The Party's Over...

That is, if the party ever really got started in the first place. Yesterdays final home game of the year was a fitting end to a tumultuous season at 1600 Addison. Follow suit to the rest of the season, in what was a apropo dark and rainy day, the Cubs failed to get a run home to tie the game in the 9th - after loading the bases with no outs.

One of the lone bright spots this year, Matt Murton, started off the night with a single up the middle and as the rain came down harder in the Cubs half of the ninth they started to catch some breaks. Jeromy Burnitz got on with a error by Pirate rookie 2B J.J. Furmaniak. Henry Blanco gets walked on 4 pitches attempting to bunt each time. Things are looking good to at least tie the game if not win it - enter stage left cubs season to the tee. Corey Patterson strolls to the plate and what does he do after watching Pirate pitcher Mike Gonzalez throw 4 straight no where near the strike zone, swings and fouls it off. After what was a iffy strike 2 call he swings at pitch low and outside he couldn't reach with a rake and one is gone.

Where was a squeeze to tie the game with your faster baserunner at the plate? Maybe they don't trust Corey enough to bunt properly or maybe Dusty has already checked himself out for the season, I don't know - but either way it's an indictment of the situation.

Next Dusty sent up the immortal Ben Grieve, immortal only because they can't seem to excise him from their system. When Grieve was called up a few weeks ago he was retreaded for the third time by this franchise and he hasn't really shown anything ever to stay with the team as a full-time reserve. How far can a former Rookie of the Year fall? That's a story for another day as Grieve performs as he should in the clutch, striking out routinely.

The closing chapter of this story involves the man which, if I could have posted on my site here during the summer you would have learned of my contempt for this man, a man which plays no true position in the field, and man which cannot hit, and man which cannot throw, a man who should not be on the Cubs roster, Jose Macias. I will give Macias credit, he can play any position on the diamond, however he just cannot play them well. So down one with the bases loaded Jose takes the first two pitches for balls, could he be working his way to a walk and force the tying run in? Sorry, my hopes for someone who plays smart baseball came surface and clouded my vision as Macias preceded to popup a pitch which may have been a strike and the home slate for our 2005 Chicago Cubs. Another disappointing end to a disappointing game to a disappointing home season (and season in general).

You know things are bad when even Dusty comments on the situation, "You've got bases loaded, nobody out and don't get anyone home, and you've got first and third earlier and a double-play erased that, it was symbolic of our season." I hope he didn't just figure this out, but he goes on. "It seems like we get in that situation and don't get anything out of it. It's very frustrating. I thought we had a great chance to win that ballgame." Earlier this month when Baker suicide-squeezed I nearly had a coronary and promptly spit out my drink when it happened again a week or so later. Where was a move like that today? The Cubs are tied for 23rd in MLB for BA with runners in scoring position, and God knows how awful if Aramis and Lee are taken out of the equation. How many times do your players have to not come through for the manager to take initiative himself?

Now the Cubs can go to Houston and hopefully hang four L's on them to knock them out of the playoffs, but the Phillies need to do their part as well, which is probably not likely. There is going to be some major changes for the Cubbies next season and we'll be taking a look at them in the coming days.