Final Thoughts on Chicago Sports

PCP: This week in Loserville

First, a quick point-counterpoint with my cousin, Jim, before I take a peak at the underbelly of the NFL:

Mike:  Any thoughts on the Bears this week?

Jim:  Well, not much to talk about with respect to this week's game.  Going into the season, a 13 point line on anyone for the Bears seemed crazy.  But, seriously, if they don't cover I'll be disappointed.  Detroit is just beyond horrid.  Just a terrible, terrible team.  I watched some of their game last weekend vs. Washington.  Washington was doing everything possible to give Detroit the game and they wouldn't bite. 

Mike:  All the extra talk of "trap game" and "any given sunday" going around this week is annoying.  Of course the Bears could lose this game.  It's the NFL!  There's not a matchup in the league that the underdog has less than a 20% chance of winning.  Anyone can beat anyone, especially this year.  Should the Bears win?  Absolutely.  Can they lose?  Absolutely.  All it would take is a couple of poorly timed turnovers and shitty fourth quarter defense.  I expect them to win, but I wouldn't be shocked if they lose.

Jim:  The rules of the NFL (i.e. any given Sunday) do not apply to the Lions.  Dude, they're terrible.  I'm usually afraid to make such statements, but there is no way the Bears lose this game.  They could be -5 in the turnover battle and still they should win.  The Lions, simply, have nothing going for them.  Seriously, this should be a game in which Grossman gets some 4th quarter mop-up time.  And, I expect a major get well game from the defense. 

Mike:  Fine, Bears: 52, Lions: Zip.

* * * * *

I have two more notes about lousy teams before I get out of here:

• T.J. Houshmandzadeh guaranteed that the 0-8 Bengals would win more than one game this year.  This cracks me up.  Way to go out on a limb there...the confidence you have in your team is truly inspiring.  I mean, there's only been 5 teams in the last 20 years to win only one game.  Wow, you don't think you're one of the 5 worst teams in the last 20 years?  Hubris, my friends.  Hubris.
• Mike Singletary.  Oh, boy.  When I first saw his rant, I was like "Hell yeah!  Show those young punks how its done!"  Then, about two seconds later I remembered it was 2008 and coaches that yell like that don't last in today's game.  The players simply don't respond to being called out anymore.  And today, further evidence of his crazy was, uh, exposed.  Samurai Mike gave his halftime speech with his pants around his ankles.  Seriously.  To expand upon an idea from ESPN's Mike Sando - if that's what he does after his first two quarters as head coach, what's he going to do next week?  Put on a diaper and suck his thumb, Private Pyle style?  My goodness.  My advice to Singletary is, "look around, enjoy every moment of your experience as head coach.  It will be your last."   Just sad.

Till next time...

Bulls Win Opener

I have to admit that I didn't watch more than 30 seconds of the Bulls preseason.  Preseason basketball just doesn't do it for me.  But I caught the season opener tonight, and it made lots of first impressions for the 2008-2009 season.  Here goes:

Here's three guys that impressed me:

• Derrick Rose - he didn't have a monster game statistically -- he rarely will.  He just created shots all night and its clear that he's going to make his teammates better.  And he didn't turn it over much, considering it was his first game and he played 32 minutes.  Not a bad debut for the rookie.  (Kind of reminded me of Jay Williams, actually.)
• Tyrus Thomas - he played hard all night.  He was a rebounding fool, and he seemingly developed a jumpshot over night.  I don't know if its Rose's presence or what, but whatever he's doing I hope he keeps doing it.  Who knows, maybe a little confidence from his coach is all he needed.
• Luol Deng - he looked like the 2006 Deng that was on the cusp of stardom.  Driving the lane, making shots.  There might be hope for him yet.

 Here's four guys that didn't impress me.

• Ben Gordon - same old Ben.  Oh-for-the-first half, 18 points in the last 18 minutes of the game.  Just like old times, he was white hot in the fourth.  And while that's not a bad thing, I'm sick of waiting him to turn it on for four quarters.
• Kirk Hinrich - he was solid, but he's still no better than he was his last year at Kansas.
• Joakim Noah - Noah is a nice high energy guy and all, but I'm convinced he'll never be better than a good seventh man.
• Thabo Sefolosha - he got the surprising start, but basically did nothing with it as he got in foul trouble early.

