The case for the Brewers...

Brewers post-All Star break record: 1-0

Cubs post-All Star break record: 0-1

Convincing argument, right?

The Bowler and I can agree that we haven’t mutually anticipated the dog days this much since we’ve known each other. Though the 2007 campaign remained in doubt until the last series of the season, as early as Independence Day, it was all too apparent that we were supporting teams headed in opposite directions.

This year has far different feel to it. After an uncharacteristically slow start, the Crew are 12 games over .500 since losing 6 straight games to begin May. Over the same period of time, the Cubbies have played even better at 14 games over .500. With 76 games remaining, both teams have demonstrated consistency and begin the home stretch playing well enough to be considered pennant frontrunners in the National League. The recent trades for Sabathia and Harden only served to raise the intensity and drama of the chase. The watches and car keys are in the pot and both teams believe they possess the better hand.


Of course, the Cubs currently have the advantage, not only in their 4-game lead in the standings, but in the way that they have hit and pitched thus far. The Brewers’ sometimes baffling inability to get on base and their misadventures in the field and bullpen continue to try my patience and are a little too reminiscent of last year’s historical collapse. Given the present state of affairs, it is unlikely that the Brewers will be able to catch the Cubs before the end of the regular season.

As of today, playoff projections indicate that the probability is that the Cubs will win the NL Central outright and that the Brewers have the best likelihood of any team in the National League to secure the Wild Card. Much will be settled in the 10 remaining games that the Brewers and Cubs are scheduled to play, 7 of which will take place in Milwaukee (I will try to ignore the fact that traditionally Cubs fans have made Miller seem like Wrigley), where Milwaukee has the 2nd-best homefield advantage (behind the Cubs). The Brewers and the Cubs will also play in the last series of the regular season which, if the issue is fought out on this line all summer, will result in a release of the contents of my bladder whether or not the Brewers secure a playoff berth.

Presuming the numbers are correct (which presumption may turn out to be foolhardy given the snowballing avalanche that is the New York fucking Mets) and also the import of the remaining games between the two teams, the pennant will be decided on the field between the two teams in the NLCS. This offers some encouragement to the Brewers, who in 6 games at Wrigley Field this year (their only so far against the Cubs), have taken 4. However, those will be ancient history by the time October rolls around. These are the hosses and guns that will decide the fray:

Starting rotations:

Sheets/Sabathia/Parra/Suppan/McClung-Bush

Zambrano/Harden/Lilly/Dempster/Marquis


On the track:

Braun/Cameron/Hart

Soriano/Edmonds/Fukudome


Around the horn:

Hall-Branyan/Hardy/Weeks/Fielder/Kendall

Ramirez/Theriot/DeRosa/Lee/Soto


Out of the ‘pen:

Torres/Riske/Shouse

Wood/Marmol/Howry


On the pine:

Kapler/Counsell/Dillon

Cedeno/Fontenot/Johnson


Looking at that, we’re in for a potentially epic duel down the stretch.

The Brewers have the advantage because they are more of a known quantity and, in my view, will better sustain their performance.

For the Cubs, uncertainty abounds. Can Alfonso Soriano return from the DL at the end of July and resume playing at a high level? Can Ryan Dempster, Jim Edmonds, Ryan Theriot, and Mark DeRosa continue to outperform projections? Can Jim Edmonds and Rich Harden stay healthy? The second half for the Cubs points to at least a slight regression to the mean.

Ryan Dempster is 31 and has already pitched 30 innings more than he did in his best season in 2005. DeRosa, 33, is having his best season as a professional baseball player. Jim Edmonds has been steadily declining since the 2006 season and he hasn’t had more than 400 at-bats since 2005. In Ryan Theriot’s only full season, he struck out more than he walked and his numbers of .266/.326/.346 make my penis erect. Tony Womack is his most similar comparison by age. And everyone knows Rich Harden hasn’t pitched more than 100 innings since 2005. He’s at 82 innings right now.

For the Brewers, Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, Ryan Braun, Mike Cameron, Corey Hart, and Russell Branyan all OPS+ at 115 or higher. They are far younger than the Cubs, particularly at amongst the starters, and less likely to fade down the stretch. And, if they survive until mid-October, the Cubs would do well to remember that Yovani Gallardo will be ready to return. Sheets, Sabathia, Gallardo, and Parra would arguably be the scariest 4-man rotation in the Major Leagues.

The final nail in the Cubbies’ collective coffin: Come October, the Cubs will have gone 100 years without winning a World Series. If they win the pennant, that would potentially ruin a perfectly good cocaine party hosted by Gary Sinise and Journey. We’ll be at the Drake Hotel on East Walton Place. I’ll be the one wearing the urine-stained boxers and the Paul Molitor jersey.

Brewers as NL Champs? That's just like, your opinion, man.

The Cubs (not the Brewers) will represent the National League in the Fall Classic this year. Mark it, Dude.


