Agony & Ivy

Greatest Moments: No. 2, Merkle's Boner

The Cubs' chances of winning a second straight world championship and third straight National League pennant were not looking promising on Aug. 16, 1908 when Philadelphia right-hander George McQuillan outdueled the Cubs' Jack Pfiester in a 1-0 Phillies victory at Chicago's West Side Grounds.

Greatest Moments, No. 4: The Sandberg Game

The Cubs' season was at a crossroads when the St. Louis Cardinals visited Wrigley Field for a three-game series, June 22-24, 1984.

The Phillies' Phenomenal Rotation

There are several interesting storylines heading into the 2011 major league season. Among them:

Greatest Moments: No. 5, Mr. Cub's 500th Homer

(Editor's Note: Twenty-sixth in a series recalling the 30 greatest moments in Cubs history.)

Radio talk show host Dennis Prager often tells his listeners that "happy people make the world better" so therefore "we have a moral obligation to act as happy as possible."

Ernie Banks - who turned 80 on Jan. 31 - played on some awful Cubs teams for much of his career, endured some nagging injuries, at least one death threat, and many of the difficulties that no doubt were presented to him as one of a group of pioneering black major league players. But throughout his career and since his retirement, Mr. Cub has continued to smile.

Greatest Moments: No. 8, Game 163

(Editor's Note: Twenty-third in a series recalling the 30 greatest moments in Cubs history.)

The 1998 Cubs will never be mentioned when the greatest teams in franchise history are discussed.

Greatest Moments: No. 12, Holtzman's No-Strikeout No-Hitter

(Editor's Note: Nineteenth in a series recalling the 30 greatest moments in Cubs history.)

Whenever I watch footage of Ken Holtzman's no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field on Aug. 19, 1969, I am struck by the smiles on the faces of the Cubs players as they mobbed Holtzman after the final out.

Greatest Moments: No. 25, Maddux's 300th Victory

(Editor's Note: Sixth in a series recalling the 30 greatest moments in Cubs history.)

Greg Maddux is my all-time favorite Cub.

I watched Maddux grow up before my eyes, from a green rookie to the best pitcher of my generation. Maddux, besides being great, was reliable, modest, never made excuses when he failed, and was a great teammate. The team always came first. What was there not to admire about the guy?

13 Moments to Forget

You don't put together a 103-year championship drought without a few infamous and embarrassing moments. Cubs history is full of head-scratching and gut-wrenching moments. I believe these are the 13 worst:

100 Worst: No. 94 Jerry Martin

Outfielder, 1979-80

.250 BA, 42 HR, 146 RBI with Cubs

(Editor's Note: Seventh in a series identifying the 100 worst Cubs of all-time.)

I remember watching the news on Feb. 23, 1979 when Johnny Morris led his sports report with the news that the Cubs had traded Manny Trillo, Greg Gross, and Dave Rader to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Jerry Martin, Barry Foote, and Ted Sizemore. I stopped whatever I was doing and stood in our family room in stunned silence. I was only an 8-year-old third grader, but I knew it was a rotten deal for the Cubs.

100 Worst: No. 96 Rick Aguilera

Pitcher, 1999-2000

7-5, 37 saves, 4.31 ERA with Cubs

(Editor's Note: Fifth in a series identifying the 100 worst Cubs of all-time.)

Rick Aguilera had a solid 16-year major league career and was one of the better closers of the 1990s, but he did not bring along the super powers he possessed in Minnesota when he joined the Cubs in 1999.

Ex-Cub Report No. 3

For the first time in my life, I felt sorry for the New York Yankees when they fell to the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series.

Cubs Player Rankings

The improved play the Cubs demonstrated under interim manager Mike Quade during the season's final weeks (a 24-13 record) was encouraging but it doesn't change the fact that the 2010 season was an unmitigated disaster.

2003: Cubs Sweep Into Postseason

Only twice in my lifetime have the Cubs come out on top in a tight regular season race that wasn't decided until the final weekend.

1998: Game 163

The 1998 Cubs will never be mentioned when the greatest teams in franchise history are discussed.

1989: Boys of Zimmer Clinch

The 2007 Cubs Convention at the Hilton Chicago featured a panel discussion of the 1989 NL East champion Cubs. The panel consisted of seven members of that team: Mike Bielecki, Doug Dascenzo, Mark Grace, Les Lancaster, Ryne Sandberg, Dwight Smith, and Jerome Walton. The quote that sticks with me from that discussion came from Grace.

"1989 was my favorite year in a Cubs uniform," said Grace, who that year as a 25-year-old led the team in RBI, played first base superbly, and went an incredible 11-for-17 with five extra-base hits in the North Siders' disappointing loss to the San Francisco Giants in the National League Championship Series.

Central Miscasting

Wednesday's 4-0, no-hit loss by the Cincinnati Reds to Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, was the 10th in a row in postseason play by NL Central champions.

1908: Merkle's Boner

The Cubs' chances of winning a second straight world championship and third straight National League pennant were not looking promising on Aug. 16, 1908 when Philadelphia right-hander George McQuillan outdueled the Cubs' Jack Pfiester in a 1-0 Phillies victory at Chicago's West Side Grounds.

1998: Wild-Card Fever

When the Milwaukee Brewers visited Wrigley Field for a three-game weekend series Sept. 11-13, 1998, I had a full-blown case of Wild Card Fever.

1969: That Sinking Feeling

I wasn't around in 1969 but I can relate to the way Cubs fans in September of that year must have felt.

Building a Winner is Not a Zero-Sum Game

Much of the debate regarding how the Cubs should go about building a winner has centered on whether the team should "play the kids" or pursue a quicker fix.