SportsDystopia

On Friday afternoon, Cubs manager Lou Pinella announced his rotation for the NL Divisional Series.  His game 1 starter will be Ryan Dempster, followed by Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and if necessary, Ted Lilly will take the hill in game 4.  Though Zambrano has been the Cubs ace over the last several years, Dempster has been nearly unbeatable at home this year, posting a record of 14-3 with a 2.86 ERA in the Friendly Confines, where he has also held opponents to a .229 batting average.  The question mark going forward is Rich Harden, who has struggled with his control lately, walking 11 batters over his last 11 innings pitched.  Harden has also seen a sudden and ominous drop in his velocity, with his fastball registering in the mid 80’s the last time out.  It seems like a clear sign he’s hiding an injury of some type, but as usual, the Cubs aren’t talking.  As I never tire of reminding people, this is the organization that once trotted out “The Mark Prior Towel Drill” to reassure fans of the health of a star pitcher.

It’s not easy being a Cubs fan, but it would certainly be alot easier if the Tribune Company hadn’t held such a naked disregard for the intelligence of it’s fan base these last few years.  Though I’m enthused that the Cubs will enter the playoffs as the NL’s favorite, I’ll be tempering my optimism.  Games 6 and 7 of the LCS in 2003 were a chorus-line kick to the balls that I’m not eager to relive.

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