People assume that Cubs fans are highly superstitious and thus highly guarded in their proclamations of superiority (albeit seasonal). Many of the Wrigley faithful groaned as Bernie Mac sung “root, root, root for the cha-amps” during the 7th inning stretch at Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS with the Cubs holding a 3-1 lead. Obviously that was a social gaffe because putting the cart in front of the horse, especially in such a highly charged situation lacks tact and understanding. However, had the whole Bartman/Prior/Gonzalez meltdown never occurred, no one would even remember that momentary slip of common sense. The way things actually happened, the exquisitely painful series of events that unfolded triggers many drunken blue-capped ladies and gentleman to work themselves into a foamy lather regarding one diabolical curse. The motives of the hands are unknown to us, but the devices He uses are iconic: a billy goat in ’45, a black cat in ’69, Leon Durham’s wickets in ’84, a grabby baseball nerd in ’03. Last month Dirty and I were sitting against the left field wall just a caps toss away from the Bartman seat (which has a sticker on it so people know which one to pose in for pregame pictures) and as the innings went on and the beers piled up, I had to consciously remind myself to dive out of the way if a pop fly was hit in my direction with the Cubs in the field. While I understand this isn’t an advanced concept, my head was a little fuzzy with Old Style and split second decisions in that state usually amount to some awkward lunge at the ball on my part. But now, I must be forever aware of Moises Alou patrolling the outfield lest I somehow in manage to interfere and end up on Sportscenter as “a typical idiot Cubs fan”. Those are the everyday realities of the Northsider and probably why most outsiders looking in share a mixture of sympathy and disgust. Sympathy at the perennial losing, disgust at how trivial this “badge of worry” attitude all seems. Well, for this post, I’m shelving all that cautious crap and making a brief argument for the leaders in the clubhouse at the turn, the 2008 Chicago Cubs for the NL pennant.



Possible rotation for an NLDS - Game 1: Zambrano, Game 2: Harden, Game 3: Dempster, Game 4: Zambrano, Game 5: Harden. Just a week ago I wrote how the C.C. Sabathia trade was an intimidating pick-up, luckily that feeling only lasted 24 hours. If we stay healthy at the top of our rotation, nobody can beat our starters – Not the Brewers. Not the Diamondbacks. Nobody.



Two ROY candidates and All-Stars starters in Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto. Not since Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith going one-and-two in the Rookie of the Year balloting in 1989 has Chicago been more juiced up about a pair of newcomers.

The Cubs have a MLB leading run differential of +108 while the Cardinals (+18) and Brewers (+12) are distant also-rans in the category. Since the Cubs are only 5.5 and 6 games up respectively, one could intuit that multiple blowouts and difficulty with one run games are the cause. However, the Cubs are a touch above .500 (15-14) in one run contests. The Cardinals (19-16) and Brewers (19-10) have faired a little better, but I feel that these statistics rest in favor of the Cubbies. Whenever you are x10 better than other teams at something as elemental to the outcome of games as runs scored/runs conceded then the dam will eventually break.

Reason #341 why the Brewers won’t win the NL pennant in 2008: Eric “The 10 million dollar man” Gagne in his fourth appearance since coming off the DL on July 12th:

1.0 IP, 27 pitches, 4 hits, 4 runs, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 K



Not since Rick Mirer has there been the potential for such a handsomely paid benchwarmer.

The Brewers have crumbled before and they have lasted thus far grit, moxie, homeruns and Ben Sheets. I know, I know, Manny Parra is a nice little story. Ditto Corey Hart in all his beer soaked glory. But in the end, it’s Fielder and Braun and little else. Wrigley Field boasts six batters with over 300 ABs and at least .370 OBP (Theriot .396, Ramirez .387, Fukudome .384, DeRosa .378, Lee .371, Soto .370). The Brewers? Zero. The closest is J.J. Hardy with 303 ABs and a .356 OBP.

The Brewers are a nice story, but the team to beat is that way for a reason. And this year, in light of this new shit, well, I rest my case.

"Certain things have come to light. And, you know, has it ever occurred to you, that, instead of, uh, you know, running around, uh, uh, blaming me, you know, given the nature of all this new shit, you know, I-I-I-I... this could be a-a-a-a lot more, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, complex, I mean, it's not just, it might not be just such a simple... uh, you know?"

Mr. Sabathia pitches for Brats and Beer

It’s been six weeks leading up to this column. It’s been quite a nice respite, because the kid has been working hard and enjoying the summer. I flew back for the Cubs sweep over the White Sox at Wrigley. Dirty and I witnessed a nine-run inning almost exactly a year to the day after we witnessed “The Aramis Game” so that's some good mojo there. I moved into my new place and got a new set of golf clubs. I’m going to be a groomsman in my boy Kanedawg’s wedding next month. The Bulls picked Derrick Rose and I couldn’t be happier about that fact. I’ve been gone from these pages for a while because my life has been a good, healthy, honest busy. But tonight, I really felt compelled to write about something... so now, I fear the worst…

It’s basically official that C.C. Sabathia will be a Brewer for the rest of the season. The Brewers, in the past 6 weeks have gone from 4 games under .500 (and 6 games back) to 10 games over .500 (and 3.5 games back). Over that same span, the Cubs have gone 24-15 and LOST 2.5 GAMES in the NL Central.

