JT the Brick

After a 10-day trip to central Illinois, I've returned home to Los Angeles and must admit that I have Cubs fever. No need to worry, I'm not leading up their bandwagon and won’t be seen on line with a Cubs jersey on my back, but I now better understand the mind set of some of the best fans in all of sports.

Not everyone that I bumped into on my latest road trip supports the Cubs. Most fans south of Springfield love the St. Louis Cardinals and hope that the Cubs underachieve for the 100th time since their last championship in 1908. If the Cardinals or Milwaukee Brewers miss the post season, their fans will root for any team remaining in October to keep the Cubs from celebrating in Wrigleyville.

The Cubs are the best in baseball because they are strong in all facets and play with tremendous passion. Most of the credit should go to manager Lou Piniella because he and his entire coaching staff prepare as if each game is Game 7 of the World Series. Piniella has been composed most of the season because his team always plays hard, stays focused and continues to win.

He can melt down any time, but Piniella clearly enjoys managing this roster and loves the city of Chicago. He has been a great manager in both the National and American leagues, but shines in the senior circuit because of his ability to handle a pitching staff and use his bench. He knows when to take the pressure off a player struggling at the plate and lets his pitchers decide their fate by letting them pitch late into games when they struggle early.  

Several Cubs have been in the zone most of the season and are having career years, like second baseman Mark DeRosa, outfielder Alfonso Soriano, third baseman Aramis Ramirez, shortstop Ryan Theriot and All-Star catcher Geovany Soto.

The pitching staff over the past 30 days has been led by Rich Harden, who in his last six games was 4-0 with a 1.72 era and 50 strikeouts while Ryan Dempster was 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 36 Ks. Both Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly have 13 wins heading into September and Kerry Wood has 27 saves but must stay healthy if Cubs fans want to sleep easy at night.

The Cubs have dominated at home, have scored over 700 runs and have a massive run differential. It doesn't hurt to play at Wrigley Field for more than 41,500 rabid fans, who are into every pitch and never stop cheering until long after the game ends as they remain in their seats singing and holding up signs and flags with the letter “W” signifying another win.

In most cities, fans run to the exits before the game ends to beat the traffic. But not in Wrigleyville, where thousands of fans head straight to famous watering holes like Murphy's Bleachers and the Cubbie Bear to celebrate with fellow Cubs fans who just want to soak up the atmosphere for a few more hours before they go back to their normal lives.

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Some Cubs fans have a reputation for being "lovable losers" who care more about their next beer than the outcome of the game, but not this year. It is all about securing the best record in baseball and peaking at the right time in the hopes of bringing positive momentum into the postseason.

The Cubs still have a lot of work to do to get to the playoffs and win the NL Central. They finish August with three games against the Philadelphia Phillies, then in September have four more series against division rivals St. Louis and Milwaukee.

No team has a tougher schedule than the Cubs the last two weeks of the season and they must hope they have a comfortable cushion heading into that brutal stretch. As long as the Cubs don’t suffer a major injury or get swept by the Brewers, they should at least win the wild card.

It has been a tremendous year for sports, but the biggest event might take place on the north side of Chicago in late October. Save me a seat if the Cubs make the World Series.

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