Chicago Sports Talk

What are fans like in other cities? Do Dodger fans hate the Angels? Giant fans hate the A’s? Maybe so, but I’m not so sure it isn’t just for appearances. Met fans hate the Yankees and vice-versa? Of course they do. And I’m all for it!

Here in Chi-Town I’ll bet we have it all. When you’re a little fan, say younger than the teen years you root for your guys come hell or high water. But after that reality sets in. I’m laying off the youngsters and the naive, you know chicks that don’t care but root for (or against) the team their boyfriend does, etc. Old time Cub fans only hated the Cubs. They ignored the ChiSox. When the Northsiders were winning it was all good, yet they waited for the bottom to drop out. On the other side of town it was a little different but not much. White Sox fans were a little pessimistic too, and also hated their team, but spread it around more. They hated ALL other teams.

Then came these strange, gentler, new-age fans. Some of them actually root for both teams! That was rarer than the Do-Do bird, or rarer even than Dick Butkus eats his steak. Now it’s more common, and I think those people actually DO root for both teams. Sheesh, what’s this world coming to? I suppose that’s okay if you just want to chill, have a hot dog and a beer and watch a game, but then why not just go over to Eckhart Park and not pay the ticket price?

The worst of the bunch are the “fans” that root for out of town teams like the Yanks or Bosox or Cards and they lived here all their lives! I can understand the transplants cuz they’re still loyal to hometown, but gimme a break baby, rooting for the Redlips, cuz they finally can won? Or the Yanks cuz they have more money than OPEC to pay for a team? Or for the Brewers cuz they encourage you to pee your pants?

Let’s get back to good old-fashioned fandom. You know what I mean. I like the Sox or Cubs, so I either hate or ignore the team on the other side of town. That kind of fan. That’s what I’m talking about. So Go Sox! Yankees, Bosox, Indians, etc? They all can take a bite outta my @$$! The Cubs? Who cares?

Last Wednesday, Cincinnati’s Adam Dunn hit a home run onto Sheffield Avenue. Next, about 15 baseballs where thrown back onto the field. A Wrigley Field tradition on steroids (maybe I shouldn’t use that comparison). But it was a fun, comical moment.

But one person didn’t find it funny. Long-time Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman launched into a tirade about Cubs fans. He called us the most obnoxious fans in baseball, and people root for the Cubs to lose.

Click here to listen to his rant

Excuse me, Mr. Brennaman. At least we have fans that come out to the park. Every day it’s a sell out. The Cubs surpass 3 million fans every season. The crowd is on its feet in the third inning cheering on the pitcher to get out of the inning.

Bad fans? Are you serious? Obnoxious? I say the most passionate in baseball.

Case in point. When the Cubs clinched the division last year IN Cincinnati, there was more blue in the stands than red — and your seats are red. Cubs fans outnumbered Reds fans 2 to 1. If it wasn’t for the Cubs, you would’ve had more vendors than paying ticket holders.

You root for the Cubs to lose? Well, get used to Cubs Nation rooting for the utter demise of the Cincinnati Reds. Chicagoans do hold a grudge.

Be careful what you say, Mr. Brennaman. You tainted a Hall of Fame career — and your son’s too.

Hey, hey! Holy Cow! And any other celebratory catch phrase you can think of. The team that hasn’t won a World Series in a 100 years became just the second team in history to win 10,000 games.

The Cubs ran their all-time record to 10,000-9,465 with a win over Colorado Wednesday. And they did it in true, heart-stopping Cubs fashion. They jumped out to a lead … lost the lead … captured the lead in the ninth with a dramatic homer … lost the lead again … then an unsung hero saved the day in the 10th.

They join the Giants as the only other team in the 10K club. The Cubs’ first win came on April 25, 1876 with a 4-0 decision against Louisville. Their first game ever played.

How does this happen? 10,000 wins and 0 titles since 1908. Maybe they peaked too early.

There are other teams that have been around just as long and don’t have as many wins — but more big wins. The Yankees have just 9,394 victories but 26 titles. Not fair. I’ll gladly trade a few thousand wins for a World Series ring.

But maybe I won’t have too. They’re looking pretty good.

It’s April and fans are still optimistic. Both Chicago teams have winning records, as a matter of fact, they have identical records. Can they both reach the playoffs? Yes. Can they both reach the World Series? Yes. A lot has to happen, but look at how good teams do it

The recipe for winning hasn’t changed over the the years. The intangibles help, but except for good luck they’re overrated. Good cubhouse chemistry, rah-rah guys, intense personalities, are all good, if you win. The same intagibles are considered a cancer in the clubhouse if you lose. Good pitching, good defense, timely hitting and avoiding or playing through key injuries add up to championships.

