Hi Gang, just settling into off-season mode in Chicagoland these days. Lots of long dog walks in the neighborhood, catching up on my
non-baseball reading and movies with my wife, running our son around to basketball or football (he's only 4 so we're still in the nerf stage!) AND keeping track of the latest MLB moves and rumors.

Now, I don't make calls to people "in the know" to get the inside scoop in November. If I just so happen to talk to someone inside the game, certainly I'll drop a "So what's the latest?" question on them, but for the most part, I read the same papers and websites and blogs that you all do to keep up with what's happening.

And I suspect it's going to get VERY interesting for the Cubs real soon as Jim Hendry maps out his moves for a huge off-season. My plan here is to just kind of occasionally jump on the blog and give you some random thoughts on the Cubs first and foremost, but also on what some other clubs might be doing as we gauge the landscape of the division, the league and the entire majors in 2006.

I look forward to your thoughts throughout the winter and as always,
I'm happy to answer (or at least try to) any questions you may have.

Bob Vorwald wrote a nice congratulatory note to the White Sox last week and I'll just add my congratulations as well and this thought: whether or not you like the Sox, as a baseball fan you certainly have to give them their due--they were the best team in baseball this season and they deserved to win the World Series. That can't really be debated.

Len

For the first time in 88 years, Chicago is home to the world champions of baseball.

I absolutely love the fact that this team won its first and last game of the year 1-0. That's all you really need to know about them.

Talk about 25 guys - in the playoffs, I watched Ozuna steal a key base, Crede hit several game-winners, AJ P get in the middle of everything, Taguchi beat the Red Sox with a homer, Konerko bury the Angels, Podsednik & Blum hit game-winning dingers, Willie Harris start the Series-clinching rally, Uribe save a game diving into the stands and an entire pitching staff dominate the postseason. That's a team. If you like baseball at all, it's hard not to appreciate what they accomplished.

There's hope here Cub fans. Look where the White Sox were at the end of last season. They made key changes, did the little things from start to finish, and grabbed the ultimate reward.

Now there's one drought left.....it's going to be an exciting offseason.

bob v

Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox – World Series Game 4
* 12 of the last 13 teams to go ahead 3-0 in the World Series have completed the sweep in Game 4.
* Brandon Backe is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four career playoff starts at home. The Astros have won each of Backe’s four starts at Minute Maid in the postseason.
* Freddy Garcia is 4-0 with a 2.97 ERA in five career playoff starts on the road, with his teams winning each of those contests.
* The White Sox used nine different pitchers to win Game 3. The 14 innings that it took to complete Game 3 tied it for the longest game by innings in World Series history. The only other game that lasted as long was Game 2 of the 1916 World Series. The Boston Red Sox outlasted the Brooklyn Robins 2-1 behind the strong left arm of Babe Ruth who went the distance for the Red Sox.
* With a win tonight, the White Sox would join the 1999 Yankees as the only teams to go 11-1 in a single postseason.
* The Astros are looking to avoid becoming the second team to get swept in their first ever trip to the World Series (1907 Detroit Tigers).
* The White Sox have won 10 straight road games dating back to the regular season. Chicago’s 52-29 record away from home was the best in the majors this season.
* Aaron Rowand has reached base safely in 10 of the White Sox’ 11 games this postseason.
* Willy Taveras is hitting just .188 at home in this postseason, compared to a batting average of .440 on the road.

Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox – World Series Game 3
* The last team to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the World Series was the 1996 Yankees, who lost the first two at home to Atlanta. The last team to overcome a 0-2 deficit after losing the first two games on the road was the 1981 Dodgers over Yankees.
* The Sox have won six games in a row and 14 of their last 15 contests overall dating back to the regular season. They are 4-0 on the road in this postseason.
* Chicago is 9-1 this postseason and since the advent of the Division Series in 1995, only two other teams have started a postseason with nine wins in 10 games, Atlanta in 1995 and the Yankees in 1999.
* Houston has lost back-to-back games for the first time this postseason.
* Every hitter in the Sox’ Game 2 lineup had at least one hit. In Game 1, only Tadahito Iguchi drew the collar.
* Chicago has hit at least one home run in nine of its 10 games this postseason. Thirty of the 59 runs scored by the White Sox in the playoffs have come off of homers.
* Willy Taveras is hitting .400 this postseason (14-for-35), the highest of any player participating in the World Series.
* Craig Biggio has the most hits of any player in the postseason with 15, but is just 1-for-8 in the World Series.
* Paul Konerko’s grand slam in Game 2 was the 18th in World Series history. Konerko is hitting .293 with 5 HR and 15 RBI in 10 games this postseason.
* Scott Podsednik was first player in league history to hit a walkoff home run in the World Series after hitting no homers during the regular season.
*Roy Oswalt, at 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA, is the first Astros pitcher to record three wins in a single postseason. His four career playoff wins are tied with Roger Clemens for the most in franchise history.
* Jon Garland, who led the White Sox with 18 wins during the regular season, is making just his second start of the postseason. Garland allowed two runs on four hits in a complete-game victory against the Angels in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox – World Series Game 1
* It has been 45 years since the White Sox were in the World Series (1959), which is three years longer than the Astros have been a franchise (1962). The Astros are making their first ever trip to the World Series.
* The winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the World Series in seven of the last eight seasons, with the lone exception being the 2002 Anaheim Angels.
* The Astros are the fourth NL Wild Card team to advance to the World Series in the last six seasons (NYM – 2000; SF – 2002, Fla – 2003).
* Chicago is looking to become the first division winner since the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks to win the World Series.
* Houston (89-73) is trying to become the third team since the league expanded its regular season to 162 games in 1961 to win the World Series in a non-strike season with less than 90 wins. (1987 Twins – 85; 2000 Yankees – 87)
* Houston is looking to become the fifth consecutive 1st time World Series participant to win the Fall Classic. (2002 Angels, 2001 Diamondbacks, 1997 Marlins, and 1992 Blue Jays)
* Ozzie Guillen, born in Venezuela, is the second foreign born manager to guide his team to the World Series in the history of baseball. The other is Bruce Bochy, born in France, who guided the 1998 San Diego Padres to the World Series (Swept by NYY).
* Roger Clemens is 3-0 with a 1.90 ERA in seven career starts in the World Series. While with the Yankees, Clemens went 1-3 with an 8.33 ERA in his last five starts against the White Sox.
* This will be Clemens’ 8th Postseason Game 1 start tying him for 2nd with Whitey Ford (Greg Maddux – 11), but his first Game 1 start in the World Series. In Clemens’ prior seven Game 1 starts he was 1-3 with a 4.60 ERA and his team won only two of his seven starts.
* At age 43, Clemens will be the second-oldest pitcher to start a World Series game, behind Jack Quinn, who was 46 years of age when he pitched for the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics. If Clemens wins a game in the World Series he will be the oldest pitcher to win a World Series game (Dolf Luque was 43 years, 64 days when he won a game in the 1933 World Series).
* Paul Konerko has hit Roger Clemens extremely well throughout his career, recording eight hits, seven of which were for extra bases, in 18 at-bats (.444 BAVG).
* Jose Contreras is 10-1 with a 2.32 ERA over his last 11 starts dating back to August 21. He pitched at least 8.0 innings in six of those outings. With a victory, Contreras would join Red Faber (1917) as the only White Sox hurlers to win three games in a single postseason.
* Righthanded batters have hit just .136 (6/44) vs. Contreras this postseason.
* Since 1946 only one team has put together five consecutive complete games (1956 Yankees). Chicago will look to match this feat in Game 1.
* Bobby Jenks is five-for his last-five in save opportunities, but he has not pitched in a full two weeks (last outing 10/7 vs. Bos).
* A.J. Pierzynski has a lifetime postseason slugging percentage vs. LHP of .154, but vs. RHP his slugging percentage is .783.
* In Game 2 on Sunday, Andy Pettitte will again look for his 15th career postseason victory, which would tie John Smoltz for the most all-time.