Alright, I know the Cardinals are still in the mix, but excuse me for not taking them seriously. The odds of Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer, Adam Wainwright and Joel Pineiro keeping this type of production going during a stressful September is remarkably low. Here are their K/9 rates so far and tell me I’m wrong: 4.49, 4.15, 6.68, 6.09, 4.76. Those numbers are telling me that a ton of things are going right for them in the field. We’ll see though.

The Brewers, however, terrify me. They have basically exclaimed that they are making a charge for this year. Matt LaPorta was their right fielder for the future and they shipped him off for 12 weeks from the 2007 AL Cy Young winner. The Sheets/Sabathia combination is frightening down the stretch, but even more frightening for Benny should be the prospect of both of them being free agents at the end of the year. Outside of the Rays, nobody has a deeper farm system and I could see them going for broke and picking up another solid middle reliever before the deadline. Basically, with this move, they are telling the rest of the NL Central, "It's on. Act accordingly."

The Cubbies have gone 6-8 in Big Z’s absence but now he’s back and winning baseball games. Soriano should be getting back shortly after the All-Star break and the wheels continue to turn. I’m anticipating another furious finish similar to last year where the victor won’t be decided until the final weekend of the season. However, unlike last year, I feel like second place in the NL Central will be good enough to play into October. I'm trying to wrap my head around this pennant chase during the Olympics and NFL tune-ups and quite honestly, I'm already losing sleep.

Mahalo. It's good to be back.

Cubs v. Brewers - A Running Diary

The Cubs and the Brewers are quickly ascending the ranks of my favorite rivalries with regard to my rooting interests. Last year was a tremendous two-team pennant race (I never really considered the Cardinals a threat) that really made me appreciate our neighbors to the north. Here’s how the rivalries stacks up if the criteria is pure enjoyment:

1st Bears/Packers (The gold standard)
2nd Cubs/Cardinals (Great history, great fans)
3rd Liverpool/Everton (The more I learn, the more I respect it)
4th Cubs/Brewers (Scrappy underdogs make good)
5th Cubs/White Sox (A civic obligation)
6th Bulls/Pistons (Lost its luster, but can be rekindled at any moment)

So without further ado, my running diary:

7:59pm There are few things better than Web Gems set to upbeat music with breathless announcers loosing their shit. Baseball Tonight just closed their show with the best leather flashes for the month of April, well done fellas. I love it.

8:00pm Dave O’Brian is doing the play-by-play. Steve Phillips is doing color for the broadcast. I like Phillips because he always brings up his service as the GM of the Mets. He regularly cites the Mo Vaughn signing as a self-deprecating reminder that everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. I can appreciate that.

8:02pm Erin Andrews is smoking hot. I’m usually intimidated around smart, attractive women as is, but one that can talk baseball is beyond my comprehension.

8:08pm Dempster is pitching. The wind is blowing in. Johnson, Pie, Fukudome in the outfield. Ramirez, Theriot, DeRosa and Lee around the horn. Soto behind the dish. I have a weird feeling like Soto or Pie in the 7 and 8 spots are going to have a big game. {I promise that I actually made this prediction. No fake.}

8:12pm Weeks grounds out weakly to the pitcher after drawing a 2-2 count. He’s batting .190 on the season. What happened to this guy? I know he’s got some pop, but as time passes he appears to be more and more like Milwaukee’s Corey Patterson.

8:14pm Three up. Three down. Bring on Suppan.

8:18pm Reed Johnson has 90 plate appearances and has now taken 88 first pitches. The culture of patience is astounding considering the historical hackers we’ve had in our lineup over recent years. The Cubs are 13-5 when Johnson hits leadoff. I just picked him up on my fantasy team. He had a BONKERS catch that is an early candidate for play of the year. As I type this, he stings a single into left field. Now all he has to do is shave that Spiezioesque soul patch and I have a new man crush.

8:22pm Weeks misjudges a Theriot 3-2 hit-and-run slap up the middle. The ball squirts into right. Runners at the corners.

8:23pm Riot steals second on a no-throw by noodle-armed Jason Kendall.

8:25pm D. Lee doubles off the left field wall. Johnson scores. Cubs 1, Brewers 0.

8:26pm A. Ram doubles off the left field wall. Riot and Lee score. Cubs 3, Brewers 0.

8:32pm Fukudome lines out, DeRosa walks. Runners on first and second. Soto’s up. Phillips mentions that Suppan is at the 30-pitch mark already.

8:33pm Soto jerks a hanging curveball into the leftfield bleachers. It seems as though I’m juggling man crushes at the moment. Cubs 6, Brewers 0.



8:36pm Dempster slices a single to the opposite field. The wheels have come off, rolled into a nearby ditch and inexplicably burst into flame.

8:37pm 39 pitches and 19 minutes later. The first inning ends. Mercifully.

8:43pm Prince Fielder loops a single into center which caps 3 minutes of “Prince Fielder is not only a vegetarian but also encourages the clubhouse to be Eco-friendly” talk. I remember an era when our portly clean-up hitters boozed and womanized, but now they are socially conscious. What’s next? Will our hard-hitting strong safeties start writing children’s books?