Here's two guys I never heard of:

• Cedric Simmons
• Demitrus Nichols

Who are they?  A couple of recent draft picks (for other teams) that never really got a chance.  I suspect one of them will be gone when Larry Hughes gets healthy.  And when did the Bulls get Michael Ruffin back?  He's a nice 3rd string power forward to come in and bang around when your starter has foul trouble.  He's also the prototype of my worst fears for Tyrus Thomas.  Looks like I might be wrong.

As for Vinnie Del Negro,  his starting lineup was weird, and he kept mixing and matching odd lineups all night.  But overall I didn't really have any problems.  Once he gets to know the team better, he should be able to develop a solid rotation which is imperative for this team to have success.  It was odd seeing him matched up with Scott Skiles on the other bench (who, perhaps not coincidentally, had Jim Boylan sitting right next to him.)  If you had shown me a tape of tonight's game exactly one year ago today, I'd have never believed it.  Where's Big Ben?  Hinrich and Gordon aren't starting?  Skiles is coaching the Bucks?  Bulls got Derrick Rose?  Madness! 

But it looks like it might end up being OK.

World Series, Tampa, and the Cubs

Excuse me for putting "the Cubs" and "World Series" in the same sentence.  That'll never happen, unless we're on the eve of an apocalypse.  But Mike Downey had a column today that was a bitchslap reminder of what could have been.  A Tampa-vs-Cubs "Alternate Universe" World Series.  It's a hackey thing to write but something I was admittedly kicking around myself as a blog topic.  Check out his work here, even though the article itself isn't particularly inspiring. 

But I've been thinking over the last ten days or so, "what could have been?"  Since the Cubs crapped themselves and were eliminated so long ago, it's hard to remember that, "oh yeah, this was the year and the Cubs should still be playing right now."  How different would these weeks and days have been for me and the rest of the city.  I'll tell you what, it would have been absolutely off the hook.  The electricity in the ballpark (and the rest of the city for that matter) would have been all-consuming.  Everything would have been viewed as if through Cubbie Blue goggles.  (at least by Cubs fans)

Now, of course, that will never happen.  Not the Cubs actually making the world series, mind you, but the reaction of the city.  I seriously think this turn of events will seriously quell Cubbie Fever for a long time.  Remember the atmosphere of those midseason series at Wrigley, in particular the games against the Brewers, the ones that felt like playoff games?  I don't envision that party coming around for a long time.  It just doesn't matter until you actually get to the postseason.  No sense getting all excited about June victories with the inevitable disaster looming in October. 

*******

I didn't watch more than 10 seconds of the NLCS this year.  I was too disgusted.  The only extended bit of ALCS I caught was the last three innings of game 7, where Tampa clinched it.  I was rooting for Tampa to win, simply because they were the likable underdog and Boston needs to be knocked down a peg.  But after they actually won, I quickly changed my mind.  I carried no animosity for the awesome, young, Tampa players; but the "fans" drove me crazy.  Who the hell are these people?  Where have they been all year (let alone the last crappy ten years)?  These d-bags don't know how lucky they are.  These Johnny-come-latelies in their brand new Upton jerseys, waving their fingers saying "we're number one!"  Watching the jumbotron to learn when to clank their gay-ass cowbells. 

Then last night, I watched game one.  Shortly after I turned it on, Tampa hit a homer.  I expected the Johnnies to go nuts, but...they didn't.  They were strangely muted.  I mean, they cheered, but they cheered like Cubs fans cheer when a pitcher lays down a good sac bunt.  Just...weird.  Then watching the rest of the game was just an odd experience all around.  First of all, that dome has by far the ugliest looking fake grass in the league.  My HD was begging me to change the channel.  With the dim shadows and the weird Philly-Tampa matchup, not to mention the cowbell-clanging muted dorks, it felt like I was watching an exhibition game in Japan.  All the while, Buck and McCarver were announcing the game with as much enthusiasm as terminally ill crape-hangers.  This is NOT the World Series I wanted.  This is not the World Series that America wanted. 

Tampa just doesn't have many fans.  There might be 2,000 people (at most) who have been actually paying attention the last ten years and are serious-enough baseball fans to would truly appreciate and feel liberated if their team won this World Series.  The rest are a bunch of Johnny Cakes that would be just as excited seeing the fishmonger win on Survivor. 

It isn't fair. 

Go Phillies!  Damn right it's sour grapes.

Orton Nears a New...Contract

So I've been listening/reading/devouring all the latest love being thrown Kyle Orton's way this week.  The opinions of what the Bears should do next are all over the map, but the one thing everybody has in common is that they all think Orton's been great the last five weeks.  That is undeniable.

