Sammy Sofa

Dusty Baker hugs or Lou holding the players accountable? I'll take Lou's approach any day. This team looks mezmerized, scared, or something. Lou's only hope is to light a fire under this teams butt. We can win 3 in a row against the Dodgers. If the only way to get that fire in a players eye is to call him out, I'm all for giving it a shot. We don't have much time. Hey Lou! Lee could use a swift kick to the butt while you're at it! Light a fire under their butts? Are you actually suggesting that they need motivation to win this series? Yell at the right times, and it can be extremely effective. Yell at the wrong times, and you risk losing your grip on the players. Well if Lou has proven anything its that he knows when to yell and when not. Everytime he has exploded with this team they have responded by winning. Its been Lou's signature all his managing career so I think I'll trust that he is yelling at the right time. Yeah, those Mariners teams sure set the world on fire in the postseason. This deserves to be dragged out of the politics thread: http://www.mikepirone.com/albums/People/grandpa_simpson_yelling_at_cloud_001.jpg Same effect. This might as well have been called, "Lou to Soriano: FLIM-FLAM-FLOOM HIBBETY-JIBBETY FASHOONK!"

Ironic.

I'll bet Lou really hopes the mysterious gunman that forced him to play Fukudome #2 in the lineup in game 1 is brought to justice.

Wow, I got home from class missing the first two innings and saw the score and just assumed that Zambrano had imploded.

Why, can he pitch? Huh??? Bringing up Micah implies that his bat could possibly "save" this team. While the extra offense could help, the biggest problem is the Cubs' pitching giving up an assload of runs. Micah can't do anything about that.

Why, can he pitch?

You do, and you'll clean it up !! :twisted: Oh man, I'd probably be passed out afterwards. Just roll me on top of it.

Gah. I think I'm gonna barf.

I hate it, but I've had a horrible feeling about this game for a couple days now. I hope I'm wrong.

He's been on better teams which have lost in the playoffs before. The guy can do his fair share of damage, but I wouldn't freak out over his presence on the Dodgers. Exactly. Manny is a great player, and the team around him can be pretty good, but neither he nor they are "scary" to me. They could beat the Cubs, but the Cubs really have no excuse not to beat them.

Time for some blind optimism: Cubs win, 6-1.

Magnificent.

I sorta see your point with basketball or hockey but football playoffs are about as random as you can get. The Dodgers are very capable of beating the Cubs 3 out of 5 so I don't think they choked or anything if it happens. I'd expect fans to still be let down by it. It will be a huge letdown for me. People may not believe me but 2003 did not end up being a huge letdown to me because that team kind of came out of nowhere. They were 51-53 at one point and then surged big time to end the season. They won the division with 87/88 wins and certainly were not widely considered favorites in the playoffs. They beat a 100+ win Atlanta team for the first playoff series win since 1908. It was a fun, unexpected ride to me. 2007 sucked a bit more.....3 game sweep and gone. But still, last year's team wasn't great by any measure. This season means more to me because the Cubs have been the best team in the NL for pretty much the entire season. We can actually sit here and say we expect to get to the World Series and not sound crazy. I know the playoffs can be cruel and the best team certainly does not always win a short series but man, that NL pennant is there for the taking and it looks so damn tantalizing. :beg: 2003 just about crippled me because they were SO damn close, unexpected or not. 2004, for me, hurt worst of all. I thought that team had everything going for it and that final collapse was just soul-crushing.

Cons: a short series is always a toss-up.

Wuertz should be there over Marquis. Marquis has been horrid as a reliever over his career.

The people complaining about this lineup and "giving up a win"...are you high?

A short outing against an awful, awful team.

This makes no sense. Clinch...but play like you haven't. Guh? I assuming the Cubs are thinkg they can simply "flip the switch" and be ready for the playoffs. I didn't mind the "Spring Training type" atmosphere the last several games, but against the Brewers and so close to the playoffs, I believe the intensity level should be at playoff level. I don't like this "we play casual because we already clinch early" attitude. Tonight is not indicative of "the last several games."

Lou said Howry already made it, which we all knew ould happen. He's going to be the 7th inning guy. I'd use the Shark in the 7th over Howry. Where the heck is Wuertz? Why isn't he out there pitching? It's been obvious that Lou has no time for Wuertz at all.

This makes no sense. Clinch...but play like you haven't. Guh?

Yeah, boy, what we need is Sori diving all over the field and running into walls at this point. Let him get his swings while he's cold and live with the lack of defense while he attempts to not get hurt. That's the beauty of clinching this early.

Jeez, one bad game and you'd think the rest of the season is negated.

That's why I'm saying take him out. I'd take everyone out now. Hell, I didn't want most of these guys starting in the first place.

Who cares if Sori didn't dive? It's a pointless game for the Cubs. I wouldn't want anyone out there diving at this point.

Hah! Lou to Sinatro: "What the f*** was he doing?"