When Credit Is Due
Written by Bill Clifton, Friday June 26 2009
The Chicago Cubs felt great after the weekend sweep of the Cleveland Indians and they gave fans a false sense of hope for what’s to come. They didn’t beat up on one of the worst teams in baseball, they had to come back to win. Still Cubs faithful started to think the team had turned the corner, and the press did too. Too bad the players started to believe their own hype.
The Cubs are supposed to thump a team like the Indians at home; they are the worst team in the American league. Instead they relied on the dramatic play of comeback wins against the closer, Kerry Wood, whom they let go because they knew these are the situations he can lose. Why as Cubs fans do we rejoice and praise a team for doing the things that they are supposed to do?
The way a team responds after winning games like they did last weekend, is how they should be judged. The momentum gained could have been taken to Atlanta and transformed into a win. Instead they let that game get away, as they squandered opportunity after opportunity. The Cubs put up ten hits, but came away with a goose egg on the scoreboard as they stranded 19 base runners. That is embarrassing for a team that has so much potential, and is playing against a team fighting for the same playoff position as them. These are the games the Cubs have to win.
After the game they packed their bags and headed off to play one of baseball’s best teams, the Detroit Tigers. These are the type of games where a team can see how they size up against a championship caliber opponent. Guess what, they fell short again. Sure Kevin Gregg let one go, and Ted Lilly wasn’t himself, but these are excuses and winning teams don’t make excuses or let these situations happen.
If after this weekend the Cubs fail to win the Cross-town Classic against the White Sox, changes will have to be made. Yes, key parts of the NL Central Champions of 2008 are missing right now, most notably Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson, but other players have not played to their perceived potential. Lou Piniella will have to go on one of his signature tirades to make sure the team understands the opportunities it has let slide of the table so far this season.
The Cubs trail the Cardinals by 3.5 games and the San Francisco Giants in the wildcard by 4 games. The sad thing is they are competing with everyone in the division for that title at the moment, and everyone else but maybe three teams in the wildcard. If these teams realize that they have a chance to make a move to improve their playoff possibilities before the Cubs do, where does that leave the Cubs?
As a fellow Cub fan I will start to give them credit when they improve their record to above .500 on the road. Currently they are 13-22 away from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, so great strides need to be taken, and then I will take them seriously.
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