This Cubs team is capable of ending the century-long championship drought, but is that a good thing for Chicago?
It's been five generations since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series. Think about that for a minute -- 100 years! And Toronto Maple Leaf fans complain about their drought of a mere 41 years.
And for the sake of Steve Bartman, let's all hope that this is the year that the Cubs finally win it all again. Like fans of the Boston Red Sox pre-2005, many Cubs fans were born, lived a good life and then died without ever seeing their lovable losers win the whole enchilada. But this 2008 season, which has seen the Cubbies win 43 of their first 67 games to lead the entire major leagues, things are pointing towards a return to the World Series for the first time since 1945 (they lost to the Tigers four games to three that year).
Always known for their offence playing in a hitter's park like Wrigley Field, they have the top pitching staff in the National League, something that has been rare in Chicago. Oh, they could always hit. Their last five forays into the post-season since 1984 were fueled by the bats. This season, led by Venezuelan ace Carlos Zambrano and British Columbia's Ryan Dempster -- both with eight wins to date and sub-3.00 ERA's -- they finally have a starting staff on par with the bats. The only real question mark remains if Kerry Wood, once their fire-balling ace but never healthy for a long stretch, can keep it together for the entire season.
So far, so good.
Woods has18 saves in 22 opportunities and an ERA around two-and-a-half. His health problems (seven trips to the disabled list with a variety of shoulder ailments) appear to be behind him, although manager Lou Piniella still needs to be wary of using him too many days in a row. If Wood does have a stumble, they still have 25-year-old fire-baller Carlos Marmol (61 strikeouts in 41 innings to date). Reminds me of the 1992 Jays, who rode Duane Ward and Tom Henke to their first World Series title.
Offensively, this team has perhaps the most-balanced lineup in the majors, even without Alfonso Soriano who broke his hand on Wednesday night and will be lost to the club for six weeks. Luckily, Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and rookie catcher Geovany Soto are all on pace to drive in over 100 runs and will pick up the slack. Also, ex-Jay Reed Johnson and the recently-acquired Jim Edmonds will need to up their output. Johnson, who was unceremoniously dumped during spring training, started off hot in his first season in Chicago, batting over .300 late into the first month but has since cooled. Over his last 31 games, Johnson, a big fan favourite in Toronto, has hit just .223 with an on-base percentage below .300.
I'm still of the mind that, much like the Leafs, the Cubs are a more valuable property as a loser. The old Deep Purple lyric "It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase" comes to mind here. While all Cubs fans, and there's a lot of you, dream of an October parade down Michigan Avenue, as a franchise they might be more valuable if they don't win the World Series. There wouldn't be any more "maybe next year" if the drought finally ends. Just like the Leafs, the fans will continue to line-up like cattle and overpay just so that they can be there, in case, the title comes back to town.
BULLPEN BLUES
Since the calendar flipped over to June, the Blue Jays’ pen has been well below average. The call-in shows have been quite entertaining, although everyone needs to realize that, as a group, they were well out over their skis. Remember, the starters haven't been going as deep into games as they were during the team's 20-10 May, and the relievers have been overextended. That's why the retreads and the career minor leaguers haven't enjoyed much success lately. And closer B.J. Ryan, who was solid through the first nine weeks of the season, has stumbled badly this month, losing three games, blowing two saves and posting an ERA of 13.50 in June. That will hopefully pass because with the Jays’ uneven offence, the pitching is all that has kept them on the fringe of the playoff race. If they can't pitch, the Jays won't win.
