Here is your Cubs' 2008 Postseason Schedule (and, yes, being an optimist, I penciled the Cubs in for every series):

• NLDS Game 1, Oct. 1: Dodgers @ Cubs, 5:37 p.m. CT
• NLDS Game 2, Oct. 2: Dodgers @ Cubs, 8:37 p.m. CT
• NLDS Game 3, Oct. 4: Cubs @ Dodgers, 9:07 p.m. CT
• NLDS Game 4, Oct. 5: Cubs @ Dodgers, TBD*
• NLDS Game 5, Oct. 7: Dodgers @ Cubs, TBD*
• NLCS Game 1, Oct. 9: TBD @ Cubs, TBD
• NLCS Game 2, Oct. 10: TBD @ Cubs, TBD
• NLCS Game 3, Oct. 12: Cubs @ TBD, TBD
• NLCS Game 4, Oct. 13: Cubs @ TBD, TBD
• NLCS Game 5, Oct. 14: Cubs @ TBD, TBD* 
• NLCS Game 6, Oct. 16: TBD @ Cubs, TBD*
• NLCS Game 7, Oct. 17: TBD @ Cubs, TBD*
• WS Game 1, Oct. 22: Cubs @ TBD, TBD
• WS Game 2, Oct. 23: Cubs @ TBD, TBD
• WS Game 3, Oct. 25: TBD @ Cubs, TBD
• WS Game 4, Oct. 26: TBD @ Cubs, TBD
• WS Game 5, Oct. 27: TBD @ Cubs, TBD*
• WS Game 6, Oct. 29: Cubs @ TBD, TBD*
• WS Game 7, Oct. 30: Cubs @ TBD, TBD*

* If necessary.

The last time that Big Z faced the Dodgers, he saw his seven-game winning streak come to a close with a (then) season high seven runs allowed. In a fit of rage, Zambrano savagely attacked a Gatorade water cooler, making highlight reels across the country. Since then, Zambrano has pitched a no-hitter against the Brewers and regained his composure on and off the mound. Even after giving up eight runs two outings ago, Big Z was relatively calm when leaving the field. (No watercoolers were harmed.)

So which Zambrano will the Dodgers be facing on Thursday at Wrigley Field? My money is on the Carlos Zambrano who pitched against the Dodgers on May 28, giving up just one run over eight stellar innings. Despite his past two outings, he has never failed to turn it around when slumping. The added pressure of the postseason and the demotion to number two starter will be the fire in Zambrano's belly.

Big Z also has another motivation to turn it on: He needs to prove that he can get it done in the postseason: In four starts, he is 0-1 with a 4.37 ERA. Last year, he went six strong innings against the Diamondbacks, giving up only one run. It wasn't enough for the win, and Marmol gave up the game-winning run in the seventh inning. Marmol is a different pitcher this year, but don't expect Zambrano to hand the ball over to Lou so easily in the late innings this postseason. Big Z is a workhorse, and he'll be looking to go nine innings against the Dodgers.

We will not see a repeat of the watercooler incident. L.A. is 13th in the NL in runs scored this season. The question will not end up being whether or not Zambrano is turned on--the question is going to be, "How will the Cubs' NL-best offense fare against the Dodgers' NL-best pitching?"

Forget the Cubs' regular season record. Forget the ups and the downs. It all begins again in the postseason, something that still stings from Chicago's three-and-out last year. The Cubs will have two days off, since their make-up game on Monday with Houston has been canceled. There's nothing more beautiful at Wrigley than the ivy changing colors in October, and Cubs' fans are now looking forward to seeing fall baseball at Wrigley for the next four weeks. This is the year. No more superstitious BS. No more excuses. No more "lovable losers."

"Yes," if Bob Howry blows another inning of middle-relief by allowing two runs to the Brewers, raising his ERA to 5.35. He's in the final year of his contract, but Lou has tapped him to be on the postseason roster based on his year-to-date "performance." Today's loss came after lights-out performances from the rest of the bullpen (except for Marshall, who walked a runner home). While it doesn't matter that the Cubs lost, it does matter that Howry continues to disappoint. When Lou gives him the ball in the postseason, expect Cubs' Nation to collectively hold our breath.

