Chicago Cubs Baseball

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella has said all along that this early part of the 2007 season is and will be a learning process. And like so many other things Piniella been’s right about, darn if he isn’t dead on about the learning thing.

For example, here’s what I learned about Chicago Cubs baseball after its 10-1 win over the Mets, Tuesday night:

1. The Cubs can play and win against anybody. Both Philadelphia and the Mets are solid teams playing good baseball. With the exception of last Friday’s loss to the Phillies, the Cubs have either won or been in position to win the other four games on this road trip.
2. Inside their inner child, the Cubs have a killer instinct. When Chicago baseball isn’t busy bungling potential wins, they can put an opponent away - in a hurry.  Aramis Ramirez’s grand slam case in point.  Leading 3-1 with two outs in the sixth, Ramirez cleared the bases and closed the book on the game with one swing.  Then again, the Cub bullpen wasn’t called upon either.
3. Carlos Zambrano needs his agent to attend every game.  Prior to last night the question of the season has been, “What’s wrong with Carlos?”  As it turns out all he needed was to have his agent meet with Cubs president John McDonough for more contract negotiations.  Zambrano pitched his best game of the season, limiting the dangerous Mets lineup to six hits and one run over eight innings.
4. The Cubs can win on a Tuesday.   Prior to yesterday, Chicago was winless on Tuesdays - regardless of the 8-6 win over Pittsburgh.  The game ended on Wednesday and that’s how I’m counting it.
5. Jim Hendry may be in line for executive of the year.  While the off-season signing of Alfonso Soriano gets the headlines, it’s been the quiet contributions from the likes of Daryle Ward, Cliff Floyd and starting pitchers Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis that have kept the Cubs afloat through these first seven weeks.

Despite what I’ve learned, I also know that these are the Cubs.  And as promising as Tuesday looked for the future…