Why The Cubs Will Win the World Series
No I’m not going to sing “Go, Cubs, Go”… ever. This is still a Braves blog after all.
Before I begin, here’s my caveat. I’m no Cubs fan. I’ve gone through different stages in life where I may have rooted for them (say when they play the Phillies or Mets) but I, a Braves fan, have developed a certain distaste for the Cubs.
It’s not Wrigley Field. It’s beautiful. Watching my Braves play there this summer was like a dream to me.
It’s not the organization. It’s storied and absolutely steeped with tradition that a baseball purist like me envies and adores.
It’s not the team. They’ve got Ramirez, Lee, former Braves DeRosa and Marquis, Soriano. Harden, Fukodome, Edmonds.
It’s just when the Cubs come to Atlanta. Ugh.
To their credit, for a team without a trophy in this century, they know how to support their club.
And with that said, I’m convinced the Cubs will break their curse this year and get their title in time for a Centennial Celebration. And it’s not because I really want them to (although maybe it will make them calm down a little). It’s because I just know it will happen.
Rather than talk about Billy goats, Black cats, Bartman, or jinxes from SI, these good luck charms will help the Cubbies finally win it all.
1) Home Field Advantage With 97 wins the Cubbies secure home field throughout the NL playoffs where they are an unbelievable 55-26. The Friendly Confines have been good to the Cubs this year and will not be friendly to any visitors. Of course if/when they make it to the World Series they lose home field advantage. However, they really only have to win one game on the road to get the Championship and they’re 42-38 as visitors. Not bad.
2)Pitching
Dempster will be your number one in the first round because he matches up well with the Dodgers. But then you’ve got Carlos (no-no) Lilly (almost a no-no) and Harden. A talented group of starters and Kerry Wood in the bullpen. Cubs rank 5th in ERA and #1 in BAA with opponents hitting .242.
3) Heavy Hitters
Before you judge the Cubs power numbers for not having one player top 30 HR’s this year, take a look at how the power spreads across the lineup.
You’ve got 5 everyday lineup guys hitting 20+ HR’s and as a team they’ve knocked in 184 (8th overall).
In RBI’s you’ve got another 5 who knocked in 70+ and 9 guys with OPS of .820 or higher.
4) Sweet Lou
Let’s face it. He’s a great manager, full of fire when he needs it, and his time has come. Forget about Tampa Bay, he’s NL MOY if he even makes it out of the NLCS.
5)No More Curse There wasn’t a team that seemed more cursed (or at least AS cursed) than the Red Sox and they pulled it off after being down 0-3 in the ALCS in ‘04. So there’s hope! No one named Bartman (or Buckner for that matter) will be allowed into any postseason game in 2008, a goat that sincerely wants to catch a Cubs game will be welcomed, Harry Caray’s wandering spirit will be able to find rest, and there will be much rejoicing.
But in all seriousness my last reason for believing the trophy will return to Wrigley may seem rather simplistic and dismissive…. Just forget about the curse! Easy for me to say, right?
How can Cubs fans forget about Merkle’s Boner or 1984? How can they readily induce amnesia at the mention of 2003, 1969, or 1945?
Because this time the Cubs will play great baseball simply because they’re a great team. Maybe it’s a little bit of fate that it’s 100 years later. And maybe having the South Side rivals AND the Brewers in the same post season will provide a little added incentive. But the Cubs have a Championship team. A team that has played well together all year long and is full of contributors from top to bottom. And they’ve got that little added something I noticed when both I visited Wrigley and when they visited my Braves in Atlanta… heart. That’s what it takes to win Championships. And trust me, if you raise that white “W” flag in late October, you’ll forget.
Keep Choppin’
~JB
Technorati Tags: Chicago Cubs, Curse of the BIlly Goat, Playoffs, World Series, Boston Red Sox, NLDS, NLCS, October baseball, Braves blog, Atlanta Braves,
About the Author: JB is an Atlanta native, avid scorekeeper, and of course a baseball enthusiast. He doesn't mind if you don't love the Braves. As long as you love baseball, you're welcome at The Launching Pad.
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