The players have spoken: In a recent Cubs.com story, beat writer Carrie Muskrat revealed that the Cubs' players are leaning towards Geovany Soto and Mark DeRosa.

In terms of statistics, the two players are nearly identical: Both have a .285 batting average. Soto has 86 RBIs, while DeRosa has 87. DeRosa has 21 home runs, but Soto does him two better. The only significant difference between the two is in runs scored: DeRosa has 103, while Soto has only 66--a stat that has to do more with where they are hitting in the order, since their OBP is nearly the same.

So what about the ol' standby of Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee? It seems like they've both continued to hold down the team in the three/four spots in the lineup. Lee's batting average is .292, and both he and Ramirez have more RBIs than Soto and DeRosa. Even Soriano has posted some monster power numbers, leading the team in home runs with 27 (hey, this is 2008 and not 1998--the days of 60-70 home runs a season are in the past). Nobody is arguing that Ramirez, Lee, and Soriano aren't "the big three" in the order. You could add Theriot in there, and you'd be talking about the best top-of-the-lineup in the National League. How can you single out just one of them for the MVP?

And that's why the talk has turned to players like DeRosa and Soto for the Cubs' MVP. Players and fans are now asking, "What differentiates an MVP candidate from the rest of the team?" Is it batting? Defense? Lead-off ability? Or is it an intangible such as the ability to spark a rally or turn a game around? Soto's supporters point to his game-calling skills as Cubs' pitchers' secret weapon. DeRosa fans say it's his versatility to play any position. And I don't even have the time right now to mention the pitchers who deserve mention.

Right now, I think that the Brewers, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers are wishing that they, too, had an "MVP controversy." The Brewers are riding Sabathia; the Mets are riding, well, no one; the Phillies have Brad Lidge to thank for their 75-0 record when leading after eight innings; and the Dodgers wouldn't be in the postseason without Manny. But the Cubs players and their fans are in the unique position of having a roster full of MVPs, one of only many reasons that "this is the year" for the Chicago Cubs.

Inexplicably, Sweet Lou has tabbed Howry for the postseason bullpen. "I need Bob to pitch well," Piniella said. "I had a nice little meeting and told him we need him to get nice and sharp and pitch well for us." Howry has a 7-4 record in relief this year, along with a 5.17 ERA. He has improved somewhat in the last 30 days, posting a 3.72 ERA along with 2 wins and an impressive showing against the Mets.

Still, 2008 is shaping up to be Howry's worst full-season in the big leagues in his 11 year career. He has allowed career highs in home runs and runs. His ERA is almost two full points over his 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Cubs.

Here's a sampling of headlines from Cubs.com this year:

• "What's wrong with Howry?"
  
• "Howry struggling to find consistency."
  
• "Howry having his troubles in July."
• "Howry...[has] rough April for Cubs."
  

Yes, he is a veteran ballplayer. Yes, middle relief is a difficult position with little accolades. And yes, if it wasn't Howry it would be Scott Eyre or Kyle Farnsworth or any number of past middle relievers who've been lit up. I don't know what the answer is, or whether Chad Gaudin, Kevin Hart, Michael Wuertz, or Neal Cotts have proven that they're better options for the postseason roster. (All of them have posted worse ERAs than Howry in the past 30 days.) Let's just hope that Lou sees something that Cubs' fans don't in Bob Howry, and that Lou's decision is the right one. 