With the Fall Classic set to start in Chicago tomorrow, it's always fun to look back, so I thought I'd give everyone the chance to post a favorite World Series moment or two. I have three that come to mind right away:

*1972 - Oakland A's vs. Cincinnati Reds. During Game 4 in Oakland with the Reds threatening, Johnny Bench was up against Rollie Fingers and the count ran 3-2. After manager Dick Williams went to the mound for a conference, the sign was given for an intentional ball four by Gene Tenace. Instead, Fingers threw a perfect slider that caught the outside corner as a stunned Bench took strike three. The A's went on to win the Series in 7.

1991 - Before Game 6 at the Metrodome, the Twins' Kirby Puckett told his teammates to hop on his back and he didn't disappoint. Puckett made a tremendous leaping grab in center field to rob a home run, then hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning. The Twins won Game 7 the next night behind a 10-inning shutout from Jack Morris.

2003 - this might be a stretch, but I was fortunate enough to attend Game 6 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. After the 7th inning stretch with the Cubs ahead 3-0, a huge portion of the crowd left the seats and went into the concourse for a last bathroom break, food, or drink so that they would be in their seats and set when the Cubs finally did it. I will always remember the faces - not raucous or wild, but for the most part reflective, joyful, and almost somber about the moment at hand. I saw people looking at pictures of loved ones they had brought in a pocket and making calls to friends around the country. I think of those scenes often - a Cubs World Series didn't happen then, but it will some day soon.

What is your favorite Series moment?

bob v

And why?

*Does the rest help or hurt the Sox?

*I think the fact that the Sox have seen Pettite and Clemens from the AL (Konerko a combined 17/41 against the two and Dye 12/36) gives them an advantage over the Astros who have not seen Contreras and Buerhle.

*It's a bit of an understatement to say that both starting staffs are strong at this point, but I have to give the edge to the White Sox offense. Until Biggio's line single last night, the Astros were 4/39 with runners in scoring position in the NLCS.

*Games 6 and 7 are in Chicago, where the Sox have yet to celebrate this year (they won the division in Detroit, the ALDS in Boston, and the ALCS in Anaheim of great Los Angeles and surrounding California and the West Coast).

bob v.

*Not to brag (then please don't - but I'm rarely right and almost never in print), but I have all six previous series right on this site. This time, I have the White Sox in six.

Fellow Cub fans, did anyone share a horrifying flashback of sorts as Albert Pujols' missile took off into orbit in last night's ninth inning? It was surreal how quiet the crowd became right after that. What a kick in the groin! One strike away from the Promised Land with Brad Lidge in command, and a few minutes later it was back to St. Louis.

Was this worse than the Cubs in 2003?

The easy answer will be "no" if the Astros go to St. Louis and win a game to get to their first World Series. However if they fail, this collapse will be discussed in all the same conversations about October failure that usually are headlined by the Cubs of two years ago. Because of the Yankees history of success, they seem to get more of a pass on last year's demise after being up 3-0.

How do you feel - where will this one rank?

bob v

First off, congratulations to the White Sox on winning the AL pennant. They are clearly the best team in the AL and deserve to be in the World Series. Their starting pitching has been just jaw-dropping and if that continues, the Sox have a great shot at winning it all. Not sure how Cubs fans out there feel about all this. Feel free to post your feelings.

I wanted to answer a few posts we've gotten over the past couple weeks. Here goes...
---
hey len,

i just wanted to ask a question about nomar's future with the cubs. i would love to see him back next year. i think he has proved to us that he is willing to do just about anything for the sake of the team, such
as playing third when aramis went down, or remember the night he got hurt in st. louis, he asked to dusty to drop him to the sixth slot because he was struggling. not only that, but he is still a very great hitter. what are the chances he will be back next year?

Posted by Brixen Ivy at October 7, 2005 11:45 AM

LEN: Hi Brixen, Nomar has already had an eventful off-season, helping save 2 women in the Boston Harbor. Let me say this - Nomar was a joy to be around and I just wish he had been healthy all year. The man can
simply hit. However, I'm not sure where he fits in next year - his asking price will likely be pretty high. The Cubs would like to improve defensively and I'm not sure I see him as a left fielder. My gut tells me he won't be back, but you never know.

---
Hey len how's it going i bet you are havin fun at home and i hope the cubs next year is goin to be good! and i hope we keep nomar on the cubs next year dempster is allways our closer no matter what and i hope we
keep our bullpen strong and i hope you are enjoing your offseason things. this blog is so fun for the cubs fans! lets hope the white sox win today!

Posted by kristenCarrier at October 7, 2005 11:49 AM

LEN: Kristen, yes, having fun getting into off-season mode and enjoying Chicago now that I have some more time off.

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Hey Len , I hope you are enjoying your time off!
Just want to say Thanks to you and Bob for doing an awesome job this year!I am looking forward to the return of The baseball season in"06". I hope Nomar returns next year also. I also hope they will re-sign Todd Walker. Have you heard anything about them being re-signed?My husband is a sox fan and I have been watching too. I was wondering if you were catching any of the games? Have a great off season!

Posted by Debbie at October 7, 2005 02:13 PM

LEN: Hi Debbie, yes, I've been watching the post-season when I've been able to. I'm getting the impression most fans want to see Nomar return. It will be interesting to see what the Cubs do.

---
It's nice to hear from you....I hope you are enjoying your time off....I want you to know, Len, that I for one really appreciate the time and effort you put into your broadcasts. It really showed......I can tell you are dedicated.

If it hasn't already....you will find that the Cubs really grow on you and you will soon be a TRUE Fan if for nothing else because you can't help it.

It's GREAT to have a talent like you in the family.

Have a wonderful offseason and see you at Spring Training.

Linda P.

Posted by Linda P. at October 7, 2005 02:13 PM

LEN: Linda, thanks for the nice compliment. I can't wait until Spring Training!

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Hey Len!
I was wondering what it is you do during the off season. Any suggestions as to what us fellow Cubs fans can do to fill the time we previously committed to watching/attending games and following Cubs
news in the paper and internet? As a college student, I'll be busy with classes during the week, but when it comes to weekends that I would spend at the ballpark or watching the games with friends, what will I
do now? Any fun activities or quirks you can think of will be appreciated. Hope to get some answers in your next blog. Rest up for a season that I'm sure will last well into October! Go Cubs!

Posted by Anna Bednarczyk at October 7, 2005 02:17 PM

LEN: Hi Anna, just hanging with my family this off-season. We're trying to get to know the Chicago metro area a little better in the off-season. If you REALLY miss the Cubs, then maybe you should subscribe to MLB.TV and you can watch all the archived games on the
internet!

