The polls show that the presidential election seems to be breaking in in favor of Chicago’s Barack Obama, but this year’s Chicago Cubs couldn’t catch a break when it mattered. I’m still hoping to see Obama make history on November 4, but tonight I watched the Cubs make the wrong kind of history, extending their World Series drought to a full century by falling 3-1 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a match-up of former Yankees managers, Joe Torre bested Lou Piniella. The Cubs had taken the regular season series from the Dodgers, 5-2, but as we all know, the slate is wiped clean for the playoffs.
(Met fans know: we remember how the team stopped hitting in the 1986 postseason and were forced to eke out a win against the Red Sox through a series of improbable events, and we remember losing to the Dodgers two years later because of a pitching juggernaut named Orel Hershiser. The Dodgers, by the way, are going back to the NLCS for the first time in the 20 years since defeating the Mets in 1988.)
Meanwhile, it isn’t looking too good for the White Sox either, who are down 2-0 to Tampa Bay. At least the Milwaukee Brewers salvaged a bit of midwestern pride by beating the Phillies tonight.
So it’s time to shift gears once again: here’s hoping for a World Series that Hank Steinbrenner will hate, with Joe Torre, Manny Ramirez, and the Dodgers meeting the Red Sox. The team from Boston now finds itself improbably up 2-0 over the Los Angeles Angels, owners of the best record in major League Baseball this year at 100-62. With game three later today in Boston and Josh Beckett on the mound, things are looking pretty good for the Sox.
Meanwhile, the Mets have done the right thing, signing manager Jerry Manuel to a two-year contract. General Manager Omar Minaya released a statement in which he said: “Jerry did a very good job taking over the club midseason, and we believe that he is the right person to manage
our team and lead us to the postseason.” I agree. Now, Omar, just get Jerry a decent bullpen, a reliable second baseman, and a right-handed bat for the middle of the line-up.
