'There's no curses here'
Lou was nice and loose before tonight's game. Rightfully, he said "this isn't life and death," although he'd have a hard time selling that to a lot of Cubs fans.
Anyway, all that silliness about a "curse" came up, and Lou was told a Greek Orthodox priest, apparently at the behest of Cubs chairman Crane Kenney, sprinkled holy water in the Cubs dugout yesterday. Final score in Game 1: Dodgers 7, Cubs 2. Lou reacted in typical fashion.
"There's no curses here," Lou said. "I don't know how many times I have to answer about curses. Who did it? Crane graduated from Notre Dame. He might have had somebody from South Bend."
Lou went on: "I don't believe in those things. I really don't. I've said it many times. Good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. Those are the ingredients that win baseball games. I saw it a little bit on TV. I saw the sprinkling. The other guy's praying, too. God doesn't care about a baseball game."
The only thing to say to that is "amen."
You saw the lineup in the previous blog, but I'll run it again:
Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
DeRosa, 2B
Edmonds, CF
Soto, C
Fukudome, RF
Zambrano, P
Lou said he struggled with the idea of sitting Mike Fontenot. He also Fukudome is "a mystery." My guess is that if Fukudome struggles tonight, he sits Saturday.
The Cubs will fly out at noon tomorrow instead of leaving after the game. Lou said the team doctor and team trainer consulted with a "sleep doctor," and all concluded that it would be best to fly out the next day. Expect only a voluntary workout tomorrow at Dodger Stadium.
We only see and hear from Jim Hendry when things are going well and the players he "bought" are performing, and now???..No where to be seen or heard from! Am I the only one who took "I am being told to play Fukudome" from Pinella's post game comments last night? Lou already got Samardzija shoved down his throat and now Hendry wants to justify signing this 12" softball player for $48m by putting him in the line-up when Reed Johnson has earned it. Forget that we should have Josh Hamilton in right field but Hendry "gave" him to the Red's because he did not want to take the chance on him....yes, but we will take the chance on Fukudome or Samardzija. Who knows...maybe the Dodgers won't show up for the rest of the series and Hendry can talk MLB execs into replacing them with the Pirates and we can watch Koske and Jeff show us why we gave these two collectively over $60m...we still have the farm system to reach into....doohhh!.....
The Cubs drafted him as a pre-arranged deal with the Reds. Why don't you rip on the 28 other clubs for not being smart enough to take him?
As far as Samardzija goes, Lou seems to like him, so how is that "shoved down his throat"?
I like Lou, but is it Hendry's fault that Lou kept giving Bob Howry a shot?
This seems like it was nothing more than angry venting.
...For infield errors. What a night.
OK, THIS TEAM NEEDS A BALL-BUSTING WAKE-UP CALL!!
After tonite's game, I suggest Hendry and Kenney bring in a Ditka/Lou Holtz type speaker to give this team a much needed "pep" talk. I was thinking of something along these lines ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TROhlThs9qY
"Oh, have I got your attention now?"
Gwynn was making the point about the Dodgers pitching Soriano away, and instead of him working the count or taking it the other way, he's trying to pull everything.
1984 and 2003 were heartbreaking collapes of epic proportions.
2008 is getting to be excruciatingly disgusting.
It looks like the infield is cursed tonite ... lol. A true comedy of errors. Is this the Iowa Cubs or the Chicago Cubs? At this point, all I can do is laugh. Now FUKU's up - let's see him spin around some more.
Last one out, turn off the lights.
They need an error by the shortstop to complete the infield cycle. Laugh, cry, whatever.
"Ask and ye shall receive"
..this is unbelievable. Now Cotts can't throw strikes. If they lose tonight it will be their 8th playoff loss in a row. Think about that for a second...
Theriot's boneheaded decision to try to barehand a hard hit, heavily spinning grounder was about as close to an error as they come.
This team cannot and will not take us to the Promised Land. We look like deer in the headlights and completely lack the ability to manufacture runs. The dream is over.
Yesterday I was in denial, tonite it's acceptance. The pain is gone ... I feel free as a bird!! I can fly!!
..but there is no denying the...how shall I say this...puzzling...things and events that have happened to this club over the years.
A black cat runs right in front of the Cub with probably the biggest heart, Ron Santo?
Sandberg spilling Gatorade on Durham's glove right before the 7th inning in game 5 in 1984?
This one may be a reach, but I think Prior's downfall can in part be traced back to that weird collision with Giles in the basepath in 2003..
Then the sure handed A. Gonazales boots an easy double play ball?
Even Lou calls weird stuff "Cubbie Occurences".
I like the Cubs travel plans.
Alex Gonzalez should cry tears of joy and gratitude to God every single day for the rest of his life for the existence of Steve Bartman.
Gonzo was truly the Buckner of that un-holy game.
And if the Cubs can somehow turn this series around, I'LL cry tears of joy and gratitude to God for the rest of my life.
..a well-timed hit and run, and two errors. Wow.
Those of us who were here that fateful night had the same weird feeling tonight as the top of the second played out tonight.
..it was the same surreal unbelievable feeling for us fans watching at home. And now feeling very depressed.