The Sports Nut

I played poker on Saturday night with a friend who so loves the Chicago Cubs that his dog's name is Wrigley. Which is somewhat inaccurate, because the dog's much better behaved than most people at Wrigley. Also friendlier. And far less drunk.

Anyway, Wrigley's owner is that rare breed of Cubs fan – a cordial one. And as the Brewers proceeded to beat the Cubs 12-6 Saturday, he made what must have been a painful public admission.

He was officially worried.

Now under normal circumstances, a worried Cubs fan is about as notable as a pompous Yankees fan. Which is to say that it's not notable at all. Because a lifetime of losing tends to give you some pessimistic overtones. Just ask the French army.

These days, however, a concerned Cubs fan is significant. Because these days, the Cubs are supposed to be a juggernaut. But as musical philosopher Randy Newman likes to sing, Pluto's not a planet anymore, either.

Hence the despair from my poker-playing friend. His Cubs, who were anointed not just as overwhelming N.L. Central favorites, but as World Series favorites, look like nothing of the sort. Not only have they struggled to keep their head barely above .500, but there are many reasons to believe things won't get any better.

And any bad news for the Cubs is excellent news for the Brewers.

So with Favre fatigue flowing freely over Wisconsin, how 'bout some fun for a change. Because what's more fun than listing three reasons why Cubs fans are already thinking about the Bears.

1) The bullpen stinks: If I told you back in March that, on May 11, either the Brewers or Cubs would have the National League's second-worst bullpen ERA, you'd have reflexively picked the Brewers. Heck, you'd probably sign up for SportsRadio 1250's Done Club right on the spot. And who could've blamed you?

After all, the Cubs had fireballing youngster Carlos Marmol, who was supposed to be the next Francisco Rodriguez, to go with former Florida Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. The Brewers? Well all they had was old washed-up Trevor Hoffman and a cast of unproven thousands.

And yet, it's the Cubs' firemen who have become the fire-starters, checking in with a collective ERA of 5.40 and walking more batters than any NL bullpen corps. (And if you're wondering, the Brewers, courtesy of a now-healthy Hoffman, are comfortably in the middle of the NL pack with a bullpen ERA of 4.10.)

2) Ted Lilly is their ace. Lilly is a fine pitcher who's put together a quality career. But when your starting five includes names like Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and even Ryan Dempster, Lilly should not be your No. 1 starter. That's what he's become, however, posting a 4-2 record to go with a staff-best 3.11 ERA.

The other guys? Zambrano's ERA is 4.50 and he's on the disabled list. Harden's ERA is 4.83 and, being a Ben Sheets clone, you know he'll be on the DL. Dempster looks nothing like last year's dominant force with a 4.98 ERA. Heck, after Lilly, Chicago's second-best pitcher is Sean Marshall (2-1, 4.06). That's right, the Sean Marshall.

3) Injuries, Injuries, Injuries: Losing Aramis Ramirez (dislocated shoulder) for two months is a huge, huge blow. He's Chicago's version of Prince Fielder, a guy you'd pencil in for at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs, then hope he could match his production from 2006 (38 HR, 119 RBI). He led the team with a .364 average. Now he leads the club in pain. But he's far from the only Cub hurting.

All

evidence indicates that 34-year-old Derrek Lee's days as a middle-of-the-order force are done. He's got a bulging disk in his neck, he's batting .209, and since August of 2008, he's hit a measly six home runs.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Geovani Soto has discovered the meaning of sophomore slump, in part because of a season-long shoulder ailment. After batting .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs last year, he's hitting just .169 with only 4 RBIs and is still searching for his first tater. And the shoulder won't make things any easier.

That's three key Cubs hitters rendered ineffective. Take Prince, Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy out of Milwaukee's lineup and see how the Brewers do. The only Cubs mashers left are Alfonso Soriano and, um... suspension-in-waiting Milton Bradley. Unless you want to count Ryan Theriot, who has as many home runs (three) as Derrek Lee. Yikes.

So there you go. Throw in some good competition, like the Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Wrigleyville pitcture looks even worse.

That's why Wrigley's owner feels so bad about the Cubs. Yeah, maybe they're 17-14 right now, but dark days are on the horizon, and he knows it. Heck, I lost the poker game Saturday night, but I left feeling better than him. Because I can try at poker again next month.

The Cubs? They've got to wait until next year.

Again.

 

Favre Fest 2009

So apparently, Brett Favre's decision to unretire doesn't rest upon his legacy in Green Bay or his family's feelings or whether he'll be paid enough to buy a new pair of Wranglers.

It's all about his shoulder.

The latest report, courtesy of ESPN, says that if Brett needs major shoulder surgery, he won't play for the Minnesota Vikings. If the surgery is minor or unnecessary, he's coming back. Fair enough.

But here's the sad part. If things had always been that cut-and-dried with Favre, he'd still be playing for the Packers.

 

Still Waiting

The best thing to come from Brett Favre's latest soap opera? Has to be the remake of Waiting for Godot, courtesy of ESPN.com's Jeff MacGregor.

 

Packers Power

Sports Illustrated's Peter King put together an early set of NFL power rankings that included the possibility of Brett Favre playing for the Minnesota Vikings. So which NFC North team do you think he had ranked the highest?

The Chicago Bears.

Surprised? Apparently, King is so enamored with the Bears and new quarterback Jay Cutler (who's basically a younger version of Favre) that he ranked them fourth in the entire league. This despite his concerns over Cutler's leadership and a receiving corps with more questions than "Cash Cab." (Which is only the best game show since "Match Game."

The Packers? King has them 14th, putting them just out of the playoffs. (King's colleague Don Banks also predicts the Packers will miss the playoffs.) But King says Green Bay is far more talented than last season's six wins and that Cullen Jenkins, of all people, was a big reason for that disaster.

As for the Vikings, Favre or not, King has them right behind Green Bay at 15. Feel better, Packer Nation?

 

Don’t forget to check out our fitness column, Training with Tim.

And tune in every Tuesday morning at 6:25 when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault.