I've Seen This Episode Before....Part Two

A week ago I posted this blog drawing a comparison between the 2007 Cubs team going for the NL Central title and the 2004 Cubs going for the NL Wild Card and how both Cubs teams had to play the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field in a critical series.

That blog was titled "I've seen this episode before...and I didn't like the way it ended the first time." This is part two of that blog.

Tonight I will compare this Cubs team and the 2003 Cubs.

With a magic number of four, the Cubs go to Miami to play the Florida Marlins with their playoff fates in their own hands.

And today, just like in 2003, they laid an egg when they had an opportunity to move one step closer to the ultimate goal of Cubdom.

Tonight's 4-2 loss isn't as disheartening as any of their losses in the 2003 NLCS, but this could rank up there if the Cubs don't make the playoffs.

The Cubs offense, which blew up in the three game sweep against the Pirates at Wrigley this weekend, just blew tonight against Dontrelle Willis and the Marlins.

The Cubs runs came off the bat of Craig Monroe, whose eighth inning two-run homer off of Willis. But that was all the scoring the Cubs would do.

They mustered only three hits off of Willis, Lee Gardener and Taylor Tankersley who picked up his first save by getting Cliff Floyd to fly out deep to left center to end the ball game.

As of right now, the Brewers look like they'll move within two games of the first place Cubs because they're leading the hapless Cardinals 7-1.

With the magic number standing at four, it doesn't look like the Cubs will clinch against the Marlins (which would be poetic justice in my eyes.) Instead, this will likely be one of the most excruciatingly painful weeks in recent Cubs history.

It'd be quite beneficial for the Cubs to clinch sooner rather than later so they can set their rotation for the first round of the playoffs. But at this point, you've gotta get there first!

There are still two more games against the Marlins and the Cubs could conceivably win those two games and cut the magic number in half without any help from the Cardinals.

It's more likely that the Cubs will clinch in Cincy, but it won't get any easier. The Reds have set up their rotation so the Cubs face both of the Reds aces, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang.

Still, the Cubs have their work cut out for them and they control their own destiny.

To quote Al Davis, "Just win, baby!"