CURSE

If the Red Sox can do it, so can we!

                   Sammy Sosa 

           Chicago Cubs 1992-2004

Complete statistics at mlb.com

• 1998 National League MVP: .308 BA, 66 Home Runs (2nd in MLB), 158 RBI (Led MLB)
• 574 Career Home Runs (7th all-time, thru 2004), 545 with Cubs
• 1998-2001: 243 HR, 50+ all four years, 60+ three years
• First Latin player to hit 500 career home runs
• Hit 20 HR in June '98, most ever in one month 
• Along with St. Louis's Mark McGwire, helped revive baseball after the 1994 strike with the Home Run Race of 1998.

Congratulations to former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg on being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame!  He won the National League MVP award when the Cubs won their division in 1984.

Highlights of the 2004 Season

The Cubs drew 3,000,000 fans for the first time in team history.  They are the first Chicago team to get to that milestone.  It is especially remarkable considering the small ballpark that the Cubs play in.

In 2003 the Cubs won 88 games.  In 2004 they won 89 games, considering all the injuries.  Wood, Prior, Sosa, Hollandsworth, Martinez, Macias, Goodwin, Borowski, Mercker, Remlinger, Grudzielanek, Gonzalez, Wellemeyer, Farnsworth, and Dempster all had trips to the Disabled List.  Ramirez, Garciaparra, Clement, and Grieve all had day-to-day injuries.  First back-to-back winning seasons in 30 years.

The Cubs sent three players to the All-Star Game in Houston this year: Sosa, Alou, and Zambrano.  Four of the Cubs' starting pitchers have been All-Stars at some point in their careers.

The Cubs acquired all-star shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at the trade deadline.  

The Cubs had four players hit 30 or more homers apiece.  Moises Alou (39), Aramis Ramirez (36), Sammy Sosa (35), Derrek Lee (32).  

With Wood and Prior hurt, it was Carlos Zambrano's turn to shine.  The 23-year-old right-hander went 16-8 with a microscopic 2.75 ERA, 4th in the National League.  He was the National League's Pitcher of the Month in September, going 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA.

Greg Maddux picked up his 300th career win (above), coming back to the team who originally brought him to the Major Leagues.  He had 16 wins for the year, tying Zambrano for the team lead.  He is the only pitcher in history to have 17 consecutive seasons with 15 wins or more.  In case THAT weren't enough, he won his 14th consecutive Gold Glove.

Left-hander Glendon Rusch turned his career around, going 6-2 with a 3.47 ERA.  In 2003 he went 1-12 with a 6.42 ERA with the Brewers.  He was valuable for the Cubs because he was effective out of the rotation when Wood and Prior were hurt.  After they got healthy, Rusch went back to the bullpen and was able to eat innings.  Thought by some to be the Cubs' pitching MVP.

Rookie right-hander Jon Leicester went 5-1 with a 3.89 ERA when he was forced up from AAA.  His first major league win came in a 15-inning game against the Angels.  He pitched 3 innings.

The Iowa Cubs (AAA affiliate) won their division this year.  When at AAA, Mike Wuertz was the closer, saving 19 games (2.42 ERA).  Outfielder Jason Dubois hit .314 with 31 homers.

For next year...

Next year's apparent team (naming as many players as I can):

The Lineup:

                                      Patterson

Hollandsworth/Dubois                                       Burnitz

                    Garciaparra                       Walker

Ramirez                                                                           Lee

                                        Barrett

The Rotation:                                    The Bullpen:

Wood (R)                                          Rusch? (L)

Prior (R)                                            Remlinger (L)

Zambrano (R)                                    Hawkins (R)

Maddux (R)                                        Leicester (R)

Rusch (L) ???                                     Wuertz? (R)

                                                        Dempster (Closer?) (R)

Although Matt Clement is gone to free agency, the Cubs' starting rotation will still be the envy of the National League.  They will still have the young trio of Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, and Carlos Zambrano.  Oh, and did I mention 300-game-winner Greg Maddux?  Ryan Dempster and Glendon Rusch are candidates for the #5 starter.  QUALITY STARTING PITCHING IS WHAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Getting a (REAL) closer would improve the bullpen dramatically.

You really want to know how?  Okay, okay, I'll explain.  Getting a closer would put LaTroy Hawkins back into the setup role where he does his best work, and the guy who would pitch the eighth inning now pitches the seventh.  The Cubs have talked about Ryan Dempster closing.

They re-signed SS Nomar Garciaparra to a one-year deal to show the world that he can play a full season.  2B Todd Walker will be back and will probably be a starter this year because Mark Grudzielanek is gone.  

The Cubs have also already re-signed middle infielder Neifi Perez, outfielder/pinch hitting specialist Todd Hollandsworth, and pitchers Ryan Dempster and Glendon Rusch.  

IN DUSTY WE TRUSTY...EAMUS CATULI! (Go Cubs!)  

(Espanol viniendo pronto)

"I agree with him!"	"Andy, you're #1!"	"What he said!"
"In Dusty I trusty!"	"I agree with me!"	"Listen to him!"