Do the Cubbies have the ingredients? Starting pitching, middle relief and their new closer all look solid. Some of the pitchers are in new roles and aren’t proven. Yet. Time will tell. Defense is a little shaky at times, but can be very impressive at other times. D-Lee is great, Fukudome is solid too. Pinella is good at making a defensive move if a guy doesn’t cut it, so it might seem like someone isn’t clicking early on, but he’ll get it right in the end, guaranteed. The hitters don’t have to pound the ball like they are now, but if D-Lee is consistent, if A. Ramirez stays interested the whole year, and if Soriano goes on the DL for a long time, letting a less selfish guy play, the lineup is strong. And again, trust in Sweet Lou to get it right on offense too.

How about the Chi-Sox? Do they have what it takes? Kenny Williams did another good job in the off season. Pitching? The starters are good, and have the potential to be one of the best. Kenny’s signings of Octavio Dotel and Linebrink are excellent. And Jenks is Jenks. The infield D is one of, if not the best in the A.L.The outfield is solid too. Hitting is timely so far and the big boppers are not even rolling yet.

So let’s get World Serious, and order those World Series tickets now! And then sit back, enjoy the season and wait for the Sox-Cubs battle. We can watch the Sox sip champagne at the end of the series.

It’s a miracle the Cubs won the first two games of the Pittsburgh series. A better team would have buried them.

And what’s killing the Cubs early in the season? Fundamentals.

They did everything in their power to give those games away. What was supposed to be the team’s strengths — team defense and a potent lineup — is hurting them in the early going. They must fix these problems quickly to be successful. They can’t play the Pirates 150 times.

On Monday, The Cubs committed three errors that led to five runs, which forced extra innings. The poor defense ruined a good offensive day and a 7-0 lead. That came on the heels of Friday’s game — which I was at — when Mark DeRosa’s error cost the Cubs the game. These mistakes shouldn’t happen. Catching and throwing should be as easy as breathing to these guys. Get your heads in the game.

The Cubs also lack timely hitting. The Cubs stranded 15 men on base Monday and did even worse on Wednesday — 19 LOB. And the poor performance at the plate spoiled a magnificent outing by Ryan Dempster (one hit over 7 innings with 5 Ks). A homer can’t win every game, but nice try Aramis. The Cubs need to start manufacturing runs — move runners up and drive in runners in scoring position with less than two outs.

Until the Cubs get back to basics this is going to be a stressful season.

Steve Bartman is still in hiding but former Cubs outfielder Moises Alou has finally broken his silence about the infamous eight inning in Game 6 of the NLCS.

Alou says he wouldn’t have caught the foul ball that bounced off Bartman’s hands, which appeared to be just above Alou’s glove.

“Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, ‘Bartman! Bartman!’ I feel really bad,” Alou told the Associated Press. “You know what the funny thing is?” I wouldn’t have caught it anyway.”

Then what was the temper tantrum for? But finally, put this story to rest. Stop talking about it. It’s over, done, fineto. Like most Cubs fans, I blame Alex S. Gonzalez for tanking a taylor-made double play.

Everybody knows the story. The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series in 100 years. On Oct. 14, 1908, Orval Overall induced a ground ball off the bat of Detroit’s Boss Schmidt to give the Cubs its second world title in as many years.

Since, the North Siders have specialized in futility. The Cubs have made the post season only 12 times, with their last World Series appearance in 1945.

But forget the drought. An even more somber moment is the 10th anniversary of the death of Harry Caray. For many Cubs fans, this is a more emotional anniversary. I grew up with Harry Caray. I didn’t grow up with Tinker, Evers, Chance. Until the summer of 1998, I didn’t know what a Cubs game was like without Harry.

And times have changed since Harry’s untimely passing.
• He just missed the greatest home run chase of all time between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire — juiced up or not.
• He was spared the embarrassment of watching the White Sox win the World Series.
• He didn’t see the greatest pitcher and home run hitter of our time embroiled in a steroid scandal.
• He missed the Cubs sign their first Japanese player. Imagine Harry Caray trying to say Kosuke Fukudome. Hilarious!

He has missed a lot — good and bad. And we have missed him dearly. Joe Carter, need I say more.

So, what better way to honor the biggest baseball fan of all time than to have his beloved Cubbies win the World Series.

In memory of Caray, here are 10 reasons why the Cubs will win it all. (Plus, you’re crazy if you thought I as going to come up with 100 reasons.)