---
Len,

Saw your post on the MLB blog, and was extremely impressed by your ability to be open yet maintain your professionalism. I always wondered if the personalities we see on T.V. are just a façade maintained for the broadcast. It seems, in your case, you are the same person on and off the air.

To share your time with Cubs fans, during your vacation is an exceptional act of unselfishness. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the access you have granted the Cubs fans. I look forward to
future posts.

When time permits, I would like to hear your thoughts about Furcal, B. Giles, and Lofton. There seems to be a lot of attention focused on these three as prospects (re-prospect in Lofton's case) for the Cubs
organization. Is there one in particular that you think would be a "best fit" for our organization, assuming all three were interested in joining the team?

Again, thanks for sharing your time. Enjoy your off season.

Posted by Bill at October 7, 2005 04:39 PM

LEN: Hi Bill, thanks for the nice comments, but I enjoy doing this...seriously, it's fun for me to talk Cubs baseball year-round. On those free agents you mentioned, I like them all, but it will come down
to Jim Hendry's priorities and how much $$ he can throw around. I'd say Furcal and Giles would be at the top of my list of the guys you mentioned. I like Lofton too, although his age is a little concern.
But hey, one great year and a World Series and I'm good with that! Giles' OBP is what makes him attractive. And Furcal would instantly be
that leadoff guy the Cubs have been looking for.

---
Dear Len
Could you ask wgn if they could show some cubs games from this past season on wgn during sat's and sunday's?? I think it would be fun and people would get to tell you what game to put on. I thinik the first one should be the july 3rd game thanks again
keep warm
jeff berta

Posted by jeff berta at October 7, 2005 05:17 PM

LEN: Jeff, that's not my department, but I'm sure Bob Vorwald will see this post and have an answer for you at some point. Not sure if that's something that's been done in the past or not.

---
Congrats to the WhiteSox, who just swept the RedSox.

I just have a few quick questions for whenever you get a chance: What are your favorite stadiums to visit? After a series, does it take long to get to the airport and to the next destination? Lastly, what was the change like going from the Marlins to the Cubs- any major differences? We all appreciate the change. Thanks for being a great all around person. Hope you have a great offseason; you deserve it. =]

Posted by Kyrstin at October 7, 2005 07:22 PM

LEN: Kyrstin, Wrigley is my #1. As far as other parks, SBC in SF, Dodger Stadium in LA and Minute Maid Park in Houston come to mind. But I like most of them to be honest. On your next question, we usually
are off the ground 2-3 hours after the game. And, the biggest difference is the Cubs fans and their incredible passion. I'm not knocking the Marlins fans at all...they have great fans. But Cubs fans
might be the best in all of sports and they outnumber most other teams' fans by a wide margin.

---
Len and Bob
My name is SPC Chad O'Leary i'm currently in Iraq with the 172nd SBCT(Stryker)and i am very hurt that the Cubs did'nt make it this year.I'm a Cubs fan so i know that everybody thinks we're the "Loveable Losers" but i'm tired of that.Just like this war i'm not going to give up on the CUBS "EVER"i will defend the team till hell freezes over.i'm not just a fan i am the CUBS!
I'm from KS so i have only met 2 other Cubs fans
(crazy)but it's true all i want to know is if i can get an email or anything from the team saying that there with me here as i am with them every game.I just love the cubs like no other and it gets pretty lonly
over here with the little(very little)down time i get i'm thinking about my kids,my wife and what the cubs are going to do to get better.so with that i say thank you for your time and Cubs in 2006
Thank You
SPC Chad O'Leary
U.U.Army Armorer

Posted by SPC Chad O'Leary at October 7, 2005 10:23 PM

LEN: SPC O'Leary, first off, we are all extremly thankful and proud of you and all our troops abroad. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in Iraq. Like you, I hope the Cubs can get over the hump next year and win it all. Please stay in touch with us and hopefully you are back in the US with your family very soon.

---
Hey Len,
I wish we were still keeping this blog going because we were in the playoffs, but..... oh well.. What I did want to ask was what is Jim Hendry and Dusty's priority NUMBER ONE heading into this offseason??????? Is it that combo lead-off man/centerfielder or a
thumping outfielder??Or is it BULLPEN or QUALITY STARTER??? I know what the papers have written and other blogs THINK, but you're CLOSE to the team. What's our most GLARING need?????? And Len... thanks for a great year. Hopefully next year we'll be participating instead of watching. Thanks.

Posted by lenny c at October 7, 2005 10:41 PM

LEN: Hey Lenny, my guess is that the #1 priority will be adding offense and figuring out the middle of the infield and the entire OF. From there, a starting pitcher and bullpen help. It's a lot to work on, but I'm sure Jim Hendry is figuring out his next move as you read this!

---
Len,

Do announcers do anything special in the off season to get ready for the new baseball season?

Posted by Brad at October 8, 2005 08:44 AM

LEN: Brad, I'm on-line every single day of the calendar year looking for interesting news and nuggets. I keep a database of info on my computer that I use during the season and I'm always adding to it.

---
Hey Len,
I was wondering if you'd heard anything on re-signing Nomar Garciaparra? relly like him and hope he's on the '06 Cubs team! What are the chances he'll be back?
Thanx again Len,
Sarah Barshop

Posted by Sarah Barshop at October 8, 2005 09:07 AM

LEN: Sarah, please refer to one of the first posts where I address this question. Thanks for writing!

---
Since WGN already has blocked off programming for the ALDS games 4 & 5 this weekend, is there anyway they could replay Friday's Sox sweep of the BoSox? Especially in HiDef? Please, please, please...

Posted by Kevin O'Neil at October 8, 2005 12:11 PM

LEN: Kevin...I hope you were able to enjoy that weekend anyway!

---
Are you also LenKasper on the Cubs.com message board? Or are you just LenKasperCubsTV?

Posted by Steve at October 8, 2005 12:12 PM

LEN: Steve, I've only posted as lenkaspercubstv on cubs.com. Anybody else is impersonating me.

---
I was wondering if we could get a look at the Cubs 2006 tentative schedule. I know that some teams have them already on their websites. Do you know where I can find it?

Posted by Mike at October 9, 2005 10:48 AM

LEN: Mike, I'm pretty sure the Cubs will release their schedule pretty soon. I believe Bruce Miles from the Daily Herald had an item about it in late September.
---
Hey Len-

Just wondering what you thought of the possibility of going after Johnny Damon as a leadoff hitter?

Posted by Jordan Albertsen at October 9, 2005 04:22 PM

LEN: Jordan, I like Damon, but he's gonna make a ton of money. It depends what the Cubs believe he's worth.

---
Hi Len,

I'm writing from Spring Hill, Florida (around the Tampa area) and I just want to congratulate both you and Bob on your first year of doing Cubs baseball together and hope for an even better second year in 2006. A few questions:

1. I know you're probably enjoying your long vacation but does it kinda hurt not to have the Cubs in the playoffs so you guys could have a few more days' work even if you wouldn't be calling the games on TV?

2. How much of the MLB playoffs do you usually watch on TV?

3. Does the White Sox advancing into the ALCS bring hope that there could be a World Series winner in Chicago?

Hope to be hearing from you when you get the time. Thanks very much.

Sincerely,
Jimmy Delach,
Spring Hill, Fla.

