Postseason Hopes And Dreams... And Facts

Piniella has a feel for the game and players abilities better than any manager I have ever seen in this town, and let's hope the momentum, is just starting to build.

I nearly choked on my Cheerios.  Um, hello, anyone ever heard of the friggin YANKEES?

A good example of "Lou Ball" is Soto being moved into the starting lineup late in the season. Kendall has impressed me with his hustle and presence, but Lou obviously wanted to see if the team is stronger with Soto behind the plate, and so far it appears like we are a better team with Soto.

Can anyone imagine Dusty moving a young player into the lineup ahead of a vet in September??? (That is the definition of a rhetorical question)

I also like DeRosa 2nd and Theriot 8th, although I would prefer that either of them be inserted into the lead off spot ahead of Soriano.

The point is, that Sweet Lou has tinkered with this team all year, and the tinkering was done with a purpose in mind, namely to find out what line up gives us the best chance of winning. That is the goal which makes all other goals secondary....and it's made me a big Lou fan....

Suffice it to say, I no longer have that feeling. Lou knows more about baseball strategy, handling a pitching staff, and using his bench effectively than all of us combined. The one thing that I love most is Lou's killer instinct - in a close game, he will pick his moment and play to win the game right now - no holding back for extra innings in case things go wrong. Win the thing and hit the showers.

In recent years, we stewed in an impotent rage as we watched an incompetent doofus attempt to destroy the team's present and future in one fell swoop. Journeymen were eating up the high-leverage at-bats and innings pitched, at the expense of younger guys. Pitchers were racking up 130+ pitch outings at incredible rates (In 2003, I believe that the Cubs accounted for more than half of the 130+ pitch outings in MLB!), and on a day-to-day basis, the manager's moves seemed to be intentionally counter-intutive, as if he KNEW that the smart play was the opposite action, but thought that he'd look especially smart if his wacky strategy paid off.

Hence, the double-switches that resulted in the pitcher's spot coming up sooner, the double-switches in spots where the new pitcher would not pitch more than one inning, the refusal to acknowledge Jacque's huge troubles with lefties, or Remmy's reverse splits, or the fact that Jose Macias did nothing well, and was literally the worst player in MLB - the "800th man on the MLB roster", so to speak.

The old manager put players in spots where they were more likely to fail, for no reason. John Mabry replacing Jacque in RF due to an unnecessary double-switch, for instance. Lou puts his guys in situations where they are most likely to succeed - and every player on the roster knows their role.

Ultimately, the Cubs' losses in 2007 have been the result of the guys physically failing to execute. Those losses hurt, but they beat the hell out of last year's losses, in which we were often simply out-foxed - going down with the tying runs on base and our worst hitters at the plate. (In one case, bunting to end the game.)

It's a calming feeling to know that, when we lose, we absolutely gave it our best shot and left nothing on the field.

It's a calming feeling to know that our young players are being incorporated into the MLB club, granted opportunities, and upon succeeding, granted high-leverage opportunities.

It's a calming feeling to know that our manager is aware of the strengths and weakness of all 25 of his players, and that he believes in reasonably limited pitch counts.

This season will end in one of only two ways - Lou Piniella hoisting a World Series trophy, or Lou Piniella congratulating an opponent who played better baseball, either next Sunday or sometime thereafter.

We will not lose a winnable game because of managerial error.

I wanted him hired badly as I thought with the Superstars, and his knack for playing the hot hand, and not change-adverse, would be something the team would benefit from.

I still didn't think the team would be above .500, however. Improved - but not to the point they are now.

I have a bet to pay off here, fortunately!

Being there on Sunday, I saw a confident team that had all aspects of their game going at the same time - at the RIGHT time!

its incredible to me how common the theme is:

Cubs win = Lou's responsibility

Cubs lose = Hendry's Fault or Players fault

its utterly amazing to me

Go Cubs!

While I agree to a point that a manager isn't the only reason a team wins or loses, there has to be something to the idea that the leadership a manager provides (or doesn't, as the case may be) creates a context for winning or losing.  And Hal appreciated Lou's leadership very much, for whatever that's worth.

As for this Miami series coming up, I wonder what kind of shock to the Cubs' system it will be going from a rocking, electric Wrigley Field to a near-empty, characterless turquoise nightmare of a stadium.  I'm an actor, and I can definitely tell you that no matter how committed you are to a performance, the crowd presence or lack thereof can certainly make an impact on performance.  I'm hoping that ballplayers don't care about that as much, and that the Cubs are remaining as fired up and focused as possible no matter how few folks are out there watching.

This is an incredible time to be a Cubs fan for sure...

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=665932

Coincidence?  They try and bring a goat to wrigley on saturday & the brewers blow a lead with 2 outs in the 10th?
 

Nice work by the men in blue this year.  April 29th was my official "it's over" date.

Thank you for proving me wrong.

Now win the Series.

I watched that 18-1 loss in person. (At least until it was 7-0)

That is a gutless punk organization led by a scumbag hypocrite and populated by fakers and tankers like Pujols and Edmonds and Rolen, who should be ashamed to look at himself in the mirror each morning.

We cannot count on anything from St. Louis.

it was great.

I only have seen them on TV during ST, and a couple games during the season, but I'd have to agree with you on being a very strong team.

Nice offense, young & speedy athletes, terrific staff, great bullpen.

And, Vlad.