At least we beat the Cardinals 2 days in a row...

This sports writer nicely sums up the pain us Cubs fans feel right now in this excerpt from yesterday's USA Today:

Cubs are champions of futility, again
But most of all, we should mourn with the most pitiful victims of all. The huddled masses who are in the 22nd month of their Doomsday Scenario.

We speak, obviously, of Cubs fans.

First was the blown pennant in 2003. An infamous October calamity that began when the box seat ghost in headphones, Steve Bartman, reached out for a foul ball.

Then came 2004. A summer-long tease. A fade at the end. And then the indignity of watching the Red Sox, the only other franchise that could match the Cubs in woe, dancing at the World Series. Leaving the Cubs alone in their historical futility. As if fate had only room in its heart to heal one curse.

And now, 2005. The Cubs have collapsed, doomed by injuries and atrocious play. As of Friday, they have lost 12 of 16 and dropped 18 games behind first place. Starting play Thursday, they stood a wobbly seventh in the National League wild-card standings.

Meanwhile, just down the train rails a few stops, the White Sox are rolling and roaring. They have no ivy and they are not loved by so many. But at the moment, they hardly ever lose.

So to sum up, the two best records in baseball belong to the Cubs' hated brethren on the south side of Chicago, and their most bitter rivals in St. Louis.

The reigning champions are the Red Sox, their former brothers-in-misery.

Meanwhile, the Cubs still pack them in at 39,000 a game, and lose in mysterious ways. Their rookie starting pitcher coughed up three-bases loaded walks against Cincinnati Wednesday, including to the Reds pitcher, who is hitting .186.

So the losses mount, the despair deepens, and they can't even count on Red Sox and White Sox fans to feel lousy alongside them anymore.

All things considered, it must be a Cubs' fan worst nightmare.

And it's not over yet.

Mike Lopresti writes for Gannett News Service

White flag time at Wrigley

After losing 8 games in a row for the second time this season, it is high time for the Cubbies to fly the white flag at Wrigley Field again. In case you didn't know, whenever the Cubs win, a white flag with a big blue W flies high atop the ballpark. This lets all the L riders and rooftop denizens know that the home team was victorious. My mom actually sewed a replica flag for me which hangs proudly in my apartment above a bookshelf filled with baseball memorabilia. At 19 games back and 6 games under .500, it's now or never for the Cubbies to get back in the Wild Card race. It's probably not going to happen, but to paraphrase Yogi Berra, it ain't over 'til you're mathematically eliminated.

I also want to publically apologize to all the Cincinnati Reds fans I may have offended in a previous post.

Big Red wrote:
Hey! Take it easy on my Reds! Did you ever think they were being nice
by letting the Cubbies come up from the cellar for some fresh air?
After almost 100 years down there it's probably getting pretty ripe. =)

Your boys swept us in our own ballpark this week and I have to give them props. Sorry I disrespected the Big Red Machine.

RYNO RULES!!!

If you've known me for longer than 5 minutes, you are well aware that my favorite baseball player of all-time is former Chicago Cubs second baseman, Ryne Sandberg. Yesterday he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the highest honor any ballplayer can receive. When I was growing up, I thought Ryno was AWESOME! I had his posters on my wall, collected his baseball cards, watched him play a million games on WGN, and stayed up late listening to Harry Caray talk about his sparking play on the radio when the Cubs played on the West Coast. Ryno is one of the main reasons why I fell in love with baseball and why I will always root for the Cubbies, win or lose. Sandberg was old school and played the game with a quiet determination. Always classy but never flashy, Ryno didn't have a lot to say to the media because he let his actions on the field speak for him. Well, imagine my surprise yesterday when Mr. Sandberg gave a 23-minute speech that wowed the Cooperstown crowd (oratory fireworks, my friends). If you didn't get the chance to hear it or want to know more about the man, the myth, the legend, Ryne Sandberg, please check out this link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=rs-speech080105&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I promise you won't be disappointed. All I can say is amen, Ryno and GO CUBS!