Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

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.

Early in the TV broadcast last night, Len Kasper spoke of how with Soriano, Zambrano & Ramirez out, the Cubs really need some guys to step up.  For example, he said, someone needs to have a 2-homer, 6 RBI day or perhaps Ted Lilly can shut down the Giants for 8 innings, just to give this team a lift.  Brilliant!  He nailed it - Mark DeRosa and Lilly did just exactly that.  Take that Steve Stone! 

The more I hear the TV team of Kasper and Bob Brenly the more I like them.  In their first year together they were pretty forgettable for me. But Brenly seems to have loosened up a bit and goes more out on a limb in his analysis. Kasper seems more seasoned in his call of the game as well, plus they gel really well together. Last night’s display of some pretty incredible clairvoyance by Len aside, these guys are making for a pretty solid broadcast team in 2008.

Check out Len & Bob’s blog here too.