So, the Brewers score 4 runs off of Ryan Dempster of the Cubs in the 9th, after the Cubs had taken their first lead since Friday, to send the Cubs to their 5th straight loss, their 12th in 14 games, and their 9th straight loss at the Unfriendly Confines. Since the beginning of May, they are 15 and 38, a robust 0.283 winning percentage.
After each victory, a white flag with a blue "W" is hoisted over the scoreboard in Wrigley Field. Perhaps a white flag is all that's needed, but I still like the "W." But this year, the "W" shouldn't just stand for "win." It should also stand for wretched and it should never be taken down, because that's what this Cubs team is.
Update 1: I think that someone kidnapped a D-League softball team, buffed them up (there aren't too many beer bellies in the Majors (David Wells?), and put them on display at Wrigley (emphasis mine).
After Aramis Ramirez's solo homer and Todd Walker's two-out RBI single gave the Cubs a 5-4 lead in the eighth, Dempster's throwing error to third base on Gabe Gross' sacrifice in the ninth brought home the tying run. Then Ronny Cedeno let Corey Hart's grounder go through his legs to allow the go-ahead run to score. The Brewers added two more runs on a pair of sacrifice flies, adding to the Cubs' misery.
Update 2: Hey, Cardinal fans. It's not all that bad. Sure, the Redbirds are stinking it up right now, having lost 8 in a row and I'm sure you're all frustrated. But consider this seemingly bad bit of news (emphasis mine):
Assured of their ninth series loss this season - and their sixth in the past 32 days - the Cardinals received five determined innings from impressive rookie Anthony Reyes (1-2) and four competent ones from righthanded relievers Adam Wainwright and Braden Looper.
The Cardinals have lost as many series as the Cubs have been swept (9 times so far this season)!
Has attendance at the games dropped to the 1966 levels of only maybe a thousand or two? I hope so. Let's hear it for die-hard fans!
Posted by: EclectEcon | June 28, 2006 at 12:13 AM
Nuts. I meant to say, "Let's hear it for fair-weather fans!"
Posted by: EclectEcon | June 28, 2006 at 12:14 AM
You know as well as I that Cubs attendees are there as much for the park and its neighborhood as they are to watch a game. They are still pulling in close to capacity.
Posted by: Phil | June 28, 2006 at 07:36 AM
Actually, I wasn't sure about this. Back in the mid-60s, a Cubs game was definitely NOT a trendy place to be, and the ambiance meant nothing to potential customers. I wonder how long it will take for the glitter to fade.
If it isn't going to fade, then the Cubs management should pay very little for not much talent and laugh all the way to the bank. Are they smart enough that this is what they're doing? Or are they spending a lot on mis-assessed players?
Posted by: EclectEcon | June 28, 2006 at 02:49 PM
If it isn't going to fade, then the Cubs management should pay very little for not much talent and laugh all the way to the bank. Are they smart enough that this is what they're doing? Or are they spending a lot on mis-assessed players?
The latter, sort of. Frankly, I expected the Cubs to be at least decent this year.
Oh, and your comments re: the Cards don't really make me feel any better. As a Cardinal fan, I'm accustomed to winning - gotta go all the back to 1999 to recall a losing season in the Lou. In the 20 years that I've been a fan, the Cards have only lost more than they won in 7 of those seasons.
Of course, despite the 8 game losing streak, the Cards are still 8 games above .500 and 4 games out in front:-) All this whining from Cards fans must really make Cubs fans want to vommit, huh?
Posted by: Chad | June 28, 2006 at 03:26 PM
Chad,
I don't think there are anymore waste products left in our bodies to hurl at the Card's whining. It's not that we don't want to, but we don't have anything to honk. We used that up a few weeks ago during one of those head scratcher plays - don't remember which one. There's been so many they really blend in.
I guess the law of diminishing returns, in a sense, is at play with stuff that disgusts me. I've seen it before and it doesn't shock me anymore.
The Cubs have taken some chances with Wood and Prior that haven't panned out. They've done well with Zambrano and Maddux, and they've had some decent signings over the years. They've had their stinkers, for sure. But my guess is that they are usually built to be about 0.500. They sure aren't built to be big winners, and I doubt they have to be given what Cubs attendees are spending their money on.
Posted by: Phil | June 28, 2006 at 11:15 PM