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FOR CUBBIE FANS! - The 2007 Season

By John Kubicek

I start this topic with about a fourth of the 2007 season gone by. And we see the Cubs under .500, but just a couple games at the moment. The Cubs, prior to today's game at Shea, are 18 and 20. Are the Cubs fans rejoicing for our team being in the middle of the pack? Why, no, I don't think so. Despite a horribly disappointing 2006 campaign, I am seeing some dissatisfaction from the camp.

From last place to first place would be my desire. Do I expect it? I don't know if I would go that far. However, I do think that the Cubs have the tools, especially in the starting staff. Actually, the bullpen isn't all that weak, either. I kind of have to believe that with a healthy roster, the Cubs can play. But why the below 500 record thus far? A poor record at home? An 8-11 record at Wrigley? They need to be winning those home games!

But there is some other very insiduous stats that bother me. The Cubs have been having problems with the close games. They've won just one out of the five extra innings games this year. Worse yet, The Cubs lost eight out of ten of the one-run games they have been in. We're talking about choking in the close ones, Cubbie fans! Why?

That is a question that I will be pondering on during the course of writing about this season. I will do the best I can to write often in this topic. If I could cover every game, I would, but I am afraid that just isn't possible with my schedule. Yet, there will be times in this topic that I will be able to do that from time to time. Otherwise, I may just cover the general direction that the Chicago Cubs take during this 2007 season.

Believe me, at this point in the season, I really do believe that there is plenty of time for the Cubbies to turn things around. I will do my best to stay positive, at least for now. However, I'll be honest with my personal assessment of what to expect from this year's edition of the Chicao Cubs. My ego will swell with a multitude of victories. But I'll be the first to admit it when the Cubs aren't reaching the benchmarks of our expectations.

While the Cubs are in no way out the running to at least make the playoffs, there is going to have to be a turning point, at least by the end of June. The Cubs need to win those close games! Derek and DeRosa need to get healthy soon. Soriano needs to completely heal up from his leg problems. At this point of the 2007 season, I am still optimistic, at least as far as knowing that there could be post-season play at Wrigley. However, if the Cubbies continue to hover around the 500 record, the time to turn it around will run out in not the too distant future. The rest of May and the month of June will be crucial.

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FOR CUBBIE FANS! - The 2007 Season

A Memorial Day Update

By John Kubicek

So, go figure. The Chicago Cubs, still in second place, but by only a half-game over the surging Pittsburg Pirates. Yet, our Cubbies are actually still four games under .500 at this point today, prior to the home opener against the Marlins. In second place, with a losing record, and keeping pace with the Central Division leading Brewers. How could that be? Well, put it this way, the Colorado Rockies are in last place in the West Division of the National League, yet they have a very slim edge over the Cubs currently. That's how GOOD the National League West is, and/or how BAD the NL Central is doing so far this year.

The Cubs have just come off a six game road trip out to the West Coast, to play the Padres and the Dodgers. Unfortunately, the Cubs returned home last night after only winning two of six. They took just one each from both the Padres and the Dodgers. However, out of the four games that were lost, three were by one run, and one of those was an extra-inning game. It has been the trend this year for the Cubs, as I had mentioned in the previous post in this topic.

The Cubs have now won two and lost 12 of all the games that ended with a one-run margin. That is the worst, by far, in all of the Major League. Adding more salt to the wound, the Cubbies have only won one out of six games that went to extras. I have to tell you, many of those close games that the Cubs lost were lower than average scores. Their pitching would be great, but the bats were quiet. The Cubs roster is loaded with great batters with great averages, but for some reason they aren't producing when the pitcher is throwing a great game.

While there's been a couple games that the starters or relievers let get away from them, they've been doing an outstanding job for the most part, up and down the pitching staff. I don't want to make it sound like I know how the pitchers feel about this or that I have some kind of inside info, but I would bet that there could be just a little friction in the clubhouse between the pitching staff and the position players right about now. I think that the pitchers have legitimate cause to gripe just a little.

Don't worry, though, it isn't all because of bats being a little under room temperature, the blame for the losses can be pretty evenly spread around. Like in the final game of the Dodgers series out in LA on May 28, the game-winning run came in because a Cubs pitcher hit a batter with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning to bring in the winning run. But, the always dependable Michael Barrett had one of those days in that game. He was caught trying to steal 3rd base because he apparently missed a sign, and then he threw to the wrong person (the shortstop) when Martinez was stealing 3rd base.

The month of May started out so promising for the Cubs. They showed they are capable of winning, as they won the first five games of the month. Okay, so it helped that they played a home series against the Nationals, the worst team in baseball at the moment. However, winning baseball games became difficult again for the remainder of the month.

