Seth McClung (3-1, 3.56 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (4-5, 4.09 ERA)
Story-Lines
I think that Kyle summed it up rather nicely when he wrote: "THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SERIES OF OUR ENTIRE LIVES."

The Cubs are a team who have been under-performing so often this year that it's hard to justify the inclusion of "under" in that description nowadays.  They have ungodly talented hitters who just aren't hitting.  They've got relief pitchers with ice water in their veins who are about as reliable as a tool bought at a Dollar Store.  They've got a manager with winning in his blood who can't seem to do anything right. 

And now they've got a chance to hurdle their way above the first place Brewers in one fell swoop. 

Well, sadly my friends this is not the movies.  Willie Mays Hays isn't here to make some kind of impressive (and entirely unrealistic) base-stealing play.  Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn is neither here to notch an impressive victory nor to sleep with all the hookers of Division Street.  The Cubs could leapfrog the Brewers but it would take some kind of minor -- nay, major -- miracle for it to actually happen.

Still, let's just think about it for a second.  The Cubs, sweeping the Brewers, smacking around the Braves, and then demolishing the Cardinals.  That feeling in your gut that you had just now?  That's optimism, my friends.  Cherish it while you can.

Who's Hot
Jake Fox - 9 for his last 27, batting .333 with 2 homeruns

Geovany Soto - 7 for his last 23, batting .304 with a double, triple, and homer

Sam Fuld - 2 for 4 this season.  Actually I just wanted to mention him as a way to congratulate him on getting his first-ever major league hits, and for making another outstanding defensive play recently.  Fuld may come from the Doug Dascenzo School of Athleticism, but I'd say he's earned a stay in the Majors based on his head-breaking hard play.

Dave Patton - As mentioned perhaps by Nick V (sorry I can't remember for sure, it may also have been AJ) since April 29th, Patton's line is as follows: 13.2 IP, 13 hits, 7 BB, 4 ER, 2.63 ERA.  I'm not sold on Patton, but used sparingly and if he can pitch this effectively then I'll take back most of the mean things I've said about his mother.  (But she's still a hater of cheese)

Kevin Gregg - His May line: 11.2 IP, 7 saves, 3.86 ERA.  His June line: 13 IP, 5 saves (2 blown), 2.77 ERA. 

Who's Not
In the name of optimism, we'll skip this one. 

Conclusions
I made this point earlier in the day and I will make it again now.

Stop being a Cubs fan for a second.  Pretend you support the Brewers or Cardinals, and you always have.

It's July 2nd.  The team favored to win your division has been struggling along all season long.  And here's your team, a mere 4 -- or 8 -- games over .500, only 3.5 -- or 2.5 -- games ahead of the dangerous, sluggish Cubs.

Tell me you're not worried.  Tell me that you have written the Cubs off.  Tell me either of those things and I will call you a liar and an idiot.

We are so caught up in our Cubbie Mentality that we've forgotten a few things ... all the crap that's ever happened means nothing this year.  If the Cubs and Brewers were in opposite places in the standings, we'd be crapping our collective drawers right now.  So rather than taking this pervasive, unending perspective that these are the Cubs -- so of course they'll falter and eventually fade -- maybe we should consider that maybe, just maybe, talent will win out.

That's not being an optimist, or a Pollyellon, by any means.  It is simply recognizing that -- say it with me now -- the Cubs are not cursed.  Get over this ridiculous sense of hopelessness and have some frickin' balls for once, Cub fans!

Overview
Let’s see, how do I put this modestly? Hmmm. Ah screw it.

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SERIES OF OUR ENTIRE LIVES.

Well, not really. But I it’s kind of important or something. Think of it this way: If the Cubs sweep this 4-game series with the Brewers, then they could be in first place. However if they are swept, then they could be in last. Thanks mediocre NL Central.

Anyway, the Brewers come in 5-5 over their last 10 games with their most recent game being a 1-0 loss to the Mets at home. Milwaukee was 5-4 at Wrigley last season and this will be their first trip to the Cathedral in ‘09.

