The Ivy Covered Burial Ground: One Down

Friday, October 7, 2016

One Down

Ten to go, I guess. That was an exciting, tense, and well-played game by both teams. That being said, the game does expose some of the strengths and weaknesses of both clubs. First off, Lester was in complete control most of the game, especially the second half. I was at two of his last three starts before the playoffs, the winning ones. He looked the same tonight on TV. Lester is one of the best starters in baseball in money games, no doubt about it. He might easily have completed the game, and I was a little surprised that Maddon hit for him with no one on base and two outs. There may be a statement there as well, though. Maddon has a lot of confidence in his bullpen, as well he should.

On the other hand, it is clear that the Giants have very little confidence in their relievers, elsewise Cueto, whose pitch count was well over 100, would not have gone out for the eighth inning. In some respects, getting his pitch count up in a game where the Cubs had only two hits through seven innings and no walks was something of a testament to the skillfulness of the Cubs approach, even though positive results were lacking.

The Baez home run was really smacked, but it barely made it into the basket. Baez just paused to admire the shot, flipped his bat, and then really had to hold his breath when the ball got up against the wind. It went out, and it wasn't cheap. On an ordinary night, it might have landed on Waveland.

A couple of other observations. I really do not like Zobrist in the outfield and I especially do not like him in left field. I also do not like him in the cleanup spot. I expect tomorrow that he will be back in the infield and that Bryant will be in left field as the Cubs like to keep Baez in the lineup when Hendricks pitches as well. Notwithstanding the platoon matchups, I would not mind seeing Soler in left.

You have to like the Cubs chances in Saturday's pitching matchup. Hendricks is on a roll and Samardzija is a good enough pitcher but really not in the same class as the Cubs rotation.

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A Manifesto of Sorts

Somehow I have been conditioned to be a Cubs fan. I grew up with the profound conviction that it was nearly impossible or at least a feat of some exceptional athletic prowess to throw a baseball accurately from third base or the hole at shortstop to first base. This odd belief was fostered no doubt by the great fuss Jack Brickhouse made when a Cub infielder actually succeeded in doing so and from the observation of Handsome Ransom Jackson and Roy Smalley, Cubs stalwarts of the era, who rarely succeeded in that endeavor. It was only when I began playing the game in earnest in sandlots and little league that I came to realize it was really not all that hard to do.

Another legacy of my youth was the observation fostered by my father, a lifelong fan, that every Cubs executive who followed William Veeck, Sr., Bill Veeck's father, was an utter nitwit, as were most of the managers they hired. In this opinion, he was not far from the truth, and I cherish it as one of the few useful bits of knowledge he passed on to me.

Anyway, like all fans, I can dream. And, I suppose, rant.

By the way, I owe the title of this blog a line in the Steve Goodman song, "Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request."