On the good side, the Cubs are 6-3 at home so far this month, with three home games remaining. That was by far better than there horrible time with home games in April (cold, rainy month in Chicago). As the weather warms up, so will the Cubs when they are at Wrigley. Which brings me to the point: The Cubs still have a chance to get to the playoffs this year! They're in it, still!

North of Chicago is a town called Milwaukee, home of the Brewers, where baseball was smokin' hot at the beginning of the season. But, here are the Cubs, still in it, keeping pace with their Northern neighbors. When the Brewers were hot up until early May, at one time winning 9 out of 10 (as of May 9), the Cubs had won 8 out of the last 10! And even though the Cubs have lost six of the last ten, the Brew crew has lost seven of their last ten. The Cubs just keep hanging in there.

Now, with the final three games of May coming against the Marlins at Wrigley, the Cubs have a chance to gain some ground, and even more importantly, some momentum. We want the Cubs to go into a tough June schedule with additional confidence, so they really need to "git 'er done".

The Memorial Day game this afternoon may be the boost that is needed, should the Cubs come to entertain the home crowd. Of course, during the game, there will be those very special moments honoring those that have fallen in previous and current wars. So, the crowd ought to be all pumped up, and maybe that energy will get flowing to the Cubs.

Go Cubbies!

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Those "Lovable Losers" on the North side, no more!

By John Kubicek

If I had more time in my life right now, I would be writing about the Cubs every day! The last time I posted here was on the Memorial Day weekend. That was about the time that the Chicago Cubs began turning thrings around. In a big way. We gradually saw the lead the Brewers had over the Cubs disappearing. But even a month ago, the number of games that the Cubs were behind in the race for the Central Division lead, while not insurmountable, seemed to still be a steep climb.

But I digress, because I wanted to shout to the world, that the Cubs are now in first place in the Central Division, and are perhaps one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball at the moment. I come today to write this, though, unprepared to give you all the wonderful details; there have been so many ways that the Cubs have been performing that will excite even the most pessimistic of the Cubbie fans.

Being that this is the first I written in this topic for a couple months, I felt this would be a great day to mention a few things, like the Cubs being in first place, and get back into the writing in this Cubbie-related topic. Yet, I really want to tell you how difficult it has been to follow the Cubs this season. I get in all the Cubs games that I can, but for the most part it has been few and far between.

I'd be willing to listen to all the games, but I don't get WGN radio in very well. Ron Santo would sound like an alien sending radio signals from another universe, not a good way to actually hear a game. So, in some cases, with my work schedule, I do my best to watch just a few innings at the beginning or the end of the games, depending on the start time of the game. And the rub is, that makes it difficult for me to write about a game in a way that details the game-by-game summaries. So with that in mind, maybe I can bring some of the Cuibbie fans some reading enjoyment just by telling my story about being a fan that follows the team the best he can with the resources and time available.

I was lucky last night. From my office at work, I was able to hear the Ron Santo game-time announcement of the last two innings. Somewhere during the entertaining 8th inning of the game against the tough Phillies, I had heard that the Brew Crew had lost. But, the Cubs and Phillies were tied at 4-4. Great game, but somewhat nerve-wrackiing. I thought the Cubs were going to score in the eigth, but the inning ended without the Cubs going ahead. The top of the ninth seemed like maybe the Brewers were going to score, they were making some noise. However, the Cubs' pitching and defense persevered, and got out of that rough inning.

Here it is, bottom of the ninth, the division lead now for sure on the line. And what do the Phillies do? The Cubs were allowed to load the bases with North Siders; only to have a wild pitch thrown on the last pitch of the game, allowing Matt Murton the opportunity to end the game with a scamper to home plate. That he did! How exciting! And where was I? At work, wishing I was able to watch that game. But, alas, I knew that my hope was kindled, and that now the Cubs were now in command of the N.L. Central lead.

It may be very difficult work for the Cubs to maintain that lead. Yet, I will take that over trying to chase the Brewers, and keep ahead of the Cardinals, OUT of the lead! Hopefully, it won't be our 24 hours of success; hopefull the Cubs will continue on the rampage, and continue the great work ethic that got them to where they are now.

While some of us Cubbie fans have been the die-hard optimists over all these years, as one of those people I testify that I have faith that there's going to be celebrations in Cubbie-world/Wrigley-ville, come this October. That is my hope. Still... And what a joy it is to be able to say that without people having an excuse to commit me to looney-land.
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Does It Matter if the Cubs Win the Division?

By John Kubicek

Thu Sep 13, 2007

It's absolute bliss to look at the standings today, and see the Cubs and the Brewers tied with the exact same record, 74 wins and 71 losses. Can you even imagine that there could be a division race, with the top two teams just 3 games over .500?