Posted by Jimmy Delach at October 9, 2005 11:08 PM

LEN: Jimmy, 1) Yes, I'd much rather be following the Cubs into the World Series right now than talking about next season. 2) I watch more as the playoffs get closer to the World Series. I do my best to not
miss the big moments. 3) Now that the White Sox are in the World Series with home field advantage, I'd say they're in a great position.

---
Hey Len -- you've earned the right to kick back and knock back a few cold ones while watching the postseason....please enjoy and continue to
do so! But when you feel ready to post some answers here, I'd like to know why everyone keeps talking about Furcal possibly going to the Cubs. Do they know something about Nomar's status that we don't? Also,
where has BB been? I thought he was gonna be calling games on Fox with Thom Brennaman, but I haven't seen him yet. Thanks again for a great year -- I'm knocking a few back myself, right along with ya! :)

Now that the Astros have won, I officially HATE the NL representatives -- I find myself with no choice but to pull for the AL from here on out! BLAH!! :(

Posted by Carrie C. at October 10, 2005 09:06 AM

LEN: Carrie, BB is calling the NLCS w/Brennaman and Lyons. And they sound great. And now that the White Sox are in the World Series, are you going to pull for them?

---
Len,

What's the one significant issue you think the Cubs need to address in the offseason? For me, it absolutely has to be the outfield. We lost
production at the positions it is usually the easiest to find it - the corner OF. In general baseball terms, up the middle if more defense oriented, and the corners are for offense. Do you think Burnitz and
Murton are the answers at these positions? And is C-Patt going to be able to re-establish himself as a reliable CF?

For me, this outweighs starting pitching (if Wood, Prior, and Zambrano are healthy we're fine) and relief (which tends to be unpredictable). Your thoughts?

Posted by Kyle B. at October 10, 2005 09:01 PM

LEN: Kyle, I think the bullpen and adding guys who get on base are the most pressing issues. I guess I don't really care where they play (RF/SS/2B). I think the Cubs' offense suffered from a lack of
baserunners...not enough walks and too much inconsistency because of the low OBP. Defensively, this team needs to improve as well. And you're right--up the middle has to be solid defensively. P.S., I think Matt Murton has a pretty legitimate shot at being the everyday LF--why? Because he gets on base, has a good approach and showed a little pop at the end of the year as well. And at last check, he was doing very well in the Arizona Fall League.

---
Well Len,

I hope that mood to post happesn as much as it can, so that the Chicago Cubs fans won't forget about you, and I hope that you will still get to read your e-mail for the WGN Cubs TV booth, even through the season has
ended for them.

Posted by Stephen Verhaeren at October 10, 2005 09:11 PM

LEN: Stephen, I'll be around all off-season ready to talk Cubs baseball!

---
Len,

Just wanted to post and tell you that you and Bob Brenly did an outstanding job as the new voices of the Cubs this season. I look forward to next season and hope the Cubs can turn it around.

Hope you enjoy the off season

What changes do you see the Cubs making in the off season? Will they trade Corey Patterson? I think if they Put Hairston in Center they have a quality leadoff hitter and some speed at the top. Look what Posednik did for the White Sox. What about in left field? I have an idea. I heard that Magglio Ordonez was not happy in Detroit. How about bringing him back to Chicago in a Cub uniform. I know it would take a lot to get him and he has a big contract but he would make a great Cub left fielder.

Posted by Patrick Lake at October 11, 2005 02:05 PM

LEN: Hi Patrick, I would view Hairston as a great super-sub--a guy who can play 2B and all 3 OF spots. The Ordonez theory is interesting...but is he a health risk? On Patterson, wow, that's a tough one - you can't get anything of value if you try to trade him, but he can't help the Cubs unless he makes some major changes in his approach. Who knows, maybe 2005 was just a bizarre anomaly and he'll show up at spring training a new player.

---
It's too bad the cubs lost I thought for sure that they were gonna kick butt this year. Also I'd like them to show Aramis Ramirez's game saving homerun.

thanks by!!!!

Posted by damon at October 11, 2005 09:11 PM

LEN: Damon, let's hope the Cubs kick butt in 2006.

Thanks for the posts and keep 'em coming!
Len Kasper

Chicago White Sox at Los Angeles Angels
* The Angels are 15-6 all-time in home playoff games.
* The Angels have now split the first two games of six different postseason series in their history. On each of the previous five occasions they won Game 3, including Game 3 of the 2005 ALDS in the Bronx (11-7).
* The Angels had 13 walkoff losses during the regular season, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most in the majors.
* The Angels are 39-15 (.722) at home vs. the White Sox since 1995. This is the Angels best home record vs. any opponent in that span.
* The White Sox have not split the first two games of a postseason series since the 1983 ALCS vs. Baltimore. The White Sox have not split the first two games of a postseason series (both at home) since the 1959 World Series vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, when the Sox lost Game 3 in Los Angeles and lost the series in six.
* After scoring 24 runs and hitting .289 with seven HRs in the ALDS, the White Sox are hitting only .215 vs. Angels (14/65) with four runs scored and one HR.
* Game 3 starter Jon Garland was 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA in two starts vs. Los Angeles in 2005, including a loss on May 23rd in Anaheim that broke his season opening eight-game win streak. Garland is 2-6 with a 4.91 ERA in 10 career starts vs. the Angels. The White Sox are 1-5 in Garland’s six career starts in Anaheim.
* In his three career postseason starts at home, John Lackey is 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA and .190 Opp. BA.
* Game 4 starter Freddy Garcia is 11-3 lifetime vs. the Angels with a 2.66 ERA. Garcia is 6-1 in 12 career starts in Anaheim, and has to his credit a 19-inning scoreless streak in Anaheim over three starts between 4/14/2001 and 9/10/2001.
* Angels’ Game 4 starter Ervin Santana is 9-0 with a 2.23 ERA in night games at Angel Stadium in 2005 (including ALDS Game 5 victory over Yankees).
* The Angels’ 1-5 hitters were a combined 6-for-38 (.159) in the first two games of the ALCS. Three of the six hits were off the bat of shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who has hit safely in all seven games of this year’s playoffs. Cabrera has hit safely in 18 of his 20 career postseason games.
* Scott Podsednik is hitting .452 (14/31) in his last eight games vs. the Angels.

The great thing about baseball is there is a chance every day to see something completely new. Last night's play in Chicago certainly falls under that category.

I don't recall that ever happening in my career. I'm sure there were times there was a strike three to end the inning and I'm sure there was a ball that was in the dirt or close to it, but I was always taught in every instance to finish the play.

It looked to me like Josh Paul caught the ball. The umpires were talking about a change in direction - I didn't see it. I thought he got the web of the glove under the ball.

The old argument on a tag play is that if you're sure you got him the first time, don't go back a second time. If a pitcher covers first and thinks he got the bag, you don't go back and touch it again. If there's any question in your mind, you have to tag the guy. It didn't look like there was any question in his mind.

Josh Paul said the umps will usually say "no catch" in a situation like that with a dropped third strike. That is one I've never heard. Maybe that's something has changed since I was behind the plate. Give Pierzynski the credit - it turned out to be a smart play. It was a mixed-up play all around and the White Sox were the beneficiary. Give them credit for taking full advantage of the break.

