Today is more than the wonderful holiday of Opening Day, it is also a celebration of Ernie Banks.  It is a double-header~~"Let's play two!"

Ernie is one of the best ambassadors the game has ever known.  But it is too often overlooked how great Ernie was as a player.

He began his professional career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1950.  He became the first black player in the Cubs franchise in 1953. 

#14 quickly became one of the best players in all of baseball.  He won the NL MVP award in back to back years (1958 & 1959) although he played for dreadful Cub teams. 

In '58 he batted .313 with 47 HR and 129 RBI.  In '59 he hit .304 with 45 HR and 143 RBI.  All the while playing a wonderful shortstop.  (He won the Gold Glove in 1960.)

Many baseball "experts" claim that the power hitting shortstops began with Cal Ripken...no, no, no.  Ripken was a great player in his own right, but our Ernie Banks was the premier power hitting shortstop. 

Today is his day and his statue is going to be my first stop every time I go to Wrigley.

Go Cubs and God Bless you Ernie Banks!!!

The new season is here!  It is cold and miserable in Chicago and it is snowing here in Utah, but it is spring in my heart.

Carlos Zambrano looks primed for a huge year and our Cubs look loaded for bear. I do worry about all the distractions at Spring Training~the Brian Roberts daily discussions and the eternal lineup switches.  And I think the Brewers are better than last year, but their bullpen may again be their downfall. 

All in all I believe, once again, that this is our year!

Go Cubs!!!

I know most Cub fans are more concerned about:

• Which two starters will fill out the rotation?
• Will we get Brian Roberts?
• Who will be our closer?
• How good is Kosuke?
• What will Lou do with the lineup?
• How is Soriano's leg?
• Who will play in center?
• How will a rookie handle the pitching staff?

But what I am really concerned about is our uniforms.  There was a note on Cubs.com saying the blue jerseys are being considered again.  NO!!!

I love our uniforms as is.  I am old school I guess, but I love our white pinstripes at home and the traditional gray on the road. 

We do not need the softball jerseys back.  I don't even like our road cap; I much prefer our simple, yet classic, home cap. 

Priorities Cub fans...Priorities!

The sounds of players playing catch bring back the best of memories from my youth.  I could play catch forever back then.  (Even now I drag my wife out to play catch at least once a week.)  I played catch with myself when I had to--against the front steps with a rubberized ball.  When the regular season began I would play each Cubs game every day as scheduled by throwing the ball against the steps and either getting the out or allowing base runners.  If a ball hit the corner of a step and bounded over my head, it was a home run.  When the Cubs were batting I would aim for those corners.  When the other team was up I aimed for the flat ends of each step.

The sounds of batting practice is amazing as well.  When we get a chance to attend games we always go early enough to see batting practice.  I love watching the ball flying through the sky while my wife likes the sounds as she catches up on her reading.

Every day I will check out the sounds of spring training...man, I love baseball.

Go Cubs!!!

This should be a very good series despite the lack of name "superstars".  The Rockies are on a historic run.  The D-Backs Brandon Webb is the only pitcher to beat Colorado in the last 3 weeks.  Ironically, Webb will open the series. 

I will be rooting for the Rockies for a few reasons: 

• We have been to Coors Field a lot to see the Cubs play there.  It is a great ballpark and a lot of fun to watch a game.
• I have several friends who are Rockies fans and I'd be happy for them.
• I have a great deal of respect for Clint Hurdle as a person.  He is a good baseball guy, but he is even a better person.
• I respect the Rockies organization for sticking with Hurdle even though the wins weren't there yet.

I wouldn't be too disappointed if the D-Backs won though.  I love Eric Byrnes.  And they are the team which defeated my Cubs, so it would be cool for them to win it all.

ALCS:  Cleveland - Boston

The Red Sox are my favorite AL team so I will be rooting especially hard for them.  This series will feature great starting pitching for both sides.  Sabathia and Carmona (two of the best young hurlers) against Becket and Schilling (two of the best October pitchers ever).  It should be an awesome series.

