FUKUDOME!!!!

Seriously? I hope he never takes a day off and plays the same way he did today, everyday. He was given a rousing ovation, reminiscent of the Sosa days, as he ran out to right field, and proceeded to amaze the crowd. In his first official at-bat as a Cub, he hits a double off the centerfield wall. But, Fukudome wasn't the only big star on the field today, Carlos Zambrano was dominant as ever, going 5 2/3 innings, 3 hits, 5Ks, and 1 walk. That's about where the good stuff ends. Zambrano suffers from pain in his right forearm, resulting in him being pulled from the game, and Carlos Marmol going onto the hill. Carlos picks up where Carlos leaves off, going 1 1/3 innings, striking out the side in the eighth. Going into the ninth, the score is still 0-0, and closer Kerry Wood's going to the mound, getting ready to be lights out, as always. Not so. He singlehandedly attempts to put the game out of reach for the Cubs, by giving up three runs. We then go to the bottom of the ninth down 3-0 with the Brew Crew's new closer Eric Gagne on the mound. Gagne, as we all know, has been a dominant closer over his career. Well, today he was Eric Gag-me. This made me very happy as his stat line reads as so: 1 inning pitched, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 BB, 1 HR, and an ERA of 27.00. That home run, was the curtain call for Fukudome's day as it was a three-run shot to right field sending Wrigley into pandemonium. Bob Howry goes to the mound, and promptly digs himself a hole, and loses the game. Oh well, 161 games to go...
W: Eric Gagne (1-0, BS:1)
L: Bob Howry (0-1)

2007 Year In Review

Seeing as how Opening Day is less than a week away, I decided to look back and review the 2007 Chicago Cubs.

• April

The Cubs begin their run for the World Series in Cincinnati, OH. They lose. They begin the season 3-3 in 6 consecutive road games. They then proceed to be technically swept by the 'stros, because game three was postponed. They go 2-5 on their first homestand, one of their worst home starts in Cubs history. They go to ATL for two days where they split a series with the Braves 1-1, and go back home to see the Redbirds. Cubs lose, fans boo.
Record: 9-14

• May

Better than April, but not by much. The highlight of this month was the Cubs 6-0 start, which included three consecutive home wins! (against the Nationals) But in the next week, that all began to tank. The losses kept piling up, and the Cubs end may with a monthly record of under .500 also, they finished 13-15.
Record: 22-29

• June

The Cubs once again threaten to be under .500 for the month, but they escape! This tear was sparked by Sweet Lou Piniella's ejection from the June, 2 game against the Braves. Lou's first and only ejection as a Chicago Cub. After that, what the Cubs did in June was inexplicable. This month included the Cubs-Astros make-up game from April. They also welcomed the Mariners to Wrigley Field, in which the Cubs won the series, 2-1. Also, the Cubs sweep the Chi-Sox on the South Side! They finish this month over .500 for the first time, 17-11! Despite their winning record for June, they barely miss being .500 for the season. Also, Alfonso Soriano was named MLB Player Of The Month.
Record:39-40

• July

July of course, welcomes the MLB All-Star Game, this year in San Francisco, CA. The Cubs finally climb above .500 to take a 44-43 record into the break. Two Cubs players, Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee, where named to the NL All-Star team. Despite Soriano's attempt to spark a rally with a home run in the ninth, the NL still lose to the AL this year. The Cubs really roar coming out of the break going 12-6. Is this a playoff push I see? Hhmm...
Record:56-49

• August

No playoff push here, move it along... Cubs begin the month of August 4-10. Seriously, I think they try to avoid the playoffs sometimes. They follow up by going 8-6 and sweeping the Cards (again!). August 24, 2007 was a very important day for the Cubs organization. It was on this day, that they equaled the same number of wins from the previous season. The 2006 Cubs went 66-96, pitiful isn't it?
Record:68-65

• September

Despite being 68-65, they are actually in contention for the NL Central title! They need to win the Central, because nobody from the Central has the chance of getting the Wild Card. It's either win the division, or nothing. The Cubs go 17-12 in the month of September, and clinch the division September 29, 2007 in Cincinnati on the second to last day of the regular season. The Brewers tried hard to keep the Cubs out of the postseason, but they choke (HA!) right at the end of the month. Just like the Mets (sorry, I couldn't help myself).
Record:85-77

Zambrano hurls a no-no into the fifth

Yeah, I know this happened two days ago, I'm just now getting around to posting. Anyway, I happened to be watching at home, and didn't catch up until the third inning, on account of my dad having the remote. When I got the remote from him, I flipped it to WGN, and saw the Cubs were blanking the Angels. I waited at the end of the inning to see the box score, and I saw no hits. I was like, "Wow, Z's already way on top of his game." Zambrano threw 6K, 1H in 6 innings of work. Cubs won, 4-1.

"We Believe"- Documentary of the Chicago Cubs

Apparently, the Cubs are being documented this year by John Scheinfeld. The link to the story is below.
Filmmaker, crew following 2008 Cubs

99 Dreams Deferred...

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?
-"Harlem" by Langston Hughes

Millions of dreams have been deferred over the past 100 years. Of course, I haven't been alive that long, but my dreams have been deferred every year of my life. Thanks to the Chicago Cubs. Every year, at the end of the season we say, "Maybe next year." Then next year comes along, and it's still not the year! Last year, though, it was "Gonna Happen". I'll tell you what happened. In the NLDS, the top of the order (Soriano, Theriot, Lee, and Ramirez) combined for 14 Ks, 8 hits, 1 run, and 5 walks in a combined 49 ABs. Pitiful. And, I know most of you cringe when I mention the 2003 NLCS. But, let me tell you something. You can't pin all the blame on Bartman. I blame Alex S. Gonzales the most. Why? He let an inning-ending double play ball go right through his legs. The Fish went on to score 5 that inning. FIVE!
But this year, I really believe it. Starting March 31st, I'm going to start counting to 99. 99 years since the Series, and we're winning 99 games this year.

It's Gonna Happen