Bob

Apparently, Nomar Garciaparra and his uncle rescued two women who fell into Boston Harbor Friday night. From the Chicago Tribune:

"That water was pretty cold", Victor Garciaparra said by phone Wednesday night. "But I think the adrenaline was really pumping in both of us."

Victor Garciaparra, 36, who oversees his nephew's business and charity ventures and sharea a condo with him in Charlestown, said they were cleaning and painting the condo about 10pm Friday when they heard laughing below.

Then he heard a splash, and it sounded kind of close," Victor said. "We looked down and saw someone in the water, and so Nomar started running down."

Victor said he was trailing Nomar when he saw the other woman fall in, apparently hitting her head.

"When she fell, it was about a 12- or 15-foot drop, and I thought she had hit the deck of the pier, so I jumped off a balcony," he said. "I figured she was probably unconscious."

By the time Victor Garciaparra got close to the second woman, he said he reached out for her only to find Nomar in the water with both women in his arms. Victor said Nomar swam with them several feet to the edge of the river before the men pulled them onto the deck.

"They were kind of combative at first," Victor said. "I think they were in shock from the fall and one of them had a bump on her head. But then when we pulled them up, the one girl recognized Nomar and says 'are you Nomar?'

"He didn't respond to her, and she asked about three times, 'Are you Nomar? Are you Nomar?' Finally he said to her, 'I think you hit your head pretty hard' and that was about it."

Victor said the women's husbands quickly came and took them to the hospital before they could find out their names.

The Boston Herald interviewed a witness, Johnny O'Hara of Natick, Mass., who said he saw the incident from a nearby boat.

"A bunch of us came running over and, sure enough, pulling the two girls from the water was Nomar," O'Hara told the Herald. "It was crazy. Nomar was like jumping over walls to get to the girls, and the other guy leaped off the balcony. It was unbelievable."

Nomar Garciaparra flew back to his home in California shortly after the incident became public. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals
* All seven games in the 2004 NLCS between the Astros and Cardinals were won by the home team, a trend that continued last night with the 5-3 victory by St. Louis.
* Since 1992, the Game 1 winner of the NLCS has gone on to advance to the World Series.
* St. Louis has won nine straight home playoff games against NL opponents.
* The Astros are 1-5 all-time in Game 2’s played on the road with the lone win coming at Philadelphia against the Phillies in the 1980 NLCS, the first playoff series in franchise history. In the subsequent five away losses in Game 2’s the ‘Stros have been pummeled by a combined 35-11.
* Roy Oswalt is 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA in his career at Busch Stadium (seven games, six starts). Oswalt is the only pitcher to win 20 games in each of the past two regular seasons.
* Mark Mulder has posted a 1.25 ERA in eight starts at home since the All-Star break, including his Game 2 outing against the Padres in the NLDS.
* Albert Pujols is hitting .579 (11/19) with 3 HRs in five career NLCS home games vs. Houston.
* Reggie Sanders, whose 12 RBI are the most by any player through the first four games of a single postseason, has advanced to the World Series in each of his last three trips to the playoffs (2001 with Arizona, 2002 with San Francisco and 2004 with St. Louis).
* Sanders had two multi-RBI games in the first 56 postseason games of his career before reeling off four straight multi-RBI games to start the 2005 postseason.
* Craig Biggio is hitless in his last 11 at-bats after opening the postseason going six for his first 11 with four doubles.
* The Cardinals’ bullpen has thrown only 9.1 innings so far this postseason without much success (7.71 ERA). By contrast, the ‘Stros bullpen has had to throw 22.1 innings and has been extremely effective (2.01 ERA).

Who's your pick?

Do you take the defending National League champion Cardinals with the best record, all-everything Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds, and their knack for playing flawless baseball?

Or do you take the Astros with the Pettite/Clemens/Oswalt starting rotation, Brad Lidge to close, and the mojo running strong after Sunday's 18-inning win?

Who's your pick?

bob v

*I'll take the Astros in 7 to get to their first World Series.

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
* The Angels have won seven of 11 meetings with the White Sox in 2005 (including postseason), and have won five straight at U.S. Cellular Field. Los Angeles has won seven of the last 10 games against Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field.
* White Sox are 0-6 at home in the ALCS in club history and have won only three of 11 ALCS games overall.
* White Sox Game 2 starter, Mark Buehrle, has gone six consecutive starts vs. Angels without recording a victory
* Jarrod Washburn went 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA on the road this season. Only Roy Halladay, at 2.09, had a lower earned run average on the road among AL starting pitchers.
* The Angels have never won two road games in a single playoff series. Last night was the Angels’ first Game 1 victory in six postseason series under manager Mike Scioscia.
* Garret Anderson hit his 5th career postseason home run in last night’s Game 1 victory. The Angels are 5-0 in the playoffs when Anderson hits a home run.
* Since the LCS expanded to a best-of-seven format in 1985, the road team has won Game 1 of the ALCS eight times prior to last night. The winner of Game 2 in those eight instances went on to advance to the World Series.
* Jermaine Dye, hitting just .214 (3/14) this postseason, has 17 hits in 38 career at-bats against Jarrod Washburn. The 17 hits are the most by any batter against Washburn throughout his career.

Houston Astros at St. Louis Cardinals
* St. Louis has won the last three Game 1s played at Busch Stadium, including Game 1 of last year’s NLCS vs. Astros (10-7) despite being outhomered by the ‘Stros 4-1. St. Louis has won eight straight home playoff games against NL opponents.
* All seven games in the 2004 NLCS between the Astros and Cardinals were won by the home team.
* Houston is in the LCS for the second straight year and fourth time in franchise history. The Cards have advanced to the NLCS for the fourth time in last six years and fifth time overall under Tony La Russa. This is La Russa’s 10th LCS (5 St. Louis, 4 Oakland, 1 Chicago (AL)), tying him for most in major league history (Bobby Cox).
* The National League representative in the World Series has been the wild card team in three out of the last five years.
* Andy Pettitte is 0-1 vs. Cardinals in 2005 despite posting an impressive 1.35 ERA and .188 Opp. BA (0.90 Run Support Avg.). A win in Game 1 will again tie him with John Smoltz for most career postseason victories (15).
* Chris Carpenter is 4-0 in 5 starts vs. Astros in 2005 with a 1.85 ERA. Carpenter and Pettitte have faced off four times in their careers, three times while in the AL East with Toronto and New York, respectively, and once in 2005 with their current teams. Carpenter outdueled Pettitte on June 3rd as the Cardinals rode Carpenter’s eight shutout innings to a 2-0 victory.
* Despite going 0-7 in Sunday’s 18 inning clincher and going hitless in his last eight at bats in the NLDS, Craig Biggio hit .316 (6/19) in the series and tied an NLDS record for most doubles in a series (4, tied with Edgardo Alfonzo ’03 SF and Jim Edmonds ’00 StL) and most doubles in a game (3, tied with Jim Edmonds, StL 10/5/2000)
* Albert Pujols hit .500 (14/28) in last year’s NLCS vs. Astros – 4 HRs, 9 RBI and 10 runs scored.

After being courted by the Detroit Tigers and Jim Leyland, Larry Rothschild apparently will return to the Cubs as their pitching coach for next season. Can't wait to hear your opinions on this one. I'm in favor of continuity and glad that he is back. (Full disclosure - he is great to our TV crew and very easy to work with.)

