In regards to the Cubs fans who believe in the 'curse': Pray for a miracle

Bob on 07 1, 2009

Bareknucks.com has featured more than a few articles in the past month or so burning on the Chicago Cubs. At one point it was starting to get borderline excessive, but due to the Cubbies most recent struggles (‘struggles’ is being generous), it’s virtually impossible to take a pass on the chance to shit on the NL Central favorites once again. Might as well kick them while they’re down, because we all know how annoying Cubs enthusiasts are when their team is winning.

Now to be fair to the obnoxious Cubs fans, it should be acknowledged that this author currently resides in the Milwaukee area (Chicago’s bitter NL Central rival), however he is rather dispassionate when it comes to the MLB. Having dwelled in a city where one of the most bitter rivalries in sports exists, it has given this author an improved perceptive of just how bothersome the majority of Cubbies fans are, and how gratifying it is to see them and their team in the dumps.

At this point in time, the Cubs are flat out embarrassing. Although frustrating for their fans, the Cubs’ fiascos are extremely amusing. If this author tunes into a Chicago Cubs game, it’s not to see a cohesive baseball unit, rather a highly touted team full of head cases unraveling. To hell with HBO’s NFL reality series ‘Hard Knocks,’ let’s see the Cubbies behind the scenes. Carlos Zambrano, Milton Bradley and Lou Piniella…that trio would make for a humorous show to say the least. We might see someone leave on a stretcher, but for the sake of entertainment it’s all gravy.

The Cubs finished last season with a regular season record of 97-64, giving them the best record in the National League and the second best regular season record in the MLB. Despite their colossal flop last postseason, the Cubs are considered the favorites to win the NL Central once again and are regarded as serious title contenders. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that the Cubs are CLEARLY not a threat if their current play keeps trend. The biggest threat the Cubs presently impose is the possibility of aggravated assault (realistically, Zambrano or Bradley might take a swing at the opposition…wouldn’t rule it out).

At their current pace, the Cubs won’t even have an opportunity to blow the big one in the playoffs for the second consecutive season (although this author would love to see it). “The Boys in Blue” lost 8 straight in the month of May and have surrendered 7 of their last 9 games. They appear to be in complete shambles, and it’s no secret why.

It’s apparent The Cubbies suffer from ‘mental midget’ syndrome. Similar to their postseason flop last year, the Cubs continue to demonstrate they just don’t have what it takes mentally to be a legitimate contender. Pressure busts pipes, and “The North Siders” pipes have erupted. Intense emotion is great in certain situations, but Chicago has yet to figure that out. Occasional blowups are alright and at times can give a team a much needed boost, but when it’s an ongoing thing it has a negative effect. They seem to forget that this is baseball. Contrary to sports like football or hockey, we don’t run onto the baseball diamond and smack the opposition in their mouths. If you want to get all jacked up and smash Gatorade dispensers (Carlos Zambrano) and things of that nature on a regular basis, take your extreme emotions to the NFL sidelines. I’m sure Zambrano and Steelers’ LB James Harrison would get along great.

As a manager, this writer feels Lou Piniella is tremendously overrated. His sporadic behavior has rubbed off on his team, which has turned his Cubs team into a bunch of mentally unstable whack jobs. In the game of baseball, being mentally strong is essential for success. Some classic examples of this are a player going cold at the plate or a pitcher in a slump. A great deal of this is mental. Players get discouraged, frustrated, lose confidence etc., which in turn has an effect on their play. The mentally sound players don’t experience this regularly.

Moving on…

Why on Earth would the Cubs bring Milton Bradley on board?!? He certainly fits right in to Piniella’s style of play, but that’s not a good thing. To acquire a player such as Bradley when they knew his temperament was foolish! What’s even more foolish is being surprised following his blowups and mental lapses. You didn’t know that’s what you were getting when you brought him to town? Then you punish him but ignore Zambrano’s destruction of the Gatorade dispenser? Get it together!

In concurrence with the mental issues, the Cubs have been lousy at the plate. They are 3rd from the bottom in the MLB in team batting average (.245), leading only the A’s and the Padres. Milton Bradley (.238), Alfonso Soriano (.232) and Geovany Soto (.224) are all batting under .250…pitiable. The Cubs pitching hasn’t been nearly as awful as their hitting, but they haven’t been spectacular. With a team BA of .245, it takes some spectacular pitching to chalk up W’s.

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To wrap it all up, the Chicago Cubs are a disaster. Forget the infamous ‘curse,’ that’s just a crutch for disgruntled fans to fall back on. If we are to think rationally, ‘curses’ are a crock of BS. The Cubbies are losing for a whole slew of reasons, some of which are rather easy to perceive. The Cubs are currently 4th in a tight NL Central at 4.5 games back, so winning the division/playing in the postseason isn’t too farfetched, but given the history of them folding under pressure and from what we’ve observed so far this season, it is just wishful thinking at this point. To the Cubs fans that believe in the ‘curse’: Pray for a miracle.