Brian Griese: Upon Further Review

Flip-flopping is generally reserved for politicians. Today, this sports fan reserves the right to flip-flop on Chicago Bears starting quarterback Brian Griese.

Last week, I said that I was wrong about Griese after the Bears come-from-behind victory against the Eagles. Granted, I also noted the Griese’s downfall such as his six interceptions in his first three games.

But after the Bears 16-7 defeat at the hands of the once lowly Detroit Lions, my initial feelings about Griese might have been correct.

So where did I go wrong last week?

Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

Oops. It’s hard to give your team a chance to win when you throw four interceptions against a defense that allowed 315 passing yards to Jeff Garcia and 92 receiving yards to Ike Hilliard.

In Griese’s six starts, he has now thrown more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9).

His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now.

Did I mention that three of those interceptions occurred on passes in the end zone? Yikes. Turnovers in scoring position are unacceptable. If the Bears come out with three field goals instead of three INTs, the Bears would have been in a tied ballgame.

If it was Rex Grossman out there throwing four picks, there would be a mob outside willing to toss him into Lake Michigan, along with the ball that FOX kept showing every time the Lions kicked to Devin Hester.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Finally, something I was right about! But wait, there is more to come.

Their running game has been terrible….Their defense is still porous…

Cedric Benson rushed for only 50 yards on 13 carries and was held out of the end zone, yet again. Kevin Jones accounted for Detroit’s only touchdown while rushing for 105 yards on 23 carries.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.

The Bears are now 3-5, and based on NFL history have only a 2% chance of making the playoffs. If they were 4-4 going into their bye, they would have a 39% chance of making the playoffs.

This season, the Bears have been outperformed on offense, defense and special teams. That’s a recipe for disaster—and a top 10 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, not a playoff run.

Confession: I Think I Was Wrong About Brian Griese

After the Chicago Bears 19-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, I’m ready to make the following confession: I was wrong about Brian Griese.

I might be ahead of myself here, but before I completely jump on the Griese bandwagon I’d be remiss if I didn’t note Griese’s six interceptions in his previous three games. But for right now, Griese fits the mold for one of the lamest sports cliché’s, “he gives our team the best chance to win.”

In the week seven win against the Eagles, Griese completed 27 of his 41 passes (65.8%) and gained 322 yards. And with no timeouts and no radio communication in his helmet, he led the Bears on a game-winning 97-yard drive that culminated with “Moose” Muhammad’s touchdown catch with nine seconds left in the game.

In addition, Griese called his own plays.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ready to put Griese in the Hall of Fame just yet. But I am suggesting that maybe he can take on Ron Turner’s job as offensive coordinator too.

At first, I was skeptical about the Griese starting. His career numbers state that he’s a good, but not great quarterback. He’s had health issues in the past, and one of my biggest issues with Griese was that he had never won a playoff game—let alone take his team to the playoffs.

With that said, that could happen in a weak NFC.

But if he does that, what does that say about the Bears coaching staff? What does that say about head coach Lovie Smith? It seemed like a quarterback controversy loomed every week and Lovie would come out to the podium and confidently say “Rex is our quarterback.”

However, Lovie wasn’t the only one.

I supported Rex Grossman. Even before he was drafted, I watched him put up big numbers in Steve Spurrier’s offense at the University of Florida. And when the Bears drafted him, I thought he was going to be great.

I’ve always thought that Grossman has some of the skills to be a—dare I say it—great quarterback, like confidence. And a rocket for an arm, to throw Favre-like lasers through tight coverage. And a feathery touch to throw a soft deep ball over defenders.

Now, he’s got nothing.

Early in his career, it was injuries that kept him from performing like the player Bears fans expected. Now, it looks like the pressure of big market expectations has gotten to Rex, and that’s a shame.

Now, in his contract year, he’s been relegated to the bench and won’t likely get a starting gig unless an injury occurs. It’s very likely, Rex’s career as a Bear is over.

As for Griese, he is now 2-2 as a starter and looks to be gaining a firm grasp of the offense. His ability to limit mistakes, as evidenced by the 0 turnovers against Philadelphia, is one of the main reasons he is starting now. And if he can keep that up, the Bears could make a run at a playoff spot.

The Bears still have issues they need to solve before they can be contenders again.

Their running game has been terrible. Cedric Benson has proven nothing to me, except that he is a serviceable number two running back who thrives against tired defenders. Their defense is still porous, evidenced by the Adrian Peterson show last week.

A 7-2 record down the stretch would give the Bears 10 wins and maybe a spot in the playoffs. If the Bears can find a way to jump start the running game, clog the holes in the defense and Griese can limit his mistakes, the Bears may be primed to make a run after a disastrous start.

Jim Hendry Interview, Cliff's Notes Edition

While doing my daily search for baseball information, I came across an MLB.com interview with Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry. And rather than having readers have to read the whole thing and try to figure out what is or is not important, I've decided to highlight four things from that interview that I deem interesting.

