Bill Batterman is the Schadenfreude can be a dangerous thing.
The Cubs are suffering through a horrible 31-53 season in which they have scored the fewest runs and posted the lowest on-base average and OPS in baseball. Fans have been forced to watch as superstars Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Derrek Lee spend significant chunks of the campaign on the disabled list while legendarily useless never-was Neifi Perez racks up out-after-out at the top of the Cubs lineup. Top off-season acquisition Juan Pierre, brought in to provide the team with a “true leadoff man,” has on-based just .314 with a 666 OPS while the man he replaced, Corey Patterson, has stolen 31 bases and posted a .282/.321/.439 line in Baltimore after being run out of Chicago on a rail. Multi-million-dollar bullpen imports Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry have been solid in relief but closer Ryan Dempster has blown five of his meager 18 save opportunities, racking up a 4.91 ERA in the process. Newcomer Jacque Jones has hit well after a slow start but rookies Ronny Cedeno (.265 average / 645 OPS) and Matt Murton (.268 / 703) have been useless at the dish, the latter losing his job to DH-turned-outfielder Phil Nevin. Hitting rock bottom, the Baby Bears went just 9-19 during the month of June and have lost four consecutive series.
All the while, love-to-hate-able manager Dusty Baker has taken up residency on the hot seat, drawing harsh criticism from the most serious sabermetricians and the most intoxicated Wrigley faithful alike. General Manager Jim Hendry has vowed to evaluate his on-field coaching staff during the All-Star break and speculation is high that Baker and his wrist-bands and toothpicks are not long for the North Side.
For those that love to hate the Cubs, the situation couldn’t be better—at least not unless Sammy Sosa comes out of retirement to don the blue pinstripes and sprint out to right field.
Still, Lee is back in the lineup and with Todd Walker, Aramis Ramirez, and Michael Barrett surrounding him the Cubs are certain to score more runs. Prior is back in the rotation and Carlos Zambrano has put together an outstanding first-half, anchoring a pitching staff that can shut down the opposition when the starters do their jobs.
While the Brewers have an excellent opportunity to reward their hometown fans as they attempt to “Take Back Miller Park” this weekend, they would do well not to take the Cubs too lightly. The North Siders deserve all the vitriol and ridicule that their fans have heaped upon them, but with their backs against the wall they are sure to play hard in a last-ditch attempt to save their beloved Dusty’s job. A series win by the Brewers might force Hendry’s hand and hammer the final nail in the 2006 Cubs’ coffin, but the team will have to avoid looking forward to the All-Star break and concentrate on getting the job done.
Finish the first-half above .500? Climb even closer to the division and Wild Card leads? Rub salt on the wounds of the rival Cubs? Get Dusty Baker fired?
Yeah, I’d say the Brewers have a lot to play for.
Schadenfreude can be dangerous, but it can also be a lot of fun.