What happened to the Cubs?

Okay, so my optimism did not pay off. The Cubs got swept and Cleveland lost in seven games to the darn Red Sox.

Although I’m disappointed my Cubbies lost, I can’t be too salty. It was their first year under new manager Lou Piniella, and the first year higher management put their stock in starting pitchers other than Kerry Woods and Mark Prior. Perhaps this is a foretaste of what’s to come, because if I’m being honest, the “loveable losers” moniker is played out.

The playoff series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks seems decades ago, but it is still fresh in my mind. Carlos Zambrano was pitching a gem in game one, but in a controversial move, he was pulled by sweet Lou after six innings. At the time, I was not mad at Piniella. Although Big Z was on fire, he is the type of player that runs strictly on emotions. He has the tendency of metamorphosing from Big Z to Crazy Z in a matter of moments. Despite this fact, in retrospect, I think Penilla should have left him in the game. His reasoning for taking him out was because he wanted him to be fresh for game four. However, that logic is flawed because you have to win the game at hand before you can start strategizing about games in the future.

The main reason the Cubs loss was because none of their big hitters/money players had an RBI in the entire series. There is no way the Cubs can win a playoff series unless Alfonso Soriano, eight years $136 M, Derek Lee, five years $65 M, and Aramis Ramirez, five years 75 M, contribute to game.

Next year marks the 100th anniversary since the Cubs last won the World Series. What a fitting year to finally win it all and put an end to that silly curse of the Billy Goat.

More optimism: The Cubs are going to sign Alex Rodriguez who will finally lead the team to promise land.