***Note: All quotes attributed to Hendry***

1. "You want to improve and you want to change things. Even if you're the World Champions, I think you come into camp next year with four or five different guys on your roster. That's the way the game is now."
• It looks like the Cubs poor playoff performance isn't likely to affect the 25-man roster. However, this quote makes me believe that Hendry has his eye on some new blood in an attempt to better an 85-win division championship team. This year's free agent pool is quite shallow, but there are several quality players that can be had for the right price. It will take another smart off-season by the Cubs front office to bring improvements to this team. I'm interested in what players Hendry will target this winter.
2. "You can't predict somebody wants to come to your place. We've had a good track record -- people want to play here."
• I thought that this quote was important, specifically the part I put in italics. This was in response to a question asking if the Cubs were more likely to make roster changes through minor league call ups, free agency or through the trade market. I feel that Hendry's statement "people want to play here" is a good sign. I remember that under the Dusty Baker and Don Baylor eras that both of those managers were supposed to bring stars. They didn't. We'll see if the combination of Hendry's recruiting ability and Lou Piniella's managerial star power can bring in some impact players to the Northside.
3. "I'm happy with [Geovany] Soto. I think Soto has a great chance to be the catcher on Opening Day."
• For the record, I like Geo, but I'm not quite ready to give him the majority of the playing time behind the plate quite yet. Yes, he hit .389 in limited big league action this year. Yes, he hit the only home run for the Cubs this post season. Yes, he posted a .353 average with a 1.076 OPS in 110 Triple-A games in 2007. I realize all of that, but I don't want to put a lot of faith in a catcher with such a small sample size, though you have to think some of those Triple-A numbers would have to translate to the big league level. Also, I'm concerned about the health of Henry Blanco, who didn't play much in the second half and was left off of the post season roster. Free agent catchers include Jason Kendall (Cubs), Paul Lo Duca (Mets), Jorge Posada (Yankees) and Yorvit Torrealba (Rockies).
4. "I believe our payroll will go up [in 2008]. I don't know how much. If it stayed the same or close to the same, I wouldn't complain about it."
• According to Hendry, the impending sale of the Tribune Company shouldn't interfere with baseball opertations, and that's coming from the guys above him and John McDonough (e.g.Tribune executives Dennis FitzSimons and Crane Kenney.) That's a good sign, because this team needs to make improvements if they want to make the playoffs again, next year.

By posting this, I've saved the reader roughly 600-700 words. With that time, you can help Jim Hendry by outlining what the Cubs need for next year.

Midterm Madness!

We're a little more than halfway through the semester and I am relieved.

Again, this semester has had its fair share of peaks and valleys, but I am surviving. That is where the difficulty lies in these semesters. Sometimes, they feel long and frustrating--while other times they fly by and you don't even know what hit you.

Midterms have come and gone here at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and I am feeling good about myself. I have not missed many classes, though my goal of perfect attendance for the semester is unreachable now, I'm not hurt by the handful of classes I have missed.

CLASSES I LIKE

JRNL 311: Reporting & News Writing with William (Bill) Recktenwald

• This has been my absolute favorite class, so far. Mr. Recktenwald is a Chicagoland native who wrote for the Chicago Tribune in his heyday, and his experience in the newsroom is one of the reasons I like that class so much. Someone that can teach to you from experience is more valuable than anything a book can tell you. I could honestly gush over this class for days, but won't. Bill is the type of teacher (and this is the type of class) that helps me enjoy my journalism major.

JRNL 332: Journalism in Law with Professor Hlavich

• My "Journalism Law" class was one of those classes that worried me as the school year started, mostly because of my fear of the legal system. But Professor Hlavich does so much so her students understand what is going on, and it really makes the class interesting too. I've been quite successful in that class, which surprises me to be honest. It's educational and informative...AND can be applied to stuff I will need in the future.

CLASSES I DON'T LIKE

ZOOL 115: General Biology with Prof. Nsofor

• I'd like to preface this by saying I hate science. Not as much as I hate math, but I hate science nonetheless. I'm not fond of the lecture in this class, though I'm doing very well in my lab section. But the lecture is quite unbearable. Nsofor's lectures are long winded, making paying attention difficult. Having the notes online is great, however, there is no substitute for a teacher that is well spoken and can simplify science for non-science people like myself.

JRNL 335: Graphic Communication with Tommy Xie

• I am finding this to be the most difficult of my journalism classes, mostly because in this class I am unable to use my writing abilities to save my grade. The focus of this class is design--and that is not my strength. Everyone knows I can be sloppy and the fact I have no graphic design experience is of no help. I don't mind the lab with Heather Lose, who really simplifies things to the point where an idiot like me can make sense of the InDesign program. But Tommy, our lecturer, isn't on my happy side. Mostly because of the difficulty of the questions on his test and his lecturing abilities. He's not terrible, but he's not great either.

ENGL 382B: Creative Writng: Inter. Poetry with Alberta Skaggs

• Shocked? So am I. Everyone knows how much I love poetry, and that if not for poetry I'd likely be in an isolated mental state. My two poetry classes last year help me vent about my sophomore and junior year's at SIU in the best way possible. So maybe it's because I'm not the motivated mind I was last year (albeit motivation due to frustration.) Maybe because I've resolved some (but unfortunately, not all) of my issues that go back to sophomore and junior year. Maybe it's that prolonged writer's block that has been going on since June. Or maybe it's the fact that my teacher really ahsn't done anything to motivate me. In any case, I'm not happy with my poetry class (for several reasons.) I'm not motivated, the class is unorganized, it's taught by a teacher who had never taught a poetry class before....among other reasons. Still, the poetry is coming (though not at the pace it did last year.)

LET'S TAKE A TIME MACHINE, SHALL WE?

Now that I've got "Midterm Madness" off my brain, I decided I'd take a look back at what I was writing about this time last year and lo and behold we've got ourselves something that is worth a damn. As of now it's 11:56 p.m. on 10/17/07, and on this date last year I wrote this blog found at my old site.

In summary, I took a look back at a blog from 11/15/06 in which I referenced a conversation I had with my (now former) roommate. I referenced that note only because of what happened only hours before that post.