8:46pm Hart pops out to second followed by Bill Hall grounding out to Ramirez. Rammy skips the ball into first and D. Lee nonchalantly picks the ball out of the dirt. I’m convinced that Derrick Lee for Hee Seop Choi is the biggest steal of the past ten years that nobody talks about.

8:54pm Suppan bounces back. Three up, three down.

8:59pm I REALLY like the way Dempster is mixing up, locating and executing his pitches. He’s been doing it all year. I know he was a 15 game winner with Cincy in 2001 before his Tommy John surgery so I shouldn’t be that surprised, but I think his closer stint as “The Dumpster” really clouds my ability to look objectively at him. That brutal 2006 season (75 IP, 77 H, 36 BB, 24 saves, 9 blown saves, 4.80 ERA) was difficult from a P.R. standpoint especially when the Cubs were the worst team in the National League. I think I’m still going to refer to him as “Dump-a-Lump” but only as a term of endearment.



9:06pm The Brewers patch together a two-out single and walk before Braun smokes a single to left. Cameron goes first to third. Runners at the corners. Prince is coming up. Time to settle down. Cubs 6, Brewers 1

9:09pm After a tough duel at the plate, Fielder floats out to left. Inning over. Three innings in the books.

9:12pm Fukudome hits a comebacker off Suppan, which kicks to first base with amazing english on it. It leaps away from Fielder who just narrowly misses the barehand adjustment and the ball shoots toward the Milwaukee bullpen. Your typical double.

9:15pm DeRo thumps a single to right field. Fukudome scores. Cubs 7, Brewers 1.

9:21pm Mark Cuban interview after the break!!! I wonder what they’ll talk about!?!?!

9:23pm Erin Andrews cozies up with Cubes sitting right in front of the Chicago on-deck circle for a little Q&A. She leads off with “Where did it go wrong with Avery (Johnson)?” You got some stones on ya, don’t cha … um, I mean, good question Erin. Interesting phrasing for sure though. After some softballs, she asks what the differences would be between Stern and Selig… Cuban, who CLEARLY wants to own the Cubs, remarks that “Bud Selig has been phenomenal for baseball.” I was half expecting him to add, “If no one else want him, I’ll take Judge Smails.”

BROWWNNN NOOSSSSEEE!!!

9:33pm Theriot ropes a single to left with one out. D. Lee looms large at the plate.

9:34pm D. Lee smacks a single into the gap. Runners at the corners. Suppan’s pitch count is at 74 through 4.1 innings. If I’m him, I’m breaking into the mini-bar hardcore tonight.

9:37pm Bill Hall boots a sharply hit ground ball. Riot scores, Lee and Ramirez safe. Cubs 8, Brewers 1.

9:43pm DeRo smacks an RBI single. Suppan leaves to mock applause. Cubs 9, Brewers 1.

9:47pm Soto jacks his second three run homer into the left field bleachers!!! You can close the book on Suppan (thank god). I hate being right all the time. Cubs 12, Brewers 1.

9:48pm Fukudome almost named his son Chicago last year. For some reason, this makes me immensely happy.

9:45pm It has just occurred to me this is my sixth running diary (Bulls/Wizards, Bulls/Warriors, Bears/Vikings, Virginia/Texas Tech, Cubs/Rockies) and my record is looking like it’s going to be 5-1. From now on, I’m doing running diaries of every Chicago playoff game going forward. Seems reasonable.

9:59pm Dempster scatters two walks before giving up a two-out double to Ryan Braun. Cubs 12, Brewers 3.

10:06pm Five innings complete. Time for another beer.

10:10pm ESPN does a montage with maudlin music about 1908: Taft was the 27th president, the first Model T first produced, the 4th modern Olympics happened in London… this doesn’t even bother me. It’s absurd that this is a requirement for national consumption of my favorite baseball team.

10:13pm Dave O’Brian refers to the episode last season when Zambrano criticized the fans after a rocky stretch in the late months of the season. To be honest, I completely forgot about that. I forgave him immediately after he apologized. He’s like my drunk best friend who gets in fights with bouncers every weekend. He’s a solid guy, but occasionally he gets bent out of shape and you just have to nod and pretend like you know what he’s talking about.

10:18pm Erin Andrews gives us a report about how Lou Piniella feels about the topic of the 100 year “curse”. Thank God, it had been almost ten minutes. I almost forgot about that.

10:24pm Fukudome takes a seven pitch at-bat and finally bloops an RBI single into right. Cedeno scores from second. Cubs 13, Brewers 3.

10:34pm Six innings in the books.

