CCO Opinion - You Know Better

Happy Monday, CCO Readers, and I hope this is the week Jim Hendry finally gets his final roster set for Spring Training, so we can all stop speculating on the "who" and start focusing on the "how". As in, how do the Cubs get to the World Series in 2008!

Today I ask that we all take a deep look within ourselves, and determine if we are truly the realistic, practical, and insightful baseball geniuses that we think we are, or if we are just hopelessly-biased-kool-aid-drinking Cubbie shills. If you go to sleep at night, telling yourself you are the former, yet you can't, for the life of you, figure out why the Yankees won't trade Derek Jeter (and cash) to the Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Donnie Veal....well....you know better.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, the holiday season is often a time of gift-giving, and this year the presents were varied for many of the members of 2003 Division Champion Cubs. Remember Matt Clement? Good ol' Matt will, unfortunately, be back at the Northside this year, but adorned in Cardinal red with his new contract. Mark Prior definitely got what was on his wish list; a new address back home, where a lot of people probably don't realize what a jerk he is, and they still think he is the next coming of Tom Seaver. Who can forget former skipper, Dusty Baker! Dusty is back in the NL, after a short hiatus, and every Cubs-Reds series will no doubt be blown out of proportion as the announcers focus too much attention on Dusty vs. Lou. Oh....I almost forgot....that Kerry Wood guy is going to be our closer this year, giving him a very real chance at a 2nd career (or is it a 3rd or 4th now?) as a Cub.

The Chicago sportswriters wound up with the most presents under the tree, as all of these stories, and more, are teed right up for them to write and talk about in 2008. But if you think a Cubs fan....a real Cubs fan....should care about 2003 storylines, 5 years later, then....well....you know better!

A special thanks first to former Cub great Greg Maddux, for winning the game that clinched the division for my beloved Chicago Cubs. How fitting, but even more sweet because I predicted it may happen, and because the Padres (and Rockies) wound up winning just enough games, but not too many games, to ensure I get to see my first Cubs playoff game ever! Yes....the Cubs will be making their way to my neck of the woods (er....mountains?), and I couldn't be more excited about it!

How will this Wednesday, at Chase Field in sunny Arizona, turn out for the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs? Here is how I see things going down....

The big guns at Wrigley have been firing regularly all September. Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Derrek Lee have all been hitting with the kind of power we expected from them back in April. None of them are showboating, selfish superstars....they do their business, and when they succeed, they act like it was supposed to happen. It reminds me of Walter Payton scoring a touchdown....unlike Terrell Owens, when Payton scored, he acted like a guy that has done that before. That is staying classy. Too often, overconfidence and arrogance are defense mechanisms disguising one's insecurity and fear. The Cubs don't need the semblance of cockiness....they need only to believe in themselves, put in their best effort every day, and never give up. Lately, that is the persona I have seen from this team, and it couldn't be happening at a more opportune time. The stars are all aligning, CCO Readers....so are you still worried about the Brew Crew? You know better....

With only twelve games left for our 1st-place Chicago Cubs, which of these two schedules sounds the most appealing to you?

Schedule 1: Cinncinatti, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Cinncinnati again, with 2 days off.
or
Schedule 2: Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Diego, with no days off.

Being the intelligent CCO Readers that you are, you likely know that the Cubs have the former schedule, and the Brewers have the latter, which really put the Cubs in the proverbial driver's seat to win the division. Since my column last week, the Cubs managed to go 6-2, which is even more impressive when you realize that was done over a 7-day span!

Are you starting to lose your grip on your cautious optimism? Did you really think you could casually stroll through the last few weeks, containing your dreams of playoff glory, and keeping your excitement from taking over your ever waking moment? Think you are really going to get anything done the next two weeks at work? You know better....

It was a fun ride while it lasted. Trash-talking at work is always easier when my beloved Cubs are in 1st place. Now I, along with the rest of the Cubs Faithful, get submerged back into the anxiety-ridden no man's land of 2nd place in the month of September.

We are not just starting the month of September either....we are 1/3rd into the final month of the regular season, and the time and place for excuses has long since been passed by. There is no competition for this division title. There never really was. All of our "rivals" in the Central are....well....to borrow from Denny Green's timeless rant....they are who we thought they were. Old and injured is the tale of the Cardinals, and the Brewers were overachieving in the first half of the season. No surprises there. I am surprised, however, that the Cubs still seem unable to jell as a team, which is evident from their inconsistency. In 2003, the Cubs clinched their division on September 27th....it went down to the wire that year, too. Were you hoping Sweet Lou would get our Cubs in gear, and run away with the division quickly and easily? You know better....

I am not sure if you can blame the latest cold streak on overconfidence, but there must be a good explanation for the freefall since the Cubs first received a taste of 1st place. If you were ever sweating the wannabes known as the Brew Crew (or as I affectionately refer to them: the Cheese Curds) you have hopefully come to your senses now. Do you honestly and sincerely harbor any rational thoughts that there is any team standing in the way of the Chicago Cubs, besides themselves? You know better....

This has certainly been a roller coaster of a ride for the Chicago Cubs through the All-Star break. At times the team looked inept at the plate, in the field, and out of the bullpen. Yet, for over a two-week stretch, the Cubs were the hottest team in baseball. The new fine manager, Lou Piniella, has seemed both past his prime, and a shrewd motivator. Don't lie to yourselves either, as many of the Cubs Faithful wanted to say good riddance to Big Z, immediately following his dugout fisticuffs. Still wish Barrett was still here, and Big Z was gone? You know better....

Not since the mighty swings of Mark Bellhorn have I been so enthused by a 20-something second baseman in a Cubs uniform, as I am currently with "Mighty" Mike Fontenot. Sure, it has only been 70 at-bats, but this guy is playing more like Ryne Sandberg than Ronny Cedeno.

Perhaps due to the spark provided by Fontenot, or perhaps because the team is just finally getting into a rhythm, the Cubs are playing their best baseball of the year. Are we setting ourselves up for a fall, though? Are the Cheese Curds simply too much of a juggernaut for the Cubs to catch? You know better....

Most teams in major league baseball would love to have two established productive power hitters, such as Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. When Lee went down with an injury, an already questionably built Cubs team went down in flames in 2006. A healthy Lee, by himself, practically assured the 2007 club of being improved offensively. Then Jim "Spendry" Hendry shocked the Cubs Faithful by adding one of the top offensive weapons in the game, in his prime, in Alfonso Soriano. Suddenly the Cubs had three offensive stars in their lineup, and it was easy to dream up pre-season predictions of the Cubs scoring runs at a record pace. Who needs good pitching with these three guys in the lineup, right? You know better....