The Chicago Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals 24-23 on Monday Night Football behind three turnovers that turned into touchdowns and a game-winning punt return by Devin Hester. That game would go on to be known as "The Monday Night Miracle" and afterwards came my response:

"2007 JUST MIGHT BE THE YEAR! Maybe then MAYBE this can be my year too."

The next night, I would write about my epiphany. Unfortunately, that World Series Championship never came to fruition. Though technically I never said World Series--I said "championship." Damn! I should have been more specific!

So anyway, the point of that whole mini-rant was to prove how much I have changed. Even though those two posts aren't the biggest pieces of supporting evidence, there has been a significant change in my life.

No longer am I the bitter, frustrated young man that some people loved (while others hated.) No longer am I throwing my computer chair around my room in disgust. No longer amI beating my bed senseless with a baseball bat (mostly because I don't have my bat anymore, but that's besides the point.)

The point is that I feel like I'm moving forward in my life. And I'll be honest, sometimes I back-track. Sometimes I'll get into a state of mind where I'll just sit lonely and thing about "what could have been" or "what should have been." Sometimes I fall into the traps that got me down in the first place.

But then I'll have a happy moment, and all is right with the world.

IT DOESN'T GET EASIER

In closing, I'd like to take a short look at what I have ahead of me. (Hint: it's not gonna be pretty.) In order to graduate in Fall 2008, I'm gonna have to pull off the following miracle: 18 credit hours next semester, and 17 the semester after that.

The reason I have to do this is because of my sophomore year, which I consider the worst year in my life. It was the most tumultuous year, and what I mean by that is that I went through a period in which anything bad that could happen to me, did happen.

I honestly have difficulties finding silver linings in what happened that year. Not saying that there weren't any (because I can think of one in particular), but I say that because the bad outweighed the good--and it was a major setback.

Now I can take a look back at that and say that for the most part, I've moved on. And on graduation day I will be able to say, I survived SIU despite that. And if there is one thing I have learned from the 2007 Chicago Cubs (yay! baseball reference!) is that if you can make it through the rough times, you'll be stronger in the end because of it.

Good night folks, and sweet dreams.

Finished @ 12:13 a.m.

Congrats To The Colorado Rockies

With their 6-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies won their first National League pennant and will be representing the National League in the World Series.

As much as the media types love this story because of their hot streak, which seemingly came out of nowhere, I like this story for other reasons.

For example, the Rockies and the D'Backs were tied for last place in the NL West last year and most people projected them to be at the bottom of that division again. Instead, they were the participants in this year's NLCS.

So there's that "worst to first" storyline that the big networks will market around.

Then, there's the construction of this baseball team.

The rumor mill had the longest serving Rockie, Todd Helton, traded to the Boston Red Sox during the off-season--but talks fell through at the end. If Helton would have been traded, I don't think that the Rockies even sniff the playoffs.

As for the rest of their roster, I admire the home grown talent on that squad. That's how teams used to be built, from the bottom up. It's rare enough to get a stud like Matt Holliday, but when you get several studs on a roster(Garrett Atkins, Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe) it's special.

The Rockies front office did a pretty nifty job in constructing a pitching staff as well. Guys like Jeff Francis, Ubaldo Jimenez and Franklin Morales came up through the system and look to be Major League quality pitchers. LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Herges and Josh Fogg were picked up off the scrap heap.

You have to applaud a team like this, and admire from a distance. But then I realize, it's the Rockies.

And that's when it hit me.

Everyone and their mother knows the Chicago Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 and haven't appeared in one since 1945. However, I can't relate to either of those teams, so I'll take a more recent look.

I was born in July 1986, since then the Cubs have made four playoff appearances (1989, 1998, 2003, 2007.) In that time, Major League Baseball has added the Rockies and Florida Marlins in 1993 and the D'Backs and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998.

Of those teams, the Marlins (1997, 2003) and D'Backs (2001) won the World Series. Now the Rockies will have their chance.

As for the Cubs, they'll continue to wait 'til next year.

Moving Forward To 2008

In 2008, the Chicago Cubs will be celebrating the 100 year anniversary of their last World Series championship. With the League Championship Series in each league underway, there is no better time to start talking about that team than right now.

The Cubs have a lot of guys under contract for next year, which makes things difficult when you're trying to improve on an 85-win division championship team. But despite the division championship, the Cubs have several holes that need to be filled.

The outfield seems set with Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie and Jacque Jones from left to right. However, I'm not satisfied with that trio on paper. In order for the Cubs to improve (and the key word is improve) one of those spots needs to be upgraded.

Pie hit .362 in Triple-A last year and could make the big jump Cubs fans expected him to make this year. He's still young and relatively an unknown commodity, making him the Cubs top bargaining chip this off-season. More on this later.

The contract Jones signed in 2006 is up after next season and is no longer an albatross. After his .332 second half average, JJ could be used as trade bait. If not, a right field platoon of Jones and Matt Murton (who is a career .328 hitter against left handed pitching.)

Fan favorite Ryan Theriot won over manager Lou Piniella with his hard work and overall solid play. Fans will be clamoring for Theriot to lead-off next year, but his on-base percentage (.326) was lower than Soriano's (.337) and as much as I like "The Riot" that doesn't translate to being an everyday player, sorry.

The place where the Cubs could use the biggest improvement is at catcher. Six Cubs combined to bat .239 last year, providing a major hole behind the plate. Geovany Soto will likely make the squad after his .389 batting average in 18 games, but I wouldn't get too excited about it just yet.

The starting rotation is solid with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Rich Hill at the front of the rotation. Jason Marquis and Sean Marshall are pretty solid options in the number five slot. Both were solid in the first half, but struggled in the second half. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild's biggest job will be to straighten out that duo in the second half.

