TCR Game 3 Roundtable
A chance to relive the horror...
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(After Chris Young's first pitch homer and Drew's sun-aided double)
Rob G: Should Jason Marquis have been warming up before the first pitch?
Cubnut:
Prediction: Cliff Floyd won't be the only guy who is victimized by that late afternoon sun today.
(Hill K's Jackson)
If we can hold them to one run, maybe this half-inning will actually provide a momentum boost for us.
(Upton singles in a run)
If we can hold them to two runs, maybe this half-inning will provide a momentum boost for us.
Rob G: Well maybe that inning will give Lou a momentum boost to get the bullpen going.
(To the bottom of the first)
Cubnut: FONSIE WALKS?! ON A PITCH CLOSE TO THE STRIKE ZONE?!! GOD REALLY DOES WANT US TO WIN THIS GAME!!!
Rob G: And Theriot hits into a DP, I think God just wants to torture us.
Cubnut: Cliff really knows how to "sell it."
This patience is a really good sign. Un-Cub-like, but good.
Rob G: A little too much patience from Aramis there.
When do we start talking about 2008?
Rob G: At first I thought the ump had a small strike zone, now I see that it's just random.
Cubnut: Agreed. Other home plate umpires play chess; Greg Gibson is playing Risk, except his little sister lost the rules and he's having to make them up as he goes along.
Speaking of 2008, assuming the Cubs lose this game and/or go on to lose the series, what do you think the new owners will do with Hendry and McDonough. I say Hendry is gone. McDonough, who in my mind is utterly unqualified for the position he was elevated to, could be, too.
Rob G: Depends on when new ownership takes over in my opinion. If a deal isn't finalized until the spring of 2008 as has been rumored, I can see Hendry lasting through 2008. McDonough would probably get canned immediately.
(Bottom of the 2nd with 2 runners on)
On another note, why was Rich Hill up there instead of a pinch hitter? The kid obviously doesn't have it going today.
Cubnut: Re: Hill staying in the game to bunt--I'm thinking that Lou is thinking it's only a matter of time until the Cubs put some runs on the board and that he could afford to keep Hill in the game, thus saving his bullpen for those Games 4 & 5 we're all planning on.
Rob G: Yeah good point, Lou's thinking long-term strategy, I mean after all it's a LONG baseball season and everything. We'll go get'em tomorrow.
(To the third, more runners on)
Rob G: Dear deity of baseball,
What would it take for an extra base hit with runners on?
I'm willing to negotiate.
Cubnut: I just saw Ramirez hit into an inning-ending double play. Sarcasm fails me.
Rob G: So at what point do we pinch hit for Ramirez?
Cubnut: Can Soto play third?
(Hernandez just singled; Hill coming out)
Cubnut:I think the next two or three hitters will determine whether we have any more Cub baseball after tonight.
(After the Douchebacks score their third run - don't hate me Bruce Miles)
Cubnut: Byrnes was safe. DeRosa took forever to make that turn.
Rob G: He was. I thought Ramirez should have went home with it.
I also think we should get a hit with runners on base.
I also want to solve global warming.
I wouldn't mind world peace either.
Too much?
Rob G: I can't take credit for this one, that goes to "iowacubs" during the game chat:
"If the Brewers keep losing, tho, can't we still advance to the NLCS?"
I thought I'd share...
Cubnut: Okay, it's officially getting dark. I withdraw my earlier prediction about the late-afternoon sun messing with fly balls and pop-ups. My next prediction is that if we're don't any runs tonight, we're going to lose.
The WGN Radio/WTBS sync is off by a good five seconds tonight. Apparently WGN consciously tried to line up with the tv broadcast for Game 2, but tonight, they won't delay their transmission because they want it to work for fans listening to their radios at the ballpark. Nonetheless, I am muting the tv, listening to Hughes and Santo and turning to the set when there is something to see.
(To the bottom of the fourth with a man on third...)
Cubnut: Soriano is going to jump at something. I hope it's a strike.
Rob G: Well the bottom of the fourth was a bit of an improvement, instead of abysmal failure the Cubs have upgraded to mild disappointment.
Here's hoping to the Carlos Marmol that doesn't give up any runs.
Cubnut: I can't believe we're only through four innings. It usually takes six or seven for me to feel this much stomach upset.
Cubnut: At all times, the Diamondbacks are putting men in scoring position and the Cubs are leaving men in scoring position.
Rob G: How quick did TBS have that Bartman footage cued up? They're nothing if not predictable.
(To the heartbreaking fifth....)
Cubnut: That Hernandez is one deliberate chess player.
(Bases loaded for DeRosa)
Cubnut: Surprised they're staying with Hernandez here?
Rob G: A little, but Melvin is confident in our ability to choke this away.
Cubnut: Anything but a double-play, anything but a double-play...
(DeRosa grounds into the double play)
Rob G: As I was saying...
Rob G: We haven't loaded the bases with 0 outs yet and not scored, so there's still one more rung on the ladder for us to go down.
So that power surge in September was just a cruel joke apparently, huh?
Cubnut: Cubs have now had two men on base in every inning. Currently oh-for-8 with RISP.
(After Byrnes' HR)
Cubnut: That should just about do it.
Rob G: We're still in it, Livan can't find the strike zone.
(JJ grounds out on the first pitch)
Um. Nevermind.
Cubnut: Rob, I can't stand to watch this any more. Seriously. I just volunteered to drive out to pick up my son at a tennis tournament.
The older I get, the more this hurts.
Go Rockies!
(Lee grounds into a double play in the 7th...)
Christian: I thought I had made peace with the season being over after the third double play, but then came the fourth double play...
And the post mortem...
Cubnut: Trying to be as dispassionate about this as possible, I have to say that winning 19 more games than last season and going from last to first in the Central and replacing Johnnie B. Baker with a real Major League Manager (who obviously made some mistakes in the post-season) were all great advances for this organization. What's more, we will go into '08 with a lot of guys on the roster who I will be glad to see back--some vets, some young guys--which has been the case in my Cub-fan life not very often. Those are some of the positives I will take away from this season. However...
We choked. And even with some of the desirable players I just referred to coming back next year, we're far from a sure bet to return to the playoffs. If the Brewers take some smart next steps, I could see them leaving us in their dust for the next several years. And with a new ownership group taking possession sometime soon, it's really impossible to know what direction the Cubs organization will take. (For the love of God, let there be SOME direction.)
These disappointments get harder to take the older I get. My 11-year-old was in tears tonight as Jeff Salazar caught Soriano's fly ball and I feel like I am largely responsible for his heartache. I, after all, invited the Cub plague into our house. But that's baseball... Cub baseball, and in another couple days, I'll be looking forward to next year. Though I really hope Steve Trachsel has no part in it whatsoever.
Rob G: I wish I had something constructive to add, some comforting words to make the bitter pill a little easier to swallow but I can't muster the strength. The team didn't get it done, from player one to player 25, whether they choked or just got beat by a better team does not matter. They lost and they did it ever so gloriously as only Cubs teams seem to do.
I need to take a few days off, try not to kill yourselves in the comments.
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