It wasn't so long ago that Cubs fans were calling their postseason game one starter Ryan "Dumpster." As Chicago's closer for three years, "Dumpster" racked up 19 losses and 14 blown saves with an ERA over 4.00. He finished the 2005 campaign with the best saves percentage in baseball, but never had lights-out closer material. Many of the 85 saves over his three seasons closing were at the expense of Cubs fans' blood pressure. Dempster always looked a little out of sorts when he took the mound, like someone had just woken him up from the bench and shoved a Red Bull in his hand. He was good, but the ERA ballooned in 2006 and 2007, along with his blown saves. It's not surprising that the nickname given to him by a Vineline cover story, "the Fireman," never caught on with fans.

But that was then, and this is now. Since his conversion to a starter, Dempster began the 2008 season 10-0 at home, a first in Cubs' history. He didn't stop there--he's looking at career bests in wins and ERA. (He's in the top five in the National League in ERA currently.) You can look up all the facts and figures that you want about the man, but nothing tells you how his season is going than Dempster's calm, collected demeanor on the mound every start.

Ryan Dempster promised Cubs fans a World Series Championship in preseason, and, like most predictions from players, his comments were taken with a grain of salt. The Cubs' funnyman insisted he wasn't kidding around. No one's laughing now when ESPN and Sports Illustrated talk about the Cubs being the best team in the National League, or about the fact that Dempster has a genuine shot at his first Cy Young Award.

Sweet Lou has tapped Dempster to start game one of the Divisional Series against either the Mets, Dodgers, or Phillies. It's a move that would have been laughed at in the preseason. With Zambrano on the ropes for the past two games, however, Lou is riding the hot hand straight into the postseason. Chicago's postseason hopes rest on Dempster's shoulders. Cubs' fans don't have anything to worry about: The former "Dumpster" is used to high pressure situations, and, unlike his short-lived career as a closer, he shows no signs of flaming out now.

Instead of praising the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs after taking 2 of the first 3 games of the Mets/Cubs matchup at Shea, Mets' bloggers are turning their NY vitriol inward--toward their own team. NJ.com reports that "Mets Fan Club is frustrated at how many times the Cubs handed over chances for the Mets to win":

"There has been another major ***** in the armor this season, and that has been the painful inability to convert runners in scoring position. The Cubs did all they could to give this win to the Mets -- on a night when the Phillies lost and the Brewers won -- and the Mets couldn't capitalize."

From Brooklyn Mets Fan:

"...the real culprit was the Met inability to plate a man from 3rd with ZERO out - inexcusable. And the real kicker is the Mets failed on this mission TWICE!!!

Why can't Mets fans praise the tightrope-walking antics of the slumping Bob Howry in the 9th? Or the guts that the Cubs' pitchers showed when walking runs home? Now that I type that, it does sound like the Cubs were doing everything in their power to lose the game short of pitching the ball underhanded to Carlos Delgado. When Lou brought in Howry to extend the game in the 9th, I thought, "Oh man, here we go again...Lou wants to get this over with ASAP and get home to watch the tape of Bush's speech in five minute clips on YouTube." Howry even gave the first batter third base, but the Mets failed to knock him in.

Who's to blame for the Cubs' win? I have to agree with the Mets' bloggers that this was one Lou was willing to concede. Anytime he hands the ball to Howry, there's a 75% chance that Howry will give up a run or two. If Lou thinks Howry is "hot" now for making it through a couple of innings against the Mets, he better think again--Howry's year-to-date performance indicates that it really was the Mets who beat themselves last night.

October 1st, 2007? The Daily News will just need to change the date to 2008 when they run the same headline next week, after the Cubs b-team is done flogging the Mets' bullpen.

What We (Sort of) Know
Ryan Dempster: Divisional Series Game One starter
Zambrano-Harden-Lilly: The Cubs 2-3-4 pitchers
Sean Marshall: Bullpen longman [Lefty]
Chad Gaudin: Not Ready for Primetime; won't make the cut...the injury is still nagging
Koyie Hill: Odd man out

The Question Marks
Bob Howry: Shouldn't make the cut, unless the Cubs need someone to throw batting practice
Daryl Ward: Shouldn't make the cut; expect a speedier outfield replacement to take his spot on the bench
Jason Marquis: Bullpen longman [Righty]...his fingers are crossed...he almost didn't make the rotation to begin the year, and he won't make it in the postseason...how effective will he be in relief?