The issue at hand is whether or not to give Kyle a contract extension.  I'm with Mark Silverman (and Rick Morrissey) on this one (as opposed to Dan MacNeil and David Haugh).  What's the rush?  It's arguable that none of the Bears that received contract extensions this past offseason have lived up to their contract yet.  Urlacher, Tommie Harris, Hester, Gould...all underachieving.  Only Briggs is really earning his money.  And Kyle Orton could just be a five-game wonder.  Granted, he doesn't look like a five-gamer; he looks like a pro's pro.  But Derek Anderson looked like a pro last year, too, when the Browns gave him a 3-year deal after a hot start, and where is he now? 

The window for negotiating a new contract mid-season apparently ends in week 8, otherwise they'll have to wait until the offseason.  John Clayton thinks the Bears should sign him now for something like three years, $24 million.  Otherwise with a great performance the rest of the year (and heaven forbid playoffs), his price tag might go way up.  I say take the risk.  If he's really that good, he'll be worth the extra money.  Just say "later!"

 Elsewhere in Bears land, the injuries in the secondary keep piling up.  Zach Bowman is out for the year and the Bears signed Terrence Holt.  A move of desperation, to be sure.  Hopefully, Vasher will be ready to go, Graham will be feeling better and Manning/Tillman aren't too far off.  Because a starting tandem of Marcus Hamilton and Trumaine McBride (with Terrence Holt the only backup) sends shivers down my spine. 

BEAR DOWN.  On a bye.

Bears beat Vikes in Shootout

Ok, raise your hands if you thought that the Bears and Vikings would combine for 89 points, nearly 800 yards, and 48 first downs.  The Bears are rarely involved in shootouts, and they win them even less.  Touchdown here, touchdown there, touchdown everywhere...who doesn't love watching shootouts?  There's a downside to that, of course, and that is the wet-tissue-paper defense.  But we'll get to that later.

Kyle Orton was great, again.  I kind of laughed off the idea of Pro Bowl last week, but he's seriously on pace for a trip to Hawaii.  He already has more TD passes this year (10) than many were predicting that he'd have for the entire season.  (The over-under in Vegas was 9.)  Its official, I'm a believer in Orton.  I was on the fence, but after five good-to-great games in a row, it's hard to argue that the neckbeard from Purdue isn't a viable long-term solution for this franchise.  He's just playing so confident out there.  What's funny is he could have had 3 more TDs (which would have given him 5 on the day.)  Desmond Clark fumbled a ball at the one (which Rashied Davis recovered) so Orton lost credit for the TD; and Booker dropped two (one of which was a sure thing while the other was merely "catchable").  Booker is off the hook, though, because of the mad-dash he had on his own 51-yarder.  Old man got skills! 

Elsewhere on offense, Matt Forte was held in check most of the day.  He's been held in check a lot lately, but I just can't bring myself to rag on him.  Even when stuffed, he's still a tremendous upgrade over last season.  Largely because he still blocks great and catches the ball out of the backfield, but also because he doesn't dive into ground as soon as he touches the ball.  Greg Olsen's a keeper, too. 

Now, of course, the bad news.  The defense was awful.  Gus Frerotte threw four interceptions, yet the Vikings still put 41 points on the board and steamrolled the Bears for 439 yards and 28 first downs.  If Frerotte wasn't, well, Frerotte, they might have put a double-nickel on the Bears (and what would we be talking about then?).  Purple Jesus, aka. the real Adrian Peterson, was his usual self in torching the run defense.  122 yards, 2 TDs, and a 54-yarder where he made both Bears safeties look like fools.  Bernard Berrian looked good against his old team, too. 

I should probably cut the Bears a little slack, considering all the injuries they suffered in the secondary, but I'm not gonna.  That's loser talk.  "The Replacements" were downright awful (despite snagging the four picks).  The pass rush was completely non-existent until the last five minutes of the game, when they managed a sack on a safety blitz and Tommie Harris (who?) bullrushed to the QB with 40 seconds left in the game (a huge play, I must say.)  The linebackers did zilch.  I'm glad we gave Urlacher all that money this offseason.  What's he got, zero sacks, zero forced fumbles, and zero picks this season?  That's a trifecta of shit, my friends.  I can't even remember the last time I saw him make a tackle in the backfield.  What are we paying him for?  (And by "we" I mean "me".  I have his jersey, I use his deodorant, I eat his soup.  Yeah, me.)

