Ah, I can't say I didn't see this coming. The Cubs three game exit of the playoffs this year was truly pathetic. I haven't seen such a crappy effort since my dog whined and begged to get my pizza crust last week. No effort, just whining and begging.
But, I actually kind of feel sorry for the Cubs. I mean, it's easy to say now that they are knocked out, but how much more terrible could they have played? That series was a joke. I'll take you inside my head, and try to explain the internal civil war I'm fighting.
Reasons to Pity:
5) This one will linger
Geo Soto is probably going to win the NL Rookie of the Year. And then everybody will remember how the Cubs DIDN'T win anything in the playoffs. Ouch.
Plus, Kosuke Fukudome isn't going anywhere, and he was God-awful in the playoffs too. That memory will carry over to next year much more so then the infield fielding woes or Carlos Zambrano's tired shoulder. You have to wonder if the Cubs are dealing with a dead contract with the struggling outfielder.
4) Is Sweet Lou's contract a soul deal?
Pinella just got extended through 2012, yet he hasn't won ONE game in the playoffs yet. That's worse then Dusty Baker. The Cubs are absolutely loaded. Like, I could get them to the NLDS. But how much is Lou really getting in the end from his players?
3) This was the year!
No, I'm not mocking the Cubs' fifty million slogans claiming they were gonna win in 2008, but if they were going to do any curse-breaking, it seems like this woulda been the best time. Rich Harden was healthy, and actually their whole rotation was healthy! They had no significant injuries to speak of. So...good luck getting that to happen ever again.
2) They actually did get into the record books...kinda
That four error performance in Game Two was disgraceful. That kind of performance is tangible proof that will allow historians and fans to look back on the 2008 Cubs and laugh. They didn't just play badly, they officially played the worst game an infield as ever collectively played that day.
1) A whole century is pretty official
A triple digit drought is just impressive. It's like eating. If you eat some chips, hot dogs, beans, and beer at a barbecue, you're like man, I ate a lot. But if you eat a whole pizza to yourself or kill a 30 pack of Bud Light on your own it's official.
That's what this century does to the Cubs fans. And somewhere in my human consciousness, I feel for them. Yeah, they're kinda obnoxious, and yeah, they really have no reason to ever, EVER talk crap about another team, but hey, nobody deserves 100 years without a championship.
BUT, thing is, I'm kinda mean too. So I gotta poke some fun and laugh, especially since the Cubbies won the NL Central this year over the Cardinals.
Reasons to Laugh:
5) No way you equal some performances from this season
Is Rich Harden's ERA ever going to be around 2.00 again? No. Will he ever make 25 starts again? That might be tough too.
Will Jim Edmonds or Reed Johnson ever give you those numbers again?
Probably not.
4 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Anthony Elias 9 months ago
This is funny, coming from a Cardinals fan. Really funny. I'm hoping my Phillies can break the city wide title drought, and finally put a title parade on Broad Street!
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Peter Fleischer 9 months ago
Thanks Anthony, glad you liked it! I like the Phils this year a lot. I'm from St. Louis so I'm a big Ryan Howard guy. If the hitting is on...whew. They're a brutal match up.
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Sam Wenk 9 months ago
Good article, and the lack of playoff wins for the Cubs is disgusting. How can a team lose nine straight in the biggest part of the schedule? Oh yeah, because they're the Cubs!
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Don Sanders 8 months ago
Right on the money. Well except for the offer to send condolences. Baby bear fans are bums. I'm from St. Louis to and attended the first ever Cards-cubs match-up at Busch 3. Shortly after Pujols hit his first home run against the baby bears that season (on his way to lead the Birds to title #10), I was assaulted in line in the bathroom by a cubs fan. Classy. They are absolute losers. In every facet. You never hear anyone say that they are the best fans (a comment often heard about those of us in Redbird Nation). So keep tossing back the homers baby bear fans, and keep on being the toilet stain of the NL.
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