One Final Regular Season Game Chat

Cubs @ Brewers

This is quite the exciting game for most of the Northeastern part of the United States…oh yeah and for those folks in Wisconsin too. This game determines a few things.

1. Will the Brewers be the Wild Card?
2. Will the Mets be the Wild Card?
3. Will there be a one game playoff?
4. Will the Cubs host the Dodgers?
5. Will the Cubs host the Mets?

Cubs…they appear to care less. Carlos Zambrano is a scratch and the Cubs will send Angel Guzman to the mound to face CC Sabathia. Accuscore has the game already a given to the Brewers….how in the hell can they be a 77% favorite? Are they basing it all offof CC? Do they take into account this will be his third outing in like 10 days?

The Cubs are sending the top half of the regular lineup to face CC. One cool thing to note is Micha Hoffpauir is starting in place of Kosuke Fukudome in right.

Geovany Soto is out again…which is fine. Let the guy heal as much as possible…ditto for Mark DeRosa.

Game Chat on weekend is sporadic…which is fine…so many sports on the weekend. We will be chatting here on and off throughout the game.

Cubs @ Brewers Game Two Chat

Weekend traffic at the site is not huge…its the weekend. We will be in and out all day.

Ted Lilly faces the iffy Ben Sheets. Don’t know how well Sheets will pitch or rather how long. But the Brewers are already in playoff mode beacause their playoff lives are at stake.

One thing is certain…the visiting Cubs need to get back into playoff mode starting today.

Like we said…in and out all day. Let us know if you stop by.

Cubs @ Brewers Game One Chat

I wont be here to beging the game…I have a Charity Golf Scramble I am playing  in that doesnt start until 4pm eastern.

Ryan Dempster on the mound for the Cubs tonight takes on Jeff Suppan at Miller Park, where the Cubs are perfect this year. We dont quite know whether to expect the Cubs to continue their dominant ways because we dont know what line up Lou Piniella plans to send out.

One thing is certain…the New York Mets barely slipped our September call ups last night, which bodes well for the Cubs. Also consider that our back are not up against the wall like the Brewers. We are sure to be lose and play pressure free.

We will be watching and rooting for our Cubs, but our eyes are set on the post season. This is the ESPN featured game of the night.

We will check in as the game is on later in the evening…hopefully with the Cubs continuing their dominance of all NL post season contenders.

The Magic Number is….

Thriller for the Cubs..downer for the Brewers….No one wanted to win as each team kept giving the others chances….Cubs win 7-6 in 12th…more later…just going to go enjoy this fo a few minutes.

The Magic Number Remains at….

Yeah…we lost the game last night 6-2 to the Brewers. But the fun thing about magic numbers is that they cant go up. Magic number remains stuck at 4 while the dividion lead is 8. Another game this afternoon at Wrigley v. the Brew Crew. Dave Bush ging for the Brewers….Rich Harden for the home team.

See you here for the chat in a little while.

Time is Running Out…

….for the Mets, Phillies, Brewers, Astros, and Diamondbacks that is. These are the only teams that have a realistic shot at the post season in the National League.

The Cubs are basically locked, and the Dodgers are 98.5% in…but we all know there is a little baseball to be played.

Basically it is do or die time for the Brewers, Phillies, and Mets. Two spots…three teams. I had the idea for this article all day…but ESPN beat me to it…so fuck it - here is their version instead…I am here to pull for the Cubs and eliminate whoever is in our way. At this point, it is World Series of Poker time in baseball. Get rid of all of the competition and be the last one standing.

On the hill tonight the Brewers have a good shot to beat the Cubs becuse they are sending Ben Sheets out to face Jason “One Big Inning” Marquis. The only problem now for the Brew Crew is that historically, when Marquis has no pressure to win, which is in essence what the entire Cubs staff has for the rest of the season, he has pitched really well.

Add to the equation the Brewersare in disarray and the only guy not affected seems to be Prince Fielder.

At any rate…we all get to share the Cubs tonight on ESPN which means everyone everywhere will be watching…we will be chatting down below….rub two quarters together for a good showing tonight on national tee vee…but keep it in context….we are up 9 in the division and magic number is 4…..end of day worst case scenario is 8 and 4….magic number cant go up….like we said…time is running out.

Brewers @ Cubs Game One

The Dale Sveum (sp?) Era begins tonight for the Milwaukee Brewers as they travel to Wrigley for a three game set against the Cubs. This three game set is followed by a three game set at Miller Park in about ten days. Needless to say, these six games could determine whether or not the Brewers make it to the post season. Chicago is all but assured of a spot with their magic number at 6.