As for the Cubs, they’re coming off a hellish road trip (3-7) that has had players and fans alike tearing each other apart. Let me just say thank God for the Pirates. Taking two of three from Shatsburgh was probably more important for the confidence of this team than we realize. The Cubs should be carrying some of that momentum into the series (the important word here is “should”).

The Matchups
Thursday, July 2nd - Seth McClung vs. Ryan Dempster
McClung (Milwaukee’s more ginger and right-handed version of Sean Marshall) made his first start of the season against the Giants at home and was knocked around quite a bit. Being used mostly as a relief pitcher this season, I’d guess it will take a him a few more starts to stretch out the arm. So I’d expect him to be out by the fifth inning. Getting to McClung early and working high pitch counts should be the offense’s goal.

Dempster seems to pitch better at Wrigley this season than on the road, so he’s got that going for him. Hopefully the comforts of home will help Demp get a handle on his control because this dude needs to stop walking people. Unfortunately the Brewers are 2nd in the NL in walks. Fear the walk people.

Friday, July 3rd - Jeff Suppan vs. Carlos Zambrano
Guess what Phil Rogers? Carlos Zambrano is still on the Chicago Cubs. Yet amazingly you still have a job. It’s a crazy world we live in.

So what if Big Z is a little loco. At least someone on this team is showing some passion. I don’t expect things to change Friday and I’m thinking Scarlos has one of his better outings of the season.

As for Suppan, what can I say? The guy is the definition of “meh”-ish. The elements are ripe for a beat down.

Saturday, July 4th - Braden Looper vs. Rich Harden
Another Cardinals reject and another saucy matchup for the Cubs. Although Looper held the Cubs to only one run in five innings earlier this season, I like it when this lineup faces familiar foes.

Welcome back Rich Harden. Sure your gem was against the Pirates – whom my 72-year-old grandmother could probably throw a scoreless inning against based on the way they played this past series – but I tip my hat to you sir. Maybe this is the start of a dominating run for Rich…or maybe he’ll go to Wrigley and stink it up like he has all season (2-3 with a 6.31 ERA at home).

Sunday, July 5th – Mike Burns vs. Ted Lilly
Me likey Ted Lilly at Wrigley. Especially his 1.85 ERA while pitching at the Friendly Confines this season. I can’t remember the last time I saw a pitcher on the Cubs roster who was so consistently dominant at Wrigley and so consistently subpar on the road. Then again, I also drink a lot.

I really don’t know much about Mike Burns and I’m just trying to make it through this paragraph without referencing a “Simpsons” joke. What I can tell you is that this will be his first start on the road. Pretty tough considering it is at Wrigley during a primetime broadcast. I wish him nothing but back luck

Conclusion
If this series were being played in Milwaukee, I would be deeply worried. But it’s not, so tough nards for the Brewers. Not facing Yovani Gallardo means the Cubs have the starting pitching advantage across the board, which tells me it is imperative for the offense to score early. The Brewers’ bullpen has been surprisingly solid this season (especially Trevor Hoffman), so don’t expect many come-from-behind wins if the Cubs are trailing late.

I’m not going to predict a sweep either way, but the Cubs should win 3 of 4 if the starting pitching continues to give quality starts.

Go Cubs.

Uh, not really.

Jeff Baker, the Rockie backup corner infielder, who is hitting even worse than any of the Cubs, is now all ours. 

This is curious, considering we now have four first-basemen on the 25 man roster (the team has not as of yet revealed who will be going down - it better not be Blanco).  Also curious since we will probably get ARam back on Monday. 

Nope, THIS is not the trade that will bring me back into the fold of Kool-Aid drinking zealots.  But I don't see how it can hurt, either, Alberto Alberquerque be damned.

Update: Ryan Freel just got DFA'd to make room for Baker. Works for me! -AJ

If these Cubs are going to do anything in October, they've gotta be able to take a regular season, three-game series from a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Fortunately, they were able to do that today.

