Half a game away

Hey yaars,

While I've been somewhat skeptical of the Jays chances (though hopefully optimistic), I've been ranting since the winter about how the Cubs will take the NL Central. And after a few months of ribbing from Jamie about how terrible they were, guess who's only a 1/2 game away?

Da Cubs!

I've had an affinity for the team since 2002, my first year at the "Cable Box" and debut in the realm of fantasy baseball. I was pleasantly surprised at finishing 2nd out of 8 in my first ever pool and it was anchored by what was essentially the Cubs pitching staff. If I recall correctly, my staff consisted of Kerry Wood, Matt Clement, Carlos Zambrano, and a mid-season pickup of Mark Prior (I stayed up all night waiting for him to reach the Yahoo! waiver wires - I still think it was well worth it!).

The cincher was definitely last year's trip to Chicago, where I got the opportunity to enter the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, and had arguably my best baseball experience ever (Milwaukee this year was pretty darn close!). I've had Carlos Zambrano on a fantasy squad of mine since and may well have a man-crush on him. Big-Z has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball since the Barrett incident and he's trucking along as the only 14 game winner in the Majors. At this point, I'm trying very hard to convince my brother that a trip to Wrigley in the coming months is not only recommended, but necessary. (Our 2007 Chicago trip ended the day before the Cubs home opener :( ).

As for my hometown heroes, I have to admit I've been pleasantly surprised with the Jays solid pitching performances of late. I think it's only a matter of time before things get sorted, and I will once again re-iterate - put Thomas in the SIX spot!!! He's a liability on the base paths, and is better served driving in runs, instead of DP'ing them away! I still have faith that somehow my dream of Thomas at 6 will be solidified and I no longer have to worry about the likelihood of inning-enders.

Anyhow, thought I'd get my baseball $0.02 in, hope you enjoyed the rant!