Also, anyone who wants to check out certain Cubs in the Arizona Fall League (Matt Murton is 4/7 in his first two games), the stats are at:
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&did=milb&cid=555

bob v

Who do you like?

The White Sox are rested, have their pitching rotation line up, have the home field advantage, and appear to have intangibles on their side.

The Angels won the season series, include a core group that won the World Series three years ago, and have a strong track record of being able to overcome adversity.

Who do you like?

bob v

*I'll take the White Sox in six. (I was pleasantly surprised to join several of you, including muy simpatico poster Brian, by going 4/4 in the divisional series.)

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox
* The Angels have won six of 10 meetings with the White Sox in 2005, including the last four contests of the season (all in Chicago). Los Angeles has won six of the last nine games against Chicago at U.S. Cellular Field.
* The Angels ranked first in the AL in starter ERA and the White Sox were second by percentage points (both teams at 3.75).
* White Sox are 0-5 at home in two previous AL Championship Series (1983 and ’93) and won only three of 10 ALCS games overall.
* The White Sox have won their last five games at home overall (including the two wins over Boston in ALDS).
* The last time the White Sox were in the ALCS, Ozzie Guillen was their starting shortstop, third base coach Joey Cora was the starting second baseman and first base coach Tim Raines was the left-fielder. Guillen hit .273 (6/22) against the Blue Jays with two RBI. The only member of that 1993 team still playing with the franchise is Frank Thomas, who is out for the season with a fractured left foot. Chicago bench coach Harold Baines and hitting coach Greg Walker were members of the 1983 AL West title team that was managed by Tony La Russa.
* White Sox Game 1 starter Jose Contreras has won his last nine starts (including postseason) with a 2.12 ERA.
* Darin Erstad has the fourth-highest average against the White Sox (.343) among active players (min: 150 PA). Ironically he was almost traded to Chicago in a December 2001 deal that would have sent Jon Garland and three other White Sox to the Angels.
* The Angels have lost each of their last five Game 1s dating back to the 2002 season. In four of the five they came back to win the series (losing only to Boston in the 2004 ALDS).
* Garret Anderson is a .571 career hitter (4/7) against Jose Contreras while Adam Kennedy is hitting .429 (3/7).
* Angels 1-4 hitters (Chone Figgins, Miguel Cabrera, Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson) hit a combined .241 (19/79) in the ALDS against the Yankees.
* The White Sox bullpen held Boston to no runs and .154 OpBA over 7.1 innings of the ALDS. Their bullpen was the third-best in the AL at 3.23 (Angels were fifth at 3.52).
* Paul Byrd, who got no decision in Game 3 vs. Yankees, will start the first game of the ALCS. He was second in the AL with 22 quality starts in 2005. He beat the White Sox back on June 1 at U.S. Cellular Field and has won four of his last five outings against the Southsiders dating back to the start of the 2002 season.

*Jim asked about drawings of the Cubs bleacher expansion. They are on the Cubs website: http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/chc/ballpark/expansion.jsp

*Did anyone else see Morgan Ensberg as the latest victim of "I think I'll slow down by sliding into first base and allow them to complete the double play" during yesterday's classic between the Astros and Braves?

*Mike asked about the Cubs schedule for 2006. One of the quirks of MLB is the fact that teams announce their own schedules (the White Sox did it last month). The Cubs have not done so yet, but they will be playing the AL Central in interleague play next year.

*Jim had a question for Len about missing the chance to do playoff games on local TV. For clarification, there is no local tv during the playoffs; only local radio. The policy started in 1984 (of all years).

*Carrie wondered about Bob Brenly and when he would be on Fox. Bob will call the NLCS beginning Wednesday. He did not work the divisional series.

bob v

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels* The last five Division Series that have gone to Game 5 have been won by the road team.
* Angels are 2-3 all-time in postseason elimination games, going 2-1 at home. They lost at home to Baltimore in Game 4 of 1979 ALCS, at Milwaukee in 1982 ALCS (Game 5) and at Boston in Game 7 of 1986 ALCS. Both of their home victories came against San Francisco in Game 6 and 7 of the 2002 World Series.
* The Yankees have faced elimination on the road four times under Joe Torre going 1-3. New York lost to Cleveland in Game 5 in 1997 ALDS, won in Game 5 at Oakland in 2000 ALDS, lost to Diamondbacks in Game 7 of 2001 World Series and lost to Angels in 2002 ALDS Game 4.
* The Angels have 25 steals to the Yankees’ nine over their last 17 meetings.
* Bartolo Colon is just 1-3 with a 7.94 ERA in his four starts against the Yankees since coming to the Angels. Alex Rodriguez is a .413 career hitter against Colon, and is hitting .556 (5-for-9) with four home runs and 10 RBI against him this season (but was 0-3 in Game 1).
* Mike Mussina is making his 20th career start in the postseason, moving him ahead of Catfish Hunter for seventh most all-time. The winner of Game 1 is 8-2 all-time in 13 career starts at Angel Stadium with a 2.82 ERA and .219 OpBA.
* The Yankees have won 12 of their last 17 games on the road including postseason.
* Benjie Molina is hitting .400 (20/50) over his last 14 games including postseason, with five HR and nine RBI.
* The Angels have lost each of the five postseason Game 1s under Mike Scioscia, but have come back to win the series three of the four previous times (losing last year to Boston). That .750 winning percentage is the best in baseball history (min: 4 series where team lost Game 1). In contrast, the Yankees have won 28 of the 38 series where they have won Game 1.
* Vladimir Guerrero is a .182 lifetime hitter (4/22) vs. Mike Mussina (regular and postseason).
* Mariano Rivera has 12 postseason saves of two innings or more.

The transformation of the Wrigley Field bleachers is well underway and crews began work earlier this week on the outfield structure.

Hey Everyone,
Just chilling at home after the season. I will post on the blog from time-to-time throughout the winter whenever the mood hits. If you have any questions or comments, just reply to this post and I'll try to reply on the blog in the next couple weeks. Thanks
again for being the best fans in sports!

Len

Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox
* Boston has won eight of its last nine games when facing postseason elimination.
* White Sox look to clinch their first postseason series since winning the 1917 World Series.
* Chicago hit .533 (8-for-15) with runners in scoring position in Game’s 1 & 2. The Red Sox hit just .211 (4-for-19) with men in scoring position in the first two games of this series.
* The 5-4 victory by the White Sox in Game 2 was the team’s 36th win by a single run this season, the most in the majors. Boston lost a total of 15 games by one run during the regular season, the fewest in the majors.
* David Ortiz and Jason Varitek are both hitting .375 (3-8) in ALDS.
* Freddy Garcia is 6-2 lifetime vs. Boston and 3-1 at Fenway Park.
* Tim Wakefield has a career ERA of 6.07 in the postseason (7.88 at Fenway).

Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees
*The Angels have won six of their last nine contests at Yankee Stadium. The Angels are 27-23 against the Yankees in New York since Joe Torre has been the Yankees’ manager.
* The Angels have split the first two games of four different postseason series in their history. On each occasion they won Game 3.
* The Yankees have split the first two games in the Division series six times in their history. Five times they went on to win Game 3, with their only loss coming in 2002 at Anaheim to the Angels.
* Randy Johnson is making his first postseason start at Yankee Stadium. Johnson has won five of his last six playoff starts overall, after losing seven of his first nine decisions in the postseason. Johnson is 9-0 with a 3.09 ERA at Yankee Stadium since the beginning of May.
* In 2005 Paul Byrd recorded the third best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.64) in a single season in Angels history (min 162 IP). The only pitchers with a better ratio than Byrd were Frank Tanana (3.68 in 1975) and Bartolo Colon (3.65 this season).
* Vladimir Guerrero is hitting .353 (18/51) in last 13 games at Yankee Stadium.
* Gary Sheffield is a .111 (2/18) career hitter vs. Paul Byrd, the Angels’ Game 3 starter on Friday.