Aside from Randy Wells continuing to outdo himself, the story from tonight's game has to be the pleasantly surprising performance of one Sam Fuld. Sam went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot, including a double to start a game, and also walked once.

One other special surprise: Fukudome hit a home run! Crazy!

One more Randy Wells comment: he's chalked up another start in which he allowed one or fewer extra base hits. His allowed slugging percentage is a paltry .328 at this point.

It kinda feels like the Cubs can't win unless they hold the opposing team to zero or one runs. Fortunately, they've been able to do that fairly consistently.

Kudos to Wells, Fuld, the Fook-ster, Derrek Lee, and perhaps most importantly, the New York Mets, who took down the Brewers tonight. Three and a half out, with a whole half-season to go!

Additional Notes from Kurt
Although the Cubs held the lead all night, Lou Piniella finally exploded in a fit of ANGER and got himself expelled from the game.

The short of this series is that -- although the Cubs got shut out by a pitcher coming soon to a softball game near you -- the Cubs took 2 of 3 on a road series (something they haven't done a lot this year) against a crappy team overplaying their talent. Naysayers -- also known in some circles as "realists" -- will point out that beating the Pirates means about as much as successfully breathing. But I say that, on the contrary, every win is important even if they are to be expected. Besides, the Cubs are playing two out of their next three series against the Brewers and Cardinals -- if they had entered the up-coming four gamer after having lost to the Pirates, I think we'd all be going to games with our hangin' nooses around our necks.

I will say that I completely understand the negativity -- obviously. We've been saying since May that the Cubs are only a few games out, and all they need to do is string together a series of wins and it will suddenly be their division to lose. That's true but it's a lot harder than a three-dozen-or-so word sentence makes it out to be. In fact we've been saying it for so long that the season has now slipped into July, with the All Star Game looming. And we're probably wrong for feeling this way but the Cubs are playing with every appearance of time running out on them before they get their acts together.

Then again, if we were fans of the Brewers or Cardinals, I suspect that in our secret places we would be pissed off and perhaps even a little terrified of the fact that our teams have failed to spread the field with a team as potent as the Cubs creeping along behind them.

Perhaps we are so used to this being the Cubs, for gawdssakes, that we are forgetting how we would feel if the Cubs were in the place of the Cardinals right now. We'd be in a panic. We'd be furious at our team for failing to take advantage of a weak division. In other words, even if things were different we'd still be acting the same -- and that says a lot about our sanity or lack thereof. So I'll conclude my tack-on recap with the following, indesputable (not even by you, Rob) observation:

Perhaps it really still is ours to lose.

Rob: indisputable.  Anyway, only a moron would state that, statistically, the Cubs are out of the running when they are 3.5 games out with 85 games to go.

However, the Cubs have played .493 ball this year.  It is indisputable that they have the capability to play better ball.  You may believe they will, due to the logic that they are better than this.  I have not seen anything thus far in 2009 to lead me to believe that they are.  They have looked like a .500 team from day one.  They have some decent days, and some miserable ones. 

So do we all, I suppose.  Then again, I haven't deluded myself into thinking I am going to win the Employee of the Year at my job, and I am also not going to delude myself into thinking that we will win four more games than the Brewers AND the Cardinals the rest of the way.  The Brewers have a better lineup than we do on our best days, and the Cardinals are better managed, both Generally and on the Field. 

So, unless we make a good trade, or unless guys like Soto, Bradley, Zambrano and Soriano do an about-face, we won't be able to make up even the meager deficit we have now. 

Current Record: 37-38
Position in the NL Central: 4th place, 3.5 games out
Best Possible Record: 124-38
Worst Possible Record: 37-125
Record needed to win 110: 73-14
On Pace For: 80-82

Along with billy goat curses, black cats, day baseball, and bespectacled yuppies with a lack of spatial awareness, one of the more compelling arguments behind the lack of Cubs success the past, oh, 75 years or so has been the poor performance of their farm system.  It is true that throughout P. K. Wrigley's ownership, he did not make the farm system a priority.  I have never figured out, though, how the "1969 Cubs" managed to emerge from the cesspool, for except for Fergie Jenkins, that was a homegrown bunch.