Box:  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/ps/y2007/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_10_06_arimlb_chnmlb_1

The series was a huge disappointment and very frustrating, but it does not dampen my joy of winning the division.  Until we are getting into the playoffs at the rate the Braves did, or the Yankees do, then I am always going to be happy making the playoffs and hoping for a magical October run.  With the new tax system on the higher spending clubs there is more parity than ever before.  The playoffs are a roll of the dice as the last several years have proven. 

The Off-Season:  This winter is going to be very important.  If the sale of the team is transacted quickly, then the team can get to filling in holes and making the decisions necessary to improve.  If the sale drags out, then we could be frozen as far as moves go and be in big trouble. 

Make no mistake, we will have to improve next year to compete in the NL Central.  The Brewers are young and powerful.  They gained a lot of experience this season and will be better for it.  They need to improve their pitching, or get better pitching from their bullpen and a couple of their starters.  The Reds are scary good to me.  I was really impressed with their young talent.  And the Cardinals are the Cardinals. 

We could be a lot better if Soriano and ARam get healthy this winter.  Our offense underachieved big time, but that said, our starting pitching overachieved some.  I also believe that D. Lee's wrist could still use a little more down time to get fully healthy.  Soto could really help offensively and defensively.  What will happen with Pie?  Floyd?  Dempster?

We'll see.  But everything hinges on how quickly new owners can be finalized.

I will continue this blog, not that many people read it, but it is still fun for me to look back on.  I will do a review of the season within a few days and keep up with all the relevant news in the off-season.  I will also follow the rest of the October Madness.  It is great baseball and drama.  And I will report on how my other teams are doing:  the Bears, Blackhawks, and Jazz.

Go Cubs Go!!!

But I'm not quiting on my Cubs.  It is not over.  Remember what the Red Sox had to overcome to break their long drought.  Maybe this will be our hill to climb.  Speaking of Hill, Rich Hill starts today's Game 3 at Wrigley Field.  If Hill and the offense can get it going today, the momentum could turn in a hurry.  And Cubs momentum could create doubt in the young D-Backs.  A lot of hope and ifs; but that is what sports, and especially being a Cubs fan, is all about.

Go Cubs Go!!!

Box:  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/ps/y2007/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_10_04_chnmlb_arimlb_1

Carlos Zambrano pitched great, but our offense couldn't connect against Brandon Webb as the Cubs fell to the D-Backs 3-1.

Box:  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/ps/y2007/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_10_03_chnmlb_arimlb_1

I became a baseball fan for the first time in 1969 when I was just 7 years old.  I watched the NBC Game of the Week religiously each Saturday afternoon.  I became a Cubs fan that year because they had the C on their hat.  My first name begins with a C, Chad.  (As good a reason as any when you're seven.)

Well, the day before the 1971 World Series began, my wonderful grandfather "Pa", purchased our first color TV so that I could watch the World Series in color.  It was amazing to watch the game in full color.  The beautiful green grass contrasted with the brown dirt.  And the uniforms! Wow.

I think of that gift often, but mostly when baseball's post-season begins.

Thank you Pa, I love you.

 Big Z takes the mound tonight for Game 1 of the NLDS in Arizona.  The D-Backs will pitch last year's Cy Young winner, Brandon Webb. 

There were a few surprises when the roster and lineup was announced yesterday.  Craig Monroe was left off the roster and both Matt Murton and Felix Pie were kept on.  Both Ronny Cedeno and Mike Fontenot were kept, and Daryle Ward's hand is healthy enough to play.  Kevin Hart was put in the bullpen instead of Sean Marshall (Lou did say that Marshall would be stretched out to be used if the Cubs move on), Steve Trachsel, and Will Ohman.  Hart's rise within the organization has been amazing.

Geovany Soto was named as the starting catcher for Game 1, but did not commit to any other games.  Lou did say that Jacque Jones would play every game in CF.  Zambrano will start Game 4 on short rest if the game is needed, while Jason Marquis will be used in long relief.

I'm happy with all the decisions.  (As if that matters...)

The playoffs are as wide open as ever.  Any of the 8 teams could win.

Go Cubs Go!!!!!!

