Cubby-Blue

Say It Out Loud: Cubs Are NL Central Champs

Yep, young Rich Hill, Sean Marshall and Scotty Eyre looked really sharp in the 4-nothin' win against a toothless Reds team yesterday.
Yep, young Mr. Murton and Mr. Cedeno hit homers off serious tough guy Aaron Harang.
Yep, it would be nice to get the possible 86th win today.
But...just say this out loud: The 2007 National League Central Division Champion Chicago Cubs.

I said it enough yesterday to annoy pretty much anyone around me.
It sounds so cool.
Try different ways, good for hours of amusement:
"Why, did you know the Cubs are the NL Central Division Champs of 2007?"
"Wonder who won the NL Central?"
"GUESS WHAT? The Cubs won the NL Central! They're going to the playoffs!"

We won't know who the Cubs will play until the NL East is decided, and it's pretty wacky out there.
But anyway, did you know the Cubs won the NL Central?
Yeah, it's true.
They're going to the playoffs.

Your 2007 NL Central Division Champion Cubs

Wow.
After this last week, this clinching thing came sort of...suddenly.
I woke up all angsty about the Sweep By The Fish, then driving home I heard Fonsie's leadoff homer, then I watched Carlos Zambrano mow down the Reds, then the Brewer/Pods game was on ESPN, then...they lost and the announcers said that the Cubs have...clinched?
I flipped channels and there were the Cubs.
It was the middle of some crazy party, with CSN's Gail Fischer's hair soaking up air-champagne like a mop as she spoke to Ted Lilly, and Brenly spoke to The Riot and Fonsie and...everybody.
I'm still in shock sort of.
I mean, Thursday night the world was collapsing, wasn't it?
I'm such an idiot...of COURSE this was about to happen.
THEY CLINCHED!
And at the end, Gail Fischer finally got Lou Piniella on camera.
"When we win at Wrigley and those fans start singing "Go Cubs Go", I get tears in my eyes. I really do." he said.
And lucky no one was in the room, cause that worked like "Brian's Song" on me, dude.
I might be dad, but I got tears in my eyes.
I really did.

It's the Worst Nightmare Ever

I am so trying to keep it together.
Isn't Florida in the Bermuda Triangle or something?
That's probably it, because that was not the Cubs for the last three days.
That was just a nightmare.
WAAAAAAKKKKEEEEEE UUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!

A Sudden Change In Cabin Pressure

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like if those oxygen things popped out of the ceiling on a plane.
Then last night happened and well, now I know.
It feels like panic and dread.
Like we’re all goin’ down.
But I woke up this morning, had a cuppa joe, and remembered who the pilot is.
Why, that’s Lou Piniella flying this bird!
So we hit a little turbulence in Florida – there’s always a freaking storm down there.
Doesn’t matter what place they’re in, the Fish have always given the Cubs a bad time, so while this is unfortunate, it’s not that unexpected.
And the Brewers losing to about half the Cardinals?
That’s waay worse for them, dude.
So Buck UP, Cub fans.
Do not talk to me of panic today.

Okay Cubs 4 Marlins 7, Brewers 3 Cards 7, magic number is now 3.
Today’s another day, and we’ve got Steve Trachsel on the mound this evening…
Hey wait, was that noise from the…
JESUS – WAS THAT THE ENGINE???!!!

(Phil Rogers, I painted this way before I read your “Turbulence” article which, as usual, I enjoyed. But the painting dovetails nicely don’t you think?)

Soto: The Gift Behind Home Plate

You know how when somebody hits a smash to third and the third baseman might even flinch or look away but somehow fields the ball, and you know it’s all luck?
A gift.
If you’re the one watching that happen, you’d say, “Look what I found!” – it literally means the guy had no idea he was gonna make the play and poof! There’s the ball, in his glove.
You learn that saying in Little League.
Well, that’s what happened when the Cubs brought up Geovany Soto.
Because Geovany Soto is the biggest gift I’ve ever seen the Cubs get.
Yeah, he came from the minors and had a spectacular year down there, but I never saw any of that.
I was just watching the Cubs one day and Len or Bob or somebody said, “…and here’s Geovany Soto at the plate.”
And he got a hit.
And then he got another one.
And he threw a out a would-be stealer.
To me, he dropped out of the sky and just…took the catcher position.
Look what I found, man.

Okay, about last night’s miserable 2-4 loss to the Marlins.
I knew that was gonna happen.
Yesterday morning, I was less than 10 seconds from where I park for work, going through that intersection at Stetson and Southwater – it’s sort of underground and there’s all the ramps going up to Columbus?
So I stop at my stop sign and I’m going through the intersection when suddenly this Saturn blasts through without stopping at their stop sign.
I slam on my breaks but it’s too late and Saturn just barely hits me (although she was going way faster than I since she didn’t stop, so it was a jolt).
When I got out of the car, there in the middle of the intersection was my poor license plate with the Chicago Cub frame, all mashed.
Bad sign?
You bet.
And it was really busy so I didn’t have time to get a new one.
But I will this morning, so you know...don’t worry.