However, with the arrival of the Tribune and Dallas Green, for the first time since the Thirties, the farm system became a priority.  Remember that, prior to 1984, home attendance revenues were paltry compared to most other teams.  Most other teams had stadiums that held upwards of 50,000, so if they drew to 50% of capacity, they drew over 2 million.  In those days, yearly attendance of 1 million was cause for great celebration at 1060 W. Addison.  So, oddly enough, Green saw the Cubs as a "small market" team.  The "market" itself was big enough, but the "revenues" were not.  As we well know, the best plan for the "have-nots" is to build from the farm.

Green was in the catbird seat in his first draft - the #1 overall pick was shortstop Shawon Dunston.  He also spent first round picks on guys named Tony Woods and Stan Boderick.  No, I never heard about them either until I looked them up.  His #1 picks the next three years were P Jackie Davidson, P Drew Hall, and OF Rafael Palmiero.  Generally, Green hit about .333 in the "first innings" of drafts.  A few guys (Dunston, Derrick May, Mike Harkey) had decent careers, a few (Davidson, Hall, Ty Griffin) were total busts, and then you have Raffy.

It was clear from day one of his major league career that Palmiero was special.  Yes, he ended his career in infamy, smeared by steroids.  Maybe part of his motivation was this: upon coming up with the Cubs, the man had innate plate discipline, incredible bat control, and solid baseball instincts.  But he was dogged in the press from the start for what was termed a "lack of power".  No, he did not hit home runs in bunches for us.  But his first two seasons with the Cubs, when he was 21 and 22 years old, in 300 ABs, he hit 19 doubles, 17 home runs, and 42 RBI.  Sounds like enough power to me.  The one statistic about Raffy that has stuck with me to this day?

In 1986, when he was 21, in 78 plate appearances, he swung and missed exactly ONCE.  One time.  Uno.

So he, like Barry Bonds, did not NEED PED's to be successful in the big leagues.  It would be another twelve years or so until another guy with his kind of batting skill would break into the MLB, guy named Pujols.  And WE developed him.

Know who else we developed in the mid 80's, besides Raffy, Dunston, and Harkey?  Greg Maddux, of whom you've heard about.  Also Joe Carter, who actually was drafted the year the Cubs were sold, but whose name will always be linked with Rick Sutcliffe in Cubs lore, since they were traded for one another.  Jamie Moyer, who as of this writing is still laboring as a 'crafty lefty' for the Phillies, came up along with Maddux in 1986.  Mark Grace, Mr. Slumpbuster himself, came up in 1988.  Jody Davis, an all-star catcher and key to the 1984 Division winner, was also home grown, as was his replacement, Damon Berryhill.

Dave Martinez, who ended up crafting himself a nice career as a fourth outfielder, was one of ours.  Big Lee Smith, of whom it is impossible to refer to without the "Big" qualifier, was actually a 1975 draftee, but was one of ours.  The final fruits of Green's labors became ripe in the 1989 Division winning season, as a rash of injuries caused manager Don Zimmer to bring up a squadron of young Cubs farmhands, including ROY Jerome Walton, Dwight Smith, Joe Girardi, Garry Varsho and Darrin Jackson.

So, to recap: the Cubs farm system bore infielders Grace and Dunston, outfielders Palmiero, Carter, Martinez, Walton, Dwight Smith, catchers Davis, Berryhill and Girardi, Greg Maddux, Jamie Moyer and Lee Smith.  Throw in Ryne Sandberg (why not?  The Phillies did) and hindsight being 20/20, but it looks to me like a totally home-grown nucleus of a dynamic team.  No 50-homer guys, but lots of line-drive impact hitters, speed, great fielding, along with a staff ace, a wily lefty with durability, and an intimidating closer.

