The air was fresh and crisp, the mood was light and cheerful, and the future was bright and clear: Jim Hendry had just announced the hiring of "Sweet" Lou Piniella as the fine new manager of the Chicago Cubs. Jim Hendry had swapped his "Trader Jim" cap for his shiny new "Jim Spendry" cap, and was sparing no expense in building an awesome roster for his new manager. For his part, Lou Piniella was bringing the energy and accountability that the Cubs Faithful had so eagerly desired after … [Read more...]

A quarter of the way through the season, and the Cubs have as many questions as answers. While we now know that Alfonso Soriano has a great arm in LF, and that Lou Piniella is going to keep him in the leadoff spot, the rest of our outfield is still a work-in-progress. While we know that Carlos Zambrano, Jason Marquis, Rich Hill, and Ted Lilly are definitely in our starting rotation, the Cubs seem unsure of who else should take the mound every 5th day. While we thought our bullpen was going to … [Read more...]

In 1984, while Cubs Fever was spreading among the Cubs Faithful, an equally powerful revolution was underway in Wisconsin: the first Culver's Restaurant opened. While many of us were cheering on Ryne Sandberg, "the Penguin" Ron Cey, Gary "Sarge" Matthews, and Jody Davis, hundreds of Wisconsonians partook in daily pilgrimages to satiate their considerable appetites with ButterBurgers, frozen custard, and, of course, cheese curds. I bring this up, not to make you hungry, or to open a discussion … [Read more...]

Our once-struggling National League Chicago franchise is 6-4 in their last ten games, with a welcome, albeit small, 2-game winning streak. The Cubs are a robust 8-5 on the road, but only 4-9 at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field.... What gives? Do we have a group of ballplayers that aren't the right fit for day games in Chicago, or is this poor record merely a misleading early-season fluke? (I checked the box next to "fluke" by the way) Lo and behold, the Cubs have vaulted into 3rd … [Read more...]

It was odd reading about Mark Prior yesterday. As the meaning of his surgery completely sunk in, and the uncertainty of his future as a Cub grew to never-before-seen levels, I felt a bit like I had lost something important to me. As sure as I was that Prior could not be counted on at the beginning of this year, and as sure as Prior's health has been a circus the last few years, I still firmly believed it would all work itself out eventually, and that Prior would be on the mound in a Cubs … [Read more...]

If you were in a new job, would you expect to be given more than one month to prove your worth? The Cubs are a little over 1/12th of the way through their season, and there are obviously 12 months in a year, so if you started a job April 1st, and had "a bad April" would you expect to be canned? That is a tough question, as a month is a fair amount of time in which to draw conclusions, I believe. A hard worker should be able to produce enough presentations/analysis/results to get noticed in … [Read more...]

Ok, so you already did a rough sketch of what you think the World Series Champion Chicago Cubs t-shirts and hats will look like. Oh....and you already made a lot of expensive wagers with those South-siders you run into at the office. Are you starting to think you need to change your identity, and sneak out of town? You know better.... … [Read more...]

One game is in the books, and only 161 more to go. Many of you may be thinking of taking off your fan goggles, placing them in front of your car on the driveway, and proceeding to run over them....and then back over them....repeatedly. Don't do it. Don't waste the energy or the time in getting too upset or too angry over the disappointing Opening Day loss. It is literally, just one game. Even the very best teams lose at least 5 dozen games, so refrain from abandoning hope, and focus on the … [Read more...]

In order to win the World Series this year, I think the Cubs need a few problems. I think people need to be a little upset for us to have success. I envision our August and September stretch drives to be filled with controversy, and for battle-lines to be drawn between various segments of the Cubs Faithful. Sweet Lou Piniella has to get a bit disagreeable in several press conferences, and even Jim Hendry needs to have a few blustery red-faced interviews. Do you disagree? Do you think that … [Read more...]

So you have had a few drinks. Down at the end of the bar is this girl you have been flashing your charming smile at all night. You lift weights a lot these days, you feel pretty buff, you are a witty guy....and, hey, you even got that long hair that college chicks dig. You proceed to tell all your drinking buddies that you are going to make your move on that girl now, and your wingman quickly pulls you aside and says "you've got beer goggles on, man, you don't want to go over there". Stunned … [Read more...]