Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! I know what you're thinking. Here are the Chicago Cubs we've been waiting for. They just needed a four-day break to rediscover themselves. Their bullpen's coming around! There's Soriano! They have the best starting pitching in baseball! Now, we have to step out of our "Cubs fan suit" for a second and remind ourselves what we really saw this past weekend.

It was the NATIONALS!!! Going into that four-game series, the Washington Nationals were 26-61.That's THIRTY-FIVE games UNDER .500. They're terrible. This is a team still trying to find what direction they're going in, just controversially changed managers, and their only All-Star (Ryan Zimmerman) has been slumping. Now, giving the Nats their due credit, I do believe they're going to be a good team eventually. They have some pieces in place and they will have Stephen Strasburg and possibly Bryce Harper up in the next few years. They are a team that has excellent patience at the plate and some solid young players (i.e. Zimmerman, Nyjer Morgan, Garrett Mock, John Lannan). But they're NINE games behind the Cleveland Indians, the team with the second worst record in baseball. 

Continue reading "Perfect Cubs transition: Nationals to Phillies"

"The Cubs are who we thought they were", but then again, who did we think they were? In fact, who are they? Coming off a solid sweep of the error-infested Washington Nationals, the Cubs looked indifferent and at times incoherent against the spirited,  World Series repeat-driven Philadelphia Phillies. Now I understand, it's only one game. They could still go out and take the series and end an impressive road trip at 6-1. And I hope they do, but they have inexplicably lost focus and drive at some of the most important moments in this half-season. Instead of incorporating the momentum they achieved in Washington, D.C., they laid an egg in Philadelphia.

Continue reading "What We've Seen of the Chicago Cubs; and Michelle Beadle"