroy Hawkins may be looking at a hefty fine from Major League Baseball after claiming plate umpire Mike Everitt "wanted" the the Cubs to win Monday night's game.

Hawkins was ejected by Everitt in the eighth inning after disputing a called ball to Aramis Ramirez and continuing to complain after Everitt ordered him to "knock it off." ... Hawkins sounded off on the ejection to the Houston Chronicle.

"Maybe he was having a bad day," Hawkins said. "I thought he had determined who he wanted to win the game anyway."

Some things never change, do they, LaTroy? It was only in 2004 when he gave up a big blast to Albert Pujols at Wrigley Field in which Hawkins blamed the fans for his struggles. A head scratching moment that caused me to think:

1. I wasn't on the mound grooving a low-90s fastball to Phat Albert with the sacks packed.
2. I don't know one Cubs fan that would suggest throwing said low-90s fastball to Phat Albert.

Alas, the Hawk Squaks again, blaming someone else per usual. Dusty Baker will probably have his back, but none of his teammates should. Nor should the fans. They're probably next on the firing line.