The Bears were lucky to win this one.  Had the game gone another five minutes, they probably wouldn't have.  And this is on top of the clown-act that the Vikings Special Teams were performing.  Their punter looked like that classic clip of Garo Yepremian in Super Bowl VII.  What a buffoon.  And their kick returner was no better, in letting the ball bounce off him while blocking.  Usually, those types of plays go against the Bears.  Today was a refreshing change. 

So, in short, Offense good, Defense bad.  It's not even close, either.  I honestly think the Bears O could score 50 points on the Bears D.  When was the last time the Bears offense was so much better than the defense?  1995, of course, when Dave Wannstedt's crew (guided by Erik Kramer and Ron Turner) set every single season record while the defense gave up three dimes per week.  And what was their record that year?  They finished 9-7, on the outside looking in at the playoffs.  This season is starting to play out exactly like '95.  The Bears have a pretty easy schedule the next few weeks, so its time to start building on that division lead.  And the defense especially needs to pick it up because this shootout style of offense doesn't work in December on the lakefront. 

BEAR DOWN.

The Bears and NFL Parity

The Bears have started the 2008 season with a mediocre record of 3-3, but thanks to their craptastic division they're lucky to be tied with the Vikes and Pack for first place.  Nevermind the analysis that says the Bears have the easiest schedule and most home games going forward - the Bears are extra lucky because the entire NFL sucks this year.

Well, the entire NFL doesn't suck.  There's about five teams that MAJORLY suck.  (DET, KC, CIN, STL and OAK).  Then there's about 20 teams that define "mediocre" followed by seven teams that are half-way decent.  But none of the decent teams (JAX, TEN, NYG, PIT, DAL, SD and IND) are all that impressive - each has major flaws and all are very beatable.  So beatable, in fact, that I think that even the Bears could beat them straight up without any miracle plays and/or flukey scenarios.  Of course, the Bears wouldn't exactly have to try hard to lose, either - as any of the "elite 27" could beat the Bears without being at the top of their game either.  To quote our old friend, Dr. SBAITSO - "000000000000001 PARITY".

Let's put it this way, I don't think there's a team in the NFL that would be favored by more than 6 over the Bears.  I also don't think there's a team in the league (short of the "crap 5") that the Bears would ever be favorites by more than 6.  They're just frisky enough to hang with anybody.  So for all the hand-wringing at the beginning of the season, and after three fourth-quarter collapses - the Bears aren't in that bad of shape.  I don't want to say "they could be 6-0", but damnit, they could be 6-0!  If they only knew how to hold a lead and not give up 67 yards of field goal position in 11 seconds. 

Would I rather have a budding dynasty on my hand?  Would I like to see Lovie Smith muzzle Babich and kick the defense's ass into gear?  Would I rather have Matt Ryan's future than Kyle Orton?  Sure, we all would.  But I'm surprisingly optimistic about this team.  If Kyle Orton can keep up his recent solid play (never mind any Pro Bowl aspirations) and the defense can stop choking, I seriously think 10 wins are in reach, and that would easily take the division.  Hell, that might even get a first round bye in the NFC.  Like I said, the league blows.  And the Bears have been beating themselves.

This week, the crappy Vikings are in town.  A team that could be 0-6, if not for a couple of gift-wrapped victories.  Did you see the clip of Brad Childress getting absolutely destroyed by his home fans?  Check it out here.  His team is in shambles, but there is exactly one thing that concerns me about the Vikings.  And his name...is Purple Jesus.  If the Bears can contain the good Adrian Peterson, and not turn the ball over, they will win this one convincingly.  That's all there is to it.  Bears 24, Vikings 13.

Wow! Bears Lose to Falcons

In the end, the team that played better for four quarters got the win.  That's all you need to know.

The fourth quarter of this game is a reminder of why we watch football.  Back and forth, all the highs and lows.  Amazing plays.  It just wiped me out, and my throat is gnarled.  Jason Elam kicked a game-winning field goal for the Falcons with one second left on the clock, after the Bears managed to take the lead with eleven seconds left in the game.  This after Elam shanked a 28-yarder, after the Bears were stuffed on 4th and 1 at the goal line.  So many great plays, too bad the first three quarters were so ugly.

