DmL

Then during batting practice today (yes, I went inside today - value price tickets have that effect on me), he was jawing pretty good with fans in right field.  Seemed to be mostly in good fun, though he was pretty cocky.  Fans were telling him he sucked (wow - that's original), and he would tease them by fake-throwing balls into the seats.  He did throw one up, but made sure it was way up and out onto Sheffield - I'm sure just to antagonize the fans that were riding him.

So I had to laugh to myself as I'm listening to the radio in the 9th inning when Ethier comes up with runners on 1st and 2nd, no outs.  Both Pat & Ron were expecting Ethier to bunt to move the runners over.

Ha!!!  No way does this brash, cocky, smartass of a player lay down a bunt - it wouldn't be manly enough for him.

Sure enough - no bunt.  Just a back-breaker of a home run.  Ouch!

We can find all kinds of reasons why the game was lost. We fault Ward for getting picked off -- inexcusable. Like Brenly said last night -- a good ballplayer keeps his head up -- he doesn't turn his head after a ball or strike at the plate and lose concentration. For God's sake, we all know that Ward is not going to take a huge leadoff, he is not going to steal, he is not going to confuse the opposition with his blazing speed. He just plain lost it -- he did not pay attention to what was going on and got picked off by the catcher. Bottom line -- he screwed up.
But we lost because our closer did not do what he is paid to do  --  he gave up the tying and winning runs.
Let me ask all of you a question --- do you feel comfortable when Dempster enters a game when we are winning by a run or two in the ninth inning? Let me ask all of you a second question -- would you rather have Marmol or Dempster pitch when the game is on the line like it was today? If you can honestly say and I do mean honestly say that you would rather have Dempster in the situation that we saw today rather than Marmol, I need to hear a rational explanation.
The statistics tell us that Dempster has only blown three saves this year.  All of them were real eye openers. I was at the one in Atlanta in June. Most of us saw the one against the Mets and sat back in disbelief.
Then today -- another implosion. And how many other times has he put men on base and escaped.
Dempster is an accident waiting to happen. If you do not believe that Marmol should be the closer in games like today, I feel sorry for you. Marmol should be our closer -- hands down. The oppostion fears him -- just look at the results.
With two men on base, don't we all think that Marmol should have been in the game with Ethier at the plate?
Dempster is not the man -- he does not strike fear into the hearts of mortal men.
In these last 23 games, Marmol needs to be the closer not Dempster.
If Lou continues to use him in these types of situations, we are doomed.
I have been a Cubs fan for well over fifty years and feel that I have some insight. You may not like what I have said but I have to vent.
We can win this thing -- but not with Dempster as our closer and with our best pinch hitter Ward playing right field.
We all bitch about the Deadbirds and their savior Ankiel. But where is our Ankiel? He does not have to be a resurrected pitcher. We need some of our guys to save us -- someone to get a hit when we need it instead of another double play or called third strike.
We all want this team to win -- we die everytime they lose -- we need to win more than two games in a row -- but we also need some smart decisions by both our manager and our players.

This team has shown a resilliency this year.

Has anyone noticed they seem to not get down by bad games but also not up after good games?

We had a bad few games.  Cardinals and Brewers had a good few games.

We all hit the road.  We are 500 on the road they couldn't beat my nephews tball team on the road.

How's this for Dempster?  If the Brewers are on the road they'd be better off with him.

I read some bozo on another site say the Cubs don't deserve to win the division and this is a Cubs fan.

Whoever wins the division will deserve to win it.  And you can make a serious argument the Cubs deserve it the most as of now because they've dominated the season series against both teams.

Can't get nervous this time; I think I got half my gray hair from the '03 drive and what happened in games 6 & 7.

Ok boys, get your butts to the steel city and win tomorrow night. 1 game at a time. How's that for an old, tired cliche'?

I will ask once again --

Who do you want to close with the game on the line in a save situation in one of these last 23 games? Marmol or Dempster?

Do you honestly believe that Dempster offers the best chance? If you do, be happy with your decision.

Veterans be damned -- I want the guy that I honestly believe has the best chance of shutting down the opposition. Just look at his numbers and I mean take a hard look. Marmol is the guy -- not Dempster.

It's like walking the plank -- how many times do you need to stand out there  before you take one misstep and you get eaten alive? I for one do not want to go there to begin with and I want Marmol to save me -- not Dempster.

Why did he pitch last night with an 8-2 lead. No reason.

Where was our gold glove first baseman? He makes the play (rightly called a hit, but one a gold glover should make) the odds of seeing that wind aided first row home run drop to nil. Oh, can anyone hit besides Soriano?

I'll take a closer who goes three months without blowing a save----any time and I'll be cheering for him the next time he comes in and gets the save.

I realize that Ward should have been called safe but the call didn't go our way.  We all read the article about him being sorry but this close to playoffs, we need to be more carefull on the bases.  Remember Soriano getting picked off a few times very early in the season.  I think this took a little bit of the wind out of our sails for that inning today.