10:54pm I took the 7th inning off to watch this based on Ben’s recommendation. I’m glad I did. It’s the segment from “Costas Now” that has been causing much fervor throughout the blogosphere over the past 24 hours. The panelists are Buzz Bissinger (author, Friday Night Lights), Will Leitch (of Deadspin.com) and Braylon Edwards (wideout, Cleveland Browns). If you are interest in sports and how it is covered, I recommend that you watch this piece (it’s about 15 minutes long). Then I would suggest that you read the response from FJM which does very competent work and is a favorite of B&B. They crush the idiocy of Bissinger better than I could and in a way they stick up for the fabric of the sports blogging populace. I enjoy blogging because it’s a form of self-expression that is easy to explore and truly fun. Sports and writing are both passions of mine. I know that nobody reads this, but that's not even the point. It's out there and really that's all I care about. I derive enjoyment by browsing sports blogs to get a different take from knowledgeable people who aren’t bound to teams or news agencies. When it’s something worthwhile, I become a repeat reader and I feel like the process has moved along to the benefit of us all. Mr. Bissinger incorrectly asserts that only morons frequent blogs and we should all be wringing our hands with worry at the direction things are headed. Now, I’m far from being considered a literary snob, but I appreciate traditional sportswriting as well. I love The Last Amateurs, The Breaks of the Game and (of course) Moneyball. It’s all a wonderfully rich tapestry and the traditions these writers uphold are complimented (not diminished) by solid sports blogs. I’ve even read Three Nights in August by Mr. Bissinger and really liked it. However, I found his ambush (which is what it was) to be extremely surface based and reactionary. He speaks about spending years upon years honing his craft just as his contemporaries have done, those who sit perched in press boxes collecting and relaying facts. He fails to recognize that every corner of writing has hacks. For every Hunter S. Thompson there is a Jay Mariotti. For every 60 Minutes there is a TMZ. Blogs aren’t the problem. Crusty old men who are hateful because their mediums are slowly being put out to pasture are the problem. OK, that’s all I got for right now. By the way, Cubs 13, Brewers 5.

11:04pm Marmol is in. He is by far the livest arm in the NL Central. I think he has the potential to be the next “elite closer in a league of his own” for years to come. I’m telling you, Mariano Rivera good. I say this with no reservations. He strikes out Gabe Kapler looking with gas on the outside corner. He strikes out Bill Hall swinging on a two-seam fastball on the inside corner. J.J. Hardy pops up to Soto.

11:22pm Derrick Turnbow has given up a run and now is in a two-out, bases loaded jam. Theriot up next. Cubs 14, Brewers 5.



11:26pm Turnbow walks in his second run of the inning. Cubs 15, Brewers 5.

11:27pm Cedeno hits a bases clearing double. Nobody is warming up in the bullpen. At this point, I just feel bad for the kid. He’s twisting in the wind. He has no command or velocity at this point. I understand that you want to save arms in a blowout, but this has got to CRUSH his confidence. Cubs 18, Brewers 5.

11:28pm Ward demolishes a double into the gap in right-center. Cedeno trots home. Ned Yoast FINALLY gets some action going in the bullpen. This is painful to watch even as a Cubs fan. Steve Phillips muses that he absolutely has to be playing injured and I’m inclined to agree. Cubs 19, Brewers 5.

11:32pm Hank White walks. Runners on first and second. Yoast taps his left arm. It’s about fucking time.

11:36pm Stetter relieves Turnbow and promptly strikes out DeRosa.

11:43pm Wuertz retires the side in the top of the 9th. Ballgame.

Baseball Hats Everywhere

Before I write anything, I want to convey my most sincere and heartfelt condolences towards Ben and his 2007 Milwaukee Brewers. I remember a distinct moment this past April that made me wary of this team and justifiably so. I was listening to backloaded ESPN baseball podcasts on my I-Pod enroute to Spring Training in Mesa. It was early morning on the Blue Line heading up to O'Hare for a 7am flight and (the usually prophetic) Peter Gammon’s was running down his MLB standings predictions. The sun was just rising over the lake and I had made up my mind that if the Cubs were going to win, it would have to be this year. Gammons reached the NL Central and without any question or doubt, he fingered the Brewers to finish the year in first. He was met with incredulity and cynicism by the rest of the panel, but he categorically rebuffed them and restated his original assertion adding, "It's all there to make a run. Pitching, young power hitting, speed..."

Ever since that moment, I've been worried about them although I would never actually admit that to Ben (and for the record, this doesn't qualify as an omission of said worry for any organization named the Brewers, seeing as minor aspects of these posts are fictionalized to add density and richness to the characters being portrayed, thank you very much). There is no reason why a team should spend over 3/4 of the season in first place only to lose it in the last month, on the last weekend. It's unfair to the fans and their psyches. I've been around Brewers fans for years and the only thing that tied them together (besides hating the Cubs and Robin Yount jerseys) was that they weren't overly optimistic. Brewers fans were always pragmatists while the Cubs fans tended to be more fatalistic.

This year though? The Brewers fans kicked down the door in the first two months of the season. They provided a loud (rowdy even) presence at Wrigley and left early with wins (an inordinate amount of wins even). The growing feeling was that of all the Milwaukee surges of recent years, this looked the least flukey. To make a long story short, I feel for the kid. You have to. Such good fans don't deserve to witness something that excruciating over a 4 month span. It's bad ju-ju no matter how you cut it. Go Packers.

Ok, now I'm gunna zig back this-ah way...


