Da Cubs? - I'm not

Da Cubs? - I'm not from Chicago. I don't play a Chicagoan on TV. But I've been a lifelong Bears fan - and when the topic turns to National League ball, I'm a foursquare Cubs fan, too.

I almost hate to hope; us Cubs fans are almost too comfortable in our little niche; it'd almost be a letdown to jeopardize our endless championship-free record.

But Jayson Stark makes the case that the Cubs could be to '03 what the Angels were in '02:

They have to get a boomerang year from Moises Alou (who drove in fewer runs than Melvin Mora). They have to get more plate discipline out of Corey Patterson (142 strikeouts, 19 walks?). With rookies Hee Seop Choi and Bobby Hill on the right side of the infield, Baker has to disprove his rep as a manager who doesn't trust young players.

But they still have Sammy Sosa, the first player in history to have five straight seasons of at least 49 homers and 100 RBI. And most of all, they have the one commodity that puts World Series rings on anybody's fingers: "Dominating starting pitching," said one scout, "when they're healthy."

We've heard too many people rave about their parade of arms -- from Wood, Prior and Clement down through Juan Cruz and Carlos Zambrano -- not to think this team at least has a chance to be something special.

So who cares how many day games they play. Who cares if they haven't won a World Series since the invention of the light bulb. Who cares if they lost 95 last year.

We had to pick somebody as this year's Angels. Well, you want a feel-good story? It doesn't get much more feel-good than the Cubs.

If it could happen to the '91 Twins...

Wonder if Stark predicted that one?

(via Jeff Fecke

Posted by Mitch at March 27, 2003 02:06 AM