Cubs @ MindSay 
baseball
The Dodgers are in Chicago to take on the Cubs in game 1 today. The Red Sox are at the Angels for game 1 tonight.
There are moments in everyone's life where they were spectacle to a tragic moment in history:
December 7, 1941
November 22, 1963
April 4, 1968
January 28, 1986
September 11, 2001
February 1, 2003
... and as they sit, stand, run and watch it unfold, their minds either go into a hypersensitive state of recording, or they shut down, unable to process what happened. The day becomes a hole in their memory.
Then there are other days where you witness something phenomonal:
September 20, 2008
This is the day that the Chicago Cubs have made another milestone that has not occurred in... 100 years.
All this season, for Cubs fans around the country, there's been something... special... going on this year. Anyone who's into baseball knows about the history of their favorite team, and maybe even the history of the next closest rival to their team. But Cubs fans have been through a lot, and I mean a LOT. Any true Cubbie blue fan can tell you about notable players, special events, key dates, and go on and on. They love the Cubs. I am not as diehard a fan as most are, but the Cubs have always been my favorite of the Two Baseball Teams in Chicago. I remember two kids down the street, growing up, living across from each other. They were best friends, and rivals in any of the sports they played in. One liked the Cubs, the other liked the White Sox. I was the tiebreaker, and I always swung Cubs. I think, looking back on it now, that since the one boy that I got along with better was the Cubs fan, that may have started to sway my thoughts a little more. But I always remember seeing the Cubs on WGN TV (Ch 9) and never seeing any Sox games.
While I have not been able to attend any of the games, I have been keeping an eye (ear? Radio broadcasts tend to be better than televised) on the little things that have been happening this year (notable dates in parentheses, Cubs fans will understand):
The last time the Cubs have won back-to-back Divison Championships: 100 years (longest streak)
The last time the Cubs entered June with the best record in baseball: 100 years
The last time the Cubs have started at 14-0 at home: 72 years
The last time the Cubs have had 12 straight wins away from home: 63 years (1945)
The last time the Cubs had a perfect homestand of at least 7 games: 38 years
The last time the Cubs have had a no-hitter shutout: 36 years (longest streak)
The last time the Cubs ever made it to 30 games over .500: 24 years (1984)
The last time the Cubs have swept the Atlanta Braves in all of their matchups in a season: Never
The Cubs reached 81 wins in the second shortest amount of time in club history since ... 1945.
The Cubs clocked in their 10,000th win this season, the second club in MLB to do so.
Now, for many, many, years, Cubs fans have been saying, 'Wait until next year', and then following it up with 'Next year is now' for a winning season. I have to say though, that with the number of streaks that have been equalled this year, and all of the milestones, after so many years... there's something really special about this time around.
As a person who appreciates the coincidences that life tends to offer, and the statistics of history-making events, this is truly something to look at and wonder, are we witnessing history in the making?
Go Cubs Go!
American League
Red Sox lead the Angels 2-0 in the series.
Indians lead the Yankees 2-0 in the series.
National League
Diamondbacks lead the Cubs 2-0 in the series.
Rockies lead the Phillies 2-0 in the series.
The National League resumes play today.
Rockies versus Phillies Stupid TBS. Off course, this was the game I was most interested in and it was broadcast while I was at work. Grrrr. Anyway, though I really like the makeup of the Rockies' offense, I thought the Phillies had the advantage and more experience. Thus far, the Rockies are playing like a team possessed. Todd Helton appears to be making the most of this October. I am blown away by the fact that Rollins, Victorino, Utley and Howard whiffed as much as they did. More than that, Chase Utley going down swinging four times on 13 pitches...are you serious? A bit of a surprise, but I am anticipating and much more intense Game 2 later today.
Angels versus Red Sox On paper, this should have been a classic pitching dual. Two of the absolute best in baseball squaring off at Fenway. Instead, John Lackey looked lost from the first pitch while Josh Beckett looked absolutely fearless. Breaking it down more specifically, Lackey seemed to have trouble painting the corners, his off speed stuff was dead flat and he just looked overmatched. Beckett, on the other hand, threw 18 consecutive first-pitch strikes, topped the radar gun at 98 MPH, had pinpoint command, his off speed stuff was ridiculous and he was throwing a cutter with a vengeance. A few times, his cut fastball was biting so hard on the inside to right handed hitters, it was practically crawling underneath their armpits. Just brutal. The Angels scattered 4 hits off of Beckett, each one more meaningless than the one before it. Any team in the NL that advances to the World Series better hope against hope itself that they don't draw against Boston because if Josh Beckett if 1/16 as good as he was last night, I'm picking the Red Sox to win in 4.
Cubs versus Diamondbacks Another hyped pitcher's dual that had all the makings of a classic. Carlos Zambrano had to prove he could pitch on the big stage after a poor 2003 post-season while Brandon Webb was smelling October baseball for the first time ever. At the outset, Brandon Webb looked cool and collected and his sinker was proof that he was going to be tough. Watch his fastball barely reach 90 MPH made me wonder how this kid won a Cy Young Award...until I saw his sinker. That thing is deadly and he made the Cubs' best hitters look silly with it more than a few times. Add in that looping breaking ball and now I see why Webb is amongst the best in the National League. Zambrano started out shaky and looked obviously nervous, sweating profusely and constantly adjusting his pelvic region. However, after a shaky 1st inning or two, he settled in and did his thing. His slider had excellent movement, he moved the ball all over the zone and blew hitters away, one after the other. The Achilles Heal in this game for the Cubs was two-fold. First, the Diamondbacks are so young and such a raw collective talent, they seem to play completely unaware of the magnitude of the situation. They look like they have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. The second and most obvious was yanking Zambrano after the 6th inning. Once he settled in, he was dealing and getting better with each passing inning. Piniella went to the unexperienced guy too song and it bit him hard. Tonight's Game 2 should be interesting.
My name is Nick and I am new to the blogosphere. I have never been a heavy reader of blogs and never had one of my own but I thought I would give it a try.
One of my biggest interests, because there is nothing else to do in Laramie, is the Chicago Cubs. Once again in first place i've got a feeling, "ITS GONNA HAPPEN." After 99 years I have a very good feeling that the cubs are going to at least make the playoffs and then win the World Series.
Well thats all I have for this evening. Its been fun.
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