Mark Prior again is a wild card, but we'll cross that bridge if we get to it.

This may surprise you, but the Cubs had one of the best bullpen's around. Closer Ryan Dempster converted 28 saves in 31 chances, despite losing the trust of the fans. Scott Eyre got out of Piniella's doghouse to post a 0.81 ERA in the second half and Bobby Howry posted a 3.32 ERA and was the Cubs most consistent reliever.

Closer-in-waiting Carlos Marmol posted "video game numbers" with 96 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings as Piniella's bullpen ace. In limited action, Kerry Wood notched 24 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings of work.

EXPLORING THE FREE AGENT MARKET

Last year the Cubs made major strides in improving this team in the free agent market by signing Soriano, Marquis, Lilly and utility man Mark DeRosa. Still, this team has major holes to fill, but thankfully there are free agent alternatives.

Target number one is Alex Rodriguez, who if he exercises his out clause and signs with the Cubs, could be moved to shortstop. Rodriguez has expressed his interest and man love for Piniella and his 54 homers and 156 RBIs line would look nice between Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.

The Yankees hold a $16 million option on Bobby Abreu's return to the Bronx, and he would be the top right fielder available if he hit the market. Abreu is an OBP machine posting a .369 clip in 2007 while swiping 25 bases as well.

Also consider Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome as a potential right field fill in. For more on Fukudome, I'll link to MLBTR.

The Cubs could re-sign Jason Kendall and have a catching duo of Kendall and Soto. Kendall hit .270 with a .362 OBP in 57 games with the Cubs. The best free agent out there is another Yankee, Jorge Posada, who posted carer highs in batting average (.338) and OBP (.426) in 2007.

EXPLORING THE TRADE MARKET

In an attempt to not spend big money this off-season, the Cubs could look to improve via trades. Braves shortstop Edgar Renteria could be expendable with the emergence of Yunel Escobar.

For the Cubs to acquire Renteria, they would likely have to trade Marshall or Dempster and a mid-level prospect, for the Braves are looking to improve their starting rotation and their bullpen by any means necessary this off-season.

Miguel Tejada talks could resurface this off-season with former Cubs boss Andy MacPhail rumored to be shopping Tejada this off-season.

The biggest name on the trade market could be Twins starter Johan Santana, who becomes a free agent after the 2008 season. It would take a creative package of top prospects and a major league ready talent for the Twins to shop Santana.

My proposal is fair and as follows:

• Felix Pie. The Cubs top prospect is just what the Twins need. Pie would fill their center field hole at a cheap rate for a long time when Torii Hunter leaves as a free-agent.
• Donnie Veal. Veal is the Cubs top pitching prospect. Veal is a lefty in the mold of Dontrelle Wilis who projects to be a top of the line starter.
• Rich Hill. I'll pause for a moment so you can wipe that shocked look off your face. Santana won't come easy or cheap, that's why you have to throw a major league ready--or in this case--a major league starter to replace Johan in the rotation.
  
• One of the following prospects would probably put a deal in motion and help the Twins reload their minor league system: 2B Eric Patterson, SS Ronny Cedeno, SP Sean Gallagher.

That's all for now. I can't wait 'til the playoffs are over.

One last look back at the 2007 Cubs

Now that I've had some time to simmer down after the premature ending of what was supposed to be "the year" I can look back at 2007 with an even temper.

Looking at the '07 team, it was much improved over the '06 team. And there were two moves that directly impacted the change of this ballclub. The resignation of President Andy MacPhail and the signing of manager Lou Piniella.

MacPhail's resignation came as a surprise, a pleasant one at that. He had quite a long tenure in Chicago and had only two playoff appearances to show for it, and that wasn't going to cut it.

Replacing MacPhail on an interim basis was former vice president of marketing, John McDonough. And in his first press conference, McDonough made clear that his soul purpose as interim president was to win a World Series.

With McDonough in the fold, the Cubs opened up the vaults that MacPhail seemed to have locked and his first move was hiring Piniella.

A lot of people thought that Dusty Baker deserved another chance as Cubs manager. Granted, many were the types of Cardinals and White Sox fans who enjoy the suffering of Cubs fans almost as much (if not more) than their own teams success.

In the first year, the hiring of Piniella proved why he was a better choice than Baker.

Dusty said he liked young players, so did Lou. The difference is that Lou walked the walk. He turned the organization upside down in an effort to put the best 25 players on the field.

Youngsters (including, but not limited to) Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, Rich Hill, Carlos Marmol and Sean Marshall made major contributions throughout the year.

Piniella also installed a sense of accountability. Michael Barrett (Padres), Cesar Izturis (Pirates) and Wade Miller (designated for assignment) were shipped out because they couldn't get the job done.

Ronny Cedeno, Matt Murton and Will Ohman were sent down until they got their stuff together.

Scott Eyre and Jacque Jones were benched for long periods of times because of their lack of production, essentially handcuffing Piniella with a 23-man roster.

Free-agency is another thing that helped the Cubs make an 18-win improvement.

Alfonso Soriano (.299 33 HR 70 RBI) brought stability to the lead-off spot, despite a less than moving .337 on-base percentage. Mark DeRosa was better than advertised. "DeRo" appeared in six different positions and managed to hit .293 with a .371 OBP.

The new Cub free agent starters were good too. Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis combined for 67 starts, almost 400 innings pitched and 27 wins.

This was a good team, unfortunately, not good enough to move past the first round.

The Brooklyn Dodgers coined it, the Chicago Cubs perfected it: "Wait 'til next year."

