The Chicago Cubs Pep Talk

Ray Tannock by Scribe Written on July 13, 2009
CHICAGO - JULY 06:  Cubs fans leave Wrigley Filed, after the Chicago Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-2, July 6, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. The Tribune Company, which owns the Cubs and the ballpark, has reached a deal, reported to be worth around $900 million, to sell both to the Ricketts family which built its fortune through TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. The Tribune Company, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will need court approval as well as approval from Major League Baseball for the sale to go through.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The All-Star break is before us, which means the first half of the season has come to a close, and while most will sit back and analyze their team’s progress—or lack thereof—I can’t help but wonder what that will get me aside from headaches and the occasional fit more true to a diabetic or schizophrenic.

No offense to either, but you get the point.

I have read a myriad of articles that ranged from fans showering their teams with accolades of a fine performance so far, and I've also read an equal amount of articles from fans throwing cabbage and disdain to performances well beneath their team’s potential—both of which are equally fitting.

After all, that’s what a being a fan is all about, isn’t it?

Some seasons are a walk around the maypole, while other seasons are a trip down the river Stix, and it is that ebb and flow that either drives us to euphoria, or plunges us into the depths of madness.

I have decided to take a similar approach. But rather follow suit, I decided to take another avenue.

One that is fleeting and more idealistic.

I thought it would be fun to take the mentality of the proverbial “halftime” talk we know so well in football and apply it to baseball.

Taboo, I know.

But I HOPE that somewhere, somehow, just maybe, an ACTUAL Chicago Cubs player or other member of the team will read this and say:

“Hey, HEY YEAH, he’s right, that’s what we needed to hear!”

So here you are, Chicago.

So here we are boys; the midway point. Better than half the season is over and we are hovering at .500. Why? Well I’ll tell yeah why, because we’re playing like a .500 team and no better. Our RBIs are down, the HRs are bottom dwelling and our overall team average suggests the fences we’ve been swinging for are no more than a 100 feet away.

Seriously, what the heck is going on out there huh? And let’s not focus on injuries. The kids on the bench made this team for a reason and that is too fill in when they are called upon, and do as much as possible not the bare minimum.

This year, I have had to swallow all sorts of discrepancies and underachieving straight across the board!

Lee, April was a complete mess and ya cleaned it up a bit out there, but the lack of consistency is hurting more than Sosa’s feelings did when we got rid of him for YOU.

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written on July 13, 2009 Opinion

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