Yes, the Dodgers only won 84 games, 13 fewer than the Cubs. Yes, as Jay Rood from the Mirage Race and Sports Book told John Ireland and me on Monday, the Cubbies were heavy favorites to go to the World Series. But, LA has been, flat-out, a better team over the last month.
In their final 26 games, Chicago was 12-14. Torre's team was 20-7 over the same stretch. There is no curse. It's not real. It's voodoo. Hokum. It's nutty, irrational and dumb. Even Curb Your Enthusiasm star Jeff Garlin admitted on our show that this so-called curse is just an excuse and that he doesn't believe in goats with magical powers. One of LA's biggest Cubbie fans doesn't believe in the curse.
Realistically, Kosuke Fukudome is in his first year with the Cubs after playing in Japan. He isn't cursed. He can't hit major league pitching. He batted .236 in July, .193 in August and .178 in September. Jim Edmonds and Rich Harden joined the team in midseason and are veterans. Does anybody really believe that they are affected by a curse? Carlos Marmol (Dominican Republic), Carlos Zambrano (Venezuela), Aramis Ramirez (Domican Republic), Felix Pie (Dominican Republic), and Alfonso Soriano (Dominican Republic) and Fukudome weren't even born in the US. Does anybody really believe that the some magical goat from 100 years ago matters a lick to what they're doing on the field?
One team is loose. One team is tight. One team's fans have no expectation. One team's fans have high expectations. One team has nothing to lose. One team has everything to lose.
You gotta love Joe Torre letting Nomar Garciaparra manage the last game of the year. That's a great way to keep a team loose. "I can do it better than Skip," Nomar might have said. But the fact is that Torre is the best. What he does is very subtle. He's not a flashy guy, but he is the calm of any and every storm.
As for the rest of the series, I suspect Rich Harden will beat the Dodgers in Game 3 at The Ravine tomorrow night. He has made 12 starts since the All-Star Break with a 5-1 record with a 1.77 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He's also average over 11 K's per game over that period.
The Cub offense will probably continue to struggle. As a team they batted only .259 in September, so look for Piniella to try working in Mike Fontenot who hit .366 with 7 RBIs in September or Felix Pie who batted .300 in the final month of the season and can steal bases.
But the Dodgers will win this series on Sunday at Dodger Stadium and then bring on the Phillies.
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