QUESTION OF THE NIGHT

With the NLCS underway tonight, I have one simple question: Who do you love when the Cubs break your heart? I've ranted on this site (and others) about how being a Cubs fan is like being in a relationship--and once in awhile, even in the best relationships--you get your heartbroken.

I've decided to take a stand and not watch the NLCS. I'm not sure how long that is going to last, knowing how much I love watching the game of baseball no matter which two teams are playing. And they've got the ace broadcasting crew which includes former Cubs announcer Chip Caray and current Cubs announcer Bob Brenly.

However, I'm still a little upset about the Cubs first round loss so I won't be going for the D'bags. I'm sorry, Arizona is not deserving of a baseball team--mostly because as of this morning you could buy 25 tickets together for an NLCS game. I'm sorry, if you can do that then YOU DO NOT DESERVE A F*CKING PLAYOFF TEAM!!!!

I'm siding with the Boston Red Sox. Cubs fans and Red Sox fans are a lot a like. They both have passionate fans, a heated regional rival, a classic American ballpark, and cute girls represented in their fandom. Though I'll never forget that one Boston girl I met that laughed like Peter Griffin from Family Guy. I'll admit that was kinda creepy.

Whatever---baseball season ends whenever the Cubs do.

It Didn't Happen: D'Backs 5-1 win ends Cubs season

NOTE: This is the first of a four part series which will take a look back at the 2007 Chicago Cubs.

PART ONE: Reviewing the NLDS.
PART TWO: Reviewing the 2007 season.
PART THREE: Looking forward to 2008.
PART FOUR: What the 2007 Cubs meant to me.

To me, there is nothing more eerie than a victory celebration in front of a silent capacity crowd.

That's what Cubs fans had to see as Jose Valverde recorded the final out of the Diamondbacks 5-1 victory.

In recapping this game and this series as a whole, I'm not sure where to begin because so much went wrong.

First, you have to give the D'Backs all of the credit in the world. I guess there was some weight behind those NL leading 90 wins. They beat the Cubs at all phases of the game.

Next, you have to acknowledge the tale of two advanced scouting departments. The D'Backs obviously took notice of every scouting report and used it to their advantage.

For example in game one, Brandon Webb threw a week's worth of slow breaking balls to a team that is a notorious fastball hitting team. Throughout the series, the D'Backs jumped on fastballs early in the count--notably Chris Young's lead-off, first pitch home run off Rich Hill.

On the other hand, that is where the Cubs failed. They failed to capitalize on the wildness of Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez, in two must-win games for the Cubs.

But that's only part of the reason they got swept.

Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, the heavy hitters that carried the Cubs in September didn't hit one home run. They were out homered by Stephen Drew for crying out loud!

Drew, along with teammate Augie Ojeda will soon find themselves on the official list of Cub killers. Ojeda is deserving of the Steve Garvey Award (Post Season Cub Killing) with his .444 average, which is .212 points higher than his career average.

The only Cubs home run came off the bat of Geovany Soto--and it was the only time the Cubs scored more than one run in an inning.

Yet, another reason behind the Cubs failure.

Upon further review of this series, the only Cub to step up and do something worth a darn was Carlos Zambrano--the guy that everyone was most worried about. Think about it, Big Z was composed and dominant in the best 85 pitches I've ever seen him throw.

And now, two former expansion teams (one of which I called a sabermetrical aberration) will be competing for the NLCS, beginning on Thursday.

While the best 85-win, division championship team that $300 million could buy is sitting at home.

Waiting 'til next year, again.

Make History Or We're History!

Pop quiz: When was the last time the Cubs won three playoff games in a row?

Answer: Games two, three and four of the 2003 NLCS.

I guess it's pretty hard to remember, especially when the Marlins won the next three and went on to win the World Series.

Impossible, no. Improbable, maybe. Winning the next three games against a very confident club won't be easy. But don't forget, nothing comes easy if you're a Cubs fan. Not this year, not any year.

I, for one, am surprised the Cubs are down 0-2 in the NLDS. But maybe I shouldn't be.

The Diamonbacks first two starters came into the NLDS with a combined career record of 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA against the Cubs.

I thought the Cubs would at least come back to Wrigley tied 1-1 with a pivitol game three on Saturday afternoon. Game three is still important, in fact, more important than ever!

Game three's motto is simple: "Make history, or we're history."

The last team to come back from an 0-2 hole to win a divisional series was the 2003 Boston Red Sox who beat the Oakland A's and their aces Tim Hudson and Barry Zito in games four and five.

However, no National League team has ever come back to win a NLDS after being down 0-2.

I guess it's time for the Cubs to make history in a good way.

It's not going to be easy. First the Cubs must win the ultimate "must-win game" with lefty Rich Hill on the mound and beat Livan Hernandez and the D'Backs on Saturday afternoon. Then, on short rest, Carlos Zambrano must beat Micah Owings--who is more feared at the plate than on the mound. And finally, if the Cubs can even force it to game five they'll have to send the recently shelled Ted Lilly on short rest against last year's Cy Young Award winner, Brandon Webb.

YIKES!

Being a Cubs fan has taught me one thing over the years, and that is to expect the unexpected. And usually, when I think the Cubs are out they give you a glimmer a hope.

Hopefully the D'Backs will give an inch, and the Cubs will take the mile.

Cubs Suffer In Case Of The Ex: Go Down 0-2 in NLDS

A game like this is a microcosm of what Chicago Cubs baseball is all about.

And that's not a good thing.

The Arizona Diamondbacks 8-4 victory over the Cubs in game two of the NLDS was a pretty easy game to analyze, so this post should be relatively short.

The Cubs took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when catcher Geovany Soto hit a two-run home run off of D'Backs starter Doug Davis.