*Tyler asked about more photos from the rookie hazing. Roberto Novoa was the only player I happened by as we were leaving the stadium that day. The downpour that day continued well after the game so there were not any players in the parking lot. By all accounts, the Pope Novoa costume was the best.

*Mike Kiley reports in the Sun-Times today that the Cubs have granted permission to Detroit to speak to Larry Rothschild about their pitching coach vacancy (Rothschild worked with new Tiger manager Jim Leyland when both were with the Marlins). However, the Cubs have offered Rothschild a contract to return and seem optimistic that he will be back with them.

*Speaking of the Sun-Times, it has two great headlines today about the Sox. "Tad-Dah!" for Iguchi HR and "E-4 Madness" about the Graffanino error.

*I was lucky enough to attend the Sox playoff game last night. Kudos to their crowd, which was deafening at game's end. It was quite an atmosphere.

*Apparently, there is a 90% chance of rain in Atlanta tonight so the Clemens/Smoltz matchup could be pushed back a day.

*Kristin asked about a year-end highlight reel. How we finish our last broadcast of the year changes depending on the schedule each year. We ended the home season on September 28 with a last look at Wrigley, fans, and our crew. On October 2, we finished with some video of that day's game. We also had a piece on Derrek Lee's amazing season on the pregame show that day.

bob v

San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 2
* St. Louis is 9-1 all-time in NLDS play at Busch Stadium (lone loss came in Game 3 of 2001 series vs. Arizona).
* Padres have lost last five postseason games, dating back to sweep in 1998 World Series by Yankees.
* Mark Mulder started the season 7-1 with a 3.72 ERA, but since May 31 is just 9-7 despite having a lower ERA (3.60). In the first portion of the season he received 7.05 of run support (third-highest in NL through May 30), but just 4.52 over his last 22 starts (3 or fewer runs in 13 starts).
* Pedro Astacio is 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA since coming to the Padres on July 10 (winning each of his last four decisions since August 6). This is his first postseason start, but he has no decisions or ERA in four previous playoff appearances (all with the Dodgers in 1995 and ’96 NLDS).
* Albert Pujols has not hit a home run and has only one RBI in his last six postseason games despite hitting .364 during that span.
* Dave Roberts has an eight-game hitting streak and is hitting .448 (13-29) with three doubles and two triples over that time.
* Reggie Sanders, who hit a three-run homer in Game 1, has batted .400 (10-25) during his current seven-game hitting streak with four homers, 16 RBI and three doubles. His 2-for-4 outing on Tuesday raised his career postseason average seven points to .195 (he ended the 2004 playoffs by going 0-12 in his last five games).

Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves – Game 2
* In the Braves’ four previous NLDS series which opened at home (1999, 2002, ’03 and ’04) Atlanta lost Game 1, but rebounded to win Game 2. However, in each of the last three seasons (2002-vs. Giants; 2003-vs. Cubs; 2004-vs. Astros) the Braves have gone on to lose the series (in 1999 they won series with two victories in Houston).
* The Astros have won two straight and three of the last four road playoff games against the Braves. Atlanta is just 3-7 in its last 10 home postseason games overall and 13-19 in all-time playoff contests at Turner Field.
* Atlanta’s current five-game losing streak (including last four of regular season) is their longest in a single season since dropping six in a row from August 8-14 in 2001 (Braves lost five straight over two seasons from end of 2002 playoffs to first three games of 2003 regular season).
* Today’s starters John Smoltz and Roger Clemens have combined to start 58 postseason games (including today). Smoltz (along with Game 1 winner Andy Pettitte) holds the all-time postseason mark with 14 victories (12 as a starter) while Clemens’ 10 wins are tied for fifth. The pair has combined to strike out 353 postseason batters with Smoltz ranked first all-time (189) and Clemens second (164). The only time the future Hall of Famers have opposed each other was Game 4 of the 1999 World Series, when Clemens and the Yankees completed a four-game sweep despite Smoltz’ 11 strikeout performance.
* Smoltz, who is 6-0 lifetime in the NLDS (4-0 in starts), has been on 13 first place teams (he missed the entire 2000 season). In the four major U.S. sports, only Yogi Berra and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (both with 14) have played on more first place/division champions than Smoltz (who is tied with Jerry Rice and NHL’s Larry Robinson).
* Despite Atlanta’s long-term success in the playoffs, only seven members of the current Braves roster has advanced to a League Championship Series and only four have played in a World Series (Smoltz, A. Jones, C. Jones and B. Jordan).
* Andruw Jones, who had a home run and two RBI in Game 1, is hitting .500 (11-22) with three homers and seven RBI over his last six postseason games -- all against the Astros. In fact, since going 0-9 in his four postseason games against Houston, Jones has a personal 12-game postseason hitting streak against the Astros in which he is batting .438 (21-48) with four homers and 10 RBI.

For playoff baseball, I saw several real bad ones yesterday:

Kevin Millar on second base trying to go to third with no one out on an infield ground and being thrown out.

David Ortiz peeling off at first base only to realize his fly to deep left wasn't caught and he had to turn around and hustle into second base.

Vlad Guerrero ending an inning by being thrown out stealing second, four runs down late in the game.

Did I miss any? I didn't see much of the Cardinals game.

bob v

More great stuff from STATS:

Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox – Game 2
*Yesterday’s 14-2 loss marked the worst defeat of a World Champion in the following year’s first playoff game all-time. Previously the 2002 Arizona Diamondbacks lost Game 1 of the Division series to the St. Louis Cardinals 12-2 after winning the WS in 2001.
* Yesterday’s win snapped a nine-game home losing streak in the postseason for the White Sox.
* Yesterday’s loss snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Red Sox. The eight-game streak was tied for the fifth-longest postseason win streak all-time.
* Chicago’s victory at home on Tuesday was their first postseason victory at home since Game 1 of the 1959 WS vs. Dodgers.
* With yesterday’s win, Jose Contreras has won nine straight starts in 2005, posting an ERA of 2.12 in those outings.
* David Wells (10-3) owns the third best postseason winning percentage (.769) all-time (min 15 postseason starts).
* Mark Buehrle, who led the AL in 2005 with 236.2 IP and was third in ERA with a 3.12, will be making his first career postseason start on Wednesday.
* Scott Podsednik’s three run homer on Tuesday was his first home run since 9/30/2004. Podsednik was one of the only two players in 2005 to have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, but not hit a single home run (Jason Kendall, Oakland.

