Ah,
yes! It’s been too long. I know the Chicago Cubs were here back in the
beginning of May, but I think it’s fair to say that Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals fans alike are as hungry for this series as they are for some
barbecue this weekend.
Forget
about the Mets and Giants; it’s game time in St. Louis. We have upon us a three-day weekend,
and there’s no better way to celebrate this nation’s God-blessed independence
and our freedom as its citizens than with a good ol’ Cubs vs. Cards series with
the NL Central top spot on the line right here in Midwestern USA.
To
guide you through your weekend and help you gear up what should be a spectacular
series, I have 10 questions for you to consider:
1.
Will St.
Louis experience a Cubbie Blue invasion?
Cubs
fans are rather thirsty after a 100-year struggle through the World Series
Championship-less desert. And they're excited about this club that's currently
leading the National League. When a Fourth of July holiday weekend in St. Louis
popped up on the schedule, there's no doubt Cubbie fans from around the country
started packing their bags for a three-day, divisional showdown in St. Louis.
Did Cardinals fans give up their tickets to brokers, who sold them at top dollar
to blue invaders? Or will the Cardinal Nation stand their ground, come out in
droves, and give their team a red-clad home field advantage like they usually
do?
2.
Will Jim Edmonds receive a standing
ovation?
Yes,
hearts are still breaking across St.
Louis as distraught female Cardinals fans are forced to
see their beloved Jimmy come to town in a Cubs uniform. A what? That’s right, a Cubs uniform. It's safe
to say there will be more Edmonds Cardinals jerseys in the stands this weekend
than Edmonds Cubs jerseys. The safe bet is that Cardinals fans will give Edmonds
a resounding ovation as they welcome him back to St. Louis and thank him for his
years of service, which included a World Championship, a slew of home runs,
numerous great defensive plays, as well as a fair share of exciting, and
completely unnecessary, diving catches (hey, I've got to get my digs in where I
can).
3.
Can Carlos Zambrano continue his
good run against the Cardinals?
Big Z
has some solid numbers against the Redbirds. Last season he went 3-0 with a 1.69
ERA and in 18 starts over his career he is 8-4 with a 2.37 ERA. The times the
Cards have beaten him have come in close pitching duels. With Braden Looper on the mound Friday night, the series will kick off with a bang as
Looper has the exact same career ERA (2.37) against the Cubs. The result could
set the tone for an action-packed holiday weekend. If Zambrano gets rattled,
keep an eye on his interaction with Edmonds in the Cubs dugout. Edmonds was victim of a
couple Zambrano bean balls, and the two have had their share of run-ins over the
years. Should Zambrano blow his top, will Edmonds help cool him down, keep his distance,
or serve as the in-dugout punching bag?
4.
Can the Cardinals solve the mystery that is the "soft-tossing
lefty"?
There's
something about lefties with fastballs in the 86-93 mph-range that makes
Cardinals bats shrivel up and wilt. And it's so well-known that Cubs skipper
Lou Piniella altered his rotation a bit, pinning back-to-back
soft-tossing lefties against the Cardinals Saturday and Sunday. First, it's
Ted Lilly in Saturday’s game and then recent Triple-A call-up Sean Marshall in the series finale. If the Cubs still had Glendon Rusch, they'd
probably let him take the mound too.
5.
Will either Lou Piniella or Tony La
Russa get ejected this weekend?
Both managers have a tendency to get
steamed on the bench, particularly in big series. Though the duo are quite
friendly and most certainly will keep their distance from each other, that's not
necessarily the case with the umpiring crew. With a young Cardinals team playing
about as well as can be expected facing their biggest series of the year, you
can bet La Russa is going to show his team he's got their back if calls start to
go against them. As for his counterpart, well, "Sweet" Lou can go sour faster
than flood waters busting through a levy. And hey, what's a Fourth of July
weekend without a little fireworks, right?
6.
Speaking of fireworks, will the game Friday night be affected by Fair St. Louis'
show?
The
game starts at 7:15pm CT Friday night. Fair St. Louis has their fireworks show on the
river, under the Arch, starting at 9:00pm. In a perfect world, the game would
end 15-30 minutes prior to the show and fans would be able to kick back in their
stadium seats and enjoy the show amidst the backdrop beyond the outfield
bleachers. But that’s not the way it’ll go unless Looper and Zambrano both toss
complete games and the score is 1-0. Most likely the game will be in full swing,
and there’s always a chance that the start of fireworks exploding over the city
could serve as an unexpected distraction.
7.
Will we escape the weekend without any InBev
references?
The Anheuser-Busch board of directors
recently passed on a buyout bid from Belgium beverage manufacturer InBev.
It looks like InBev could position themselves for a hostile takeover of A-B.
With the business news wires ablaze with this story, you can almost be
guaranteed you’ll see at least one Cub fan looking to get his jabs in on the
Cardinal Nation with a sign that says “Welcome to InBev Stadium”. Then again
Tribune Company (and Cubs) owner Sam Zell could very well sell the naming rights
to Wrigley Field quicker than you might be able to say “Old Style Field”. Is it
really all about the money?
8.
What will happen in the battle of the ex-teammates?
Jim Edmonds and Todd Wellemeyer will
get to face their former teams. While Edmonds might start all three games, Wellemeyer
will only be pitching on Sunday. Still, both players have a chance to make a
huge impact on the series, as could Jason Marquis should he be given an
opportunity to pinch-hit or run the bases. Keep
watch!
9.
Will long ball or small ball win out?
Is it
going to be a weekend of singles, stolen bases, sacrifices, and suicide
squeezes, or are the big red wiffle ball bats going to come out and play? Both
teams have speed, good fundamentals, and power hitting, so we could no doubt get
a balance all weekend long. But knowing how things go historically when these
two clubs hook up, don’t be surprised if Ryan Theriot goes yard and
Yadier Molina lays down a bunt single and steals second base… OK, that
one might be a stretch.
10.
What will the standings look like in the NL Central come Monday
morning?
At
51-35, the Cubs remain atop the NL Central division with the Cardinals hanging
tough at 49-28, just 2.5 games back. Both teams are coming off losses where they
were routed Thursday night. But the momentum is no doubt with the Cardinals as
the Cubs have dropped seven of their last 10 games. Barring any rainouts, we
have four possibilities. Yes, there is a chance that with a sweep the Cards
could find themselves perched atop the division by a half game. Otherwise, the
Cubbies will be leaving St.
Louis up 1.5, 3.5, or 5.5 games. No matter how you slice
and dice it, we’ve got a big series on our hands.
Have
a happy and safe Fourth of July, and enjoy the games!
Got a
question or comment? Send Pete an email at pete@petekhazen.com.
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