September 28, 2003 - The Chicago Cubs clinch the NL Central. It happens during the second quarter of a Virginia football game during my 4th year. My Dad and I meet at halftime and do that awkward, giddy embrace reserved for the genuinely ecstatic or mental deranged. I leave the game in the third quarter to read internet reactions and muse over potential foes. For the next three weeks, my Cubs hat only leaves my head for showers and sleep. Mark Prior is arguably the best pitcher still playing. I'm running on pure emotion, malt liquor and the intoxication that is October baseball. Classes are an interesting diversion from my true purpose... hanging on every pitch.

:::In between, some stuff happens:::

September 28, 2007- The Chicago Cubs clinch the NL Central a little after 10PM CST. Here's how I remember it...

There were three fanbases at Cincy's Great American Ballpark: Cubs, Reds and Brewers fans.... I'm switching between Cubs/Reds and Brewers/Padres.... Bronson Arroyo's leg kick is why I can't take him seriously as a solid #2 starting pitcher.... This time of year really lets you appreciate how delicate the dance is between the "standings flags" above the Wrigley scoreboard....


I love the old school uni's that the Brewers dusted off for this "Throwback Night" in Milwaukee. A very solid move in my opinion. However, I wasn't too sure what to make of the towel waving in the stands (this goes for you too Philly). I'm down with towel waving at NBA playoff games and college football games for some reason, but not at MLB pennant implicating regular season games. I can't explain it really. I think the Homer Hankies for the Minnesota Twins playoff run in 1991 were fine because they "looked cool". Because they were hankies being waved, it was more like pulsing cloth rather than 40,000 people mindlessly twirling bar rags. But really, I was just a ten year old boy then, so what do I know. Moving on.

This is a time of year when strange things happen. I love it because scoreboard watching is immensely enjoyable, magic numbers are constantly in your mind and things can swing wildly in a matter of days (see The Mets).... Why are people still running on Alfonso Soriano's arm? He just notched his 20th outfield assist with ease and I can't remember where I put my beer. I love baseball.... The concept of A-Rod on the Northside next year is distracting. I don't want to be thinking about such things right now. It's like the 20 minutes that Kobe was talking about coming to Chicago this summer. I'm going to go blind thinking about stuff like that.... The Cubbies are up 4-0 during the 7th inning stretch. It looks to be 50/50 Cubs/Reds fans. "Root, root-root for the CUBBIES," is plainly heard and you feel good as a fan, like maybe some of this worry and joy and fanaticism in some way contributes to your team's success. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is tied with San Diego in the 5th inning. It's white knuckle time.

Jacomo Jones doubled to deep left, plating Ramirez and DeRosa in the 8th. The Cubs now lead by six runs in the 9th and the Padres just took the lead 4-3 in the 6th inning. At this point, I walked outside in the humid Friday night air and headed to the store for a sixpack of Old Style. I took it to my roof with my radio and listened to the rest of it under the pale of night and the dim flickering of television screens across the neighborhood. Immediately after Trevor Hoffman's three strikeout 9th inning save, hollers erupted throughout Wrigleyville. Cubs hats hovered on distant balconies smoking cigarettes and toasting beers, cars honked and people swayed. A bottle rocket flared out somewhere near Southport. It was only 10pm on a Friday night in Wrigleyville. The earth was moving and things were happening. The people were out and the Cubs were going to represent the NL Central in October.

I unpluged my radio, collected my empties and sauntered down the stairs in complete gratification. I turned off my phone, cranked the A/C, curled myself into bed and slept like a baby for the first time in weeks. I'm home.

Prince Fielder/Brett Favre underdogs of greatness

You have asked for it, and it has so been made.

For me, this September has arrived with more at stake than any other that I can remember.

For the past 2 months, I have physically been unable to write more than a sentence or two about the Brewers. I wanted to at all costs avoid a post that with the theme of "unfortunately, my April prediction was dead-on...the Brewers of the 21st century fade around the All-Star Break...etc"

This time around was even worse, not simply because they were losing games, but because: 1. they blew a 8.5 game lead since that time and 2. in an absolutely ridiculous amount of those games (20 or so) they have blown a lead of 3 runs or more (this includes "Aramis Ramirez game", where they held a 5-0 lead early and lost 6-5 on a walkoff job in the bottom of the 9th. If the Brewers fail to win the Central, this will be the game that you've gotta point to as the seminal moment for their collapse.)



Since that time, and before their latest homestand, they have been 20-35. Knowing that they probably should have won at least 7-10 games during this period and those games will be the difference between possibly losing the division and comfortably clinching with a week left in the season is something that we, collectively, need to put behind us.

The emotional mindfuck notwithstanding, it has served as an unbelieveable prologue to the most exciting divisional race in baseball. Exciting, not only because three teams are within 1.5 games of 1st place, but also because the Cubs and the Cardinals have played stretches of baseball that have been almost as perplexing as the Brewers and no one team can monopolize on the frustrating ineptitude of any of the others (i.e. the Cardinals have just dropped 2 of 3 at home to the Pirates and the Cubs have had ample opportunity to slam the door on the Brewers during the last few weeks in August). Milwaukee plays 10 at home and 13 on the road to finish the season (against relatively mediocre competition and including a critical home series against the Cards in the final week) and given their mini-surge to begin September, I am more hopeful than ever that I will have the opportunity to pee my pants no later than October 1st.