Bartman:  I've already seen several pieces regarding the Bartman play.  Most of them put the blame on the poor guy for the Cubs not getting to the World Series.  That is soooo absurd.  I am so sick of this story and how stupid and mean people can be. 

Here is my post before this season started: 

To one of the classiest of Cub fans, Steve Bartman, I want you to know that I have never blamed you for any part of the 2003 loss.  And I suspect most of the real Cub fans don't either.

First if all, but for the Grace of God go I.

Secondly, you weren't alone.  Almost everyone in your area was lunging for the ball.  The guy next to you was actually so zealous that he pushed you toward the ball.  Nearly everybody, Cubs fan or not, would have done the same thing.

Thirdly, the Cubs team needs to take 90% of the blame.  Alou might not have even caught the ball, Gonzalez booted the biggest play of the game, and Prior and Farnsworth blew up.  Baker should have come out to settle the team down as much as possible too. Let alone the debacle of Game 7.

Finally, 10% of the blame, or more, goes to the rest of the Cub fans in Wrigley at the time of your incident.  There is no curse on the Cubs, but the reaction of most of the spectators in attendance caused the team to think that maybe there really is a curse.  It was a self-induced prophecy.  There was a very distinct and incredibly eerie hush and shocked "sound" that overcame Wrigley at the moment of your unfortuante event.  I was instantly sure the Cubs were in trouble, not because of you, but because I knew the stunned reaction from the Wrigley crowd could turn the momentum of the entire series completely around.  And it did.  It was like everyone said to themselves, "Here we go.  The curse is here.  It's over."

I don't believe in curses, but if there was one that night it was from the Baseball Gods punishing Cub fans for turning on one of their own.  The disgusting display of so-called Cub fans during, and since, that game have been incredibly disturbing.  I hope you and the rest of America realize that most Cub fans empathize with your situation and wished it had never happened; not because of what transpired in the game, but what happened to a great Cubs fan. 

Go Cubs!!!

Here is a great column by the Chicago Tribune's Rick Morrissey:

You know the fan. Leave him alone
Rick Morrissey
In the wake of the news

September 30, 2007

CINCINNATI -- You know it's coming, I know it's coming, and, somewhere, Steve Bartman surely knows it's coming.

The Cubs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003, when an anger-mismanaged left fielder named Moises Alou, a flustered pitcher named Mark Prior and a jittery shortstop named Alex Gonzalez brought Chicago to its knees in new and acutely painful ways.

But outsiders and dumb locals who should know better will put the blame on Bartman this week when the Cubs start their division series.

I know I'm probably not doing Bartman any favors by bringing him back into the klieg lights. But trust me, every nationally broadcast Cubs playoff game will include the sad tale of a season that crumbled because of a headphones-wearing fool who put his hands out to catch a foul ball.

It will be lazy, cheap and mean-spirited.

Don't give in to it.

What happened at Wrigley Field in 2003 was simple. The Cubs were leading the Marlins three games to two in the National League Championship Series. With one out in the eighth inning of Game 6, Florida's Luis Castillo hit a foul ball down the left-field line. The score was 3-0.

TV cameras showed a man in headphones and a Cubs sweatshirt, along with other fans, reaching for the ball. But it was Bartman who deflected it. Alou didn't make the catch and let the world know he was outraged by slamming his glove to the ground. The cameras trained on Bartman, who had the look of a deer in the headlights of a Sherman tank.

It has come to be generally accepted in all of this that Alou would have caught the ball if Bartman hadn't touched it, but that's a leap. There is no way of ever knowing that, and when I first saw a replay, I didn't think Alou could have caught it. Nothing since then has changed my mind. Bartman did not reach over the railing to get to the ball.

But that doesn't matter, does it? Perception and a good story matter. And so the weavers came out and spun a tale of a dorky guy who fit in perfectly with the age-old depiction of the Cubs as inept and doomed to eternal failure.

Never mind that Prior seemed to come unglued, immediately throwing a wild pitch. Never mind that Gonzalez soon botched a routine ground ball on a double-play opportunity that could have ended the inning. Never mind that the Marlins scored eight runs in the eighth.

And never mind that Wrigley felt heavy that evening, as if there was no way it could support the weight of a possible World Series appearance.

