IowaCubsFan

I'd almost be willing to say that the starters got too much rest down the stretch.

and in 24 of his 32 starts, he's given up 3 or less ER. Which one is more likely to happen?

The crowd can't handle a deficit in the playoffs, they think the 99 years of previous failure are connected to today's performance. Clearly has a major effect on the players. Then those players need to be playing somewhere else, because they're not mentally tough enough to handle the pressure of the playoffs. There are fans of World Series-winning teams that are a hell of a lot harder on their clubs than Cub fans, and it didn't seem to bother those teams. They're major league baseball players, they're not unemotional robots. World Series-winning teams don't have 100 years of losing pressure packed on them by their fans. The fans aren't unemotional robots either. The Red Sox and White Sox were still able to win WS with 80+ year championship droughts hanging over their heads, compliments of their fans. I fail to see why the Cub players shouldn't be expected to act in similar fashion as those teams. Because in the years that they broke those droughts, their fans went all in. Our fans dont-or didn't tonight. Yeah. The Red Sox fans went "all-in" after Game 3 of the ALCS. Sure they were.

The crowd can't handle a deficit in the playoffs, they think the 99 years of previous failure are connected to today's performance. Clearly has a major effect on the players. Then those players need to be playing somewhere else, because they're not mentally tough enough to handle the pressure of the playoffs. There are fans of World Series-winning teams that are a hell of a lot harder on their clubs than Cub fans, and it didn't seem to bother those teams. They're major league baseball players, they're not unemotional robots. World Series-winning teams don't have 100 years of losing pressure packed on them by their fans. The fans aren't unemotional robots either. The Red Sox and White Sox were still able to win WS with 80+ year championship droughts hanging over their heads, compliments of their fans. I fail to see why the Cub players shouldn't be expected to act in similar fashion as those teams.

Maybe, I am scared more so than if Lilly was pitching. Simply because Lilly is not going to self implode under the pressure. Um, yeah. http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-10/33009601.jpg

The crowd can't handle a deficit in the playoffs, they think the 99 years of previous failure are connected to today's performance. Clearly has a major effect on the players. Then those players need to be playing somewhere else, because they're not mentally tough enough to handle the pressure of the playoffs. There are fans of World Series-winning teams that are a hell of a lot harder on their clubs than Cub fans, and it didn't seem to bother those teams.

I get so sick of hearing arguments like this. We're talking about professional athletes here, not preschoolers playing soccer. If they're really affected that much by the fans being quiet or booing, then frankly they need to find something else to do or somewhere else to play.

Why don't you start telling us how they're not.

Wow. Now Marquis is up and throwing. This is quickly getting out of hand.

He'll get squeezed a little, then stomp around like a toddler, try to throw it 300 mph and walk everyone in sight. Then he'll face Manny with the bases juiced, and will have to throw him a strike.

Sadly, I was spot on.

Except when facing pitchers who throw sliders low and away.

Hmmm...Lee with a runner on first and one out. I wonder what's going to happen here.

Exactly what I was thinking too. Rothschild should have been out there after the first walk of the inning.

You must die now.

I always thought Gracie would be a good choice for the #3 guy, and then slide into Ron's spot when he eventually retires. However, after doing TV for several years, I wonder if he'd think that radio would be a step down.

And if there's anyone who truly would appreciate it, it's Santo. Is there a Cubs fan who wouldn't cry during his induction? I get choked up watching, or just thinking about, his number retirement ceremony. I get misty thinking of how he (and my aging father) would react to a World Series win all the time. I think I want it more for them than I do myself. Exactly. My Dad sent me a text Sunday night saying something to the effect, "Grandpa would have really enjoyed this season." He passed right before the start of the NLDS last year. I don't want to be saying that about my Dad in 30 years when the Cubs win it. Hell, I don't want my kid to be saying that about me in 50 years! My grandfather lived for 82 years without ever seeing the Cubs win a World Series. He played semipro ball for a couple of years, got the best of the Japanese on Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Okinawa, worked for 20 years as a farmer and 20 more as a manager of a seed corn plant, but that one World Series always eluded him. A few months before he died in 2004, he had 9 inches of his colon and a third of his liver removed due to cancer. When he awoke after surgery, he asked the surgeon, a big Cubs fan himself, "How did we do?" The surgeon began to describe to my grandfather how the surgery went, when Grandpa interrupted him and said, "I know the surgery went ok, because I'm still here. I meant, how did the Cubs do? Prior was supposed to pitch today." Win or lose, the guy was there for every single game (except for the west coast games, as his bedtime was 7:30 or so) , on TV, and then on radio in later years when his eyes began to fail him. He was the definition of a die-hard fan. He'd have been overjoyed with this team, and I'd love to see the Cubs finally get it done this year if only for those like my grandfather, who never got to see it happen in their lifetimes. A HOF induction ceremony for Ronny would just be icing on the cake.

Cardinal fans have to get their meth somehow.

I heart Marmol.

I too would be glad to see the road caps gone. I never liked them; they seemed gimmicky. Just one hat, please. You can have alternate jerseys (I like the blue alternate), but the cap should always be the same: all blue. I'd also like to throw my $0.02 in about the names on the backs of the home jerseys. No names with pinstriped jerseys. Period. And get rid of the red outline on the numbers on the home jersey, too. FWIW, I stopped wearing the 5950 years ago, because I can never find them in my size in the stores (they never go above 7 3/4--I'm 7 7/8 or 8), and frankly I just don't like the high brow style of hat anymore, even when the bill is curved (I refuse to wear any baseball cap straight-billed).

If they are doing an arthrogram, they have to inject dye directly into the joint. I had one done earlier this year, and there was increased discomfort for about a week. I'm sure it's different for everyone, but at a minimum, they would probably have him miss two starts as a precaution following that procedure. I had this done as well once when I felt something give in my right shoulder doing a pushup, and then felt some tremendous pain. They use a 3 or 4-inch needle to inject the dye directly in your joint, and have to numb you up first with a good bit of lidocaine. You can feel the needle scratching against your bone and then feel the dye around your shoulder joint. It hurt for quite a while after the procedure, almost a week or so, due 1.) to the trauma of the needle itself, and 2.) the fluid on your joint. Luckily I only had a mild strain, so hopefully that's the case for Zambrano as well. Regardless, he's going to miss one or two starts just from the MRI alone.

Hunter Pence throws like a girl.

I'm tiring of Z's antics. This latest stunt is unacceptable.

Gee, Soriano, you got a date or something after the game? Criminy guys, it's not a race.