10. Emodukuf Ekusok: On Dec. 12, 2007, the Cubs began their winning ways by agreeing to terms the Koske Fukudome. The Cubs had one goal in the offseason and achieved it — for the second season in a row. And fans, don’t worry about the Cubs newest import. He’s a solid player in the mold of Ichiro. He’ll hit for average, get on base, drive in runs, play solid defense and throw runners out from right field.

9. No deal, a good deal: Finally, the Brian Roberts saga is over — well, until July’s trading deadline. Baltimore was asking too much for a 30-year-old second baseman with a steroid history. Personally, I want to see Mark DeRosa at second. He had a solid 2007, hitting .293 with 72 RBIs. With an improved lineup, expect DeRosa to boost his RBI total by at least 15 in 2008.

8. A true No. 1: Carlos Zambrano is still basking in his five-year, $91.5 million contract. With Kerry Wood and Mark Prior out of the picture, Zambrano is a true No. 1 starter and he believes that. With no off-the-field distractions, he’ll compete for the Cy Young. I see Zambrano winning 20 games this season.

7. Weak division: It’s a two team race between the Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs have their fate in their own hands starting from Day 1. If they can beat up on the Central’s weaker teams and at least earn a split with the Brewers, the cubs will be hoisting another banner.

6. Sweet Lou: Minus his days managing the Rays (sans the Devil), Pinella is a proven winner. He has the roster he wants and he knows how to use it. He’s a master motivator and he knows how to play the hot hand.

5. Balance: Expect the Cubs to score some runs this season. They have a good mix of table setters (Theriot, Fukudome, DeRosa) and power hitters (Ramirez, Soriano, Lee). With Alfonso Sorianio batting in the two hole, he’ll have more RBI chances. And Derrek Lee is finally 100 percent healthy after breaking his wrist in 2005. He’s the complete package that drives this offense. His power numbers will go up from last year, he’ll drive in 90-plus runs and hit over .300.

4. Depth at pitching: For once the Cubs weakness is not in the rotation. They loaded their staff with arms that don’t get hurt — a novel idea. They have seven possible starters, who can all throw 150 innings. And the bullpen is solid with Bob Howry, Michael Wuertz and Carlos Marmol. And expect Kerry Wood to be lights out as the closer, if he can stay healthy.

3. Home grown talent: Once a liability, has become a valuable asset. The Cubs finally ditched their philosophy of solely focusing on power arms. Five starter will have come through the Cubs system, including three position players — Felix Pie, Ryan Theroit and Geovany Soto with Zambrano and Rich Hill. Mike Fontenot and Ronny Cedeno will also play a role. Interesting fact: The last position player — from the Cubs farm system — to be named an All-Star was Joe Girardi in 2000. But that was after stints with Colorado and the Yankees. Before that was Mark Grace in 1997.

2. Ding-Dong Prior’s gone: It’s about time the team gave up on this walking trauma unit. A guy who gets injured in a “simulated game” has no business in a blue-collar town like Chicago. Here’s a shocker: The Padres placed Prior in the 60-day DL.

1. Luck has to change: It has to. Even I hit a Blackjack once in a while. This team is built for a playoff run — a nice balance of youth and veterans. This team tasted success in 2007 and wants to win and knows how to win. Finally, the players’ appetite for a title might be as strong as the city’s.

So, as we embark on a magical season today, get used to hearing Caray’s trademark call:

Holy Cow! Cubs win, Cubs win!!

Kerry Wood was named the Cubs closer this week. A good move?

I gave up on this guy years ago. I couldn’t believe the loyalty he built up based on his 20 strikeout performance back in 1998. He hasn’t pitched a full season since the playoff run in 2003. Between him and Mark Prior, Cubs fans were fed up with the injuries.

But personally, I like this move. Wood has the stuff, the competitive mind and the intestinal fortitude to be a good closer. Unlike Prior, he proved himself late last season. Instead of shutting himself down, he came back. He had 22 appearances out of the bullpen and pitched effectively.

Now, look at his spring numbers — 11.2 innings pitched with a 3.09 ERA, 12 Ks and NO walks as of Thursday. This is a perfect situation for him.

With back, arm and shoulder problems, his body can’t take the punishment of a starting pitcher with 200 innings. But he can pitch 50-70 innings over the course of a season. He is suited to be a closer.

Plus, I love Carlos Marmol in the setup role. You need a guy who can come in the seventh inning with the game on the line and make people miss.

For about four to six innings a week, Wood can be extremely effective. He can rear back, throw in the upper 90s and dazzle hitters with his stuff.

His ability was never a question. It’s always been his health. Now we must wait and see.