All the Rest:
The bullpen is still influx, as Lou will "ride the hot hands" straight into the postseason.
The infield starting positions are set, so no surprises there...but one of the call-ups could make the roster in Ward or Cedeno's place...

Back on January 31st, Eddie Vedder issued a press release describing the conception of his Chicago Cubs theme, "All the Way":

January 31, 2007...Cubs Spring Training Facility, Mesa Arizona...Rain Delay.  While taking shelter in the clubhouse, Jose Cardenal introduces me to Ernie Banks...We sit down....Ernie hypnotizes me...He asks me for a song...It happens to be his birthday...Seventy fifth...Locking into his eyes, I listen...It's like having a conversation with Wrigley Field....Go back to my room under the spell of Mr. Cub...This beer drinking number wrote itself, per Ernie's request....Played it in Chicago last week...Recorded it so Ernie could hear...Hope he likes it....Dedicated to the Chicago Cubs and all who love them.

If you missed the news last week, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder penned a Cubs tribute song. Although it's not likely to replace "Go Cubs Go" anytime soon, it is a rousing song in its own right. The lyrics in part include:

The Cubs will finish the regular season next weekend at Milwaukee. "We need [the Cubs] to help us out a little bit," Milwaukee's Bill Hall said, referring to the Wild Card spot that is still open for the Phillies, Mets, and Brewers.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Hall, but the Cubs won't be "helping" anybody out over the next week. Lou has stated that he's keeping the starting rotation in place, and that the starting line-up "won't look like Sunday's [back-ups]" the rest of the week. Expect Chicago to finish hard and fast.

Sweet Lou isn't going to be resting any of his starters over the final week of the season, at least not until the Cubs' first-round opponent has been announced.

This is a good move for the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano badly needs his final start of the season to tune up after getting knocked around by the Cardinals in his last start. He needs to prove that he really is "Big Z," and strike fear in the heads of other playoff teams. The no-hitter energized Chicago, but seeing Zambrano fall so hard took some wind out of the sails. His next scheduled start against the Mets on Wednesday is going to be a crucial one as far as regaining confidence for both Big Z and his teammates.

Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster haven't shown any signs of slowing down, so there's no telling what an extended layoff would have on either pitcher. The injury-prone Rich Harden returned from a layoff with his arm intact and stronger than ever, and there's no reason that he shouldn't be able to continue at his current pace into the playoffs.

The big question is Jason Marquis, a pitcher who the Cardinals left off the playoff roster in their World Series drive and who didn't make the starting rotation for the Cubs last year in the postseason. He's got two shots over the next week to show Lou that he's got something left in the tank. If he shows any weakness in either one, expect Marshall to fill the long relief role on the postseason roster in Marquis's place. I think Marquis has silently done quite a bit for the Cubs, but since this is his contract year I would not expect Lou and Jim Hendry to cut him any breaks.

It's official: The Chicago Cubs are once again in the playoffs, for the second time in two years. The question on Cubs' fans' minds is, "Why do the Cubs play with our emotions? Why go up to the brink again only to lose it all?" With two disappointing playoff berths this decade already, Cubs fans have earned the right to be skeptical. But here are 5 reasons that this year will be different from 2003 and 2007:

1. Starting pitching. The four-man rotation of Zambrano, Dempster, Harden and Lilly is vastly improved from the 2007 rotation of Zambrano, Lilly, Hill, and Marquis. Ryan Dempster is having a career year in his return to starting, and new addition Rich Harden has been ridiculously effective in the National League. The 2008 incarnations of Zambrano and Lilly are crazy good. If there's any weakness, it's Zambrano's recent flirtations with injury and hot/cold streaks (8 runs in two innings following a no-hitter?). Marquis will, once again, be the odd man out. Even if Lou keeps him on the roster as the long man in the bullpen, don't expect him to return to the Cubs in 2009.

