70 Comments - DE - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:40 pm: PLEASE don’t come back here for a one game series! - A guy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:40 pm: Sox fan here rooting hard for you cuddly fellows. Please win. If you don’t, I can’t even imagine the depression that would beset their fans. You’ve got a great team; better than all the others. Now manufacture a run now and then. This can be a great “loss” that inspires a fired up run from here on out. Please win for the sake of everyone’s sanity! - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Maddon got out managed in the 8th and 9th innings… Bochy was more in control in the late-inning in-game decisions. Outfielders “not deep enough” - Cardinal Sin. Never in late innings do fly balls go over anyone’s heads. Young catchers can’t handle the moment, that happened too… “Other than all that… ” Go Cubs! - South of Sherman - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Tell the Cub fans not to jump, and then you push ‘em off the ledge with that last paragraph. Nice, Rich. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:41 pm: ===If you don’t, I can’t even imagine the depression that would beset their fans.=== I’m more worried about the massive riot if they win the big ring. - Clark - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Still was an amazing game to watch last night, even though it went past 1:30… Rizzo needs to get not let his slump get to him and the rest of these players should be thanking the pitchers for picking up the slack. - L.A. - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:43 pm: leaving 10 runners on base didn’t help - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:44 pm: Did you miss Bryant’s “car bomb” last night? It’s too early to choke. We need to allow the pressure to build, say a game 7 in the NLCS. We’ve gotten past this point before, it’s the next round that worries me, especially against the former Expos. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:46 pm: –…group mental breakdown like y’all did after a hapless fan interfered with a foul ball a few years back.– I don’t think he even interfered. Alou just freaked. And the shortstop proceeded to boot the ball around like Ronaldo. And then John Kass stood and pointed at the poor kid so the mob would know who to attack. Despicable what was done to that kid. Very ugly moment in Cubs history. https://www.google.com/search?q=john+kass+steve+bartman&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiT6pD8s9PPAhWCxYMKHcKXCVMQ_AUICigD&biw=1680&bih=908#imgrc=rEL-L-JcLWCcUM%3A - Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:47 pm: ===some runs scored by players other than your pitchers might be a good thing.=== Agreed although they did hit into a bit of hard luck last night. Several balls were hit on the screws but right at defenders. I’m still very confident. Lackey vs. Moore…..series ends tonight! - Responsa - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:51 pm: The elite closers for both teams not closing it out when they had the leads last night, was interesting. Rich is right about the Cubs offense though. It has left the building at a very inopportune time. Lookin’ especially at you, Rizzo. - Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:53 pm: Back in 1965 my Cardinals fan dad said “The Cubs were invented so that masochists could have their own team.” I hope this year that ends and masochists have to go elsewhere. - Chicago_Downstater - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:54 pm: I come from a long line of Cubs fans. If we win it all I’m going straight to my grandpa’s grave to tell him all about it. If we lose, then I’m still going straight to my grandpa’s grave to tell him how excited I am for next April. Because with the Cubs’ rebuilt recruiting and farming systems, “there’s always next year” isn’t a joke anymore. - A guy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:56 pm: ===I’m more worried about the massive riot if they win the big ring.=== Where? In the Chardonnay aisle at Binny’s? lol - Amalia - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:56 pm: read some national coverage which criticized Cub fans for their apocalyptic attitude after losing one game. in that vein, Michael Wilbon posted a tweet claiming that the Cubs were up 3-0 and then lost in the Bartman game. jeez. and they wonder why we cannot take their doom and gloom seriously. all I know is that at this point in 2005, Don’t Stop Believin’ had taken over the airwaves. It’s not just that I don’t care about the Cubs, it literally does not feel as exciting as it did in 2005, you know, been there won that! - Doug - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 1:57 pm: Says the guy who’s team finished 16 1/2 games out of first place in the weakest division in baseball. - Skeptic - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:01 pm: “And the shortstop proceeded to boot the ball around like Ronaldo.” And actually Prior was getting hit even hard innings before that, it’s just that the ball happened to go directly too somebody so it looked (on the scoreboard) like he was having an outstanding outing. Speaking of which…didn’t Prior hit a homerun in that game too? Anyway, they already blew getting swept, so yeah, now they need to get up to the brink of success and then fail in spectacular fashion. It’s the Cubs way. - The_Equalizer - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:06 pm: Now that some fine trolling! Heh. - nail - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:09 pm: @wordslinger; they need to try and make it right by that poor kid, (I’m thinking a world series ring for him if they do it), that was despicable. - Louis