Simply The Best

By: Jon Kerr

As the Cubs and Sox kick off their annual home and home series Friday at Wrigley, in honor of the six games here are six reasons why the Cubs have a better shot at the World Series than the Sox.

DEPTH

Since we are looking forward to October, let’s look back at recent fall classics. Why did the Red Sox win in 2007? Sure you must have stars like David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, but ultimately, you win with role players. Guys like Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno and Mark DeRosa could be last year’s Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. No matter what the matchup, Cubs manager Lou Pinella has what every manager needs to be successful - options.

MANAGER

This selection is not so much a slight on Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen as it is a ringing endorsement of Lou Piniella. This guy is the baseball equivalent of a cardiovascular surgeon - smart, bold and an easy touch to boot. His ability to get the most out of his roster, while making each and every player from Derrick Lee to Mike Fontenot feel they are irreplaceable, is what makes him brilliant. One thing you know won’t happen with Lou? He won’t open his mouth and say something so ridiculous and offensive as to ruin his team’s season. This is a shot at Guillen, who if he wasn’t a baseball manager (and a good one at that) would be running a bowling alley in Caracas.

BULLPEN

My colleague Matt Kolsky makes some good arguments in his White Sox column. The Sox bullpen is one of the best in the American League, up to this point. But to say Scott Linebrink may be better than Carlos Marmol is like saying Atari is better than Xbox (I’m old enough to have played both). Again, in order to look forward, we must look back, my friends. How did the 2006 Cardinals go from an 83-win regular season to a World Series? Here are a few reasons - Adam Wainwright, Braden Looper, Josh Hancock. I believe the Cubs already have the 2008 equivalent in Bobby Howry, Kerry Wood and Marmol. And they are better than Linebrink, Matt Thornton and Bobby Jenks.

HOME SWEET HOME

This is been one of the few years I can remember where the Wrigley is a decided advantage to the home team. The Cubs have the most wins in the majors at home with 29, and haven’t lost since Hillary Clinton still had a shot the democratic nomination. The home demons from past seasons - too many day games, the wind blows in too much - have not reared their heads in 2008. When you have the lineup the Cubs have on a daily basis, expect those demons to take a rest, at least for this season.

FUKUDOME EFFECT

In my opinion, Kosuke Fukudome is the MVP of the National League. I know I am leaving myself out there for all the stat dweebs flying around the internet who will undoubtedly counter with an endless stream of mundane statistical minutiae as to why I’m crazy. The reason why I believe this? Fukudome is the most valuable (not best) player on the best team in the National League. The fact that Cubs hitters are considerably more patient this season is not a coincidence. The reason why the Cubs are mashing the ball at home is because they are consistently ahead of pitchers. Cubs batting coach Gerald Perry also deserves credit, but if the Cubs go deep into the postseason, the signing of this Japanese import will prove to be the most significant.

SIMPLY THE BEST

Notice how none of the categories are about the “curse” like Kolsky so predictably mentioned in his column. This argument by Sox fans has grown so tired, it’s like a guy who sees a buddy with a hot brunette and says, “I prefer blondes.” Well, then go get yourself one, kid! In the case of the Sox, they have their blonde - a 2005 World Series, yet prefer to focus how they don’t like brunettes. There are no curses, they only exist in urban legends and bad dramas on the CW network. The Cubs have had a bad century, we all know that. But their futility has all to do with mismanagement, brutal trades, horrendous free agent signings and just plain bad play on the field, nothing more. Bottom line, if this team wins it all this year it have everything to do with reversing the aforementioned futility, not because the Cubs are “due”, or because they have reversed some moronic “curse”. If they are playing their best in October, this team can win it all.

I wish I could say the same for the White Sox, but I can’t.

Oh, and I do prefer brunettes.

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Jon Kerr is a freelance writer. A graduate of Michigan State University, he is a former sportscaster at CLTV. He is also a Cubs season ticket holder and lifelong Chicagoan. Jon can be reached at jkerr1970@hotmail.com. He's got a blog, too.

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1 Comment

  1. That would be a pretty righteous bowling alley — especially if they have Atari cock fighting.

    Comment by Den Cotton on June 19, 2008

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