Every year since Mike Martz (who, because he molests collies, should be investigated for cruelty to animals as well) and the Greatest Show on Turf replicated Custer's performance at the Little Big Horn, the NFC has appeared to get worse and worse in quality. When the New Orleans Saints seem to be the consensus pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl (and when in the same breath its concluded that the AFC champ will cut off 'zeir johnson), we know that the age of dominant teams in the NFC has passed. Gone are the Cowboys, 49ers, and Packers of the 1990s (and to a lesser extent the Rams and Eagles shortly thereafter).

This is fantastic news for the 2007 Green Bay Packers. A team that was picked to finish with 4-5 wins last year due to having a "shitty" team on paper actually finished a respectable 8-8 and, had Giants defense buckled after puzzling* 4th quarter playcalling by Tom Coughlin against the 'Skins, they would've been a playoff team.

Logic would follow, that this year the Packers should be even better. The defense looks as strong as it has been since the Minister of Defense retired, the offense seems to have a more clear idea of how to execute its game plan, and most importantly (for me, anyway), I think this is the year that Brett Favre will be his most focused.

I know that my hero-worship and apologism for Brett has been borderline homo-erotic (ok, maybe not even borderline), but I wouldn't discount this as a critical factor in sparking a brief Packers renaissance. He's gotten is beef with the organization out of his system, he is even more committed to winning this year because he was closer than ever to retiring after last season, he has more experience with the coaching staff, and I think he won't feel the burden of carrying the team as much. As we all know, the desire to make the unbelieveable or impossible play has become a subject of mockery of late. I simply don't think you'll see as much of that this year because of a combination of a mental adjustment made on his part and because the team will be better as a whole. These statements may seem to be preposterous and lack justification, but I am incapable of thinking rationally about Brett. I have a crush on him and will probably get his salt-and-pepper stubbled face tattooed on my back like he is Jesus** or something. There'll be a whole post devoted to this later, don't worry.

Finally, the Packers have 4 games against the Lions and the Vikings. That's 4 wins right there. The Lions and the Vikings are an embarrassment of their former selves and to the NFC North. They will both go 0-14-2 (clever, eh?) and will then be immediately contracted.

Anyway, if the Packers aren't one of the best 6 teams in the NFC by the end of the season, it will have been one of the most disappointing letdowns that I will have ever experienced in sports.

The end. I'll have a less whimsical commentary by Saturday or Sunday morning, but I'm at work right now so this post is more of a coping mechanism for me to make it through the day without throwing my coffee mug against the interior faux brick wall or urinating on the carpet in our file room.


*by "puzzling", I mean "mentally handicapped" or "really fucking retarded"

** yay, Jesus

Quick Hits

- I attended the Cubs/Brewers game last night much thanks to Brandon and his blue wristband baller tickets that he got in the drawing in March. We sat in the Upper Deck directly to the left of the Press Box which was a new perspective for me. I've probably watched 15 games from the Wrigley 500 Level in my life, but always flared out along the sidelines toward the foul poles. I enjoyed this new vantage, mainly because no seat at the Friendly Confines provides the same experience as another. Every chair in that building has it's own tread in your mind, every section has it's own personality. That being said, the surroundings of "Section 517, Row 7, Seat 4" were...... rowdy.

- This statistic is courtesy of Bleed Cubbie Blue: "Over at Baseball Prospectus on Monday evening, Nate Silver, perhaps presciently, noted that Milwaukee had, through Sunday, blown 13 leads of three runs or more (and nine of those from July 28 through August 26)."

- My favorite thing about keeping score during a game is what you ultimately do with the scorecard. I've only kept 2 scorecards in my life: The first Interleague game played at Wrigley against the Brewers and Carlos Zambrano's complete game, five hit, ten strikeout effort against the Astros on 8/17/03. The rest of them I usually just leave it there, finished or otherwise. I sometimes stop after the 7th or 8th inning and redirect my attention towards cheering, usually by then we're into the bullpen and you run out of space after four pitchers. Though sometimes, after a deluge of runs by the other team in the 5th or 6th inning causing us to fall woefully behind, I'll dramatically tear up my scorecard and throw up my hands in utter futility. You never know.

-USA Basketball is extremely entertaining right now. I highly recommend it.

- I've heard Yi Jianlian's name mangled numerous times by three different Chicago sportstalk radio personalities this morning after news of him signing with the Bucks hit the wire. This was usually followed by laughter and a snarky "whatever". Seriously, it takes 30 seconds to look up the pronunciation on this guy (EE jee-AHN-lee-AHN). If you're not going to do that, don't basically mock him for having a name that is difficult for you to verbalize. And for the record, it's pronounced Don-ah-FEE you lace-curtained half-an-Englishman.

- Lance Briggs, don’t sweat it. I careen my $350,000 cars off the side of the Edens at 3:15am and leave the scene of the crash all the time. The good news is, we can rebuild KITT. The bad news is, you are not Pauly Shore and this isn’t a Ja Rule video. You cannot do “whatever you want”.