The Cubs should have been loaded for success, like the "1969 team" for five or six years, from about 1988 to up to the mid-nineties, with a few free agent acquisitions to fill in at third base and the back-end of the rotation.

Of course, the talent drain started when the original plan was scrapped, when the Cubs made the shift in 1984 from "have-nots" to "haves", when Carter was traded for Sutcliffe.  Sure, we "won" that trade in the short-term.  Sut won the Cy Young in 1984, should have won it in 1987 and made a case the next two years after that.  But Carter became an offensive force for the next decade.

From there, our "winning" record on trades took a plunge.  Beginning with the dumping of Lee Smith in 1987, a trade made as much in the local papers as it was made in the club offices, Cubs management totally scrapped their plan of development from within, and as a result doomed the franchise to yet another decade of futility.

Let Coast to Coast Tickets get you to those Chicago Cubs games!

This one is coming up early because I won't be around to publish it tonight.

Randy Wells (2-3, 2.57 ERA) vs. Virgil Vasquez (1-0, 3.00 ERA)
Story-lines
The Cubs, a team of destiny.  The Pirates of mediocrity.  The pitchers, Ross Olendorf, a mediocre-at-best 5th starter with a near-5 ERA.  The hitters, a Cubs lineup loaded with super expensive superstars.  The results?  A shut-out with the Cubs being the sad participants.

The other day Rob criticized the team for having three incredibly expensive corner outfielders who aren't producing.  Except he exaggerated, which is apparently against the rules of the internets, which apparently gave readers permission to ignore that the Cubs have three incredibly expensive corner outfielders who aren't producing.

So, sorry, but minus the exaggerations Rob is right. 

With all due respect to those who would go as far as to tell Rob he pooped if Rob claimed he'd peed, Jim Hendry's moves have not paid off.  Even back when he first signed Soriano, Lilly, and Marquis, we called them reactionary moves made by Jim to save his job.  They weren't necessarily smart moves, but they were moves that worked for 2007 and 2008. 

Well, 2009 is here.  Baseball was, is, and always will be a What Have You Done For Me Lately sport.  And what Jim has done for me lately is nothing.  He's made trades that didn't work, moves that have absolutely failed, and signings that have absolutely hand-cuffed the team from taking further steps to try to get competitive.  Rather than nitpick the exaggerations like an annoying mother, why not step back and acknowledge that the Cubs are in a tough situation right now and, yes Rick Morrissey, Hendry is at least partly to blame?

Anyway, it's a moot point if the under-performing Cub hitters step up, but we aren't wrong for pointing out that they haven't and they may not.

Who's Hot
After yesterday's fiasco, we're back on the "nobody at all" kick. 

Who's Not
See above.  Hey, at least Samardzija pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his return.  At this point, after his earlier performance this year, I'm not sold on his big league ability.

Conclusions
Despite the justified worry, I feel confident that any Cubs team from any bad year can take 2 of 3 from this year's Pirates, even when they're playing in Pittsburgh.

As is so often the case with this team, tonight's loss is pretty much completely attributable to the offense--or specifically, the lack thereof.

If I told you a certain "Pitcher McPitcherson" put up this line:

7.0IP, 0R, 4H, 0BB, 8K

Wouldn't you assume the Cubs were facing some sort of well-established ace? That's a Johan Santana line, or a Peavy-in-his-prime line, or something like that. 

I guess, for tonight at least, it's also a Russ Ohlendorf line.

Russ got through seven innings on 93 pitches, 62 of which were strikes. In other words, Ohlendorf was all over the strike zone, for the entire night, and the Cubs couldn't convert. 

Even when Ohlendorf was gone, the Cubs couldn't take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves later in the game.

In a moment of maximal frustration, the Cubs were unable to capitalize on a no-out situation with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 8th inning. Soriano struck out swinging on an outside change-up, Fukudome looked at strikes two and three, and Derrek Lee grounded out.

