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The World Series trophy was at the Statehouse again, this time for the St. Louis Cardinals, who took the big prize last fall.

There was a big celebration yesterday at the Statehouse and this hilarious quote from Cardinals President Mark Lamping during a speech to the Illinois House…

“We do have more in common with Cubs fans than people think,” he said. “Until last October, neither team had won a world championship since they moved into their new stadiums.”

Ha!

The Cards moved into their new stadium in 2006. The Flubs moved into their “new” stadium in 1914.

Lamping gets our “Quote of the Month” award.

This is a Major League Baseball open thread.

Go Sox.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, May 18, 07 @ 10:20 am

Comments

Flubs, that’s clever.

Comment by Ryne Friday, May 18, 07 @ 10:33 am
You want to know why the Cubs will always be the best? Because even when the White Sox and Cardinals have won world series recently, they are still talking about the Cubs. You can hate them all you want, make fun of them all you want, but whatever team you support around here, you always have to justify yourself to the Cubs.

Like I have said before, being a Cubs fan is awesome. I get to be both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. I can hope that this is the year while still knowing they will lose 90 games. I can’t imagine rooting for any other team.

Comment by Robbie Friday, May 18, 07 @ 10:33 am
Cub Fans are living proof that Don Quixote lives on reincarnated. Go Cards !!!!

Comment by A Citizen Friday, May 18, 07 @ 10:40 am
Cubs fans embrace mediocrity. Go White Sox.

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Friday, May 18, 07 @ 10:59 am
Did anybody hear Ozzie Guillen go off on the blowhard Mike North this a.m.? Awesome! Go Sox!

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, May 18, 07 @ 11:02 am
Being a Cubs fan is kind of a religion. I mean, you are waiting and waiting for something to happen. It happened once, a long time ago, before anybody you know was ever born. You trust and hope it’s going to happen again, someday, but if it ever does, it’s going to be at the end of the world….

Go Cards.
Albert rocks.

Comment by HoosierDaddy Friday, May 18, 07 @ 11:17 am
I’m liking what I see from the White Sox starting pitching.

Once the bats come alive…

Konerko is not going to finish the season batting .188
Crede is not going to finish the season hitting .200
Jermaine Dye will finish significantly above .216

Things will fall into place.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, May 18, 07 @ 11:43 am
I was standing outside the stadium last year when the Cardinals won the Series. It is an indescribable feeling I will never forget. Sox fans know what I mean. Cubs fans are hoping a new owner will finally let them know that feeling too. There’s good and bad fans for every team, but a good natured rivalry makes the game so much more fun. Now I want a hot dog and a beer…..

Comment by DC Friday, May 18, 07 @ 11:54 am
I guess there’s some truth to this meme that “Cubs Fans Accept Mediocrity,” in that yes, people like to enjoy Wrigley Field and have a fun time at the ballpark, lose or win - we didn’t start attending games only when our team was good, Sox fans - but this notion that at least many Cubs fans don’t _care_ whether or not the team is good is getting out of control.

Of course lots of us care. Have you heard all the boos at Wrigley Field of late? But what exactly are we to do about it, when the management sucks? It’s not like we can do a torchlit march on Wrigley Field or the Tribune building.

Comment by ZC Friday, May 18, 07 @ 12:11 pm
Oh that is hilarious, Mr. Lamping. Drive safe and watch out for lane obstructions.

Comment by dk57 Friday, May 18, 07 @ 12:40 pm
“Once the bats come alive…”
“Things will fall into place.”
Carl, you’re sounding like a Cubs fan!

Comment by Polly Friday, May 18, 07 @ 12:45 pm
Baseball trivia relating to this story:

The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals are only the fourth team to win a World Series in their first season in a new stadium (Busch Stadium), and the first since the 1923 Yankees (Yankee Stadium). The other teams to do so are the 1909 Pirates (Forbes Field) and the 1912 Red Sox (Fenway Park).

The only World Series involving a team moving out of an old stadium to date is the 1996 World Series, which featured the final three baseball games in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, home of the Atlanta Braves until that year.

Only two managers have won a World Series in both leagues: Sparky Anderson (1975 and ‘76 with the Cincinnati Reds, 1984 with the Detroit Tigers) and Tony LaRussa (1989 with the Oakland Athletics, 2006 with the St. Louis Cardinals).

In the last fifteen World Series match-ups, nine teams with a lower winning percentage than their opponent have emerged as champions. This is currently the highest percentage of any stretch of 15 World Series.

The 1907-1908 Cubs, 1921-1922 Giants and 1975-1976 Reds are the only National League teams to win back-to-back World Series.

The Chicago Cubs hold the record for the longest World Series drought (still active heading into 2007), with their last title coming in 1908 (99 years). Other substantial droughts include the Philadelphia Phillies (97 years, from their inception in 1883 to 1980); the Chicago White Sox (88 years, from 1917 to 2005); the Boston Red Sox (86 years, from 1918 to 2004). Obviously, the Cubs are due…

Comment by Crimefighter Friday, May 18, 07 @ 1:19 pm
No, pinning hopes on oft-injured, demonstratably unreliable pitchers would make me sound like a Cubs fan.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Friday, May 18, 07 @ 1:30 pm
Rich,

Minor error - the Cubs moved into Wrigley in 1916, not 1914. Before then the Chicago Whales of the Federal League played there from 1914-5.

Comment by Some Guy Friday, May 18, 07 @ 1:52 pm
Great quote, but the retooling of an old joke, that Cardinals fans were telling before they won the World Series.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Friday, May 18, 07 @ 2:00 pm
Going to Wrigley Field is like going the beer grden of a Tavern, but withouit instant replay.

The ramps have been built with a particular downslope so that cub fans can leave the stadium doing a sad shuffle.

Comment by Truthful James Friday, May 18, 07 @ 3:09 pm
Not today they’re not … hee. Go Cubs!

Comment by ZC Friday, May 18, 07 @ 4:18 pm