The "Billy Goat Curse," a sense of tension caused by a 100 year drought, or just a regular "on any given day, any team can beat another" may be the reason the Cubs lost to the Dodgers (in game one) in the playoffs tonight. The Chicago Cubs came out to play, in game one of the playoffs, and looked like a team facing extinction. In a five game series, there is countless strategies involved, and Lou Pinella can take full responsibility for the loss in game one. It wasn't a curse, no billy goats, history was not against the "loveable losers," instead it was Pinella playing for game two, rather than playing for a lead in the playoffs and for game one.
Ryan Dempster is a fine pitcher, but he is not a Carlos Zambrano. Carlos Zambrano is the ace of the staff, the "C.C. Sabathia" of the Cubs, and he is clutch, a man/player who feeds off of emotion, and a great hitter (one of the best, as a pitcher) to boot. Yet, "Sweet Lou" started Ryan Dempster, in game one. Some may ask themselves why, or maybe they are not giving it a second thought, but there is only one reason. Lou Pinella thought, if the Cubs lose game one, then he will be able to bring "Big Z/Baby Bull" out for game two, and there is a lock. Pinella played for the split, at home, in front of a sell out Wrigley Field crowd, with the best National League team (possibly the best overall Cubs team, since 1984), and there is nobody to blame, but Lou Pinella. In a short series, teams have to play for the day, using momentum, and every single advantage at their disposal. Pinella did not utilize his most prize possession, in game one, momentum and his ace.
The whole Cubs team looked tight, not confident and timid, and they lacked a leader on the field, to pull them out of this funk (from beginning to end). If Carlos Zambrano was on the "bump" for game one, the Cubs would have had a completely different feeling, going on the field. Zambrano is a fiery, no frills, flame thrower, who also has three other dominate pitches. Maybe, three, or even two years ago, Zambrano (like other fiery pitchers before them) would have been "to excited/fired up," but not this "Z". He has been able to harness his most beneficial asset, his fire, drive, and love for the game, to make him a constant top five Cy Young pitcher year in, year out. Starting Zambrano, who had more than enough rest (6 days), who had a 14-6 record, 3.81 era, 130 K's and a 1.21 WHIP, all with a month out in the middle of the season (also bringing a .337 avg., 14 rbi's and 4 home runs). The Cubs are the only team that did not start their ace (with the exception of the Brewers, who had to pitch C.C. Sabathia, three times on three days rest, to get to the playoffs). A team's ace is not always the player with all the best stats, either.
The bottom line, with Zambrano sitting game one, he is not going to have the option of pitching two times, if the series goes to five games (which it now may). 24 of the last 28 teams to have won game one, of a five game playoff series, have gone on to win the series. When the time comes to "play to stay," a team's manager must put their most dominate, player with the most situational prowess, and mostly the pitcher who makes the whole team better (both in the field, at the plate, but most importantly to the team's psyche). Lou Pinella did not only let the Chicago area down, the Cub fans around the world down, his team down, but he also let Carlos Zambrano down. The energy he would have channeled thru a 2-0 lead (after the 2 run homer from Mark DeRosa) would have gone a long way with "Z" and the team. Instead, the constant back and forth panning of the camera, to Zambrano, showed him stewing and flipping a ball in the air, but now his energy in game two will be set to a "can't lose effort," rather than giving him the ball in game one, for a possible win and game five appearance. The Dodgers now have the momentum, but more importantly (Lou Pinella) has given the Cubs a huge desperation feeling of, "Oh no, not 101 years, without a World Series win." Nice going "Sweet Lou," nothing like playing behind the eight ball, but the Cubs would have it no other way.
Hopefully, I am wrong, and they come back and sweep, the next three.
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Ryan Dempster is a fine pitcher, but he is not a Carlos Zambrano. Carlos Zambrano is the ace of the staff, the "C.C. Sabathia" of the Cubs, and he is clutch, a man/player who feeds off of emotion, and a great hitter (one of the best, as a pitcher) to boot. Yet, "Sweet Lou" started Ryan Dempster, in game one. Some may ask themselves why, or maybe they are not giving it a second thought, but there is only one reason. Lou Pinella thought, if the Cubs lose game one, then he will be able to bring "Big Z/Baby Bull" out for game two, and there is a lock. Pinella played for the split, at home, in front of a sell out Wrigley Field crowd, with the best National League team (possibly the best overall Cubs team, since 1984), and there is nobody to blame, but Lou Pinella. In a short series, teams have to play for the day, using momentum, and every single advantage at their disposal. Pinella did not utilize his most prize possession, in game one, momentum and his ace.
The whole Cubs team looked tight, not confident and timid, and they lacked a leader on the field, to pull them out of this funk (from beginning to end). If Carlos Zambrano was on the "bump" for game one, the Cubs would have had a completely different feeling, going on the field. Zambrano is a fiery, no frills, flame thrower, who also has three other dominate pitches. Maybe, three, or even two years ago, Zambrano (like other fiery pitchers before them) would have been "to excited/fired up," but not this "Z". He has been able to harness his most beneficial asset, his fire, drive, and love for the game, to make him a constant top five Cy Young pitcher year in, year out. Starting Zambrano, who had more than enough rest (6 days), who had a 14-6 record, 3.81 era, 130 K's and a 1.21 WHIP, all with a month out in the middle of the season (also bringing a .337 avg., 14 rbi's and 4 home runs). The Cubs are the only team that did not start their ace (with the exception of the Brewers, who had to pitch C.C. Sabathia, three times on three days rest, to get to the playoffs). A team's ace is not always the player with all the best stats, either.
The bottom line, with Zambrano sitting game one, he is not going to have the option of pitching two times, if the series goes to five games (which it now may). 24 of the last 28 teams to have won game one, of a five game playoff series, have gone on to win the series. When the time comes to "play to stay," a team's manager must put their most dominate, player with the most situational prowess, and mostly the pitcher who makes the whole team better (both in the field, at the plate, but most importantly to the team's psyche). Lou Pinella did not only let the Chicago area down, the Cub fans around the world down, his team down, but he also let Carlos Zambrano down. The energy he would have channeled thru a 2-0 lead (after the 2 run homer from Mark DeRosa) would have gone a long way with "Z" and the team. Instead, the constant back and forth panning of the camera, to Zambrano, showed him stewing and flipping a ball in the air, but now his energy in game two will be set to a "can't lose effort," rather than giving him the ball in game one, for a possible win and game five appearance. The Dodgers now have the momentum, but more importantly (Lou Pinella) has given the Cubs a huge desperation feeling of, "Oh no, not 101 years, without a World Series win." Nice going "Sweet Lou," nothing like playing behind the eight ball, but the Cubs would have it no other way.
Hopefully, I am wrong, and they come back and sweep, the next three.
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