The Curse of Nostradumbass

A special Diamondback edition of A Clockwork Orange.
Article title courtesy IMissBob.

(For the record, I have purposely not written about the Diamondbacks, and I still won't do so, because I am a big believer in the moachichi. I'm waiting until it's all over, even though I've come close many times since July.)

Let the excuses begin. Come on, Cub fans, bring it on.

First, a bit of destiny to think about. Two numbers, specifically - six and sixteen. That was the Diamondbacks record over the 22 games prior to Stephen Drew's tie-breaking two-run homer on July 21, 2007, the game considered by most to be the turning point in the Diamondbacks season.

Sixteen to six. The Diamondbacks outscored the Cubs 16-6 in the series.

Now about those excuses. What will it be this time? There were no black cats or Billy goats (well, there was ONE). As far as anyone knows, Steve Bartman didn't even show up to the game. Not that I don't blame him. The team he loved and supported all his life turned its collective backside on him when he needed that love returned the most.

No curses this time . . . sorry.

No. This was a bad team squeaking into the playoffs by winning a division full of bad teams. But you'd never know it with that shameful TBS broadcast, highlighting every Cubs fan at OUR ball park. The Cubs were the better team, we were told (not that any D-Backs fan believed it).

The Cubs were more experienced (only 4 Diamondbacks with postseason experience), had a better line up (if you go by batting averages), and they had the better pitching (2nd best team ERA in the league).

They were picked by some even to go to the World Series. After all, if the Cardinals could do it last year coming out of the same god-awful division, ANYTHING is possible, right?

Wrong. Well, not in this case.

Why? Because Lou Piniella decided to take Zambrano out early in game one, saving him for a game four that would never come?

Please. Don't insult the baseball gods.

That move simply expedited the inevitable. I'm sure there will be TONS of speculation in the coming week on all the opinion shows about whether or not that move cost the Cubs a shot at advancing. I can't wait to hear the domino theory some schmuck will invariably contrive to explain how that move led to the collapse.

Well, it was the sixth inning of a tie ball game. The Cubs were not leading. In fact, they just barely tied the game the previous inning. They didn't score again off Brandon Webb, Brandon Lyon, or Jose Valverde.

So how did that Zambrano move cost them the game? Marmol was going to come in eventually. And he gave up another run in game 3, so it's not like it mattered when he came in. He was a young pitcher in over his head. It was going to happen.

Now, although that move did not lose the series, it did indicate how the series was lost. One word - disrespect. Piniella arrogantly assumed that there would even be a game four. At some point, he had to have looked onto that field, across to that other dugout, and said, "You know what? We're better than these guys. Webb's the only threat."

BIG mistake against a team whose motto is "Anybody, Anytime."

Another thing to think about, as I watch Derek Lee blame his team's early golf pro appointment on its inability to harness its own God-given talent -- in the history of professional sports, the "better team" has never - I repeat, NEVER - been swept out of the playoffs. It just doesn't happen. "Better" teams find ways to win, even when all looks lost. Even when the Billy goat is hanging from the lovable drunk (no mention of that one on the blatantly Cubs-friendly broadcast, surprisingly).

The bottom line -- no more excuses. No curses, no bonehead plays, no bad managerial moves, phantom fan interference. A 90-win team beat an 85-win team, plain and simple.

Cubs fans now have to face one unavoidable truth. They lost because they were a BAD team. They lost every other time because they were not the better team.

Never have been.

At this rate - never will be.

Lou Pinella may be a great manager, and Bob Melvin may be a "postseason neophyte", but there's just no denying that the best team won.

No complaints. No excuses. Not a peep.

Though an apology from Jay Mariotti would be nice.