Chicago Cubs Baseball

One year ago Chicago Cubs baseball was in disarray. Mired in a six-game losing streak and with a 22-31 record, the Cubs had done everything they could to live up to their nickname, “lovable losers.”

They were a team in the sink and with a payroll of nearly $100 million, the Cubs played - and acted - like they were just one flush away from the whole season going down the drain.

A day earlier, pitcher Carlos Zambrano redefined the baseball term “battery mate” when he pummeled ex-Cub catcher Michael Barrett in a clubhouse brawl. And today marks the one-year anniversary of manager Lou Piniella’s memorable meltdown and his 62nd career ejection.

What followed was nothing less than a clubhouse clearance sale. Barrett, battered and beleaguered, was shipped to San Diego, while a disgruntled Matt Murton was moved to Triple A Iowa.

Lou’s message was clear: Deliver or disappear.

Piniella had said during spring training one of his objectives was to create a new Chicago Cub culture. The way 2007 was heading a petri dish of bacteria resembled the Cubs’ culture more than winning ways.

Then something began to happen to Chicago Cubs baseball. Following Piniella’s ejection, the club went on to win their next 17 of 26 games in June, and followed that with a 17-9 record in July.

Cubs’ calamity had become a Chicago celebration. While the 2007 season ended on a sour note, losing to Arizona in the NLDS, more importantly a seed had been planted in the thicket of Chicago Cub culture.

One year later, the Cubs head into their first real road test of the season with a seven-game winning streak and the best record in major league baseball.

No kidding.

Three-hundred and sixty-five days later from covering the umpire crew in diamond dirt, Piniella’s culture of winning looks like it’s finally beginning to take root.

“These guys are playing hard,” Piniella said following Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. “It’s a nice brand of baseball they’re playing.”

There’s nothing like winning, is there, Sweet Lou?