Reflection on Hope

Wellll, we all got to take a break last night.
I did this painting awhile back (you can also see it in this month’s VINE LINE), and it seems like a good time to put it in the blog.
Hope.
There’s probably all kinds if you think about it.
There’s Spontaneous Yet Forgettable Hope: “I HOPE YOU GET A FLAT TIRE YA BIG LANE-CHANGIN’ CUTTER-OFFER GUY!”
There’s Big Important Hope, like I hope for my children to be happy and that Man hasn’t messed up the planet too badly for them.
And then there’s Cub Hope.
It’s kinda frivolous, really, but it also has it’s place on the importance scale.
Lucky for you, I’m incapable of deepness.
I don’t use big words like predestination or existentialism or uh, incisor.
So I’ll simply say that Cub Hope, for those of us who possess it, is a vital hope, one that unites us as believers in the possibility of greatness coming from mediocrity.
Why do I hope Matt Murton does well?
Because he’s 100% Cub by the very definition of the word - the only way he does well is by working longer and harder with more purpose and belief in himself than any player with more god-given talent.
(While Pat Hughes might say, “…and Murton is under the ball…” what he’s really thinking is “…and Murton is under the ball and I HOPE HE CATCHES IT…”)

Anyway, I believe that Wrigley Field is THE shrine to Cub Hope.
And I hope you take a moment to look at this painting and reflect on this season, the players, Lou, the possibilities, and…HOPE THE CUBS KILL THE MARLINS!

*please note that I've trademarked "Wrigley Field: The Hope Diamond".

Scoreboard Watching

Well, that was it.
The last scheduled home game of 2007.
Carlos Zambrano looked really good, D. Lee smithereened a line drive homer, Ronny Cedeno hit one too. Matty Murton is hot. The whole team is hot - the Cubs just look like they’re totally getting it together right at the right time.
Pittsburgh just was sort of there, not really doing much.
Looking up, the scoreboard told us that the Brewers were beating the Braves 4-1.
But in the 7th, the guy selling peanuts walked by.
Instead of yelling “Peanuts!” though, he was yelling that the Braves had tied it up (the scoreboard is pretty slow on other game scores, actually, and hadn’t made the change).
I suddenly remembered something.
“Did you bring The Judge?” I asked Ben.
He pulled out the baggie.
That Judge – he’s still working.
In the 8th inning, the scoreboard put up the final - Braves 7 Brewers 4.
Probably the most exciting part of the day.

It ends up Cubs 8 Pirates nothin’.
That plus the Brewer score means the Cubs are up by 3.5 games with 6 to go.

After, everybody once again sang Steve Goodman’s “Go Cubs Go”, and they sang for a looong time hoping the Cubs would come out for a curtain call.
But they didn’t, and I now know that’s a good thing.
It means they ain’t done.
It means we'll see that curtain call in the post season at my favorite ballpark.

Fuld Crashes Into The Wrigley Ivy

My expectations are that the Cubs will extend my summer.
They spanked Pittsburgh today 9-5 with a bunch of homers and good pitching and amazing play from…kids.
Geovany Soto, Kevin Hart (okay, he played yesterday), Sam Fuld – these kids are even more kid than Theriot or Fontenot or Murton or Marmol.
Imagine future freaking Hall of Famer Lou Piniella is your manager, he’s asking you to win games during a pennant race in the best baseball city in the country, and you’re actually doing it.
Sure, the Cubs were up pretty good, but Sam Fuld’s amazing catch in right field (and the subsequent double play)…that’s the kind of stuff where if you never played again you’d have something pretty cool to tell your grandkids.
I was buying mums for the garden with wife Kim at Home Depot (screaming prices, if you’re interested), carrying a pistachio retro-looking Fossil transistor radio with me when this play happened.
I believe the lady in the fern aisle thought I was really, really excited about mums.

Okay, tomorrow it’s me, Berardini, Ben, and The Judge in our seats for the last regular season home game.
Judge, let it not be our last home game.
Thank you.

Aramis Picks Up Marquis With 6 RBIs

With the Cubs blasting out a 5-2 lead in the second inning, Jason Marquis gave up hit after hit after hit to the freaking Pirates and was removed with 2 out in the third - his worst start of the year, at least that I can remember.
And all I could think was wait til those are like, Mets or Diamondbacks or...hell, even Red Sox batters (if I'm gonna dream out loud)?
You're creamed like spinach.
Jason Marquis: get it together dude.
The Cubs need you.
Luckily you've got Aramis Ramirez as a team-mate, who drilled two 3-run homers (and almost hit another out of the park too), and picked you up.
And to be fair, the wind totally messed with you today - it was blowing straight out and heavy like it hasn't all year (I suspect The Judge was behind that, by the way, at least on Geovany Soto's homer).
Okay...
Cubs 13 Pirates 8, Brewers 4 Braves 1, Cubs 1.5 games in front.
And nobody pinch Soto - keep him dream-playing like this til October's over.

The Iron Man (and The Judge)

Had Emily’s radio going, workin' late last night.
Wow.
Pat Hughes said he’d never forget this game, and poor Ronny had a cold and literally couldn’t talk at the end.
Lou looks like the genius he is, Lilly goes 7 strong and only gives up two, Murton hits into the weird fielder’s-choice play as The Riot scores the winning run. And Iron Man Bob Howry seals the deal.
Last year, Howry pitched (as Carl Sagan once said) billions and billions of innings, and even though he had a rough go before his speed came back this season, he’s been a freaking rock.
Carlos Marmol is the sexy revelation, but when it comes to experience and just being a tough guy, you can’t beat Howry.

Now for The Judge.
Ben brought him to the game last night, and did he get to work in the 8th.
It was actually the Judge (and not Reds 3rd base coach Mark Berry) who waved Norris Hopper home to get nailed by a Fonsie throw to the plate. It was the Judge who kicked Junior’s glove on The Riot’s single, allowing him to go to second. And it was the Judge making fluttery-bird shadow-puppets on the ball Murton smoked to Adam Dunn, causing either Adam or the ump to miss (no one seems sure).
Believe it.
Ben would like you all to know, however, that the Judge plays clean and had nothing to do with Junior’s abdominal strain - in fact Ben claims the Judge was having a cold one when that happened.

Okay, Cubs 3 Reds 2, Brewers 4 Astros 5 (that HAD to hurt, Milwaukee fans), Cubs in first by a game.
It’s a day off for my favorite team.
Rest up boys, it’s those Pesky Pirates next.