"I'm fucking done with St. Louis TV and radio and I'm fucking done with the Cardinals."
- Jim Edmonds last Friday to members of the STL media seeking an interview, after he hit 2 homers against STL, sending the game to extras in a game the Cubs eventually won
He disputes actually saying the quote, but even if he didn't say it, it has spread to the point where he may as well have.
Bravo, Jimmy.
Bravo, Cubs.
The Cubs enter today at 73-47, their best mark since the end of the 1984 regular season. Mind-blowing.
(Of note: Jimmy's .610 slugging percentage since joining the Cubs, were it eligible for consideration, would be the highest slugging average IN BASEBALL.)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Cubs
This is a long-overdue post.
The 2008 Chicago Cubs have proven to be the most fun, enjoyable, entertaining and probably the best sports team I have ever followed on a day to day basis (a Bulls fan, I was only a kid when the team was dominating and didn't have the same access to the team that the Internet and regional TV networks have given me now).
It became obvious rather quickly that this team was a little different from previous incarnations of the lovable losers. Not necessarily on Opening Day, when Kosuke Fukudome had the most incredible debut in the history of the team with 3 hits, a walk, and a game-tying, bottom of the 9th inning homer. After all (no one remembers this), but not only did the Cubs lose that game, but they lost the next one. It took a while for things to hit critical mass.
However, when the team managed to keep afloat despite getting virtually nothing from two of their best hitters (Aramis Ramirez was awful in April, and Alfonso Soriano was so terrible that many fans legitimately wondered if he'd ever be good again), things were pretty obviously different.
It was mid-April when things became clear. By that point, Reed Johnson had wrested the starting job from Felix Pie in center field, quite possibly spelling the end of the former top prospect's Cubs run. The New York Mets, widely considered one of the NL favorites, invaded Wrigley for a two-game set. The Cubs proceeded to destroy them by a 15-2 margin, with exclamation points provided by - Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno? Yep. Pie had a three-run homer in game 1 and Cedeno a grand slam in game 2 to cement Cubs victories in both games. The games showcased the Cubs' massive amount of depth.
May brought a three-game sweep of the other presumptive NL favorites entering the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Reed Johnson was the hero for the Cubs in game 3 of this series, creaming an eventual game-winning three-run homer. May also saw the Cubs begin an absurd 14-game home win streak, including the final blow to the doubters - an incredible comeback from down 9-1 to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-9. Everyone was now officially on the bandwagon.
And that's the way it's remained. With the possible exceptions of Jason Marquis and Bob Howry, every single Cub is beloved for one reason or another. The clubhouse chemistry of the team has to be as high as any team's in history, as evidenced by the umpteen 'secret handshakes' that take place in the dugout before each game - so many that the television cameras can't get them all. Carlos Zambrano and Mike Fontenot have one. Ronny Cedeno and Mark DeRosa have one. Zambrano has one with Kosuke Fukudome. Aside from the handshakes, there is manager Lou Piniella, who is less than savvy on the field at many moments (at times excessive hit and running; the horrible misuse of Carlos Marmol this year) but is good enough that his quirky personality overrides his managerial weaknesses in the eyes of many.
More than anyone, Lou probably realizes what is on the line this year. Other than 2004's team, whose faith from the fans was probably misplaced, this is the best chance Cubs fans have had to witness a World Series winner since 1969. Lou, and everyone involved with this team, will become legends in Chicago forever if the unthinkable happens. With the best record in the NL by five games, and only the overachieving Angels holding a better one, this could be, finally...well, it's too cliche to say, but you know what two words were going to finish that sentence.
The faithful's hopes are as high as ever. St. Louis is coming to town this weekend for what should be an emotionally charged series - and for the Cardinals, possibly a season-breaking one, as only 44 games remain for them to catch the Cubs after this series. They trail by 6 games coming in.
Let's get it on.
The 2008 Chicago Cubs have proven to be the most fun, enjoyable, entertaining and probably the best sports team I have ever followed on a day to day basis (a Bulls fan, I was only a kid when the team was dominating and didn't have the same access to the team that the Internet and regional TV networks have given me now).
It became obvious rather quickly that this team was a little different from previous incarnations of the lovable losers. Not necessarily on Opening Day, when Kosuke Fukudome had the most incredible debut in the history of the team with 3 hits, a walk, and a game-tying, bottom of the 9th inning homer. After all (no one remembers this), but not only did the Cubs lose that game, but they lost the next one. It took a while for things to hit critical mass.
However, when the team managed to keep afloat despite getting virtually nothing from two of their best hitters (Aramis Ramirez was awful in April, and Alfonso Soriano was so terrible that many fans legitimately wondered if he'd ever be good again), things were pretty obviously different.
It was mid-April when things became clear. By that point, Reed Johnson had wrested the starting job from Felix Pie in center field, quite possibly spelling the end of the former top prospect's Cubs run. The New York Mets, widely considered one of the NL favorites, invaded Wrigley for a two-game set. The Cubs proceeded to destroy them by a 15-2 margin, with exclamation points provided by - Felix Pie and Ronny Cedeno? Yep. Pie had a three-run homer in game 1 and Cedeno a grand slam in game 2 to cement Cubs victories in both games. The games showcased the Cubs' massive amount of depth.
May brought a three-game sweep of the other presumptive NL favorites entering the season, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Reed Johnson was the hero for the Cubs in game 3 of this series, creaming an eventual game-winning three-run homer. May also saw the Cubs begin an absurd 14-game home win streak, including the final blow to the doubters - an incredible comeback from down 9-1 to beat the Colorado Rockies 10-9. Everyone was now officially on the bandwagon.
And that's the way it's remained. With the possible exceptions of Jason Marquis and Bob Howry, every single Cub is beloved for one reason or another. The clubhouse chemistry of the team has to be as high as any team's in history, as evidenced by the umpteen 'secret handshakes' that take place in the dugout before each game - so many that the television cameras can't get them all. Carlos Zambrano and Mike Fontenot have one. Ronny Cedeno and Mark DeRosa have one. Zambrano has one with Kosuke Fukudome. Aside from the handshakes, there is manager Lou Piniella, who is less than savvy on the field at many moments (at times excessive hit and running; the horrible misuse of Carlos Marmol this year) but is good enough that his quirky personality overrides his managerial weaknesses in the eyes of many.
More than anyone, Lou probably realizes what is on the line this year. Other than 2004's team, whose faith from the fans was probably misplaced, this is the best chance Cubs fans have had to witness a World Series winner since 1969. Lou, and everyone involved with this team, will become legends in Chicago forever if the unthinkable happens. With the best record in the NL by five games, and only the overachieving Angels holding a better one, this could be, finally...well, it's too cliche to say, but you know what two words were going to finish that sentence.
The faithful's hopes are as high as ever. St. Louis is coming to town this weekend for what should be an emotionally charged series - and for the Cardinals, possibly a season-breaking one, as only 44 games remain for them to catch the Cubs after this series. They trail by 6 games coming in.
Let's get it on.
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