MVN - Most Valuable Network

“Hey Chicago, what d’ya say?”

If you’ve been following baseball closely, odds are you’re fully aware that the Cubbies are looking pretty legit this year. A 37-21 record isn’t that bad of a start for the old boys in blue, considering they haven’t won a world series in a good century or so. Now anyone can tell you why the Cubs will or won’t win the World Series, but why look so far into the future? People forget about the regular 162 games their beloved teams play before the word “playoffs” is even mentioned. For now, lets look at what the Cubs have done in their hot start to 2008.

First off, this Kosuke Fukudome guy has done more than asked of him. I have heard numerous times that he has taught his fellow hitters a little patience at the plate. Watch a Cubs game. See how often the guys swing at the first pitch. Then watch Fukudome. He is just as patient as Manny Ramirez or Albert Pujols. Something like this does not seem like much, yet Kosuke’s great fundamentals are contagious to the Cubs lineup. Add in his great range in the outfield and excellent arm and him simply being in the game makes the Cubs a better team.

We all knew Carlos Zambrano was going to be a stud as usual. No surprises there. Ted Lilly is the guy you never really know what to expect from. He starts off shaky and bounces back, but overall he is a lefty that will get the job done. Ryan Dempster lost his nickname of “Dumpster” real quick in the North Side of Chicago. Jason Marquis is a lot like Lilly to me, except he is right handed, making him a little less valuable. Nonetheless, he gets the job done more times than none. Sean Gallagher has some trouble with walks, but is showing that he has major league stuff. One last thing, has anyone seen this pitching staff swing a bat? Any Cubs pitcher at the plate is not an easy out. If the Cubs were in the American League, I wouldnt be surprised to see Carlos Zambrano DH a few games.

The last and most important aspect to the Cubs hot start is the depth in their lineup. Each guy on the field has really contributed to their team’s success. It is almost as if there is not enough positions to have these guys play. Ronny Cedeno does great things when given the opportunity. Having someone like Fontenot and Hoffpauir give the Cubs some pretty hot bats off the bench, along with an occasional start. Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds in center field is a pretty sweet duo I must say. Henry Blanco is a solid backup catcher, which gives relief to a young Geovany Soto, who has put up nothing less than spectacular numbers for a rookie catcher.

Now that I mentioned all the great things about the Cubs, decide for yourself if you think they can win it. Anyone who hates them thinks they don’t have a chance in hell. Great. Many Cubs fans think we got it in the bag already. Cool. What do I think? I think the Cubs are having a great start and that they’re one hell of a team to watch. It is hard to really set any expectations if you are a Cubs fan, because about 100 percent of the time you end up disappointed.

Still, there is always a very pleasing chill that runs down my spine each time I see the huge W flag being raised at Wrigley.

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Brett Houston is a guest contributor to Southside Perspective. If you’d like to pen a guest column, send us an e-mail.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 am and is filed under Brett Houston, Mike Fontenot, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Sean Gallagher, Chicago sports, Chicago, Southside Perspective, Jim Edmonds, Reed Johnson, MLB, Chicago Cubs, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Ryan Dempster, Ronny Cedeno, Carlos Zambrano, Jason Marquis, Ted Lilly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.