I got home last night in time to see a few innings of the Cubs-Pirates game. The broadcasters said it was a breezy 32 degrees. The Cubs offense was as cold as the weather. Two measly hits off of former Astro lefty Wandy Rodruiguez.
The Cubs were in mid-2012 season form. Edwin Jackson was cruising along in his Cub debut, until he lost his command in one long inning. And that was the ball game. Unless you can throw a shutout like Samardzija, the Cubs have trouble coming from behind.
Castro looked weird in his modern chain mail hood. Lillibridge looked like an escaped Wonka employee when he played third base. Sappelt at the plate looked like he was trying to capture butterflies with a garden rake.
No wonder the Cubs cannot sell out Opening Day. The PR department emails continue to flood our in-folders on a daily basis.
The story of this year's Cubs is more to do with the off-season business arbitrage between the owners and the city than fielding a real competitive team. Reduced payroll, emphasis on prospects at the Class A level and below, and a triage for journeymen pitchers to trade is a blueprint that most fans deep into year three of a recession won't afford to watch.
Further dampening the historic Cub town vibe is the fast start of the White Sox, who had back to back quality starts from Sale and Peavy. And the White Sox offense has hit 6 home runs in two games. As Greg Maddux said, "chicks dig the long ball." The White Sox are poised to surprise the national stage to be better than expected while the Cubs are no surprise at all.
