Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

Lou Piniella has been commenting on all the historical references coming up these days.  You know, the “…not since 1984″, or “last time that happened was 1935″, “a hundred years since…” stuff.  Lou says he’s not interested in all that, he just wants this team to focus on what is in front of them. Piniella has been here before and knows his squad has to finish strong.

With the LA Angels up 17 games in their division, they will clinch with weeks to go in the season. This will then present the challenge for them that Lou had with his 2001 Mariners team that won 116 games and got stale waiting for the playoffs. They lost the ALCS to the Yankees 4 games to 1 after just making it through the ALDS, winning game 5 at home over the Indians. I would like to see the Cubs cruise into the division title with about 7-10 days to go in the season - no excitement, no streaks, just winning series’. This would give them time to rest some guys, line up their rotation, and prepare to face (presumably) the NL West division champs, LA or Arizona. Once in the playoffs, victory goes to the hottest team.

Your Turn

Some great comments have come in lately from AJ on Cubs Never Out Of It post, and from Lamar Miller on the Joe Morgan Is A Putz post. 

AJ pointed out how with the Brewers 9 games abck of the Cubs in the loss column, they would need to go 26-5 in their remaining 31 games to beat out the Cubs assuming we slump to .500 (16-16) in our last 32 games. That’s an excellent observation that illustrates how well in hand this Cubs team has the division.  Just take care of business modestly and we are home free. 

Lamar added on to many of the posts and comments received at CubHub.net World HQ regarding the ineptness of Joe Morgan. That post was actually picked up by the Sun-Times and Reuters there was so much interest.

Remember - this is a site for all Cubs fans - your comments are encouraged. Join the conversation!

Dusty’s Cincinnati Reds are a mere shadow of their already meager former selves with the absence of notorious Cub killer, Adam Dunn.  The big redheaded slugger hit a whopping 38 home runs against the Cubs in his career with 7 of them coming off of Carlos Zambrano alone.  The guy just plain feasted on Cubs pitching, particularly at Wrigley Field where he hit 23 of his 38 bombs.  His trade to Arizona will help the Cubs …until playoff time comes!

Along with Dunn, the Reds dumped Ken Griffey Jroff to the White Sox leaving the team with few power options and lots of kids in their lineup.  Joey Votto hit 3 HRs in a game against the Cubs this year, but that doesn’t happen every day. We’ll see what magic Dusty has for this team in transition.

No matter how flat the team seems on a given day - they had just 5 hits going into the 9th inning last night - they always seem to have a good chance to win.

Listening to the radio call last night, I hear Pat Hughes channeling Jack Brickhouse in trying to sell me the idea that Daryl Ward “might get a hold of one…”.  For years, Brickhouse would search for an angle to promote some interest, some suspense.  He would say “oh if George “The Barron” Mitterwald could just get a hold of one - he’s due!”, knowing in his heart that the Barron would not choose that moment for one of his nine annual home runs.  Even as a ten year old I knew Brick was selling me a lottery ticket of a chance that the Cubs could pull out a miracle.

Whats different today is the 2008 Cubs are cashing in all that good, unspent Karma. As it turned out Hughes was right on. Ward had been 4 for 40 with one HR on the year. The Marlins closer Gregg had served up just one HR in 55 innings this year.  The odds were astronomical that those two guys would do what neither of them had done much of this year - both at the same time.   I thought to myself: forget the homer, and just poke the ball over the second baseman’s head for a single.  Keep it going, just don’t make an out.

But Daryl freakin’ Ward came through with the 3-run bomb. Amazing. A miracle!  But for this year, to be honest, not entirely unexpected.  With Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez on the bench, Lou chose Ward. He pulled the right strings again and the Cubs end the day 5.5 games up in the NL Central, 28 games over .500, and with another dramatic win.

What can you say about Ryan Theriot? The guy has been a rock solid stud all year. He’s a playmaker in the field, shows up everyday, keeps his mouth shut, steals a few bags, and how about his numbers at the plate - check these out:

• Past 7 days:  he’s 9 for last 21 at bats with a .429 average; .520 on-base
• Season:  .320 average; 56 walks to just 41 strikeouts; 65 runs scored

He is clearly one of the main reasons the Cubs are 27 games over .500, best record in the NL, and apparently cruising into October baseball as a favorite.  “The Riot” is doing what winning teams need; he’s performing above expectation, above average and with consistancy.

A rarity. The Cubs are putting the bat on the ball – on the road. Obviously this is a good sign as this ballclub has really hit well at home, but comes dramatically down to earth on the road. The 4-game sweep of the Brewers in Milwaukee, and now a 3-game sweep in Atlanta. Over these last two road series, they have averaged just over 8.5 runs per game resulting in winning all 7 games. That’s getting it done, big time.

The pitching has been solid although starters really aren’t going deep enough into games. Getting 5 or 6 innings every day is putting a lot of pressure and strain on the bullpen. Some relief will come with the September 1st call-ups as the rosters expand. Then we can start budgeting out innings so guys can both get their work and their rest as we line up for post-season baseball. Yes, I said it…curses be damned.

Now I am willing to reconsider my position on Jim Edmonds as a Cub.  My original assertion was that he had to beat his old team, the dreaded Cardinals to ‘make his bones’ as it were, in Cubs pinstripes.  With today’s two HR day, along with a sparkling diving catch, I now finally accept Jim Edmonds as a Cub.  He has made an impact. He has proven he does in fact have more baseball in him. He has made GM Jim Hendry look awfully, awfully good in picking him up for basically nothing.  In fact, the Cards still pay millions of his salary. That sweetens the deal as the Cubs pound a nail in the 2008 Cardinals season.

When the Cubs got Edmonds, I wrote comparing it to the Bulls acquiring Dennis Rodman. The guy played a key role for years in a heated regional rivalry (Detroit Pistons) and now we are being asked to accept him as our own. Then, like now with Edmonds, I felt like the onus was on the player to prove his worthiness before I truly accept him. Edmonds has been steadily building a case since joining the Cubs but today, for me, pushed him over the top. He even got a curtain call from the Wrigley faithful following his second HR today.  So, welcome to the Cubs, Jimmy Ballgame!