2. Outfield defense. The additions of Fukudome, Johnson, and Edmonds have given the Cubs their best outfield defense in recent memory. Gone are the weakspots of Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou (2003) and Jacque Jones and Cliff Floyd (2007). Soriano, the one weak spot, has made some rifle throws to the plate for assists this year even.

3. Geovany Soto. It's impossible to underestimate the impact of Soto's offense and pitch-calling in 2008, but let's just say the days of Paul Bako (2003) and Jason Kendall (2007) are ancient history. A good-hitting catcher is like getting an extra position player on a team in the line-up.

4. This is the year. There's nothing superstitious or magical about the 100-year drought, but the comparison to the championship teams of 1907-08 are uncanny. The last time the Cubs won back-to-back division titles--and here we are again. The Cubs have been drawing comparisons to historic Cubs' teams all year: Most wins by a certain point in the season, best record in baseball latest in the season...the list goes on. The players are also having historic years for individual players, from Z's no-hitter to Geovany Soto being the first rookie starting catcher for the NL in the All-Star Game.

5. Ryan Dempster promised Cubs fans in spring training that the Cubs would make it to the World Series. He wouldn't lie to us, would he? "I think we are going to win the World Series. I really do," Dempster said. "Enough of all the ... you know the curse this, the curse that, the goat this, the black cat, the 100 years, whatever it is. We're a better team than we were last year, I truly believe. And last year we made it to the playoffs."

6. No Florida Marlins in the playoffs, and possibly no Diamondbacks. Fewer memories to re-live...even though...

7. ...the past is the past. In April 2008, Moisés Alou was quoted as saying, "Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, 'Bartman! Bartman!' I feel really bad for the kid....You know what the funny thing is? I wouldn't have caught it, anyway." Forget the goats and the black cats and the rest of the hocus pocus. "Not one person here believes in any of that (stuff) about a curse or a hex or garbage like that," GM Jim Hendry said on September 20th.

8. There's no room on the rooftop sign for a third digit. The sign on the rooftop building on Sheffield Avenue currently reads "AC 006299." That stands for Anno Catuli (Year of the Cubs in Latin) and the number of years since they have won a division, an NL pennant and a World Series. There's no room for triple digits, folks.

9. Brad Lidge of the Phillies. With the Astros, Lidge was prone to blow it in the big situations in the playoffs, even after pitching lights-out throughout the regular season. This year will be no different, should the Cubs match up with the Phillies in the playoffs.

10. Nobody will be able to touch Carlos Marmol in the World Series. Late relief is where WS games are won and lost, and Marmol will likely be facing A.L. opponents for the first time. The advantage will go to the pitcher in a first-time matchup, and the A.L. team won't get enough at-bats against Marmol over a seven-game series to touch him up. Wood's been around longer, and doesn't have the electric stuff that Marmol has, but expect him to throw the final pitch of the World Series.

Magic number: Two

http://www.theonion.com/content/infograph/carlos_zambrano

Thank you for imploding, Brew Crew. Thank you for letting the Cubs sweep the two-game shortened series, 'Stros. And, most of all, thank you to the Cubs' starting pitching, who has pitched the Cubs back from the brink.

Hey Houston Astros

Carlos says, "You can't touch this!"

Time to start crying

Astros Manager Cecil Cooper is using every excuse in the book for why his team was no-hit on Sunday night by the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano.

''It was a long travel day and Hurricane Ike,'' Astros manager Cecil Cooper told the Associated Press. ''That's what I put it on. That and having two days off. I'm not saying he wasn't good."

Having two days off? The Chicago Cubs also had two days off, while Zambrano was pitching on 12 days rest. If anything, the Astros had a slight advantage over Zambrano, who was returning from a mild injury.

''This is not a home game," Cooper continued. "This is definitely an advantage for the Cubs and that's saying it as mildly as possible."

