Chicago Cubs Fans: Next Year is Here

It's been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs last hoisted a World Series trophy in the air.

Now that I think about it, did trophies even exist in 1908?

That really isn't the issue at hand, however. The point is, seventy games into the 2008 baseball season; the Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball. Not only do the Cubs have the best record in the game (45-25), they have scored the most runs in baseball and allowed the fewest in the National League (fourth fewest in all of MLB).

Coming off of a divisional title in 2007, it isn't a huge surprise that the Cubs are having another good year. However, I don't think many, if any, would have predicted the Cubbies to be the best team in baseball. 

Coming into Spring Training, there were many questions about the Cubs' pitching staff. For starters (bad pun, I know), who would take the ball every five days in the rotation? Three of the five spots were filled with Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Rich Hill. The other two spots were up for grabs though, and ultimately won by former closer Ryan Dempster and Jason Marquis. 

Rich Hill, who was counted on to win 15 games and pitch around 200 innings, was a complete disaster and is currently trying to throw strikes in Iowa. 

The person that has saved the rotation is Ryan Dempster. He has been a dominant starter at home (8-0), and he is vying for a spot on the All-Star team.

He won't be the only pitcher on the National League team from the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano has been electric all year, and will likely be joined by Carlos Marmol, the most dominant middle-reliever in all of baseball. 

The other question mark in Spring Training was who would be the closer? Kerry Wood beat out Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry, and while he's had a few hiccups, he has been dominant as well.

There weren't many questions about the Cubs' offense at the start of the year.  The only issue was their starting center fielder, or lack thereof. The Felix Pie experiment failed again, and the Cubs were lucky the Blue Jays released Reed Johnson at the end of Spring Training. Johnson took over for Pie on a full-time basis in April, and he hasn't looked back. 

The Cubs were also able to add a veteran to platoon with Johnson in center. They found a player who can swing from the left side of the plate: Jim Edmonds. It was tough (and still is) for the Cubs' faithful in the bleachers to embrace Edmonds as a Cub (he was a notorious Cubs-killer for years with the Cardinals), but he's had a few big hits and always brings a great glove with him. 

The Cubs took a gamble by counting on rookie catcher Geovany Soto to be the everyday guy and provide a solid bat. This is a gamble that has paid off very well. Not only has Soto shown to have a great glove, but he is one of the best hitters on the team, and without question one of the top-five catchers in the game. 

Arguably, the most valuable player on the Cubs' offense has been Mark DeRosa.  He doesn't get the credit he deserves, and he isn't a feared hitter in the lineup at all. However, he's hitting around .300, and he plays every position on the field.  He'll start at second, move to either corner-outfield spot, and has even played first and third when needed. 

There is still plenty of baseball to be played, and no doubt the Cubs will hit a slump at some point in the year, at which point all of Chicago will start blaming goats and nerds who wear headphones to games. 

That being said though, if the Cubs play .500 the rest of the year, they’ll finish at 91-71, and that should be good enough to get back in the playoffs. Once they are there, you never know what will happen; ask the Rockies last year, or the Cardinals the year before, and on and on. 

Things are shaping up to be an eventful year at Wrigley, and with the offense the Cubs have, and a dominant pitcher like Big Z, next year could finally be here.