The Bears were outplayed most of the day, and really didn't deserve to win this game.  They were incredibly lucky that Atlanta could only put up four field goals on their first four trips to the red zone.  The Bears pass defense was, in a word, awful today.  Matt Ryan hit so many guys on third and long that I could have sworn it was John Elway back there.  I think Ryan might be the real deal, but that's no excuse for the Bears.  Neither is the loss of Tillman and Vasher.  (Tillman was around for half of the butt-kicking, and this mysterious "Hamilton" guy - who they got from Tampa - as an individual wasn't that bad in his place.)  First down, great; second down, great.  Third down, shit.  Turner was almost completely neutralized.  The safeties just got repeatedly burned.  And it was fitting that Ryan was able to complete that 20-yard out to Jenkins at the end in front of Mike Brown.  There wasn't much pass rush on the rookie, either.  Would the Bears have been better off with Tommie Harris on the bench?  (Again, he did practically nothing outside of "fumble a fumble recovery.")  Paging Adewale Ogunleye.  Is there an Alex Brown in the house?

The offense was ugly until half-way through the third quarter.  Until then, they couldn't get much going and only managed three points.  Orton was Orton, and Forte was getting stuffed.  All the while, Thom Brennaman kept lavishing praise on Orton and had repeatedly called him "brilliant" this year.  Brilliant?  Did you ONLY see the Detroit game?  Surprisingly competent is how I'd rate him.  Then, thankfully, the offense woke up.  Orton engineered a nice scoring drive, highlighted by a Forte TD to bring the Bears within two.  (Insert defensive choke here.)  Then he led another nice drive that unfortunately stalled with the goal line stand at the one, followed by another decent drive that led to a FG. 

Then the Falcons returned the kickoff from the end zone all the way to the Bears twenty.  Pay attention, because this comes into play later.  Anyways, three and out, Elam missed the chip shot, and the door was open for Kyle to complete the comeback.  (Not Kyle Boller, mind you, Kyle Orton.  Get it straight, Billick.)   A remarkable two-minute drill by Orton, highlighted by a perfect TD toss to Rashied Davis in the corner of the end zone.  1996 Favre himself couldn't have placed it any better.  Extra point good, Bears up by one with 11 seconds to go. 

The Bears decided to squib it down field rather than pin them deep.  This is almost assuredly because of the previous kick into the end zone that Atlanta returned to the Bears 20.  I can't say I blame them, it was just a poor squib that was caught up front and quickly returned to the 45.  In hind sight, would you rather boot it out of the end zone?  Sure, if booting it out of the end zone was an option.  Not sure how often Gould does that.  Anyways, yeah, Ryan completes the huge pass that only takes five seconds and Elam nails the game winner. 

It's a bad loss when you lose the lead with 11 seconds, but I don't know if I'd go so far as call it horrible.  Yes, the pass defense was horrible, and special teams weren't special, but every other aspect of the game was pretty solid.  I say it wasn't horrible because you can correct bad third down defense and ordinarily Special Teams are great.  There was nothing wrong with Orton, either.  No mistakes, four great drives in the second half.  He certainly did enough to win the game.  Blame Lovie?  Eh, not so much.  The big calls were mostly right.  I guess we just have to blame Babich and the pass defense.  They should have done more to get to the QB.  Try a few more blitzes.  Something.  Instead, the rookie got it done.  And that can't happen.

Oh well.  Considering the Bears played four of their first six on the road, and with the soft spot of their schedule coming up, I like the Bears chances to win some games and stay in contention for the rest of the season.  I just didn't like the outcome today.  Have to get 'em next week.

BEAR DOWN.

Holy Crap! Bears are alone in first place!

While I was fuming over the Cubs over the past week, the Bears thoroughly whipped the Lions and took sole possession of first place in the NFC North.  While it was an impressive win, we must remember that it was Detroit.  Man, they're bad.  They look as bad as any Lions team I've ever seen.  Scratch that, any football team that I've ever seen - including D-III.  They looked almost as bad as the Cubs against L.A.  (Damn it!  You see where my mind is at, still. Back to the Bears.)