Should be a fun game to watch with CC Sabathia and Ryan Dempster on the bump for the Brewers and Cubs respectively. The Brewers will be pressing a bit, but also can play with relatively no pressure now that they fired their manager…it all depends on how the players internalize the situation. The Phillies who are tied for the Wild Card lead “tee off” an hour ahead of this game, so the Brewers will have one eye on the scoreboard all night as well. The Cubs could be positioned for a letdown of sorts after a no-no by Carlos Zambrano and a near no-no by Ted Lilly. The Cubs bats however have woken up the last two games.

We will be here to chat the game later today.

Lightning Prevents Cubs Charge

Well…we will never know if the Cubs would have mounted a comeback against the Astros last night. The lightning prevented a complete standard game, but by rules, the game was called in the 8th inning with the Astros leading 2-0.

Not to much to be upset about as the Brewers implosion continues. I am sure you have seen the video by now of Prince Fileder bitch slapping and shoving Manny Parra…With the Brew Crew losing the CUbs advantage remains at five games in the division.

Afternoon game today…not sure if we will get to a preview…if not check back for a recap later in the day.

A Rant On “Class”…Or Lack Thereof

So I’ve seen some grumblings from alleged Brewer fans regarding the supposed “classless” Cub fans. I won’t go on about how Cub fans are better in this way or that. It’s wasted time to me. The point is- teams have some complete idiotic buffoons that embarrass other fans of the same team. No team is immune.

You all have seen it at the ballpark or in a bar. There’s that guy that makes you want to slink down further in your seat and pull your hat over your eyes as he stands there spitting beer while shouting obscenities at some other team’s fans…probably with small children trembling in fright next to them.

Let’s face it- there’s a right way and a wrong way to be a fan. But when we get to talking about “classless”, why not look to the teams too?

Is it class when your team has been beaten in every way and down 9-1 in the ninth to throw at the opponent’s hitter who just happened to tag you for two home runs? Is it class to shatter your bat at the plate, not run out the fly ball, and proceed to yell “horse sh*t” at the umpire somewhere close to two dozen times? Is it class, after having been ejected, to sit in the dugout pouting and delay the game?

David Bush hit two batters and gave up three home runs. That’s his fault. Eric Gagne, having previously shown the Brewers he’s no longer a closer, was dubiously inserted in the ninth. He throws increasingly inside on the first three pitches and then behind Jim Edmonds. Classless. It was the equivalent to a hockey coach sending in his cement head to take out another player.

Prince Fielder wants to argue balls and strikes…in the bottom of the ninth inning…down by 10 runs. Admitedly, Doug Eddings had an inconsistent strike zone and his definition of a swing is the near equivalent to my definition of standing still. However, when your team has already embarrassed themselves to the tune of 11-1 (at that point), that one outside pitch isn’t all that much to cry about in the scheme of things.

To top it off, you have the illogical Ned Yost at the helm. To send Gagne in as a headhunter was a clear sign he had lost control and his team proceeded to come unglued. There were other instances in the series when he likely cost his team an edge or the game itself (See: Ben Sheets being hung out to dry).

You can always move away from the classless fan. But what do you do when it’s your team that’s classless?

Yost is classless and the Brewers fans deserve better.

Cubs Sweep Brewers – Take Control of Central

Five days ago the Milwaukee Brewers caught the Cubs atop the NL Central. Five days ago might as well be five weeks ago when the Brewers were 5.5 out.

No one quite knows what happened to the “hottest” team since the All Star Break. The Brewers were riding a 8-2 record coming into the Cubs series…They were coming home…all things pointed to a hotly contested series that clearly favored the Brewers with CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets pitching the first two games of the series. Instead the Cubs romped through the four game set winning all four games while scoring 31 runs to the Brewers 11.

Today was the biggest outbreak of the series as the Cubs erupted for 11 runs led by Jim Edmonds two HRs including a grand slam to rack up five RBIs. Soriano and Fukudome added long balls as well. 

Rich Harden finally got some much deserved run support in notching his first victory since his trade from Oakland. Nine more strikeouts bring his four game total to 39. He has yet to allow more than one run in any of his starts since coming over to the Cubs.

Soriano blistered the Brewers pitching in this series going 7-16. Since coming off of the DL the Cubs have gone 7-2 while “Sori” has gone 12-35, 2HRs, and 8 RBIs. He has been a clear reason that the Cubs have been able to return to their offensive ways. Inserting him back into his customary spot at leadoff and in LF and getting everyone back into their normal routine has been just what the team has needed.

Next up for the Cubs is a three game set with the remains of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who in the last week has traded away Xaivier Nady, Jason Bay, and Damaso Marte. Easy on paper – but thats why they play the games. It is the first series of a nine game home stand and a stretch in which the Cubs play 22 of their next 31 at home.

Check back later for Out of the Box Game Notes and tomorrow for Pirates previews.