FOR SALE: One Goat, Slightly Used

History. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/S8vVDYA87T

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 3, 2016

Russell Andrews of South Bend has carried a #ChicagoCubs fan club card in his wallet since 1940. Next year came today. #FlyTheW Mr.Andrews! pic.twitter.com/EJtHgNJYYq

— Hilary Powell WSBT (@mshilary) November 3, 2016

Hi Harry. It's Chicago. We have some good news for you. #WorldSeries #Game7 #ChicagoCubs #Cubs pic.twitter.com/V8OPJNl7Dz

— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) November 3, 2016

The Wrigley Field marquee looks beautiful tonight. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/lj45V4shRd

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) November 3, 2016

Steve Bartman, all is forgiven.

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) November 3, 2016

Will 108 Years Of Heartbreak End Tonight? Go Cubs Go!

Zobrist's collision at home plate was a modern art masterpiece @Cubs #FlyTheW

— Joseph Maddon (@JosephMaddon) November 2, 2016

There's nothing left to say. The door to eternity yawns wide. Who steps through it tomorrow? #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/ZjLB32vNj2

— Randall J. Sanders (@RandallJSanders) November 2, 2016

Wrigleyville: Never Count The Cubbies Out!

Bill Murray: scene stealer. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/9WUGrsM6Da

— Todd Vaziri (@tvaziri) October 31, 2016

Want some more good news? Schwarber is back in the lineup Tuesday... #Cubs pic.twitter.com/J10I1eNGHf

— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) October 31, 2016

A Century Of Cubs Futility

I think we can agree the Cubs played sloppy baseball last night.  They’re one game away from adding to a century of futility.  Only 5 of 44 teams to fall behind 3-1 in the World Series have come back to win the crown.

Joe Maddon’s got his top three starting pitchers lined up for tonight’s game:  Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks.  With lights-out pitching in his arsenal Maddon needs, no, must find a way to get Kyle Schwarber in the lineup.  The Cubs desperately need Schwarber’s bat.  The guy can swing the lumber!

When the cameras pan the stands at Wrigley you see so many elderly fans who’ve been waiting a lifetime for the Cubbies to win the World Series.  I hope they can pull off the comeback of the ages for them.  I can think of nothing more wonderful.  It’d be one for the history books.

GO CUBS GO!

Come On Boys!

The Cubbies trail the Indians 2-1 in the World Series and Cleveland has regained home-field advantage, with the guarantee the series will return to Ohio for at least one game.

I refuse to succumb to the fatalism of some Chicago fans.  A Cubspocalypse is comin’.

Back To Wrigley

The tandem of ace Cubs’ pitcher Jake Arrieta and slugging phenom Kyle Schwarber set the Tribe on its ears last night dominating Cleveland in a 5-1 victory bringing the 2016 World Series back to Wrigley.

Arrieta went 5⅓ shutout innings while Schwarber went 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 RBIs.  Schwarber became the first position player in MLB history to earn his first hit of the season in the World Series after missing all but three games of the regular season after tearing two ligaments in his left knee back in April.

Team doctors allowed Schwarber to be the DH in Games 1 and 2.  Will he be cleared to play the outfield at Wrigley? "We'll see," Schwarber said. "I haven't tried it. So we'll take it day by day, like I said."

Manager Joe Maddon could play Schwarber in left field and move Ben Zobrist to right.  Jason Heyward was benched due to a hitting slump of just 2 for 28

The Cubbies now hold a home field advantage for Games 3, 4 and 5.  Can they win the Series by taking all three games at Wrigley?  The experts say yes.  The Cubs have a 62% chance of taking home the crown to the Tribe’s 38% according to Five Thirty Eight.

I’m not hanging my Cubbies hat on any sports expert’s notion—I’m going with my gut—the Northsiders will sweep the Tribe.

He's back. pic.twitter.com/t3tbeKeWnk

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 25, 2016

You’re Blind!

I watched Game One of the World Series last night and was astonished at how piss-poor home plate umpire Larry Vanover was.

I thought, as did millions of other baseball fans, that Major League Baseball was making a more concerted effort to get its best umpires into the World Series while minimizing the appearances of its weakest umps.

One headline from the Chicago Tribune read:  “Corey Kluber helps Indians to 6-0 victory over Cubs in World Series.”  Kluber’s a great pitcher, but Vanover is the one who “helped” the Indians win.  It was infuriating to watch this dolt call a handful of balls off the plate strikes and to a greater extent pitches right smack dab in the strike zone balls.

According to Baseball Prospectus, Vanover’s K/BB ratio is 2.25 compared to the MLB average of 2.58.  His ERA is 3.93 while the average MLB rating is 4.18 and finally, his WHIP rating (walks plus hits per inning pitched) is 1.29 compared to the MLB average of 1.33.

Tonight's HP ump Larry Vanover has one of the smallest zones in MLB, and rated below average as far as his calls matching the typical zone.

— Jon Roegele (@MLBPlayerAnalys) October 25, 2016

Cubs left-hander Jon Lester was noticeably upset about the disparity between calls made on his pitches and those of the Tribe's hurler.  He had a chat with Vanover at the end of the third inning to express his ire.  “I don’t know if he had a (microphone on),” Lester said. “It was just two professionals talking to each other about what was going on. I don’t comment on umpires. I’m a competitor. I think every ball I throw should be a strike. We talked it out; we hashed it out and moved on from there.”

Anyway, we’re done with Vanover.  He will rotate to the field and will be the replay official for Games 3-7.

CNBC published an interesting piece noting the 2016 World Series could be one of the last World Series in which balls and strikes are called by a home plate umpire.

“Sportvision, a subsidiary of sports powerhouse SMT, has the technology to call every single ball and strike with near perfect accuracy, using its "Pitchf/x" product.”

“Pitchf/x is the rectangle you see on TV that shows the strike zone. It's the same technology that undermines umpires when they clearly miss a call. And it's the same technology that can reduce umpires from key decision-makers to caretakers at baseball games.”

I’m not going to overreact (not much anyway) to this setback.  Kluber dominated the Cubs.  It’s not the end of the world.  Game Two starts tonight at 7:08 PM ET on FOX.  The early start is due to a forecast of rain in Cleveland.

GO CUBS GO! 

Root, Root, Root For The Cubbies!

Those “Loveable Losers” are losers no more.  From his broadcast booth in baseball heaven Harry Caray was shouting “Holy Cow!” at the historic news the Chicago Cubs won the NLCS against the LA Dodgers and a trip to the World Series.  The World Series I tell ya!

Seventy-one years removed from their last pennant, and 108 years since their last World Series crown, the Cubbies begin the series at Progressive Field in Cleveland.  The first pitch will be tonight at 8:08 PM ET on FOX.

My beloved Atlanta Braves were awful this year but I remember well the utter euphoria in 1995 as the Braves won the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.  I have a soft spot for the Cubbies.  How can you not root hard for a team that has the longest title drought in baseball history?

Indians first baseman Mike Napoli said, “The baseball gods are really happy right now.  I wanted the Cubs to win just because I knew how cool it would be to be a part of it.  I think it’s going to be a special World Series.  There’s two droughts and there’s going to be a winner.”

Cutest thing I've seen #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/KjEajrZJgF

— Taylor Mathis (@Tmath11792) October 23, 2016

Our road to the World Series. #FlyTheW pic.twitter.com/Wqd9RlwoR7

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 23, 2016