The Curse of Wrigley Field

Nam Y. Huh/AP

After Ryan Dempster so boldly predicted a World Series title during Spring Training, Cubs fans the world over collectively stuck their heads into a pillow and screamed. Surely the team’s fate was sealed because, well, it’s the Cubs and they just don’t win World Series.

Well, four months later and Dempster doesn’t seem so crazy. Granted, St. Louis and Milwaukee aren’t going away and two and a half months will feel like an eternity after the break. But if there is any Cubs team that could … you know … it’s this one.

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Urgh, I just woke up and it’s about an hour before game time, so I will keep this short and sweet.

Aramis Ramirez is nothing short of an animal. He’s hitting over .400 with 16 RBI in close and late game situations this season and three of those RBI came last night when he broke a scoreless tie with a three-run jack. San Francisco elected to pitch to Ramirez rather than face Derreck Lee. Hey why not. Ramirez was only hitting over .400 in situations like this. But this is a Cubs blog, so I should just be thankful that someone’s coaching decision backfired in a big way.

The Cubs went on to win the game 3-1 and kept their four and a half-game lead over the Cardinals in the Central. Milwaukee lost last night, so they are now five games out.

The big news today is they Rich Harden makes his Chicago debut at the Friendly Confines. He lucked out making his first start against a struggling squad who has lost five in a row instead of division rivals St. Louis or Milwaukee. So he may not get any sympathy if he gets hit hard.

So Rich, no pressure or anything.

I will also leave you with this video clip from Deadspin. Hey, if your child wants a beer, give him what he wants.

Are you afraid of being one of those lame people who are put into a coffin and buried after you die? Fear not old Cubs fans, Dennis Mascari has come up with a way to guarantee that Alfonso Soriano’s awful fielding will continue to haunt you into the after life.

He’s going to have you interred in Wrigley Field’s center field wall … kind of. Via the Chicago Tribune:

A Chicago man and Bohemian National Cemetery on the city’s North Side are joining forces to build for Cubs fans a final resting place that looks a lot like the spot where they saw their dreams of a pennant die year after year.

Called “Beyond the Vines,” the 24-foot long ivy-covered wall is designed to look like the one in dead center at Wrigley Field.

Ha! Dead center field. Who knew death would be so funny.

Now if you find this a tad ridiculous, Mr. Don Rood says, “Phooey to you!”

“What else are you going to do, lay in a box next to loved ones?” he asked. “It would symbolize what your passion is, what you enjoyed about your life.”

Exactly. Family and friends are really a waste of time and they do keep you from your true passions: Cubs baseball, alcohol, porn, you name it. In fact, if you’re a single Cubs fan over the age of 21, then now is the best time to kick the can before obstacles like loved ones ruin your life.

Anyway, having the, uh, priviledge of being interred at Beyond the Vines will set you back some. Buying a seat in one of the “eternal skyboxes” as they’ve been dubbed, will cost as much as $5,000 according to the article. But, if you’re lucky enough to already be dead and cremated, it will only cost as little as $1,200. So, you know, die and be cremated before this thing gets built.

When the Cubs are playing ugly, I have to think of something nice. Marrisa Miller in a Cubs jersey doesn’t get much better. In fact, every time I look into her eyes I lose my train of thought. Wait, what just happened? Where am I? Woah. 

Oh, that’s right, there was a game yesterday afternoon and the Cubs didn’t win it despite scoring seven runs.  Really Chicago? Seven runs and you still can’t sweep the series? Was it because you didn’t get a few more insurance runs? Or maybe it was the seven home runs you gave up for the second time this season … to the Reds. 

But you’re going to have those kind of nights every once in a while over the course of a 162-game season. I mean, I’m not perfect every day of the week. Take this morning for instance. I woke up expecting to enjoy my bowl of Fruity Cheerios this morning, only to be disappointed by the sight of an empty gallon of milk in the fridge. Why? Because I was the one who finished the gallon last night and was too lazy to buy more. Frankly, I’d much rather give up seven home runs. Not having cereal in the morning sucks.

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I planned to write a piece about how the CC Sabathia deal would effect the Cubs the rest of the season. I even had nice charts and graphs made up to prove my points. OK, so maybe I didn’t have that, but I was prepared to make the argument that Chicago needed to do something, anything, to counter the Brewers’ heist.

Then I turn on my TV yesterday and see at the bottom of the screen that the Cubs had acquired Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin for next to nothing.

Touche.

So it would’ve taken a lot to make me sad Tuesday night and, fortunately, I had nothing to worry about as the Cubs rolled over the Reds, 7-3.

Ryan Dempster continues to impress, even if he hasn’t won a game on the road. Winning ten straight at home makes one forget about that. Seven innings and one run off two hits is what we in the business call a quality start.

As for the offense, two two-run home runs from Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot provided enough runs for the win while Aramis Ramirez also drove in an RBI.

 via Chicago Tribune 

The Cubs have made themselves mighty comfortable at home this season, walking all over opponents to the tune of a 33-10 record at the Friendly Confines.

So it makes sense that another Chicago sports franchise would want to cash in on all this good karma, particularly one that has, well for lack of a better word, sucked.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, I’m talking about the Chicago Blackhawks playing a Jan. 1 outdoor hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings. This game is freakin’ awesome for one reason: Wrigley Field. I mean, let’s be honest, the Blackhawks certainly aren’t reason enough to get excited for the game. And I’m not just saying that as a completely biased Wings fan.

Anyway, if you’re head still isn’t buzzing from your New Year’s hangover and you don’t like college football, this may be the greatest day of your life. But, if you’re like me, then this will just be a sporting novelty worth watching during bowl-game commercial breaks.

It’s difficult to put into words what it’s been like following the Cubs this season (yes, I may have died here on this here site, but I have been watching everyday). It’s not that you get used to the losing seasons or that you’re expecting the other shoe to drop.

But, seriously, it’s been 31 years since the Cubs were this good. How the hell is a Cubs fan supposed to react? I’m not exactly sure but until then I’m just going to revel in Sunday’s 7-1 drubbing over the Cardinals.

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