However, they gave it right back in the bottom of the second. And this is where the case of the ex strikes.

CASE OF THE EX PART ONE: Ex-Sox farmhand Chris Young hit a three-run home run off of Cubs starter Ted Lilly to give the D'Backs the 3-2 lead and gave White Sox fans the joy of knowing they are indirectly responsible for the Cubs game two woes.

CASE OF THE EX PART TWO: Former Cub utility infielder Augie Ojeda went 2-for-4, raising his NLDS average to .571. Ojeda hit .182 during his short Cubs career.

CASE OF THE EX PART THREE: Another former Cub, pitcher Juan Cruz, pitched 1/3 of an inning. That one-third of an inning--a strikeout of Alfonso Soriano.

ACCORDING TO DICK, GAME TWO: I'll keep this short and simple. Hey, TBS--FIRE DICK STOCKTON!!!! He repeatedly insinuated that Soriano was limping and that he was playing hurt. I've been watching Soriano since his return from the quad injury--and he looks better now than when he first came back. It's obvious to me that Stockton is out of place calling these games. This isn't mid-90's NFL on Fox. This isn't the 1980's NBA Finals. It's the 2007 MLB playoffs---there's no reason for Dick to be broadcasting these games.

The Cubs are on their way back to Chicago for game three (and hopefully four) of the NLDS. They'll send lefty Rich Hill against the crafty playoff veteran Livan Hernandez with this thought in mind:

"Make history, or we're history."

Cubs-D'Backs Preview: Game Two

After Diamondbacks closer Jose Valverde recorded the final out of their 3-1 victory over the Cubs, Cubdom went into classic panic mode.

Locally, nationally and seemingly everywhere in between, the topic of the day was whether Cubs manager Lou Piniella made the right decision pulling starter Carlos Zambrano after only throwing 85 pitches.

It seems as if a majority of people out there believe that Piniella screwed the pooch on that one. The Chicago Sun-Times said it was a Lou-sing call. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune said that Piniella's quick hook was costly, arguing that by not opting to use Jason Marquis in game four may come back to haunt the Cubs.

The verdict: I am going to side with Piniella on this one. Knowing that Zambrano is going to have to pitch game four, Piniella made the right move for the situation (being that the Cubs are going with a three-man rotation.) Piniella's been making these moves all year, at least he's been consistent and has a reasoning behind what he did--unlike past Cubs managers.

Also, take this into account. Coming into the game, Carlos Marmol, who took the loss in game one, had only given up a combined four runs in August and September. That's 30 2/3 innings with 43 strikeouts and an ERA under 1.20. It's not like he was bringing out Dave Veres, Antonio Alfonseca or Mark Guthrie.

Also take into account that the Cubs offense didn't score a run after the sixth inning. Big Z coulda pitched the rest of the game. The Cubs didn't score, and you can't win if you don't score!

Moving on from last nights game with these final notes:

• 1-10 with runners in scoring position is not going to get it done. There is hope for the Cubs offense who hit several line-drives right at people, which prevented potential runs from scoring. Hopefully tonight those shots will find some holes.
• Stephen Drew is officially on my baseball sh*t-list. Drew hit another clutch home run against the Cubs and made several Gold Glove caliber defensive plays which saved a few runs from scoring. And to top that off, he's a Drew--and with that comes BCB's great headline "Funny, he doesn't look Drewish."
• I'm just gonna come out and say it now--TBS broadcasting sucks. Did any of the head honchos realize that this is the MLB playoffs, not the NFL on FOX. Dick Stockton has no place in a baseball booth. I'd rather hear Tim McCarver's nonsense than Dick's. Take note of Dick's Dumb Remarks (might be a new segment, According to Dick):
• Tonight's starter for the D'Backs is Ron (not Doug) Davis.
• D'Backs outfielder Chris Young led MLB rookies in home runs (Ryan Braun and his 34 HRs would disagree.)
• The Cubs traded Michael Barrett for Jason Kendall. Funny, that's not how I remember it. Mikey B. was traded to San Diego for Rob Bowen in June, and in July Bowen was traded to Oakland for Kendall.

PREVIEWING TONIGHT'S GAME

I spent a lot of time reviewing game one, so I'll keep it relatively short for game two.

The Cubs will send Theodore Roosevelt Lilly A.K.A. "Mr. Neversmile" in what is definitely a must win game for the Cubs. Teddy truly has been the Cubs stopper this year with a 9-1 record in 16 starts after a Cubs loss.

The D'Backs will counter with Doug Davis. Davis is a certified Cub killer. He owns a 7-5 lifetime record with a 3.39 ERA against the Cubs. Davis out dueled Lilly in August at Chase Field, striking out eight Cubs in the process.

The Cubs will likely have a different looking line-up tonight.

• Mark DeRosa (career .301 against LHP) might bat second against Davis.
• Matt Murton (career .400 against Davis) will likely get the start in right field.
• Jacque Jones (career .294 against Davis) will probably start in center field and bat eighth.
• Kendall (career .313 against Davis) should get the nod behind the plate.

After the game ended, Cubs fan and producer of the documentary Chasing October: A Fan's Crusade Matt Liston left this bulletin on the popular networking site myspace.com:

It's only one game. This series will go all the way to game 5.

Take a breath...let's WIN tomorrow.

JUST BELIEVE,
Matt

I echo Matt's sentiments. Let's go out and win game two and shut everyone up!

Remember, "It's Gonna Happen!"

TAKING THE EXTRA BASE:

Sox fans now have another reason to hate Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. Mariotti echoes the sentiments of people with thoughts with this simple statement: "Grow Up."

Game One Recap: D'Backs 3 Cubs 1

I waited four years for this.