So the Bears are in first place.  Here's what has impressed me the most:

• Matt Forte - Clearly the rookie RB is a massive upgrade over last year.  Not only does he hit the holes with authority, he catches the ball and rarely misses a block.  He's a true find for Jerry Angelo and I expect him to be a fixture in the backfield for the next three years.  (Sadly, runningbacks don't age well at all.)
• Kyle Orton - Last year and all offseason, I was screaming for Orton.  Give him a chance!  After two weeks this year, I wanted a mulligan.  Now he has seven TDs in his last three games and I'm telling everyone I knew it all along.  I still think they should draft a QB high next year, but they won't have to rush him into the lineup and they might be able to live with Kyle under center for another year or two.  (Rookie QBs almost never work and are often better served by sitting for a year.)  But then again, he might pull a Derek Anderson and start sucking.  Let's just keep evaluating Kyle for the next 11 games and see where we stand in January.
• The Receivers - with solid Quarterbacking comes solid receiving.  There still aren't any Pro Bowlers in this group, and I highly doubt that any of the Bears would start for more than a handful of teams.  But Lloyd, Hester, and company aren't the worst group of receivers we've ever had.  Bernard who?
• The Offensive Line - Wow, it doesn't completely suck.  Orton was under constant pressure against the Eagles, but every QB is under pressure against them.  Other than that game, they've done a pretty solid job - far better than I could have ever imagined.  And just wait till Chris Williams is ready!  (Please note the sarcasm in that last statement.)
• The Defensive Line - If you had told me that Tommie Harris would be a complete no-show and that the line would still be among the strongest units on the team, I'd have thought you were crazy.  But Dusty Dvoracek, Marcus Harrison, and Israel Idonije have all done a tremendous job stuffing the run and getting to the passer.  Imagine if Harris was playing!  (No sarcasm there.)
• The Secondary - Kevin Payne and Mike Brown have been great.  Tillman was a beast against the Lions.  Vasher hasn't done much, but he hasn't been bad either.  Solid group.

This week the Bears face the Falcons at the Georgia Dome.  They, too, are a surprise team in the NFC this season - led by former NIU runningback Michael "The Burner" Turner and rookie QB Matt Ryan (who, it turns out, may be an exception to the rookie QB rule).  I heard today somewhere that this is a bad matchup for the Bears.  (I read/listen to so much content, it's hard to keep track of it all.  50-50 shot that I heard it on ESPN.)  Anyways, bad matchup?  Really?  Last I checked, only Jonathon Stewart had any success on this group.  Everyone else got stuffed like a burrito.  Yes, the Falcons beat Aaron Rodgers and the suddenly crappy Green Bay defense at Lambeau - but they haven't seen a powerhouse like Kyle Orton and the CHICAGO BEARS yet, either.  I'll go with the Bears in a tight one.  17-13.

BEAR DOWN.

The C stands for Choke

There's no other way to say it, they friggin' choked.  The Cubs dropped a giant turd in the 2008 punch bowl, and all memories of this "magical" season have pretty much gone right down the crapper.  It's so pathetic that I don't even know where to start.

I can't blame Jim Hendry.  What more could he have done?  It wasn't him making the errors.  I can't fault Lou Piniella much.  He made a few minor head scratchers but he certainly didn't go 1-for-14 either.  The players just botched it.  I think it was in their head.  They know about the history.  They're asked about it every single day.  They all wanted to be on the team that finally won a championship for this city.  So that's on their mind with every swing; every grounder.  They don't just play baseball.  Seriously, the team needs dumb (yet also good) players that simply "see ball, hit ball".  1969?  That was before I was born.  2003?  Don't know nothin' about it; I was in Des Moines.  2008?  Uh, what year is it again?

The real problem is wondering where the hell do they go from here.  I mean, what moves can Jim Hendry make to make the team better?  Get a reliable, every day, left-handed bat?  I guess.  A dependable middle reliever?  Would either of those additions made a difference this postseason?  Not a chance.  Some might say "blow it up."  I have a hard time agreeing with that.  They won 97 games.  This is/was the best Cubs team of my lifetime.  They're good if not great at every position.  They're deep.   They just need to NOT FUCKING CHOKE when they get to the playoffs. 

And what happens next year when (if) the Cubs have a 20-game lead in August?  Will it really matter?  Why should I get excited about regular season wins?  Am I supposed to jump up and down and spray champagne on my neighbors when they win the Central again?  It won't mean anything.  Its all bullshit unless they win a title.  That's all there is to it. 

I don't know, maybe I'm looking at this all wrong.  I should just throw all that fancy "title" talk out the window.  I should just know that it will never happen, so why should I torture myself?  The journey is the reward.    What's great about Lord of the Rings isn't the climax or the ending, it's the 2,000 "magical" pages that precede it.  Cubs win on a walkoff in June?  Party time.  Just sit down, shut up, and drink my beer with a smile on my face.  That's the ONLY reward I'm ever going to get.