G. Atsaves - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:14 pm: Problem with you American League types is you aren’t used to pitchers scoring and driving in runs! - Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:17 pm: ===didn’t Prior hit a homerun in that game too=== Nope, Kerry Wood hit one in game 7 - Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:19 pm: If nothing else, they are an exciting distraction away from a 1-4 football team that is just good enough to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, a perennial contender on ice that is just getting cranked up again, and a basketball team that was built to entertain rather than win. Go Cubs, and don’t out-think yourselves. - Cubs in '16 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:19 pm: Speaking of Bartman, does anyone know if Alou personally apologized to him? - Big Muddy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:21 pm: OW, Your assessment of the game is spot on. The nice thing about Maddon is he goes long stretches of games where he pulls all the right levers and then has a single game like last night. He will get it right tonight and all will be well. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:24 pm: - Big Muddy - Thanks, and concur, tonight will be better, Maddon got his clunker game out of the way. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:26 pm: The team had the best record in baseball. Their pitching staff, combined, had a lower ERA than any other team, lower even than most pitchers they’ll face. And you think one extra inning loss will break their fans? Or that winning will lead to riots that will be worse than them losing? You just asked Rauner haters to say something nice about Rauner, and the same for Madigan. How about inviting Cards and Sox fans to say something nice about the northsiders? - RNUG - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:26 pm: I said last night, after the got the first 3 runs and then blew a couple of insurance ones, that they might regret missing those opportunities. Bit I agree, they didn’t give up and kept battling. It was a heck of a game to watch. Just hope they can close the deal tonight. - Anon221 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:26 pm: Worth the time to listen to the whole song! This could be the year the curse dies! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2nirHqWIes - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:27 pm: ===How about inviting Cards and Sox fans to say something nice about the northsiders? === Get your own blog. - Amalia - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:31 pm: I’ll say something “nice” about Cub fans. You have given me so many, many laughs as you blame a fan for killing your chances to win the World Series. It truly takes a different kind of group mentality to blame everything…a goat, curses, one fan in the stands….everything but the players on the field involved in the actual play for losing. - Anon - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:32 pm: What time are the Cardinals and White Sox on? - Skeptic - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:34 pm: Kerry Wood. Ok, I stand corrected. - RNUG - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:43 pm: == “What time are the Cardinals and White Sox on?” == I think you’ll have to wait til next year. - Ha - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:43 pm: It’s ok everyone can have a bad century - Responsa - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:43 pm: ==Problem with you American League types is you aren’t used to pitchers scoring and driving in runs!== Hey! White Sox Matt Albers was not only the winning pitcher in our 13 inning 2-1 romp over the Mets in June. He also hit the double that led to his scoring the winning run. So there. - Archiesmom - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:55 pm: I just didn’t want my Giants to get swept. That was one heck of a game. - jerry 101 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:58 pm: Rich, What about the potential for a massive riot if they DON’T win the big ring? - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 2:58 pm: Nail, Cubs players should have done right by Bartman that night by stating the obvious — they blew the game in the field. Just like they blew a lead the next game. That team was filled with a bunch of juicer dogs. And those “fans” who tried to attack him, sent him death threats, and generally made his life miserable for years are worse. - Huh? - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:01 pm: I don’t get my hopes up until the last inning of the last game being played by the Cubs when they are ahead. I remember getting my dreams crushed in 1969, “The Cubs will shine in ‘69″. We all know what happened that year. - jerry 101 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:02 pm: 10-0 The Giants record in their past 10 playoff games when facing elimination. 10-0. This is a team that knows pressure. - WhoKnew - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:13 pm: As a Cardinal Fan, I might get me one of Joe Madden’s “Try not to Suck” T-shirts. Get it done Cubbies! - JS Mill - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:17 pm: =What time are the Cardinals and White Sox on?