81 Games: Halfway Home

Best MLB records in June

Seattle Mariners...........18-9
Milwaukee Brewers......17-9
Anaheim Angels...........17-9
Chicago Cubs...............17-11
Detroit Tigers...............16-10

NL Central
------------------------W---L------PCT---GB-----
Milwaukee------48---34----.585-------------
Chicago----------41---40----.506----6.5-----
St. Louis---------37---42----.468----9.5-----
Houston --------36---47----.434----12.5----
Pittsburgh------35---47----.427----13------
Cincinnati------31---51----.378----17------

The best part was when Aramis won the game

Storming the Friendly Confines

First of all, I'd like to offer my most sincere congratulations to the Chicago Bulls who will enjoy summa 'dis for the next few years. I reserve the right to repeatedly post that video over the course of the basketball season for no reason in particular. It brings me equal amounts of the good happy and the completely terrified.

The Milwaukee Brewers are expected to win the NL Central Division.

Read that back one more time to yourself. Say it out loud. Use it in a conversation with a friend or member of your family.

Certainly those words, stated in that particular order, sound alien and unfamiliar. To me, they sound horrifying.

In the course of months, the Brewers have gone from a team that has nothing to lose to a team that has everything to lose. Anything short of the a division title will be considered a profound disappointment and an abject failure.

When the Brewers played the Mets in mid-May, FSNY flashed a graphic indicating that the last team to lose their division after enjoying a 9.5 game lead over their nearest division opponent at that stage of the season was the 1951 Tigers (or something like that...this was 6 weeks ago and, quite frankly, I can't remember to wipe myself all the time). So either history is in the Brewers favor or they will experience a historically relevant collapse. My anxiety over the latter conclusion will not subside unless they play a strong series against the Cubs this weekend.

Over the past few seasons, the series of games immediately surrounding the All-Star break has given some indication of how the rest of the year would play out. On each of these occassions, the Brewers have been within a handful of games of the division and/or the wild card leads and, as we have come to expect, they've pissed the bed and left skid marks on the sheets.

The Brewers have an opportunity to define their identity this weekend and to numb the memories of disappointments of seasons past. They will have played exactly half of their games. They play their toughest rivals who are playing their best ball of the season. On the road. As the leaders of their division (albeit a very very bad division).

I like this team. They say all the right things and they appear to have what we would consider "the proper perspective". They like each other and put ego aside. They're young and experienced. Everyone contributes (including Craig Counsell and Tony Graffanino). Their pitching staff has solidified with the addition of Yovani Gallardo and the return of Chris and it is far better with Dave Bush in the bullpen rather than in the rotation.

If the Brewers take 2 of 3 or sweep in Wrigley, I will put my order in for Pee Your Pants for the Brewers gear (# 148) first thing Monday morning. If not, well, the last 3 months of the regular season will be quite a ride.

[Insert phrase using a clever pun of the verb 'to brew' here]

For the Milwaukee Brewers of the new millenium and their fans, a win percentage above .500 has become the number by which we may define whether or not the season was a success.

Each spring begets hopes for the upcoming season that are far brighter than the one before. (nota bene "the one before" is always a mediocre season). This trend reeks of the unrealistic rationalization that this team can compete for an NL Central title in late May.

As you could have predicted, this season is no different.

There are many things I will love to watch about this team. The right side of the infield. The continued improvement as one of the league's younger teams grows into their full potential. Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, and Dave Bush. A centerfield that is devoid of Brady Clark (with the added bonus that Ned Yost finally has a position that Bill Hall can call home).

Of course, the 4-year $42 million deal signed by Jeff Suppan, the trade of Doug Davis, the uncertainty at SS and 3B and at the back of the rotation, and the lingering taste of vomit in my mouth (cough...Kevin Mench) from the Carlos Lee deal last July are a sufficient reminder that my right hand still has shit in it and my left hand is empty of any wishes fulfilled.

Why, in the one year that Milwaukee decides to spend some money on free agents, did they choose Jeff fuckin' Suppan? I know, I know, he was the NLCS MVP. He's also 32, with 4.60/1.42 career ERA/WHIP and a below average K/9 ratio (If I had my 2007 Baseball Prospectus in front of me right now, there would be far better evidence for why this may turn out to be another case of a veteran that overachieves in the playoffs being rewarded with a contract that will later appear to be indefensible.) Pissing and moaning aside, this year is as good as any for the Brewers to make the stretch run for the NL Central interesting. Neither the Astros nor the Cardinals appear to be capable of completely dominating the division and the Cubs and Reds look to be stronger than last season. Opening in April with a series against each divisional opponent, the importance of a strong start is just as relevant as its ever been. If this team can hang around past the All-Star Break, Beer Town could be in for an exciting end to its summer. If the Brewers follow form with an impressive 40-game start, then show cracks and fissures in the guise of injury and inconsistency, the dam will be broken by the end of July and we'll be having the same conversation one year hence. As ever and either way, the journey is the reward. And I'm as ready as I've ever been for its beginning.