After all the Chicago Cubs have given to baseball in 2007 - Sammy Sosa’s 600th career home run, Tom Glavine’s 300th career victory and a division race that looks like it’ll go down to the final day - those lovable losers delivered one more present Sunday afternoon.
A new World Series champion for 2007.
In taking three of four games from St. Louis this weekend, the Cubs neatly sealed the Cardinals’ fate for 2007 and assured major league baseball that a new World Champion will be crowned in October.
It’ll be a different tune the baseball world will be hearing when the division playoffs begin in less than three weeks. For only the second time since 1999 the Cardinals and their faithful will be chirping, “Wait til next year” as they sit this year’s playoffs out.
Like the Chicago Cubs, I come to bury the Cardinals, not to praise them. Still, I tip my hat to St. Louis. Few teams in major league baseball could have made it this far with an offensive drought that lasted through June, the death of one of its players, and a pitching staff that literally threw on a wing and a prayer.
The Cardinals will be back. But so will the Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs, with new ownership on the way and finally a commitment to winning, should remain a Central Division force if they can overcome themselves and just believe.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, is stockpiled with young sluggers and a swagger to match. All that’s keeping the Brewers from remaining perennial contenders are a few more arms I’m sure Bud Selig - er, I mean the Brewer ownership will arrange.
For now, the Chicago Cubs-Cardinals rivalry can hibernate for six months. Until then the Cubs hold the bragging rights as winners of the season series for the third year in a row (Cubs win season series 11-5).
In the meantime, the Cubs have another number in mind - a magic number to go beside their name in the Central Division standings. Something these Cubs might just become accustomed to.
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