Four years after I suffered the most heart breaking moment of my life, the Cubs came out and lost game one of the 2007 NLDS.

Pitching on both sides dominated the game. Brandon Webb (1-0) picked up the win when the Diamondbacks scored two runs off of reliever Carlos Marmol (0-1) in the bottom of the 7th inning.

The D'Backs scored two of their runs off of long home runs from Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds. Drew, a .238 hitter in 2007 and Reynolds--known to D'Back fans as MarKKKKK--for striking out nine-straight times--tying a major league record.

Carlos Zambrano, who is now winless in his five playoff starts, was the "Big Z" that I wish could show up for 33 starts a year. He struck out eight and only walked one while throwing only 85 pitches.

While some will criticize manager Lou Piniella for pulling "Z" after only 85 pitches, take into consideration that he has to pitch game four (which WILL be necessary) and that Marmol was dominant in his first full campaign as a reliever.

Now, after Marmol's last two outings, I'm worried that "Marmol-aid" is tiring down the stretch. His slider is hanging more often than not--and when his slider hangs it gets hit and hit hard!

The Cubs offense could only scratch out one run off of Webb. Not surprising, especially after taking into consideration that Webb had a 4-1 career record against the Cubs coming into the NLDS.

The Cubs biggest offensive problem wasn't getting people on base, instead it was driving them in. They left 17 guys on base tonight. 17 under the "LOB" column in the scorecard isn't gonna win many games (if any!)

I'll be honest, I didn't give the Cubs much of a chance against B-Webb (knowing his past record againt the Cubs) and while taking that into consideration---that makes game two even bigger.

The Cubs will throw Ted Lilly a.k.a. "Mr. Neversmile" against the D'Backs Doug Davis--whose career ERA against the Cubs is under four.

Expect some changes in the Cub line-up tomorrow night. I think Mark DeRosa will bat second tomorrow night (batting .283 against lefties) with Jacque Jones hitting 8th and Matt Murton getting the start in right field (batting .319 against lefties this year.)

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not going to get too down about this loss.

MY PREDICTION: The sun will rise tomorrow, and the Cubs will win game two!

Don't give up the faith!

Playoff Preview: NLDS Game One

And then there was one.

After watching the Red Sox end their 86-year championship drought in 2004 and watching their cross-town rival White Sox celebrate the end of their own championship drought with a ticker-tape parade downtown, the Chicago Cubs will take their first step towards their first World Series since 1908 tonight at Chase Field when they visit the NL West champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

The D'Backs will go into this series with the Cubs owning the NL's best record with 90 wins, despite being outscored. Seems like a sabermetrical aberration to me--but that's another discussion for another day.

This will be the Cubs first playoff appearance since 2003, and already "Curse Talk" has begun.

This morning's edition of SportsCenter dedicated 10 minutes revisiting billy goats, black cats and Bartmans. Several mlb.com reports lead with talk about "reversing the curse." And to be honest, there are a lot of Cubs fans who are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I, myself did not believe in curses until after the 2003 season. And I didn't even fall for it after the Bartman game.

I truly began to believe in what some would call "nonsense" after a completely healthy Kerry Wood collapsed in front of my eyes.

When Mark Prior a.k.a "Mr. Perfect Mechanics" and Wood spent major chunks of the 2004 season on the disabled list. And Sammy Sosa found himself on the DL with "the sneeze heard 'round 'The Chi'."

There was just too much evidence in front of my eyes at that point to not credit supernatural forces for what was happening to the three most popular Cubs, and what would eventually happen to the Cubs.

NOW FOR THE PLAYOFFS

Moving on from that, the Cubs have their work cut out for them.

WHAT THE CUBS HAVE GOING FOR THEM: Manager Lou Piniella has been here before, and his managerial experience should count for something. The Cubs also have the possibility of sending their two best starters, Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly, for four of this series. Also the Cubs possess a dangerous lead-off man (Alfonso Soriano) and middle-of-the line-up thunder (Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.)

WHAT THE D'BACKS HAVE GOING FOR THEM: They had the most wins in the NL this year, but once the playoffs start every team starts at 0-0. The biggest thing the D'Backs have going for them is that they have the best starting pitcher (Brandon Webb, 18 wins) and the best closer (Jose Valverde, 47 saves) of the teams remaining the National League.

WHAT THE CUBS HAVE GOING AGAINST THEM: I'll come out and say it because out there some idiot already has said it. That stupid curse. As the playoffs come, so do the stupid national media types that allow this curse talk to continue. Also the Cubs possess the ultimate Wild Card in this series, the performance of Ryan Dempster. The Cubs closer has a three-something ERA in save situations, but in non-save situations his ERA is around five.

WHAT THE D'BACKS HAVE GOING AGAINST THEM: The D'Backs have loads of playoff inexperience up-and-down the line-up. They're manager will also be making his first playoff managing experience too. Also, after Webb, the D'Backs rotation doesn't look intimidating even though they do have Cub killer Doug Davis and one of the best hitting pitchers in Micah Owings.

NEWS AND NOTES:

• I've got tonight's tentative starting line-up (courtesy of BCB) and I'll post it below.
• ESPN doesn't want the Cubs to win the World Series, go figure. ESPN doesn't care about sports if it doesn't involve the Yankees, Red Sox or Duke Basketball.
• Hire Jim Essian! gives ESPN the finger in this piece.
• Not so fast, my friend. The respectable Jayson Stark plays the "Why Not Us?" card. He thinks the Cubs can win this thing!
  
• For those of you who can't make it out to your local watering hole to watch the game, there is a Cubs drinking game. Play at your own risk!

