BIG NAMES - BIG IMPACT?
(Daniel here. Thought I'd take a peek at the Cubs chances of making the postseason this year.)
I've noticed the impending return of Nomar Garciaparra and Kerry Wood. When those names come up in conversation, there is a good bet that there'll be a copious amount of head-nodding, and perhaps a bit of head-shaking, too.
The head-nodding is respectful, an acknowledgement of each players' superior talents and abilities on the diamond. The head-shaking is disappointment, an acknowlegement that if each of the players were to have had a healthier past few years, then things might've been different. Especially this year. But as the injuries mounted, it seemed, once again, that pre-season hopes would turn to late-season disappointment.
The Cubs fans just have to be used to this by now. They're ongoing injury saga with Wood, as well as Mark Prior, has just seemed like another manifestation of the curse on the franchise. You could sense it coming this year, especially, because adding Nomar to the team meant, on paper, that this team was poised to challenge the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title.
Yet even with all of that, the Cubs still find themselves in a position to do something. At this point, a run is improbable, what with the Cardinals un-catchable and the wildcard race stacked with teams all bunched up -- bunched up, and bunched up in front of the Cubs.
The Cubs are tied with the Mets for 5th in the wild card race five games behind the Astros. The Phillies, Nationals, and Marlins are also behind the Astros, but in front of Chicago. Heck, for that matter, the Brewers are only half a game behind the Cubs at one game under .500.
The good news? With the unbalanced schedule, the Cubbiesstill have a shot to stage a comeback, with 10 games left vs. Houston, three vs. the Mets (this very weekend), three vs. the Marlins, and three vs. Milwaukee. They also have 10 games left vs. the eminently beatable NL West, and five vs. the Pirates.
So, think of it as a combination of control-your-own-destiny merged with a little beat-the-teams-you're-supposed-to-beat. They've got to win those series vs. the wildcard teams in front of them (kind of like they just didn't do vs. the Phillies), and they've got to beat up on the teams with worse records. Oh, and holding their own in their remaining games vs. the Braves and Cardinals is a must, too.
Giving them a boost...or, more likely, a "boost"...will be a Nomar Garciaparra who seems to be on the downward spiral, and a Kerry Wood who will be have contribute as much as he can out of the bullpen (if he remains healthy and pitches effectively for a couple of weeks, I don't expect that to last).
Good luck, Cubs fans. You'll need almost as much luck as the Giants will.
I've noticed the impending return of Nomar Garciaparra and Kerry Wood. When those names come up in conversation, there is a good bet that there'll be a copious amount of head-nodding, and perhaps a bit of head-shaking, too.
The head-nodding is respectful, an acknowledgement of each players' superior talents and abilities on the diamond. The head-shaking is disappointment, an acknowlegement that if each of the players were to have had a healthier past few years, then things might've been different. Especially this year. But as the injuries mounted, it seemed, once again, that pre-season hopes would turn to late-season disappointment.
The Cubs fans just have to be used to this by now. They're ongoing injury saga with Wood, as well as Mark Prior, has just seemed like another manifestation of the curse on the franchise. You could sense it coming this year, especially, because adding Nomar to the team meant, on paper, that this team was poised to challenge the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title.
Yet even with all of that, the Cubs still find themselves in a position to do something. At this point, a run is improbable, what with the Cardinals un-catchable and the wildcard race stacked with teams all bunched up -- bunched up, and bunched up in front of the Cubs.
The Cubs are tied with the Mets for 5th in the wild card race five games behind the Astros. The Phillies, Nationals, and Marlins are also behind the Astros, but in front of Chicago. Heck, for that matter, the Brewers are only half a game behind the Cubs at one game under .500.
The good news? With the unbalanced schedule, the Cubbiesstill have a shot to stage a comeback, with 10 games left vs. Houston, three vs. the Mets (this very weekend), three vs. the Marlins, and three vs. Milwaukee. They also have 10 games left vs. the eminently beatable NL West, and five vs. the Pirates.
So, think of it as a combination of control-your-own-destiny merged with a little beat-the-teams-you're-supposed-to-beat. They've got to win those series vs. the wildcard teams in front of them (kind of like they just didn't do vs. the Phillies), and they've got to beat up on the teams with worse records. Oh, and holding their own in their remaining games vs. the Braves and Cardinals is a must, too.
Giving them a boost...or, more likely, a "boost"...will be a Nomar Garciaparra who seems to be on the downward spiral, and a Kerry Wood who will be have contribute as much as he can out of the bullpen (if he remains healthy and pitches effectively for a couple of weeks, I don't expect that to last).
Good luck, Cubs fans. You'll need almost as much luck as the Giants will.
posted by Daniel at
4:51 PM
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