Are Pirates pitchers that good? Maybe.

Is the Cubs offense that bad? Almost certainly.

Go... eh.

Ted Lilly (7-5, 3.41 ERA) vs. Ross Ohlendorf (6-6, 4.75 ERA)
Story-Lines
Fresh off a fairly long bout with losing, the Cubs managed to beat the Pirates yesterday 3 to 1.  Today the Cubs should have a pretty decent shot of winning as their best pitcher this season squares off against a guy who would hemorrhage runs against a more offensively competent team than the Cubs.

We keep talking about momentum as if it is something that even a team as rocky as the Cubs can grasp.  I can only direct you to the Colorado Rockies, who were at their low point 20-32.  Since then they've rattled off an 11-game winning streak and are 20-6.  Momentum.

Then again, as I write this the Cubs are being 1-hit by Ross Ohlendorf.  It's probably not a good thing that he has apparently joined the long line of pitchers who've had their best games of the year against the Cubs.  You know why it's happened?  Inertia.  Like the fat kid trying to peddle his bike from a stand-still up a steep hill, it's reallllly hard to get started sometimes. 

Who's Hot
Jake "Please Let Me Play" Fox.  In the past week the young man is 9 for 23 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 6 RBI.  Apparently he may actually belong in the major leagues, defensive incompetence be damned.

Alfonso Soriano.  Is he finally awaking from hibernation and crawling out of the Slump Cave?  In the past week the Fonz is batting .300 with a .344 OBP -- the sort of numbers that are actually passable for a leadoff guy.

Who's Not
Pretty much everybody else.  It's the same old story.  Team can't hit, blah blah, shaky bullpen, yadda yadda, crazy guy on roster, etc.

Conclusion
Assuming that today's crazy guy is actually Ted Lilly, and he displays his insanity by owning the Pirates from innings 1 through 9, then the Cubs just might sneak off with their second straight win.  But it's a big assumption.  This team needs an injection, and not of the steroid variety.

Following yesterday's Fuld-for-Miles move, the Cubs have another roster swap to announce.

According to ESPN.com, the Cubs will send Jose Ascanio back to Iowa, and will recall fan favorite Jeff Samardzija to replace him. Samardzija will operate out of the bullpen for the Cubs.

In terms of pure stuff, it seems like Samardzija should have Wells' rotation spot, and Wells should be in the 'pen. But Wells has done nothing but succeed while pitching as a starter, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Jeff's issue has always been control, and if you check his player page with the Iowa Cubs, you'll see that he's still been walkin' dudes, even in his past few games. Hopefully he's able to throw strikes at the major league level.

As a refresher, here's our current bullpen:

Gregg (CL)
Marmol (SU)
Heilman
Marshall
Hart
Patton
Samardzija

Getting Guzman back from the DL will make that a pretty serviceable group, if you ask me.

I became a Cubs fan around 1987, when Andre Dawson came to town.  But while I would follow the team occasionally as a kid, probably the first year where my interest became intense was 1989.  That was the year everything just clicked for the Cubs, where a number of average players had career years, where every role-player actually did his job, where I became flat-out obsessed with the team.

Blame Jim Frey for giving away the kingdom for a bauble, but it was one hell of a bauble at that.  The team was young -- six offensive regulars were under the age of 30, as were three starters (with Mike Harkey waiting in the wings), and no regular in the bullpen was over the age of 28, and Don Zimmer was the gruff old skipper who'd make it all happen on the field.

Born in 1931, Zimmer was 57 years old when he took over the managerial reigns in 1988.  He brought with him a lifetime of baseball acumen, including more than a thousand games as a player and by then better than 1,200 games as a skipper.  By today's standards we'd probably hate him -- he was a guy who went with his gut, trusting instinct over stat, and while his coaching style would be outdated now he's probably somebody who'll work in baseball until the day he drops.  And in '89 everything worked in his favor.  He should probably thank Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith for a lot of it.

