It's A Good Feeling

In a house on a lake somewhere north of Dallas, I watched the Padres finish off the Brewers, and with millions of other Cubs fans around the world—Cubs Nation—I muttered the words, “We’ll take it.”

After a dazzling final weekend at home, the Cubs came up flat against the Marlins, but the Brewers struggled against the Padres, and the Cubs were lucky enough to face a depleted Reds lineup, and a division win is a division win no matter whether you race forward into it or stumble backwards, so again: “We’ll take it.” Gladly.

We’re lucky, in a sense, because the story could have gone much differently. The dreaded Marlins could have been the fatal stumbling block yet again. Goodness knows the Cubs can’t beat the Marlins for anything, ever since 2003. There would have been something perversely literary about coming up short on account of the Cubs’ inability to conquer Florida. It could have happened that way.

Not this year, however. This year, it’s the playoffs, and the Marlins will not be in sight until April or May. This year, the Cubs have the best record in the NL in the last 3 months or so, and have a pitching rotation set up nicely. This year, Zambrano came up as the stopper when it was his time, pitching 7 shutout innings this time, the second important game in a row wherein he did not allow a run.

And did I mention the bats are hot?

So now, most everything is forgotten, from the recent series with the Marlins, to the problems of April and May. At least for now. A nice, easy, restful two games with enough playing time to keep everyone sharp, but with zero pressure, and then it’s on to the real matter at hand: NLDS game 1.

A lot of people will crunch a lot of numbers, and offer a lot of insights, and they will point in a lot of different directions. I might even do some of this myself, so far as I can. Right now, though, I simply can’t shake the feeling that the Cubs are ready to win. I’m downright giddy.

It’s a good feeling.

So I’ve finished the work I had to finish this morning and taken a moment to reflect. Now, I’m off to watch Rich Hill polish his curveball before the playoffs start, and watch the guys’ get what amounts to game-situation batting practice, and (I’ll admit) probably switch to the University of Texas football game several times since that’s a game that means something more in the scheme of things. The sun is shimmering off the lake, as I look out the window, and there’s not a cloud in sight. Yep, it’s a good weekend to be a Cubs fan. Let’s live it up.