Michael Bradt is the creator of the entertaining and subversive Cubs blog Hire Jim Essian! and its accompanying podcast The Other Fifteen Percent. We asked him to help rally the spirits of dejected North Siders by giving his five reasons why Cubs fans have no reason to panic.
Come on out, Cubs fans. Quit hiding under your beds. Don't flinch every time a White Sox fan walks past you with a smug grin. Don't burn your Derrek Lee jersey just yet. Don't listen to the people saying "this is the worst possible scenario for the Cubs." It's not. The worst possible scenario for the Cubs is being down three games to the Dodgers. And they're not.
Yet.
I know a lot of Cubs fans are packing it in and calling it a season after watching their team drop the first two games of the NLDS at home, where the Cubs had looked nearly invincible all season. I don't blame those fans, and I don't begrudge them for jumping ship. Watching the Cubs get outscored 17-5 in embarrassing batter-walking and ground-ball-booting fashion was awful. Watching Manny Ramirez flick his wrist and drive a ball 450 feet off his shoe tops with one hand was demoralizing. It's embarrassing to be a Cubs fan this morning. But why stop now? Who cares if you get mocked for showing a little optimism when it feels like there is no reason for it? You're already the kid in grade school who got depantsed in front of his entire gym class. At that point, does it really matter whether you're wearing G.I. Joe or Muppet Babies Underoos?
We may as well either go down in a blaze of ineptitude or be one of the fans who can say, "I knew they'd come back," should the unthinkable happen. (And it still can. Seriously.) But if we're going to stick our fingers in our ears and declare that "all is well" with our beloved Cubs, let's not do it without a reasonable argument. Here are five reasons we can pretend we're not panicked.
1. Lou Piniella has promised not to play Kosuke Fukudome for the duration of the NLDS (and probably the entire postseason).
Remember when Fukudome was productive and patient and getting on base all the time for the Cubs? Me neither, because that was way back in June. Fukudome has been horrible throughout the second half of the season, putting up a .217 batting average, a .314 on-base percentage, and a .326 slugging percentage. How do you say, "Corey Patterson" in Japanese? Piniella was hesitant to put Mark DeRosa in right field for the first two games of the NLDS because of DeRosa's strained calf. Bad move. Fukudome has made only one play that DeRosa might not have, a great catch while running up the bullpen mound in Game 1. Meanwhile, he's been atrocious at the plate, going 0-for-8 with four strikeouts. On the other hand, Mike Fontenot has a .909 OPS this year and has only one fewer home run than Fukudome in half the at-bats. Expect Lou to move DeRosa to right field and Fontenot to second base for the last three (yes, three) games of the NLDS. Speaking of the Cubs' left-handed hitters, if the walls at Wrigley Field were five feet shorter, Jim Edmonds would be having a heck of a postseason. Yay?
2. Rich Harden is the best third starter in the postseason.
In Harden's worst start of the season as a Cub, he only gave up four earned runs in 5.2 innings, while still managing to strike out eight and walk only one. The Cubs are 9-3 in Harden's starts, with him amassing a 5-1 record. He has struck out 10 or more hitters in five of his 12 starts as a Cub. He's also deadly with extra rest. In his career, when he has six or more days of rest, he has a 2.83 ERA, with opposing batters putting up a meager .591 OPS against him. He'll be pitching Saturday on eight days' rest.
3. Ted Lilly is 8-3 with a 3.32 ERA in the second half of the season, while going 4-1 with a 3.30 ERA in September.
Lilly's outstanding second half has been largely overlooked because of his putrid start to the season and his mediocre first half. But he has been arguably the Cubs' most consistent pitcher since the All-Star Break. He has been on the mound in big games, including the Cubs' clincher over the Cardinals on September 20, and the combined one-hitter he helped spin against the Astros the night after Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter. And in case you haven't noticed, he's better away from Wrigley Field than at home. He is 10-4 on the road with a 3.77 ERA.
4. Ryan Dempster hasn't thrown back-to-back bad outings all year.
If the Cubs get the series back to Wrigley Field, the odds are good that Dempster will not throw up another clunker. His worst start of the season came on June 27 against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. He gave up eight earned runs in only 2.1 innings. In his next start at San Francisco, he gave up only five hits and two earned runs in six innings. The only other "bad" starts Dempster has had all year were the four times he gave up four runs in six or more innings. In his starts after those games: 3 ER in 5 IP, 1 ER in 7 IP, 0 ER in 8 IP and 3 ER, 7 IP.
5. Repeat after me: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CURSE.
The Cubs aren't "cursed." They aren't "jinxed." They aren't "doomed." They played baseball like garbage for two days in a row, after playing it better than any other team in the National League for 161 games. This team has no one to blame but itself if they don't make it to the World Series. Quit looking for someone to blame and just WIN. It's a single-elimination tournament now. Win Saturday. Then win Sunday. Then win Tuesday. Then go ahead and win eight more and send Chicago into a state of delirium.
Oh, hell. I'm all in for the glory or the heartache. Who's with me?
Esti Ginzberg
Kayla Oberg
Did You See That?
