September 18, 2008

PARDON ME, WHERE’S THE RESTROOM?

That’s right kids, it’s time for frequently asked questions posed to Frankie O.(FAQ/FO) Since I got the most popular one out of the way, let’s see what else we have:

Frankie O, what should the Cubs playoff pitching rotation be?
Since the Cubbies making the playoffs has been a foregone conclusion for a while now, this is the most important decision that Lou has to make and if you do the math, he’s already made it. The answer most are looking to me for is, “Who’s #1?” Make no mistake, it has been, and will be Big Z. Even before his No-No, Z is the straw that stirs the Cubs rotation. He’s scheduled to go Friday and next Wednesday in New York, and then will have a nice 6-day rest before he opens the NLDS at Wrigley on Wednesday, October 1st.

Next, and for me this is a no-brainer, Ryan Dempster. He has 13 wins at Wrigley Field this year. (He goes for # on Sunday.) This is not to be messed with. Rich Harden has been phenomenal, but he has been that way home and away. What Dempster has done in his home ballpark is one of the best home-win totals in recent memory and will be used to its fullest advantage. Harden can start game #3 on the road and quickly quiet the home-town crowd.

Ted Lilly, if needed, is next. This means, if you go 5 it’s: Z/Dempster/Harden/ Lilly/ and then Z again. If either game 4 or 5 aren’t needed, you then start again with Z to open the NLCS. If Z is needed for a game 5, the rotation is set up to have Dempster and Harden open up at home and Big Z able to pitch games 3 and 7 on full rest. If he’s not needed for game 7, then, dare I say, he can open the Fall Classic on the road, followed by Lilly, enabling the Northsiders to go Demster, Harden, Zambrano during the 3 home games in the middle of the series. I don’t know about you, but that all sounds pretty good to me.

Hey, guy in the red bow tie! Can the Cubbies go all the way? This usually is a rhetorical question posed after another of the improbable Cubs victories this year. This strange occurrence of things actually going the Cubbies way, time after time, has the faithful believing anything can happen. Even that they have only witnessed on TV. (Except for 2005, when most of their sets were turned off.)

Oh see-er of all see-ers, Bar-nac, The Magnificent, what will be the key to the Cubs post-season success?
First, I think Lou understands about “Cubbie occurrences” now, so you won’t be seeing Big Z coming out of a tie game in the 6th inning of any playoff games. That being said, barring a replay of the White Sox post-season starting pitching tour-de-force in the aforementioned 2005, the key will be the bullpen. It’s what is going to separate a great season from THE SEASON! The Cubs are going to run into a few good pitchers along the way to ending this 100 year (tear) aberration. I remember years ago when Houston made that big trade to get Randy Johnson to get them over their post-season hump, paying a huge price for the privilege. After pitching spectacularly during his ½ season with the team, it was time for him to take them to the promised-land. Big start in Game 1, he pitches his brains out, only to be forced to leave after pitching 10 innings of 1-run ball. The bullpen blew the game and he never saw another post-season start for Houston.

This story exemplifies “Frankie O’s Theory of Playoff Baseball”: To win a series, the bullpen will have to win at least 1 game and 75% of the time 2 games, for a team to win a series and ultimately will have to do this 3 times! Don’t believe me? Check out “exhibit A”, the Atlanta Braves, 14 division titles and 1 World Series title. Schools out! Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol are obvious factors when assessing chances of success, and they must be outstanding, but they are only part of the equation. At some point the group of Howry, Cotts, Gaudin, Samardzija, Marshall and, possibly, Marquis, are going to have to step up and make the difference in this post-season. Especially in Harden games, since he seems to pack 100 pitches into 6 innings. Lou knows what he has, let’s see how he uses them, the season depends on it.

And, finally, hey red-headed guy on TV, (and I’m not talking about hair!) what’s better for business, The Cubs winning or losing? After being posed this question more time than I can count, so many that my big red head is about to explode, let me set the record straight. Cub fans like to drink, a lot. Cub fans love to come into any of the 5 Harry Caray locations, a lot. But nothing, nothing, makes them want to party like a Cubbie win. 92 times this year the joints have been jumpin’. But it’s the 12 (the division-clincher, plus the 11 needed to find Mecca) that are about to come that make it fun to do what I do for a living. Being at Harry Caray’s during and after any of these wins is going to be special, an event. And if they can, some way, get those 12 wins, business is going to be real good. Somewhere, Sam Zell’s thinking the same thing.