= Ever see a Cubs World Series ring? I didn’t think so and don’t get you hopes up. - Bogey Golfer - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:21 pm: My wife is a Cubs fan. If they don’t win tonight, I may need to hide the cutlery. - JohnnyPyleDriver - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:21 pm: Wow, the pile on from the bitter sox and cardinals fans and media sensationalists continues. dear lord. They lost one game. 1. They’re actually still winning this series, though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the apocalyptic coverage. Not every loss in baseball is an epic collapse. Every game features a winner and a loser. By the way, I didn’t blame a fan for 2003. I wouldn’t even have known his name if y’all media elite hadn’t blasted his name and likeness all over the planet and said “look! here’s the guy!” - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:21 pm: JS Mill for the win! - Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:31 pm: Steve Bartman didn’t leave his pitcher in too long. - Mike Fourcher - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:47 pm: I was there in 2003, and sat about 200 feet from Bartman in left field. Nobody in the stands cared about him and what he did. There was more confusion than anything else. But when Alou dropped the ball on the next play…that’s when the air went out of Wrigley. I’ll never forget it. We lost our mojo then because the Cubs started to play badly, and the 2003 team was never technically good, but more lucky than anything else. 2003 to 2016 is far from an apples-to-apples comparison. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:54 pm: ===But when Alou dropped the ball on the next play…=== Wasn’t it the shortstop that let the ball through his legs? Bartman did what any fan sitting in that seat would have done. As others have pointed out, Dusty should have gone out to talk to Prior, the shortstop should have made the routine play, and the team should have regrouped like professionals before Game 7. It was a total collapse, but Bartman gets the blame. Only in Wrigleyville. So Sam Siannis can’t get his goat into the park in 1945 and curses the Cubs. Now we have Bartman as the scape goat in 2003. Neither of those things has any impact on what happens between the lines. That’s on the players and the managers and no one else. And that’s all I have to say about Steve Bartman. - Robert Montgomery - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 3:59 pm: To paraphrase the Speaker - “We’ll be fine.” - JB13 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:00 pm: Bryant’s homer softened the blow quite a bit. Gillaspie’s hit could’ve been a staggering, potentially momentum-swinging uppercut, if the Cubs had gone quietly in the 9th. But they didn’t, so by the 13th it felt more like losing a tough one in August to the Cardinals then a historic blow. Cubs had their chances to win, and simply didn’t get the hit when they needed it. On to Game 4. - never fear - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:08 pm: Joe will start Travis Wood in left field. He can come in and pitch, but they need his bat. - Wensicia - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:14 pm: ==Cubs players should have done right by Bartman that night by stating the obvious== If they lose tonight, shall we call it the Bartman Curse? Go Cubs!! - Joe M - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:18 pm: Steve Bartman Curse - it was the goat’s fault http://www.chibarproject.com/Reviews/WrigleyField/WrigleyBartmanAndGoat.bmp - Skeptic - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:24 pm: Has anyone done an analysis of the Mike Royko “Ex-Cub Factor” on this year’s post-season? - Boone's is Back - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 4:49 pm: Always looking for the brown lining in a Cubs postseason. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 5:45 pm: The Cubs have an edge over the Nationals. Washington is managed by Dusty Baker. Baker’s comatose approach to managing in 2003 was more to blame for the team’s meltdown that Steve Bartman. - Jimbo2 - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 7:51 pm: A guy ==I’m more worried about the massive riot if they win the big ring.=== Where? In the Chardonnay aisle at Binny’s? lol I grew 1/2 a block from Wrigley, still have family there. Have you seen that place anytime all “the young gentleman” have any excuse to drink. St. Pat’s, Halloween, Christmas, Mother’s day. They’ll need to mobilize the reserves. Still…… Go Cubs - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 8:49 pm: When Old Man Ross says “get off my lawn,” he means it. - RNUG - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 8:50 pm: == Has anyone done an analysis of the Mike Royko “Ex-Cub Factor” on this year’s post-season? == This year I think it is the ex-Red Sox factor. - RNUG - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:09 pm: And the Cubs are on the NLCS … - JohnnyPyleDriver - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:32 pm: Looking forward to tomorrow’s edition of ‘Hey Cubs Fans’ Rich! Lol - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:32 pm: Take that, haters. - Moe's Bar - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:36 pm: Cubs celebration at Schaller’s Tap tomorrow! - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:37 pm: ===Looking forward to tomorrow’s edition of ‘Hey Cubs Fans’ Rich!=== You should consider me a good luck charm. lol - Bang a Gong - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:38 pm: @DE: “PLEASE don’t come back here for a one game series!” Your wish is granted. See you Saturday! - hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Oct 11, 16 @ 11:53 pm: W - Rahm's Parking Meter - Wednesday, Oct 12, 16 @ 12:44 am: The Yom Kippur Miracle Game! Wow. - milkman - Wednesday, Oct 12, 16 @ 12:50 am: Fly the W ! Cubs Win! Cubs Win! - Vote Quimby! - Wednesday, Oct 12, 16 @ 1:43 am: Hey hey holy mackerel! - Jaded - Wednesday, Oct 12, 16 @ 9:23 am: Sure glad they didn’t “crumble into a whiny little ball”. Thanks Bruce Bochy! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.