The 2009 Cubs are a decent team, but a somewhat high injury risk team that didn’t have good depth or didn’t realize where their depth should come from to start the season. Too many significant injuries to significant players. There were some other issues as well, but I think this team was not able to overcome the long absence of Aramis and the apparent injury diminished Soriano. I also think you are correct that a strong finish won’t mislead management. Now I don’t know how the management views the approach that should be taken for 2010, i.e., is this team in need of healthy players and some tweaks on the bench, or does it require major changes? Either way I am positive about their chances for the 2010 season as I think there’s enough there to be competitive in 2010. Beyond 2010 I think they’ll have to start looking at major changes as guys are getting older.

might be what to expect about now. The point I want to make is yes, we’ve had miserable luck this year with injuries and worst luck on bad trades and unmet expectations. But, 85 wins is remarkable after all we went through. It will not take a lot to get back on top next season and I am confident that the corrections to our roster will be made. I will look forward to ending the season at home on a high note and move toward 2010 with anticipation.

I remember 1970 being filled with so much promise and then the ending which you described.

Don’t get me wrong, the Cardinals have a pretty solid team that did not wither this year, but the A Ram and Sori injury and the lack of back ups for those two was the reason we didn’t at least win the WC. Of course, that’s a very simplistic view, other things happened along the way like Gregg late season failings and some distractions that got taken care of recently and Lou’s handling of pitchers at times. But, for my money, those two instances cost us big time. Either not knowing or ignoring Sori’s injury and waiting for him to start one of his patented hot streaks for 4 months was the biggest debacle.

The Cubs simply didn’t play like a team worthy of making the playoffs this season. The starting pitching has been excellent for the most part, but run production just hasn’t been there. Injuries have not helped. Milton Bradley’s attitude didn’t help. The lack of team leadership didn’t help. Kevin Gregg’s implosions did not help. Lou Piniella’s frequent turning to Aaron Miles made no logical sense, as did his insistence that a batting order be a righty followed by a lefty. Jim Hendry made the Milton Bradley deal.

Despite all the negatives, the Cubs played winning baseball this season. One more win gives them a winning season. Imagine what five or six more wins at this point would do to our fortunes? The Cubs would have been in the Wild Card hunt with those numbers. Aramis Ramirez, in my opinion, was the difference. I remember watching the game where he was injured in Milwaukee and thinking, “That’s the end of our season right there.” This was back in May and this was a case where I hated being right. Derrek Lee’s resurgence was great this season after his slow start, but Aramis Ramirez is the feared bat in the lineup. I don’t know how many games a healthy Soriano or Soto could have made up, but Ramirez being out for as long as he was the difference.

Earlier this year there were times when if they were down by one run it felt like the game was all but over. Yesterday, even though they were down by 4 runs and down to their last strike it actually felt like it was possible for them to come back and win. Even though they didn’t, it sure is fun to watch them play with some life like this. It’s a shame there are so few games left.

The Cubs have reached the “Du hast keine Chance, aber nutze sie!” stage…

The quote is from the German film Die Atlantikschwimmer (The Atlantic Swimmers) by H. Achternbusch and could be translated as:

You don’t have a chance, so use it…

Eamus Catuli

It was a nice experience at AT&T Park, even though the Cubs lost. I had nice seats in the shade along the LF side on the lower level.

I got to meet BCB reader vonde6 (I recognized the name on your jersey when you walked by me outside the ballpark). I was also hoping to meet BCB reader shifafaontheside, but I couldn’t do so (sorry I missed you!).

My record at Cubs games in 2009 is 0 wins, 3 losses. The game in San Diego (Kevin Gregg’s August implosion in SD) still hurts.

Even though the Cubs lost, they ended the road trip with a winning record (1-2 in St. Louis, 2-1 in Milwaukee, 3-1 in San Francisco).

And this is from a Cubs team that has struggled on the road all season.

Last week there was a post that linked another baseball fan’s site that graphically listed the last 14(?) WS winners in relation to where they ended up at the end of the season compared to the entire league. In short, the team with the best record typically will not win the WS, much less even GET to the WS.

That alone indicates that the playoffs are a crap shoot, and all bets are off once you get there. Some teams limped in and ran the table, others finished strong and continued. Who would have predicted that the team at 35th and Shields would have had the pitching performances they had during their championship run or that the Marlins would win a WS, blow up the team and win it again 6 years later?

Even with the 3 and out from the ’08 Cubs, I would have taken my chances with that same team this year. The Cubs had a few stretches last year when they were pretty impotent, but for the most part, they dominated.

Maybe the issues we had this will will help in that we have some players that weren’t on the opening day roster and will be a key part in the 2010 campaign (Wells, Grabow, Gorzo) and Marmol as our closer from the start,

only us Cub fans could have so many degrees of expressing our disappointment and let downs.

But, how could you characterize the 1970 Jim Hickman (one of my hero’s) as a non-entity? He had 32 HR’s and over a 100 rbi"s? You owe Gentlemen JIm an immediate apology! :)

The main difference between the two teams was offensive power, Williams had a monster year with 42 HR’s, Hickman as noted above, and Santo pitched in 26 HR. The 09 team could only dream of that type of production.

This is still a good baseball team IMO. Soriano and Soto need to be better, you do that and a lot of those offensive problems go away.

I’m interested in finding a centerfield leadoff guy this offseason that can steal some bases, but how many of those are out there?

Regarding Zambrano and Harden. I won’t link it, but it’s on the Trib’s Web site.
What has happened to these people? It’s as if once the team was sold, they were free to unleash their true feelings towards it. It’s embarrassing.

First year I came on board as a Cub fan. Shame about Callison. If I am not mistaken his eyesight was an issue and had difficulty transitioning to glasses. Amazing at 31 his career started his down turn. Hell 31 now is a really young with 5 or 6 years left.
 Just finish strong, sign Baker, trade Bradley, get Soriano healthy, and get another bat.

i know it’s been tossed around before, but I am sick of seeing rookie batters and rookie/journeyman hitters own the Cubs. The only conclusion I can think if is lack of preparation/knowledge of these players. I know that the Cubs have a very small front office—I get the impression that lack of competent scouting is a shortfall for this club.

Does anybody know if Carl Crawford can play centerfield?

I want to be angry with this team for a disappointing season, but they’re still fighting and not rolling over (like past teams). I just love the Cubs so much damn it.

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
The playoffs will keep me good till almost November. I won’t be as in to winter ball this year since I am assuming Fuld
will not be going two years in a row ( gonna be busy getting his masters in statistics anyway). Oh well we got Winter Meetings, arbitration etc until SPRING TRAINING.

“"I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."

that the Cubs have done well after Yoko…I mean Bradley left? I don’t think so.

Will the Colorado lose their last 6 games and can the Cubs win their last 7 ?

{dream mode="on"}

Colorado plays three at home against Milwaukee, which does really not sound like the Rockies being defeated three times, and then they go to L.A., where three (more) loses are a real possibility. So if the Brewers do strange and wondrous things, and amazingly sweeps Colorado…

We may not have much of a chance, but who knows? Who knows?

{dream mode="off"}

Aegroto, dum anima est, spes esse dicitur – Eamus Catuli

It’s too bad that I couldn’t make it Sunday’s game due to a forgotten schedule conflict. So, my win-loss record sits at 3-0 for the year; not too shabby for my first Cubs game in person in over a decade.