It was while thinking about that fact, my fellow Cubs fans, when I had my epiphany. I realized how wonderful it was to not even be a regular winner, and yet be involved in a division race. While I still believe it's possible for the Cubs to win the Central Division of the National League, I can not be that disappointed if they don't win the Central!

Hopefully, you won't leap to a conclusion that I've accepted defeat. No, I really do want the Cubs to get into the playoffs. And in a way, I'm a little disappointed that with the great personnel the Cubs have, from Manager Lou Piniella on down, it would have been easy to have had higher expectations of this team than their current results seem to have revealed.

But the revelation is what keeps me positive about this year. With just a handful of games remaining, the Cubs and Brewers are locked into a skirmish for the Central Division title, and this will be a very exciting remainder of the season. After a horrible year in 2006, locked up in the basement, it's great to see the Cubs still in the hunt in 2007.

So, will the Cubs persevere during these final days of the 2007 season? We'll have to wait and see. At this moment, I really recommend that you don't bet your entire estate on the Cubs. It would be wonderful for the Cubs to overcome what ever faces us, and win the Central. I'm still hoping for the best; and that doing the best they can is really up to the team, and I know I have no control over that. But something inside tells me that the Cubs will hang in there. We'll see!

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What a Cubs Fan Wants

By John Kubicek

Once upon a time, there was a young man that had a dream, and that was to see the Chicago Cubs in the World Series. Every year, on his birthday, he would check to see where the Cubs stood in the standings, as that birthday was just before the All-Star game. But every year, there was a disappointment, almost more that this guy could handle.

Yes, there were years when it seemed so possible at that time, even to the point where the Cubs went on to the play-offs, yet failed to make it to that final destination. And then there were all those years that the Cubs were not going to even be in the race, and that was pretty much decided long before the young man's birthday. Yet, there was a year that seemed to have a magic to it, that once again brought great hope, anticipation, excitement. Could it be this year? Or, will it just be another disappointment?

A year of magic would be coming, as this writer is hoping, especially with all that has gone on in the year 2007. A division where only two of six teams will even end up above a .500 record. Soon after that wonderful birthday celebration, sometime around the beginning of July, things began to start looking great for the Cubs. It was kind of like that infamous 16th Birthday, something special was in the air.

Now, as the 2007 season wore on, there were plenty of ups and downs for the Cubs. The good news was that the Milwaukee Brewers seemed to be having the same problem. And then, along came the dark horse, and that would be the St. Louis Cards. In early September, they seemed to be making a major run for the league lead. However, things happened and the Cardinals went into a losing streak. The Cards should have followed the Colorado Rockie's Plan, which was to win 11 games in a row, right toward the end of the season.... But I digress.

This hopeful Cubs Fan now sees the season winding down, with the Cubs still up by two games, with just three games left. The Cubs take on the Cincinnatti Reds, in Cincinnatti. The Reds are neck-and-neck with the Astros for 4th place in the N.L. Central. Not a lot to fight for. (Then, we could also say the Florida Marlins had nothing to fight for, and yet they just swept the Cubs in Miami.) The Brewers, on the other hand, are going up against the San Diego Padres. The Brewers are playing at home, but they are going up agaiinst a team that still has a shot to win the N.L. West. Odds makers have their work cut out.

At this moment in time, the dream is so close. It's a situation that can't be controlled by anyone even if they have the biggest dream of seeing that World Series Pennant flying over Wrigley. It's up to the boys of (hopefully) October, and may God Bless them, the Cubs, this year.

Just three to go, folks!

[By the way, this writing was based on a movie I recently saw, called "What A Girl Wants". It's about dreams and hope.]

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Congratulations to the NL Central Champs! Go Cubs Go!

By John Kubicek

The Chicago Cubs arrived in Cincinnatti late last night, after a rough series against the Florida Marlins, where they had just lost three tough games. Yet, they had hung in there this final week by having the St. Louis Cards graciously beating the Brewers twice in Milwaukee in the last two games of their four game series.

Tonight, the Cubs played some lights out baseball, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnatti, Ohio. The Cubs shut out the Reds, 6-0. Meanwhile, back in Milwaukee at Miller Park, the Padres handed the Brewers another tough loss, Milwaukee's third in a row, 6-3. Thus, the Chicago Cubs have now clinched the National League Central Division Championship! The Chicago Cubs will now move on to the Playoffs, and will be playing baseball in October. Let's hope it goes late into the month of October and the Cubs get in to the World Series!

Go Cubs Go!

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You can provide feedback on the above story, "Congratulations to the NL Central Champs! Go Cubs Go!". By clicking on the above link, you will be directed to a website called DIGG.com. You can then offer the world your view, by "digging" this story.

Thank you!

John Kubicek, Editor, johnny2k.com Forums

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