For the Cubs, nothing’s been accomplished yet

On this day off between the end of the regular season–where the Cardinals played all 162 games–and the postseason–where the Cardinals will watch it on TV like the rest of us–a few thoughts are in order. That dig at the Cardinals sounds a bit petty, but the truth is I’m glad the teams will not

Link to another ThroughTheFenceBaseball piece

I’ve written several baseball-related pieces about the Chicago Cubs since the season started last April. I’ve posted the large majority of them on ThroughTheFenceBaseball.com, instead of on this site. I love the Cubs, even thought it’s usually difficult to do that, but putting the baseball pieces somewhere else gets my writing out to the wider

Easy money

Since casinos first began accepting bets on sporting events, they haven’t yet had to pay out for a Cubs pennant or World Series winner. And yet, year after year, Cubs fans who find themselves in Vegas plunk down something on the off chance that maybe this will finally be the long-awaited Next Year. So far,

Tarzan’s rookie card

I have already written about Jim Hendry’s ouster here, and I am excited that a new course for the Cubs will be charted soon. There’s no way that Mike Quade can survive, since the new GM will want to put “his people” in place. Does Quade finish out the season? Probably, but I think he

#Cubs are now 30 losses from the #DoubleTriple

I know that the series was played in Houston, but come on. Losing a series to what is easily the worst team in baseball this year? And Cubs fans are supposed to be excited about the direction of this team? No thanks. At least we can keep moving through the 1980s on the #DoubleTriple countdown.

#Cubs are now 31 losses from the #DoubleTriple

Thanks to pitching meltdowns by two Carloses–Zambrano and Marmol–this post will be the first double shot of historic baseball mediocrity. First off, a reminder about what the #DoubleTriple is. The Cubs have decided to start winning lately, now that the games are sufficiently meaningless, and the reports are that Tom Ricketts will put his thumb

Adios, Carlos

I went away for the weekend, and didn’t follow the Cubs game on Friday night because I was in transit. The next morning, I picked up a couple of things at Target and the cashier noticed the Cubs hat I had on. He asked me “What happened with the Cubs last night?” and I admitted

#Cubs are now 33 losses from a historic #DoubleTriple

Soriano batting, bottom of the ninth, game on the line. Was there ever any doubt? Sadly, no. The Cubs drop one to the Washington Nationals at home, and so the journey forward through baseball’s losingest teams continues. 1978 Toronto Blue Jays Expansion team: Technically, no Overall record: 59-102 # of win streaks of 3 games

#Cubs are now 34 losses away from the historic #DoubleTriple

The Cubs gave me a week off from doing this by winning seven games in a row, which gave me time to reflect on more important things than losing baseball teams. It may have also saved Jim Hendry’s job for next season. We shall see. But with the loss today, I’m back to the journey

#Cubs #DoubleTriple is now just 35 losses away

The Cubs were blown out in St. Louis again today, bringing the historic and unprecedented #DoubleTriple ever closer to becoming a reality. And losing to the Cardinals tomorrow will put the Cubs on pace, percentage-wise, to make this happen. And so we forge ahead deeper into the 1970s. For an explanation of why I’m doing

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple at 37 losses

The Cubs lost again today, and dealt away Kosuke Fukudome to the Indians. Let the dismantling begin. And let the tour through the 1970s continue. How time flies when the Cubs are losing. 1974 San Diego Padres Expansion team: No Overall record: 60-102 # of win streaks of 3 games or more: Six Manager(s): John

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple at 38 losses

Now that the Cubs have gone back to playing decent teams after the sweep of Houston, the losses have begun piling up again. And here’s a fun fact: Seattle just lost 17 games in a row  and they are still two games better than the Cubs right now. But the tour of baseball in the

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple at 39 losses

The Cubs finally put together a three game win streak by sweeping the Astros at home last weekend. The conditions were right, and the Cubs took advantage. But all good things come to an end, and tonight’s loss brings us to the epic 1972 season, where only one team in the majors made it to

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple now at 40 losses

The Cubs lost again today, and had to survive blast furnace conditions at Wrigley Field to do it. And if today’s announced attendance of 38,000+ souls are really foolish enough to go to the ballpark in these conditions, humanity is in bigger trouble than I thought. But at least the journey through baseball in the

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple now at 41 losses

The Cubs gave me the night off last night when they beat the Phillies, and it looked like I’d have another night off tonight, so I started playing around with the idea of writing about my useless library card. Perhaps that will be some other post in the future. But instead, Sean Marshall made sure

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple now at 42 losses

The Cubs lost again today, triggering the last year of the 1960s along our road to the historic #DoubleTriple (100 losses in a season, during a 100 year championship drought). A short narrative will follow about the two teams that lost 100+ games in 1969. 1969 Montreal Expos Expansion team: Yes Overall record: 52-110 #

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple now at 43 losses

No big league baseball team lost 100 games in 1968. The closest any team came was the Washington Senators, who lost 96 games that year. But I still feel the need to riff on 1968 for a bit, anyway. So here goes: A lot has been written about all of the things that happened in

Countdown to #Cubs #DoubleTriple now at 44 losses

The Cubs imploded in the 9th inning tonight and so, as promised, here is a recap of the 1967 New York Mets. I will follow the same basic format for each entry, followed by a short narrative. Expansion team: No Overall record: 61-101 # of win streaks of 3 games or more: Four Manager(s): Wes

Countdown to the #DoubleTriple

The second part of the baseball season begins tonight. Many teams, perhaps even most teams, still have something to play for, whether it’s a division title or a chance at a wild card berth. My team, the Chicago Cubs, isn’t so lucky. They ended the first part of the season at 18 games below the

Here’s how the Cubs can make baseball history in 2012

Who knows losing better than the Cubs? Ask anybody to play word association between a baseball franchise and the word “losers” and at least 90% will say Cubs. And the 10% who wouldn’t just don’t know anything about baseball. And yet, for all that mediocrity, the gold standard of ineptitude–the 100-loss season–has eluded the Cubs