By Marty Gangler
Remember when you and your little brother had that “good” relationship? You were the top dog and he accepted it? And then something changed, right? He was no longer happy just being second fiddle and he let you know about it. You didn’t automatically get the first crack at the pile of pork chops; he wanted the best one and he wasn’t going to accept the second best (or third if Dad got top billing) pork chop that had that little extra fat on it. Remember how that all went down?
You may be asking yourself, what the heck is he talking about or you may be saying, I know where he is going with this. Either way, I’m talking about the Milwaukee Brewers.
I took in the Cubs/Brewers game on Friday night this week and I have to say – what happened to the fun little trip up north? Because after that game – the Brewers won 3-2 in dramatic fashion – things really got weird.
Okay, it was getting weird the whole way, but it got very weird after the game.
Even before the game in the car on the way to the parking lot I heard a few “Go back to Illinois!” statements throw in my direction. After the game, as pretty much all Brewers fans celebrated as if it was Game 3 of the World Series and not Game 1 of a three-game series in early May – I was showered with obscenities.
I wanted to say, “Hey, I wasn’t the guy playing the Go Cubs Go song in the parking lot. I was the guy talking about how good Ryan Braun is with the guy parked next to me.”
But this was Friday night at Miller Park and no one wanted to check credentials. I was just another a-hole Cub Fan from Illinois who wanted to sleep with your sister or whatever the Wisconsin equivalent is.
So I guess the fun little trip up north is over forever and that little brother isn’t so little anymore. Okay, maybe he’s still little, but he’s just super pissed these days. He’s done playing second fiddle and he’s going to tell you about it. Okay. I guess that’s the way it’s gonna be. That’s not to say that I didn’t have fun because I did. Tailgating was great and some really cool Brewer fans gave us some hot dog buns because we ran out – so it wasn’t all bad. And just like your little brother – who isn’t that little anymore – you can be at each other’s throats one minute and then decide to split that last pork chop. Maybe next time.
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Week in Review: The Cubs went 4-3, splitting a two-game series with the Giants, sweeping a two-game series with the Astros, and losing two of three to the Brewers. Once again, not really good but not really bad – which is kind of like the season so far.
Week in Preview: The Cubs come home for six games this week, with three against thepadres and three against the Astros. Both teams are bad – actually the Cubs aren’t really that good right now either so all teams involved this week are bad right now. So whoever is less bad will win these series’.
The Second Basemen Report: The Cub Factor would like to welcome Bobby Scales to second base. Bobby got two starts there with Aaron Miles and Mike Fontenot sharing the others. The Cubs also traded for Ryan Freel this week, and he can play second base so you have to think that the roster is finally coming into focus as there are now at least four guys that will be in the mix. That’s the way Jim Hendry always seems to draw it up.
In former second baseman news, Mark DeRosa is playing multiple positions for the Indians this season and has his average up to .246. Ronny Cedeno is also playing multiple positions for the Mariners and is batting .138. They are both missed, especially in the field.
The Zam Bomb: Time on the DL is not enough to calm Big Z down. He remains furious.
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Endorsement No-Brainer: Bobby Scales for Me TV’s reruns of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Because you’re going to make it after all.
Lost in Translation: Hellisio Belliso is Japanese for “still a great intro.”
Milton Bradley Game of the Week: Memory. As in, remember that this guy can actually hit when healthy and not insane.
Sweet and Sour Lou: 55% Sweet, 45% Sour. Lou is down one more point on the Sweet-O-Meter due to a bad bullpen and still even more injuries. And just like your real crazy drunk uncle, Lou is beginning to think he’s too old to watch you kids over the summer. This was supposed to be an easy summer for Lou but you kids are making him work harder than ever and he’s had zero hammock time to relax. He was really looking forward to the hammock this summer.
Don’t Hassle The Hoff: Hoff is starting to show how expendable Derrek Lee is. But it’s not his fault he’s good, so don’t hassle him.
Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by the The Cub Factor staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has determined that the Italian Sausage is a better-than-even proposition, but the Chorizo is not to be underestimated.
Over/Under: Number of games Milton Bradley will play the rest of the year: +/- 65.
Fantasy Fix: How the surprise superstar of the surprise Blue Jays slipped through.
The Cub Factor: Unlike Soriano, you can catch ’em all!
Mount Lou: If one more tourist turns an ankle while climbing Mount Lou, it’s gonna blow. Big time.
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Posted on May 11, 2009