Andy

Me too. I don't know why. I knew we were done after 2-0 last year and barely even bothered watching Game 3 in favor of college football, and this year I know we aren't done. Gotta be something to this, right?

Samardzija has an NTC.

Dick Stockton said that Edmonds told Tom Verducci he was fine. It was precautionary.

I was going to post something like this in the game thread, basically calling for a moratorium on any "this team is different" type posts, of which I made many myself this year. Because clearly, being different doesn't mean jack in the playoffs.

Win this for the players. Much as I grow frustrated with Derrek Lee's DP's Kosuke's suckitude, Zambrano's occasional meltdown, Theriot's inability to make the routine defensive play, Cedeno's inability to make the routine defensive play, Soriano's inability to stop swinging at junk, and everything else, I love every single one of those guys. They gave me the best six months of my sports-fan life this year, and will be worthy champions if they can rise from these ashes. Win this for my mom, who knows jack crap about baseball but is trying to follow it because she, a die-hard Notre Dame football fan, wants to see Jeff Samardzija succeed. Not long ago, she asked me if Jeff could re-enter a game once he is taken out. She asked me on Wednesday night if Game 1 of the NLDS was a big game. She knows nothing, literally. But since my father walked out on our family at age 10 and has tried to destroy it ever since, she has been my hero. I want to see her celebrate, even if it's something she has no idea of the significance of achieving. Win this for every Cub fan that was born, lived a life, and died without ever seeing a World Series title. And for the ones that never saw a pennant. Win this for Ron Santo, who may never live to see himself elected into the Hall of Fame due to a bunch of jackassical cronies. Give him something to smile about. Win this for us. We want it bad. Any glimpse at a game thread tells you that.

I have all the belief in the world we can win the next three games, but if we don't I'm not confident at all in 2009. Derrek Lee is not a good hitter anymore, certainly not for a first baseman. Theriot's magic might be up. Edmonds and Dempster have no chance to repeat last season if they're even Cubs at all. Reed might not either. Fukudome is all but done. Soriano is injury-prone (I don't believe in curses but it's pretty ridiculous this was never the case prior to two weeks into his Cubs career). DeRosa won't repeat this year. Harden is still a health risk, as is Wood. Never know what to expect from Marmol and Z because of overuse (though I'm not as worried about Z as I once was). There's a lot that could go wrong this year. Soto and Aramis are the only guys I'm stone cold confident in for 09.

SD offered Fukudome more money than we did.

And, yeah, we're gonna shut this turd burglar up, too.

I have been taking a lot of incredulity from people (in-person and on NSBB) because I've been saying since late Wednesday night that we will win both games in L.A. We will win both games in L.A. I thought that Wednesday, I thought it last night, I think it today and I will think it Saturday. And I will think it Sunday too. This season is not over yet, Cubs. Don't play like it is and we can damn well beat these guys.

Your optimism is seriously borderline annoying now. It's not even optimism. I just don't want to hate my own team. Most of the rest of you can it looks like. And that's fine. I can't.

He was asked about Fukudome, interrupted the question halfway through and said "I don't want to hear about Fukudome. It's gonna be Fontenot or somebody else out there. The kid's struggling, no use sending him out there anymore."

holy god. Lou just destroyed Fukudome. Wow.

I want to hate this team. But all that stuff I posted in NSBB over the course of the year about them being so damn lovable, and this being my favorite sports team ever, and this being the BEST sports season I've ever followed... After all of this, it's still true. I love these guys. And I am not willing to throw them under the bus.

And it took 30 seconds to blame the curse on the TBS postgame

Some guy I haven't heard of starts for the South Side while the guy the Mets traded away for Victor Zambrano goes for the Rays. Tampa can take control with a win today.

We will win both games in L.A.

The Fish JUST signed him to a 6 year extension. Like four months ago.

Good lord. How can you not know better than to go post on enemy boards when this is happening? I'm not the smartest guy ever but I'm not going over to BF and stirring crap up about their losses to Philly.

Dick Stockton is an embarrassment. Seriously. I have some experience, I know baseball, and I can pronounce all the names and interpret all the rules correctly. I can do better than this.

It's crazy to think of such hypotheticals, but I'd think that Lou would have to kill Z to get the ball away from him. Z would be on 4 days rest. No reason at all that he shouldn't get the ball if it comes to that. He was awesome tonight.

I know it's unavoidable based off the performance we've seen tonight, but if the Wrigley season ends with the team being booed off the field, after the last six months...that would really suck.

I love you, Z. Thanks for the great memories this season. You deserve better than these guys.

Harden should have started Game 1. Should have gone Harden/Demp/Z/Lilly, and I was saying that from the start.

So, what kind of organization does this for 100 years? the organization put together a team that won 97 games. this, well, this is not the organization's fault. they've made the playoffs 4 times in the last 10 years, at some point, you have to start wondering. what has to happen to convince people? Frankly? God Himself would have to descend from the heavens holding a sign that says "I DO NOT LIKE THE CUBS AND GENERALLY PREFER IF THEY LOSE". And even that might not do it.

Sigh. The wonderful months of May and August seem so very long ago.