By Rick Kaempfer and Dave Stern
As you may or may not realize, the Chicago Cubs are the hottest team in baseball. After a slow start, they have surged to within a few games of division leading Milwaukee. Anyone who has lived in Chicago for a long time knows what is going to happen next:
The Cubs are going to win it all this year.
Because it’s been a little while since this last occurred, many of our Chicago readers have been writing us with their questions. We don’t have room to answer all of them here today, but we’ll try to get through them before the parade in November.
“D” writes: “I’m getting a little nervous about all this World Series talk. Are we putting the cart before the horse?”
R&D: That phrase might have meant something the last time the Cubs won the World Series, but don’t forget that cars have been invented since then. Horses and carts are nowhere near as popular as they were the last time the Cubs won it all.
“A” writes: “Is there anything we can learn from the last Cubs World Series champions?”
R&D: Absolutely. Pitching and defense are the keys to winning it all. If our current Cubbies follow the lead of the 1908 Champions, they’ll be saying “World Champion Chicago Cubs” as soon as the news is telegraphed to all 46 states, including the brand new state of Oklahoma.
“B” writes: “Should the 2007 National League Champion Chicago Cubs be aware of any rule changes since their last World Series appearance in 1945?”
R&D: There have only been a few rule changes. During the 1960s the pitchers dominated in a big way – especially in 1968. That was the year that Bob Gibson had an ERA of 1.12, Denny McLain had 31 victories, and Carl Yastrzemski led the AL with a paltry .301 batting average. So the Baseball Rules Committee lowered the mound. Other changes included the shrinking of the strike zone and tighter enforcement against illegal pitches. Oh, and now they also allow Blacks to play.
“S” writes: “Since the World Series is played in October, what should I wear to Wrigley to combat the frigid evenings?”
R&D: Make sure you wear warm clothes in layers. We suggest a T-shirt under another T-shirt with a sweatshirt on top. Blue sweatshirts with the words “Renegades, Baseball” retain your natural heat the best. Since most of your body heat escapes through your head, wear big honking headphones. This is especially important if you’re sitting in the front row. Remember, you’re not just a spectator – you’re a participant.
“K” writes: “I’m going to take my folding chairs out of my parking space and reserve a space for the parade. Any idea which route the parade took last time? I want to get the best seat.”
R&D: They obviously avoided the notorious North Side German ghetto last time, so don’t waste your time placing your chairs on one of those unpaved dirt roads there.
“R” writes: “Will President Theodore Roosevelt attend the World Series this time? We’re all still a little miffed that he snubbed Chicago last time.”
R&D: Unfortunately, no. It looks like Roosevelt won’t be coming again this time. What do you expect from a New Yorker?
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Originally appearing at Half Empty. If you have any other questions about how to handle the World Series, feel free to send them to Rick and Dave. Between now and the big parade they’ll try to get to as many of your questions as they can.
Posted on July 26, 2007