Sep 30, 2008 - 6:14 AM
0 shoutsBy Brian Fitzsimmons PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
Forget Billy goats and Steve Bartman. It appears as if this could be the season the Chicago Cubs exorcise all the demons and curses that have haunted them since 1908 - the last time the lovable losers won the World Series.
The Cubs (97-64) finished the regular season with the best record in the National League, earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Since the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers (90-72) earned the wild card, the Cubs will have to get past hot-hitting Manny Ramirez and the NL West-champion Los Angeles Dodgers (84-78) in the NL Division Series, which is slated to start on Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field.
For a team to maintain a certain level of success throughout a rigorous campaign, many pieces must fall into place. For Lou Piniella's club, though, there are three specific aspects that stand out as the postseason looms.
1. A potent offense. The Cubs led the NL with 855 runs scored and ranked second in the majors to the Texas Rangers.
The lineup amassed such production even though slugging outfielder Alfonso Soriano played only 108 games.
Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and rookie catcher Geovany Soto combined for 70 home runs, while speedy shortstop Ryan Theriot set the table with a .307 average and 22 stolen bases.
Even Mark DeRosa opened eyes with his .285 average, 21 homers and 87 RBI over 149 games.
From top to bottom, Chicago has the most complete lineup and will pose a threat to any pitching staff it faces in October.
2. Kerry Wood's health. After the 2007 season ended and the injury-plagued Wood became a free agent, he told general manager Jim Hendry to make a commitment to him, despite enormous chunks of time on the disabled list.
Wood wound up agreeing to a one-year deal with hopes of regaining his form and helping the Cubs get to the Fall Classic.
The former can't-miss prospect found a niche as a key cog in the bullpen.
By moving into the closer's role, Wood notched 34 saves - the most by a Cub since Rod Beck's 51 in 1998 - and is back in the postseason for the fourth time in his 11 seasons.
In fact, the Cubs have made the postseason only six times over the last 63 years, so Wood's playoff experience is something of a surprise.
3. Starting pitching. Everyone expected Carlos Zambrano to pitch his way to another stellar season, but the rise of Ryan Dempster and the midseason spark brought by Rich Harden were pleasant surprises to pitching coach Larry Rothchild's staff.
Dempster, who served as Chicago's closer from 2005-2007, reached 200 innings twice as a starter for the Florida Marlins in 2000 and 2001. But in those campaigns his ERA numbers were 4.94 and 5.38, leading to low expectations in 2008.
The Canadian righthander surprised, however, going 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 206 2/3 frames.
Thanks to a July trade with the Oakland Athletics, Harden took the Windy City by storm. In his first four starts with the Cubs, he struck out 40 and allowed three runs in 24 1/3 innings. Overall, he went 5-1 and yielded more than two runs just once.
Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis provided depth at the back end of the rotation, combining for 28 wins over 62 starts.
The 1995 Atlanta Braves are the only NL team in the last 22 years to win the World Series after having the best record in the regular season. With a plethora of talented arms, the Cubs can certainly change that.