Oh, and through all this I've found a new hatred for the White Sox.  A little background.  I've NEVER hated on the Sox.  The only time that I've ever rooted against them is when they are playing the Cubs.  I really don't care about the South Siders.  They're in a different league, playing against different competition.  I was happy for them in 2005, and I was happy for them when they won game 163 against the Twins last week.  Why?  Because when it doesn't affect the Cubs, I root for my city.  Call me crazy.  But then, Friday happened.  I listened to Waddle and Silvy on ESPN 1000 for a few hours, and a bunch Cubs fans were calling to talk about Game 2.  Typical venting, whining, anger, etc.  Sox fans were calling in, too.  Did they want to talk about their own Game 1 loss?  Did they want to talk about Beuhrle and Game 2?  Hell no, they were giddy as little school girls because of the Cubs collapse.  Seriously.  They could care less about the Sox.  It wasn't just one d-bag either.  There was a whole bunch of them.  Then Sunday, right after the Sox won game 3 and staved off elimination for one day...I got a text from a Sox fan  congratulating the Cubs on their magical season with the best record in baseball.  What a bunch of stereotypical, wife-beating, inferiority complex-wearin' losers.  Worry about your own god-damned team.  I heard from one Sox fan that more or less sent condolences, but other than that it was nothing but South Siders rubbing it in.  So from now on - fuck 'em.  I let out a little cheer when they lost to the Rays today.  Call me the asshole.

Or just call the Cubs the assholes.  That's what I've been doing for three days.

Dodgers 2, Cubs Zip

I was actually watching the end of the VP debate tonight (with the start of the game recording) when my phone started buzzing with text messages.  Shortly thereafter, my cell and my house phone started ringing.  I heard the MSN chat window dinging across the room.  Something happened.  Maybe good, probably bad.  Something happened.  So I switched off the debate and started watching the game.  First inning - not bad.  Nice to see the crowd in to it.  Soriano stranded.  No biggie.  Then the 2nd inning happened.  And now I read (and understood) the text messages:

• It's going to be a long night
• Head cases
• Things are going swimmingly
• WHAT THE F?
• Embarrassing.  I might need to move to another town.
• It's over
• Now we know why Atlanta fans were so indifferent in the NLDS.  Wake me when the NLCS starts.

And a whole lot more just like it.  Shell-shocked.  Z actually wasn't that bad.  Everyone in the infield?  F--king keystone cops.  They looked like clowns out there.  Embarrassing.  Just a debacle all around.  NOBODY did their job tonight.  EVERYBODY sucked.  On to L.A.

Can they turn it around?  Sure.  They've won 3 in a row a dozen times this year.  Maybe this is just a test for the Cubs.  Maybe they have to crawl across 500 yards of shit-smelling foulness to find their redemption.  Maybe this is their Shawshank. 

Or maybe they're just a bunch of head-case chokers and will never win a World Series.  We'll see on Saturday night. 

Cubs Sky is Falling

Quick email thread with my cousin, Jim:

Jim:  They have to win tonight.  They need a huge performance from Z.  I'm talking like 7 innings of 3 hit, shutout ball.  And they need, someone, anyone, to step up offensively.  I am so tired of seeing the big 3 choke in the playoffs.  They need to get Fukudome out of there and work some other guys in - Johnson, Fontentot.  Honestly I think they made a mistake leaving Hoffpauir off the playoff roster too.  I'd have kept him over Ward. 
 
In a nutshell, must win tonight.  It's amazing the ramifications this game has.  It will determine the series, if it's not already determined.  They win, it's huge, because they have Harden going in game 3 and I like that match up.  They lose, it's probably over. 
 
They need someone to come out and make a statement early in this game to get the positive vibes back - like Z strike out the side in the first or someone comes up with a big hustle play or something.  The negativity surrounding this franchise right now is just really eerie.

Mike:  Agreed.  I think the fan reaction worried me more than anything.  All the negativity in the building and waiting to fail is just killing the team.  Like when the Cubs gave up 8 runs after the Bartman play.   Shell shocked.  I'm convinced that a similar play on the road would have been overcomable.
 
Not sure about Hoffpauir over Ward.  It's pretty difficult to hit cold off the bench, and Ward always has good at-bats (even if he doesn't often get a hit).  I have never seen Micah get even a single hit off the bench.  That said, I may have taken him over Pie and considered starting him in right (even though he's fricking terrible on defense.  TERRIBLE.)  But I think DeRosa's hamstring (and subsequent limited range) prevented that from happening. 
 
Like you said, Z wins tonight or its over.  Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez REALLY need to step it up.  If they get swept, I might have to seriously start rooting for another team.