Derek has always been stellar on defense and should make the plays but he has also come through for us when it mattered.

The one I can't let go is Dempster.  I know that he has been pretty good all year but today was huge.  We are going to be facing some very stiff competition in the next few weeks, hopefully months, to come and we need to shut down a game like this.  Bottom line is that he consistantly allows base runners on when he is in.

I can't blame one player or the other but we need to get it together and , as Al said, start winning now.

Anyone going to be in Pittsburgh this weekend?

This thread has some rational, logical posts. I don't see how you can beat up on a guy who hadn't blown a save in three months, and who had a bit of bad luck to boot. Unfortunately for him (and the Cubs), this was a case of bad timing. Better to blow one now than in, say, Game No. 161. (And to whomever cited Howry's allowing of the eighth-inning homer, good job. The back end of the pen has been exceptional for months. They were due to fail. Again, bad timing.)

I disagree with Al in the thinking this does damage to the Cubs' postseason hopes. As far as I'm concerned, it's come down to a 24-game season. Forget what the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals have done to this point. Whoever plays the best from now until Sept. 30 is going to win the division.

I think the Cubs have the edge in talent and in schedule. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll win it, but if they don't, they'll have nobody to blame but themselves. The "hardest" part of the Cubs' schedule is basically over. The Brewers and the Cardinals still have some tough tests ahead.

I think the team is showing signs of coming out of this offensive funk. I also think that if Z pitches last Monday like Z usually does, this game today becomes an afterthought.

The point I'm trying to make is that right now, for all intents and purposes, the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals are 0-0. It's going to go down right to the bitter end, perhaps even the last day of the season. (Not unlike 2003, when the Cubs wrapped it up on the penultimate day of the season.) Now's your chance to abandon ship. If you don't think you can handle the next three weeks, you're free to go. No hard feelings.

Otherwise, buckle yourselves in and get ready for a wild ride.

I will be in Pittsburgh this weekend -- I'm flying out tomorrow afternoon -- to see it for myself. My first games since the series in Milwaukee in June. Don't know what the Internet situation will be there, but if I can, I'll check in.

Go Cubs. Go all the way.

We have to watch the Brewers produce guys up and down the lineup that knock the cover off the ball like Sexton, Hardy, Hart, Fielder and Braun... and watch the Astros come up with guys like Berkman, Ensberg (who sucks now), Tavaris and Pence... and watch the Cardinals come up with Pujols, Polanco, Drew, and now Ankiel. It absolutely disgusts me.

We end up going through C-Pat and E-Pat... Choi, Cedeno, Pie, Bobby Hill, Derrick May, Brooks Kieschnick , Gary Scott, Jason Dubois, Devid Kelton, Kevin Orie, Julio Zuleta, Brant Brown, Tyler Houston, Doug Glanville, etc. etc. etc.

For the love of god. Next time we have a top prospect, just trade him while everyone else still thinks he's good. PLEASE. I'd have done Pie for Griffey Jr. in a heartbeat.

btw, i love this site. Al, you are great, and I look forward to reading your reports everyday

Why ?   Because every guy who loves women....loves more and more women.

Only a gay guy would limit himself to 5 admirers.

1. This feel good story of the year is completely gone
   
2. Ankiel should be suspended for 50 games (well past this season)

Certainly guys need rest, but with the wind blowing out where were our bats ??? on the bench.

A-Ram , Murton (who hits a lot of wanring track flys), Soto, Floyd. They were on the bench.

Lou has been speaking in the post games about the wind always blowing in. Well the wind was blowing yesterday and we had our singles line up.

I sit and often wonder where the Cubs would be right now if Joe Girardi was leading the ship.

That is the game to remember.

Ohman was on fire in the 8th striking out the side and the Dem blew up.

Its hard to loose a game like yesterday when you know you left your best releif pitcher on the bench. Marmol.

However excluding Wednesday when was the last time we won a walk over game ???

Who's with me people??

The season starts tonight!!!

The Cubs control their own destiny !!!

Hopefully they play smart / efficent b-ball !!!

15 & 8 over the next 23 should get us in & finally the schedule is in our favor

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/09/07/pirates.littlefield.ap/index.html

The point is:  every baseball team (and its fans) will have its highs and lows in a season -- hopefully more highs than lows.

I am going to try to do the same thing that the players do:  lament the loss for a few hours after the game, then drop it.  The sun rose in the east this morning, bringing with it a brand new day and another chance for the Cubs to win a game.  They are a good (not great) team, and I have confidence that they will get enough wins to win the division -- and that is all that counts right now.  I won't give up on them if they don't give up on themselves.

(Thanks to Al for running this site so that I can have a chance to vent a bit.)

MIL plays Cin, Stl, Atl, Hou, and Pit in final weeks of seaon. Record this year v. such clubs = 29-23.

STL plays Cubs, MIL, PHI, HOU, PIT in final weeks of season. Record this year v. such clubs = 29-27.