In 1988, the Cubs had traded for Mitch Webster, one of many former Expos who would have some play-time on the Cubs.  Webster was unimpressive, a career .263 hitter who'd do a servicable job as the 4th (or 5th) outfielder.  Still, he was almost certainly the projected starting center fielder in 1989 until Jerome Walton came along.

Walton was a 23-year-old second round selection in 1989.  In Spring Training - in which the Cubs bombed, by the way - Zimmer had asked Walton if he thought he could hit .250 in the majors.  Walton responded by saying "I could bunt .250."  He'd wind up doing better than that - in 475 at bats Walton hit .293, smacking 23 doubles, 3 triples, 5 homers, and stealing 24 bases from the leadoff spot.  By today's standards his .335 OBP is mediocre at best, but his scrapiness, talent, and consistency (including a 30-game hitting streak) won out and he'd finish the season with the Rookie of the Year trophy in his possession. 

His partner in crime was another rookie outfielder Dwight Smith.  Smith joined the Cubs on May 1st of the '89 season and, as Andre Dawson battled knee problems, would go on to play in 109 games.  Smith would bat .324 with 19 doubles, 6 triples, 9 homers, and 9 steals for the Cubs, giving the Cubs another reliable hitter and the second-most vote-getter behind Walton for the Rookie of the Year award. 

On paper, the '89 Cubs starting offense doesn't really look very special.  Nobody drove in more than 79 runs that year and Ryne Sandberg was the only player to hit more than 20 homers, but for the most part the hitters were reliable and consistent and the team saw some outstanding play come from their bench, too.  From Lloyd McClendon, who'd bat .286 with 12 homers while playing four positions - including catcher! - to late-trade Luis Salazar, who'd step in and bat .325 as the team's new third baseman, the Cubs didn't have many easy outs.

On top of that, their true strength was their pitching.  Rick Sutcliffe had spent previous seasons as the team's ace, but even with 16 wins and a 3.66 ERA he was no more than the third best pitcher on the team behind 18-game-winner Mike Bielecki and 23-year-old Ace in Training Greg Maddux, who won 19 games and posted his first sub-3.00 ERA.  I was obviously a pretty stupid kid because Maddux wasn't even my second favorite pitcher on that team.

Then again, I was also pretty enamored by the team's 24-year-old fireball closer Mitch Williams, who made his Cubs debut by throwing 1.2 innings against the Phillies, where he gave up 3 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 3 in 52 -- 52!!! -- pitches to get the save.  Most fans misremember Williams as having walked the bases loaded that game before striking out the side to get the one-run save, but in fact he'd issued his 2 walks in the 8th before surrendering 3 hits in the 9th.  Still, the rest is true - he struck out Mike Schmidt, Chris James, and Mark Ryal to end the game.

Although Ryne Sandberg would later describe that team as being incredibly streaky, they would take first place on August 5th and never look back.  By the time mid September rolled around they'd pretty much put it out of reach and it surprised no-one when they reached the NLCS against the Giants.

At which point Zimmer's legendary gut -- and his over-worked bullpen -- failed him and the Cubs got snuffed out in 5 games.  Aside from the Game 1 route, it was actually a pretty close series -- closer than I remember it being, at least.  The Cubs lost Games 3, 4, and 5 by 2 runs or less. 

It would be the only Cubs playoff team of my childhood.  I was too young for 1984 and I'd be a high school graduate in 1998.  By 1991 Zimmer would be gone, as would many of the components that won it for the Cubs that year.  If I wanted to be overly-dramatic I would say that I could tell I was growing up based on how many pieces of the '89 team fell away, but that would be over-selling it a bit.  Instead I'll just say this: for a long time the summer of 1989 was one of my most favored memories.  Part of it was because of my age, part of it was because it was my final summer with my friends before moving away from home, and part of it was because of the Cubs.  The early '90's would be a huge disappointment because of the promise this team carried -- a promise the Cubs have yet to fulfill.

Let Coast to Coast, sponsor of Cubs 101, get you to Wrigley Field!