Jim:  Pie is a complete waste of a roster spot.  Like you said, Hoffpauir even though he's terrible defensively.  Pie only has value as a baserunner, which unfortunately the Cubs don't get too many of. 
 
If they get swept, I will sulk about it a lot - I mean, for a long time.  Inevitably I'll be back next year, but I think my mood would be forever changed about the Cubs.  This was the year.  Last year was a surprise.  2003 was a surprise.  They were dominant from start to finish this year, and if it culminated in a sweep, I'd just about lose all faith that this thing is ever going to end.  Lou's mood after the game was strange too - very melancholy and reserved. 
 
What do you think about the divisional series being switched to 7 games?  It's only 2 more games so you're not lengthening out the playoffs too much.  I just think that's part of the reason why you see so many of these teams come out of nowhere and go all the way.  There should be more reward for teams that have great regular seasons - of course, I'm saying this now, that my team is being burnt.  I don't know, just doesn't seem fair that a team works all season long to be great only to lose their season in basically 1 game. 

Mike:  You know, you're right.  I understood the Pie pick because of his defensive ability.  But even if DeRosa's hurt, they've got Edmonds, Johnson and Fukudome - who all can play anywhere just fine.  Dumb pick. 
 
Sure, I'd love a 7 game NLDS.  Better teams win more in longer series.  Personally, I think they should cut the season back to 154 games and do it.  No sense in having a longer regular season with 8 playoff teams now.  I talked about it yesterday in my blog.  Best way to get the best 2 teams is to ONLY take the best two teams.  No playoffs at all.  Cubs-Angels.  Done.  Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  If that were the case, this would be the Cubs first postseason since I was 14, and every single season since would have been a waste.
 
I will sulk and be incredibly pissed beyond belief if they get swept, but its too early to think about that.  And this series isn't over after one game, by any means.  Sure, NLDS history has 24 of 28 game one winners winning the series, but did you know AL is like 12-14 to the game one winners?  Yeah. 
 
I might be more concerned about Billingsley than Zambrano.  I can see Z throw 7 innings of 1-run ball, only to have Billingsley shut the Cubs out.  Typical Cubs.
 
Typical Cubs.

Jim:  The only good thing I've heard about Billingsley from a Cubs perspective is he has looked tired recently and has thrown more innings this year than ever.  I want to see counts worked deep. 
 
Ya know, this is the moment of truth.  At some point, if this thing is ever going to end, somebody is going to have to step up and do something big.  Either this happens, or they lose.  It's that simple.  If it happens, my bet is on someone like Fontenot or Johnson being the guy. 
 
It would be good to see the crowd into it from the start tonight too.  I think that would help a lot to get rid of the jitters. 

Game one goes to Dodgers

This was a pretty routine-looking loss for the Cubs so there's no sense in over-analyzing it. 

• Dempster had zero control.  Nevertheless, he still could have gotten out of it with one good pitch.  Too bad that one pitch went into the bleachers.  Just one of those days.
• The offense struggled, especially with guys on base.  Soriano, Lee, Ramirez - the big three didn't nothing with men on.  (Bases clear and two outs, though?  Money!)  Fukudome's struggles continued.  Look for Fontenot in the lineup Thursday with DeRosa back in right.  Maybe even Reed Johnson will be in there as a change of pace.
• Lou made some bad choices with his bullpen.  There was nothing wrong with the use of Sean Marshall; he threw fine and the fifth and sixth innings have to go to somebody outside of your core group.  You can't blame him for the pitch that Manny golfed into the bleachers.  My problem was with the next two guys.  Eighth inning, three run game.  Marmol should have been used in place of the shaky Samardzija.  What are you saving him for?  He hasn't pitched in five days and they have an off day Friday.  He can go two days in a row; so can Wood.  Then Marquis in the 9th - same thing.  Were you trying to put this game out of reach?  Pretty frustrating set of moves by Lou.  (Oh, and THAT's why you don't make postseason rosters, Jason.)
• Really weird crowd tonight at the game.  Aside from DeRosa's homer and a few 0-2 counts, the ballpark was clammed up.  Lots of nervous murmuring throughout, even before the grand slam by Loney.  I don't know.  Wrigley has more active crowds on Tuesday nights in May, and the fans in attendance should be ashamed.  Maybe they should all wear black tomorrow.

That's pretty much it.  Gotta go get 'em tomorrow.  Remember, anything less than a World Series appearance will be a massive disappointment.