No, perception was off to the races, and it hasn't stopped to rest yet. The Cubs would have been in the World Series if not for the dope in the seats down the left-field line! How perfect!

Steve Bartman no more caused the Cubs to miss their first World Series appearance since 1945 than you did or I did or the Invisible Snowman did.

But that did not matter much in the days after the Cubs blew it, when media members hunted him down and hucksters tried to make money off his notoriety. The Sun-Times revealed his name and home address in an online article—you know, in case anyone wanted to stop by and console the poor kid. Remember, security officers had to escort Bartman from Wrigley after the foul ball because other fans were throwing things at him and verbally abusing him.

That Bartman was innocent of causing the Cubs' collapse hasn't mattered in the four years since the incident. All it takes is one word, "Bartman," to evoke images of futility, bad luck and all things Cub.

The difference between the Billy Goat curse and the Bartman story is that one is an abstract topic of discussion, and the other involves a breathing human being. One is kind of a fun idea, and the other is cruel and borderline dishonest.

Since that October night, I often have found myself watching to see what fans do when a foul ball is hit down the line. Almost always, at least one person—and usually many more—reaches for a potential souvenir, even if a player is leaning in to attempt to make a catch.

We call this "human nature."

Again, none of it will matter in the coming days. The media will descend on Aisle 4, Row 8, Seat 113, the place where Bartman's life changed. Let's be clear on that: The Cubs' life didn't change there; Bartman's did.

Over the years he has turned down all interview requests. Good for him. Just because everyone around him acts like a knucklehead doesn't mean he should. There's dignity in that, and it's something we all should think about as the playoffs begin and the compulsory Cubs futility stories are prepared.

Bartman turns 30 in October. Maybe the Cubs can give him a birthday gift that will make a lot of this go away. A World Series title would be nice.

Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune

2007 NL Central Champs!!!!!!!!

Yesterday's Results:

Reds 8, Cubs 4     Box:  http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2007_09_30_chnmlb_cinmlb_1

2007 Final Standings:

Cubs              85-77            --

Brewers          83-79            2

Cardinals         78-84           7

Astros             73-89           12

Reds               72-90           13

Pirates           68-94            17

Cliff Floyd

The Chicago native must feel great to come back home and help the Cubs win.  He was very important to the success of the team in September when he heated up at the plate.  But the biggest reason this season has to be extra special for Floyd is the difficult time he and his family went through.  Cliff's father suffered through various medical problems and passed away.  When Cliff returned from the bereavement list and came up with some huge hits in San Francisco he said he felt his father's presence.  Well, his father will be cheering for him, and the Cubs, from the best seat in the house.

Jacque Jones

There isn't a player that has suffered more abuse from the fans than JJ.  It started last April after a slow start at the plate and throwing problems in RF (we found out that he had a shoulder injury).  Then JJ's first half of this season was especially bad at the plate, but he recieved far worse treatment from the fans than his performance deserved.  He has always hustled and given his best effort.  His smile and passion for the game is always present.  After sitting for two weeks at the end of June to clear his head, Lou Piniella told him that he was going to be the CF in the 2nd half.  The skipper told him to forget about the first half and be the player he could be in the second.  Well, JJ carried the offense in July and August and kept the Cubs from falling too far behind.  Also, his defense has been nothing short of spectacular.  I have gained tremendous respect for his perseverance and mental toughness.

Kerry Wood

Kerry has created some of the best moments in Cubs history, but it was his incredible comeback against all odds this season that I'll remember most.  In September, he has regained most of his electric stuff and helped the bullpen continue their dominance over the last four months.  He was about to give up as his shoulder continued to hurt during his many rehabilitations.  He went out one final day to throw to finally confirm that he had to either retire or try one last surgery.  Something miraculous happened on the way to retirement...he didn't feel any pain.  He took a day off and tried it again; no pain.  It is wonderful to have him be a integral part of this divisional championship team.  No one deserves it more.

The Big Three

Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams.  Their greatness deserved better team results.  And they must be very excited to see this Cub team succeed.  Can you imagine their genuine joy if the Cubs won the World Series?