MLB: The Cubs Have to Lose Eventually...Right?

The Chicago Cubs own the best record in the majors at 48-28 heading into late-June. As a die-hard Brewers fan, it's gotten me thinking that this can't be for real and that it simply isn't going to last.

I mean, after all, they are the Cubs. This team hasn't been good in the last century. The term "next year" has always been in the back of Cubs fans minds.

What has made the baseball gods suddenly change their ways and allow the Cubs to steamroll through the division and the entire league?

What's more amazing is that the Cubs are 32-8 at the "friendly" confines of Wrigley Field. They have won 14-straight at home and haven't lost there since mid-May.

And it's nice to know that four of those losses came at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are, however, 16-20 away from the Windy City.

Can the Brewers and Cardinals catch the Baby Bears?

These are the three teams that I think will remain atop the NL Central when it's all said and done.

The Cardinals are 44-33; 23-17 at Busch and 21-16 away from home. The Brewers are 25-13 in Brew Town and 16-21 away from Miller.

The Cubs are without Alfonso Soriano until after the All-Star Break, and Big Z will now be bothered with an arm injury for awhile. Who's next to stop at the DL?

Albert Pujols will most likely have something wrong with him all year, which will make Cards fans wonder if they can keep the winning going. Plus, they are winning now with questionable pitching, so can that continue all the way through September?

The Brewers had a rough May and have finally been playing good ball in June. I may be biased in saying this, but I think that the Brewers have the best shot at catching the Cubs, if not overtaking them somewhere down the line.

Milwaukee's pitching is holding steady with Sheets remaining healthy (knock on wood), and Seth McClung has made a great transition into the starting rotation. The offense continues to crush the ball out of the park, so scoring enough runs to win is never a problem.

All this leads me to believe that the Cubs will once again miss out on the joys of the World Series. They may get into October this year, but they will not be the last ones standing.

The curse of the Billy Goat/Steve Bartman/whatever the Cubs blame their losing on will inevitably continue in 2008.

Great starts can only lead to great disappointments. It's a marathon, not a race. Add any cliche you want; it all works against the Cubs.

Having the Cubs lose year after year when the Brewers aren't there is the only joy I get out of baseball. But maybe a greater joy will happen this year; when the Brewers finally get back to October and do it by beating those Cubbies.