Back in Time: July 3
Comments (67) Add A Comment
(laughing)...look at he Dodger fan! Now that's a perfect smile! LOL!!!
Is O.K Cubs fans, my ChiSox have been through it...ohh wait a minute, I still got my celebration shirt! LOL!!! You should see Cubs fans over here...
sinister6972
Chicago , IL
Total Comments (112)
Panic? Hell, the Cubs are just lulling the Dodgers into a false sense of security -- got them right where they want them...all smug, happy and expecting to clinch in LA. The Cubs will win because everyone expects them to lose. If they don't win the next two games, I'll be shocked.;
texascub08
Dallas, TX
Total Comments (119)
I'm a Dodger fan and guess what ... I'm panicking ... heck I was panicking with a sizable lead at the end of the season. It's been a lot of lean years since '88 and I will never feel like it's 'in the bag' until the clocks all strike ZERO and the Dodger's have a lead in the game and series. That said, I really wish these two teams hadn't faced one another in the 1st round - both teams have some of the best fans anywhere.
Mr. Pete
Total Comments (286)
Finally someone to give me hope. I admit. I was one to throw in the towel. But after reading this. I feel as I am a rejuvinated Cubs fan. Go Cubbies.
Woody Page is my…
Towanda, IL
Total Comments (813)
Cubs are doomed again... I fully expect a 3-2 Dodgers win in walk off fashion.
Teaks
Phoenix , AZ
Total Comments (4)
Im not sure what to think...Go CUbs...just not to opimistic about saying that today, but who knows, whatever, would suck to get swept..again, I dont get it, the teams all there, they played like pure balls the last 2 games, worst performance Ive seen in a while!!!
Does to many drugs
Total Comments (3902)
I wish I had your ethuseism(sp?).
Does to many drugs
Total Comments (3902)
btw that main pic is funny, good capture, lol
Does to many drugs
Total Comments (3902)
Why do I have the image in my brain of John Belushi saying, "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"
22Rascal
Total Comments (2)
Good read. Just about pulled all the optimism you could muster up. I liked how the offense wasn't mentioned...they look as patient as The Fat Kangaroo before the OCB opens up for the day.
Hope the ledge jumpers saw this. We need more writers like this around, get this man more articles!
SPICk-and-SPANchez
Chicago, IL
Total Comments (1)
"I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part."
Hey, there is always next year!
Buckeye Homebrew
Avondale Estates , GA
Total Comments (14)
This is a fantastic post. I just bookmarked hirejimessian.com
sbryan
Dodge City , KS
Total Comments (2)
WRONG...It is time time to panic ! Face it Cubs Fans the Dodgers are just that good!
Here are five responses to your five reasons
1. Fukudome ?? You think he's the reason the Dodgers have been lighting you up
2. Rick Harden ?? I thought Dempster was the ace...Oh, he got smacked around....Wait Zambrano is the ace...No, they beat him up too
3.Ted Lilly ?? It won't get to game four
4. Dempster ?? We'll beat him down again ..Los Angeles (13) style
5.CURSE?? Tell that to Steve Bartman
Raiders1977
Pasadena , CA
Total Comments (5)
The Cubs aren't doomed, jinxed, cursed or otherwise condemned to failure by powers outside of their control. They are however stinking up the field with their play. The defense in game 2 was horrible. The batting has been abysmal. Watching Soriano reach for pitches low and a foot outside is getting really old. Watching Kosuke on his tiptoes swinging at anything without any firm footing got old in July (much less Oct). We have our vaunted left handed pinch hitter, Ward, on the roster hitting about .160, while Haufpour is in Mesa. The only upside is that the Dodgers didn't get a shot at Howry yet. What's the opposite of a stopper... he's a sieve!
These guys are playing like they have the weight of 100 years of Cubdom on their shoulders. Too much pressure and too few hits.
Cubbie Blue
Cary , IL
Total Comments (1)
I'm a Cubbies fan through thick and thin, rain or shine!!! Let's go CUBBIES!!!!!!!!
OceanBlu25
Honolulu, HI
Total Comments (1)
Come on, dont give them more props then need, have you watched the games? The errors this past game were just crazy, its slop play from a good ballclub, I dont know what there cause its but they seemed down. You are just a arrogant and ignorant wannabe fan that has no real respect for any ballclub.
How can you believe in curses? Flase..get over it...just bad play when it matters most, nothing more, nothing less.
Does to many drugs
Total Comments (3902)
Still hope, evern tho its minimal! :)
Does to many drugs
Total Comments (3902)
When the goin' get tough..................the tough get goin'!!
PinstripePride
North Haven, CT
Total Comments (74)
Hey, Torre blew a 3-0 lead in the ALCS -- only manager in history to do that. He is also the only manager so far to overcome a 2-0 deficit in a league division series (2001) -- something no NL team has done, but so what? Make Torre the first manager to lose one of those as well. Right???
dch822
Total Comments (96)
You should totally hire this guy as SI.com???s Cubs beat reporter
JeffT
Danville , IL
Total Comments (1)
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