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels – Game 2
* With Tuesday night’s setback, the Angels are now 0-5 in opening games of playoff series under Mike Scioscia.
* New York has lost four of its last six Game 1’s in the ALDS, with the two wins coming against the Angels in 2002 and last night. The loser of Game 1 has won each of the previous five Division series.
* Yankees are looking for 200th postseason victory in their history.
* Chien-Ming Wang is making his first postseason appearance of his career. He is the first Yankee rookie to start a postseason game since Orlando Hernandez started Game 2 of the 1998 WS vs. Padres (10/18/1998).
* John Lackey is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA lifetime in the postseason, and was the winning pitcher for the Angels in Game 7 of the 2002 WS vs. Giants.
* In Tuesday night’s save, Mariano Rivera matched his 2005 regular season total of earned runs allowed on the road (1).

Houston Astros at Atlanta Braves – Game 1
* These teams are facing each other in the postseason for the fifth time, all in Division series. Atlanta won the first three Division series, sweeping twice, but Houston took the series in 2004 in 5 games.
* Atlanta is in postseason play for the 14th consecutive season (excluding strike shortened 1994 season).
* Atlanta has dropped four of their last five Division series and three straight, beating only the Astros in 2001.
* Houston is one of six current franchises to have never played a World Series game (Colorado, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Texas, and Washington).
* This is Houston’s ninth postseason appearance, second in a row, and sixth in the past nine seasons.
* Andy Pettitte’s 13 postseason wins ranks second all-time (John Smoltz, 14)
* In Pettitte’s last nine starts of the regular season he is 7-0, 1.63 ERA, and .193 Opp BA.
* Tim Hudson has allowed more than three earned runs in only one of his six career postseason starts.

*Anybody who needs a Bob Brenly fix can tune into next week's NLCS games on Fox. Bob will be joining Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons to do those games.

*They've started construction at Wrigley Field in the left field bleacher area. We'll try to get a photo up on the blog in a few days after some significant changes can be seen.

*There was a question about the music from the end of our telecast last Wednesday for the last home game. The song was "Wake Me When September Ends" by Green Day.

*I'll take the White Sox, Angels, Cardinals, and Astros.

bob v

Amaze your friends! Be the voice of reason! Make a bar bet! Feel free to trot any of this info out as you watch the playoffs with others...

Boston Red Sox at Chicago White Sox – Game 1
* These teams are meeting for the first time ever in the postseason.
* Boston won four of the seven contests between the teams this season and each club scored a total of 36 runs in those meetings.
* The Red Sox have won eight straight playoff games dating back to Game 4 of last season’s ALCS. That is tied for the fifth-longest postseason win streak all-time.
* Chicago has not won a playoff series since the 1917 World Series against the New York Giants.
* Matt Clement will get the start for the Red Sox. Clement has struggled over the past couple of weeks, going 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA over his last five starts.
* Jose Contreras has won eight straight starts, posting an ERA of 2.09 in those outings. Contreras has an ERA of 11.67 in seven career outings against the Red Sox (six of those were starts).

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels – Game 1
* Including the 2002 ALDS, the Angels, at 52-49, are the only American League team with a winning record against the Yankees since Joe Torre became New York’s manager in 1996.
* The Angels are 0-4 in the opening game of a playoff series under Mike Scioscia.
* New York has lost four of its last five Game 1’s in the ALDS, with the one win coming against the Angels in 2002.
* Bartolo Colon is just 1-2 with a 9.19 ERA in his last three starts against the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez is hitting .833 (5-for-6) with four home runs and 10 RBI against Colon this season.
* Mike Mussina is making his 19th career start in the postseason, tying him with Catfish Hunter for seventh most all-time. Mussina is 2-4 with a 4.46 ERA in six career Game 1 starts.
* Derek Jeter is a career .361 hitter (52-for-144) in the Division Series.

San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals – Game 1
* San Diego’s 82-80 record is the worst by any division winner in a non-strike season since the divisional format was created in 1969.
*The Cardinals finished the 2005 regular season with the league’s best record at 100-62. In 2004, St. Louis went 105-57 and also had the best record in the majors.
* Chris Carpenter is 0-1 with a 9.14 ERA over his last four starts. Carpenter had gone 13-0 with a 1.36 ERA over his previous 16 starts. Carpenter missed last season’s playoffs with a strained biceps.
* Albert Pujols has a career batting average of .405 in 31 career games against the Padres, his highest against any NL team. He has 12 homers and 34 RBI in those contests.

Sorry for the "Animal House" reference, but wanted to get your attention.

There have been some posts wondering if we would keep the blog going in the off-season. Given your devotion and great posts, we'd be silly not to. Let me add my voice to the chorus of thank-yous we posted yesterday.

I can't guarantee how much I'll be able to lean on Len & Bob throughout their offseason, but I think there's always enough baseball to talk about that we can continue to have the great fun we've enjoyed throughout this year.

I'll post the division series below - can't wait to see who everyone picks.

bob v

Here are two teams who haven't been able to get it done in the post-season. The Braves are there every year, but seem to be built for the long haul and not a short series. The Astros look to have the starters in Pettite, Clemens, and Oswalt.

Somebody is going to be disappointed right off the bat again this year. Who will it be?

Tuesday's second game features the "we finally won our first World Series since 1918" Boston Red Sox against the "we haven't won a World Series since 1917" White Sox.

Carmines or Pale Hose? Paulie or Big Papi? Schilling's bloody ankle or Podsednik's gimpy leg?

The Big Apple vs. La-La Land collide tomorrow night.

Can you believe the Yankees, after getting tatooed 10-1 to basically eliminate any hope the Indians had during their game, are complaining today that Texas manager Buck Showalter pulled three of his starters early and made it easier for the Angels to win and get home field in this round?

Who do you like?

It's Jake Peavey and the barely over .500 San Diego Padres against the defending National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals beginning tomorrow at 1p Central in St. Louis. Who's your pick and why?

Thank you all. Len & I owe the Cub fans a great debt of gratitude. This could have been a very uncomfortable situation for us to come in here replacing Chip & Steve, but I think the fans understand and appreciate that how the team does on the field is every bit as important to us as it is to the fans. We love to see the Cubs win.

There were some growing pains early, but I think we're both very comfortable with our roles here with the ballclub and equally as comfortable with the fans.

I appreciate all your support very much. Thanks again.

Bob

With the season coming to an end today, I wanted to take the
opportunity to thank the fans for making my first season with WGN and
the Cubs a wonderful year. I know it was a disappointing season on the field for the Cubs, but everything else was just incredible from my perspective. I was welcomed in with open arms from day one by all the fans I met and again, I can't thank you enough.

I knew going in that Cubs fans were the best fans in baseball and maybe in pro sports as well, but I was just blown away at how knowledgeable and passionate you are. And helpful too--we do emails of course and with our blog as well we get a lot of great questions, ideas and answers from you. Keep them coming!

Lastly, I hope you were able to get to know Bob and me as the season
went along. I am VERY fortunate to be working alongside such a pro
like Bob and I learned a lot about the game throughout the course of
the season doing the games with him. I hope you found us to be
respectful of the action on the field first and foremost, which is
always the #1 goal. The game IS the thing. I also hope you were able to laugh along with us on occasion too. It's a long season--162
games--and sometimes we drift off into fun tangents and there's nobody quicker with a great punchline than my partner.

Thanks again, Cub fans, for making me feel right at home in Chicago.

Len

P.S., We haven't discussed our plans for the blog in the off-season,
but I fully intend to keep posting occasionally. Maybe I'll do
something once a week or so or maybe just after some big Cubs news.
Check the blog periodically and we'll let you know our plans.