Miller Park is jokingly referred to as "Wrigley North"--I'll give him that. It was easier for Cubs fans to make it to the game, but, given the circumstances, the stadium was still only half-filled. The Cubs haven't seen a home no-hitter since 1972, and have never seen a home no-hitter under the lights at Wrigley. Those droughts will continue. It looks like "Wrigley North" will have to suffice for the time being.

Kerry Wood
Why do you live so dangerously
Close to the edge:
The walks;
The hit batsmen;
And the deep fly balls.
Would a 1-2-3 inning bore you?
Do you not feel alive unless you have runners on base?
Yes, you get the job done
And you bleed Cubbie blue--
But think of Ron Santo's heart next time you're on the mound
And keep the excitement at a medium level.

Despite losing Carlos Lee, the Houston Astros have moved into third place in the Central Division, just three games behind the slumping Brewers. If the 'Stros continue their hot streak, expect the race for the postseason to get even tighter.

Baseball season's well underway
We thought at first it was a brand new day
Harry Caray is rollin' in his grave
The Cubs just lost again today

They're singing,
Go Cubs Go?
Oh god no
Harry Caray is rollin' in his grave
The Cubs just lost again today

They got the power, they got the speed
To be the best in the National League
But if they don't step it up a bit
The whole season will go to ****.

They're singing,
Go Cubs Go?
Oh god no
Harry Caray is rollin' in his grave
The Cubs just lost again today

You can catch it all on WGN
Unless they're on Comcast again
Sometimes even on ESPN
But won't be found in the postseason

They're singing,
Go Cubs Go?
Oh god no
Harry Caray is rollin' in his grave
The Cubs just lost again today

Survey says: Yes. They've already lost 8 of 9, and show no signs of stopping the skid anytime soon. There's now a very real chance that the Cubs will not win the Central Division, and may even miss out on the postseason if the Phillies, Brewers, or Cardinals snag the National League Wildcard spot.

Here's why the Cubs are skidding:

1. Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs' MVP from April and May, is good for little more than a late inning replacement at this point in the season. The longer MLB season and travel have taken their toll on the Japanese All-Star.

2. The Cubs' returning aces, Zambrano and Harden, will not provide the shot in the arm that the Cubs need to win. The back of the Cubs rotation has performed above average during their absence--Marquis and Marshall have never looked so sharp in their recent losses and no-decisions. Starting pitching is not the problem, and it's not the answer.

3. The Cubs' long-man from the beginning of the season, Leiber, is now done for the year. Chad Gaudin, the Cubs' bullpen pick-up at midseason, is on the injured list now and is questionable. When Marshall returns to the bullpen, things could pick up...but don't count on it.

4. The Cubs need to stop hitting into doubleplays. Derrek "Doubleplay" Lee has 25 on the season, while Ryan Theriot has 16 (good for 2nd and 14th in the NL, respectively). If you say that they have that many doubleplays due to the baserunners in front of them, then they should also have quite a few RBIs too, right? Wrong: Neither player leads the team in RBIs, and they're not even in the top 20 in the National League. Even Soriano is getting in on the doubleplay action over the past few week--and he's not even a groundball hitter.

5. The Cubs' best two hitters for average are pitchers: Carlos Zambrano and Sean Marshall. I don't even know what this proves...probably nothing, but it's still interesting to note.

So, can the Cubs really pull the biggest implosion in sports history by losing every single remaining game and missing the postseason? I'd like them to prove me wrong, but they're the Cubs. The lovable losers. I wouldn't expect anything else.

The Cubs are skidding
But so is Mill-i-o-ke*--
A small miracle!

* The word "Milwaukee" comes from an Algonquian word Millioke which means "Good/Beautiful/Pleasant Land."

It's been over two months since my last 1060 West blog update. What gives? The Cubs were rolling along fine without my witticisms, and I needed the time off to finish my MBA degree.

But now the Cubs are struggling. They're saying, "Andrew, where did you go? We need your support. We can't get to the postseason without your blogging." And who am I to turn the Northsiders down?