That's all for now. Game time is less than three hours away. I'm nervous!

Game 1 Starting Lineups
Cubs	D'backs
Soriano, lf	Young, cf
Theriot, ss	Drew, ss
Lee, 1b	Byrnes, lf
Floyd, rf	Clark, 1b
Ramirez, 3b	Reynolds, 3b
DeRosa, 2b	Salazar, rf
Jones, cf	Snyder, c
Soto, c	Ojeda, 2b
Zambrano, p	Webb, p

I'd Like To Say That I Saw It Coming

With the NL Wild Card game currently in progress and the first game of the NLDS a few days away, again I will take another look back at the 2007 Chicago Cubs.

I'd like to say that I saw this thing coming.

In February, I coined the phrase "This is the year that Cubdom strikes back," an obvious play on "The Emperor Strikes Back." However, back in October is when I began to believe.

On October 18, 2007 I posted a blog called "The Flashback, The Vision, The Prediction," which described a three-pronged event that was triggered by the Bears historic comeback. That blog is linked here for your viewing/reading pleasure. In short, here's what I had to say:

• The Flashback refers to a conversation I had in which I said I'd land the girl of my dreams the day that the Bears, Bulls, Cubs and SIU win championships.
  
• The Vision refers to a dream I had that night. In short, I was at Opening Day 2007 claiming that 2007 was the year and only myself and someone who was with me agreed.
• The Predictions actually went eerily well. I shook of a "curse" that had been plaguing me, SIU won the MVC and went to the Sweet 16, the Bears won the NFC and went to the Super Bowl (and there were several Super Bowl songs about the Bears), and the Bulls did indeed knock off the Heat and advanced in the playoffs for the first time in the post-Jordan era. And the Cubs have completed phase one of their championship campaign by winning the NL Central.

THINKING ABOUT THE PLAYOFF ROSTER

With the Cubs officially in the playoffs, manager Lou Piniella has until Wednesday morning to turn in his playoff roster. The Cubs have a lot of questions to answer before then. In early September, I took a crack at what I thought the playoff roster should look like. Today, I have a different outlook.

STARTING PITCHERS (4)

Zambrano
Lilly
Hill
Marshall (if necessary)

It appears that the Cubs will go with a three-man rotation featuring Carlos Zambrano (games one and four), Ted Lilly (games two and five) and Rich Hill. But if it was up to me, I'd risk starting Jason Marquis, who was 8-3 at Wrigley Field in 2007. That would push Zambrano to game five (if necessary.) Big Z was 12-4 with a 3.06 ERA on the road compared to 6-9 with a 4.96 ERA at home.

Sean Marshall is more likely to make the playoff roster because of Marquis' recent struggles (mostly with his mechanics) and because he'd be another left handed pitcher out of the pen.

RELIEF PITCHERS (7)

Dempster
Howry
Eyre
Marmol
Wood
Wuertz
Hart

Despite his recent struggles, Ryan Dempster will likely be the Cubs closer in the playoffs with Bobby Howry and Scott Eyre as his primary set up men. Eyre has posted a stellar second half line: 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA in 28 second half games.

And despite every Cubs fan's request, Carlos Marmol will not be the Cubs closer. Instead, he will serve the role of bullpen ace when the Cubs need him in closer-like situations in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings.

Kevin Hart likely will take the spot that would have been reserved for Marquis. Hart was acquired from Baltimore in the trade that sent Freddy Bynum to the Orioles. In 11 innings of September work, Hart posted no record and a 0.82 ERA to go along with a 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio by striking out 13 and only walking four.

THE STARTING EIGHT (8)

Soto
D. Lee
DeRosa
Theriot
Ramirez
Soriano
Jones
Floyd

Even though I think Jason Kendall will get the starting nod, Geovany Soto is a better choice in my opinion. In his last 10 games, Soto is batting .424 (14-for-33) and has been stellar from a defensive standpoint.

Jacque Jones' play in the second half has turned him from whipping boy to center field savior. Jones hit .326 with a .369 on-base percentage with 45 RBI's. And to think, Jones was almost traded to the Marlins. My initial feelings about that non-trade is recapped here.

Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez will have to do in October what they did in September--and that is carry the Cubs offense by hitting the long ball. The three combined to hit 29 home runs in the final month.

THE BENCH (6)

Kendall
Ward
Fontenot
Murton
Pie
Cedeno

Configuring the bench will be the Cubs biggest challenge. Daryle Ward might not be 100%, leaving the opportunity that rookie Sam Fuld would take Ward's spot. Originally, I had reserved a spot for outfielder Craig Monroe, but upon further review I decided to give his spot to another one of the former whipping boys, infielder Ronny Cedeno who can play second base, third base and shortstop in a pinch. Matt Murton will likely start game two in right field against Diamondbacks lefty Doug Davis. Murton is hitting lefties at a .326 clip in his three year career. Felix Pie is your late inning speed and defense guy.

That's all, for now.

*Note: It is now 10:38 and the NL Wild Card play-in game/tiebreaker is still in progress (6-6 in the 12th inning)

**Editor's Note: I forgot the most important part that I really wanted to make note of. And that was something I mentioned to my mom (I mentioned it in the blog about "The Flashback, The Vision, The Prediction"):

To enforce my vision, my mother and I spoke today. I told her the following: "I was all about Joe Girardi coming to manage the Cubs. I thought that it'd be perfect that the local product, life-long Cub fan and former Cub leads this team out of a 98 year drought. But I thought about Piniella signing and I think it'd be more fitting that a guy named 'LOU' did the job." In response, my mother said "You know, I was thinking the EXACT SAME THING!"