A Playoff Game in Wrigley?

By David Marasco

They say that Cubs fans are among the most loyal in all sports. To a certain point this is true, they've been filling up Wrigley Field despite 90 years without a World Series crown. When the Cubs beat the Giants to take the wildcard, tickets for the home playoff games went through the roof. It was actually cheaper to fly to Atlanta, buy a ticket to a road playoff game, and stay in a hotel than it was to buy a Wrigley Field seat. Or at least it was on Tuesday. The people who were paying the big cash were the same folks who buy Bulls playoff tickets. These are not your die-hards, no these people are far more fickle. Two losses in Atlanta had turned them off to Cubs baseball. By Saturday morning the bottom had fallen out of the market for Cubs tickets. The prices fell so far that even I was able to buy a ticket.

The Cubs... They've never won a playoff game West of the Mississippi and that's the reason they got bounced from the playoffs in 1984 and 1989. Their last World Series was months after we dropped the Bomb on Japan, and Roosevelt, Teddy, was president last time they took the whole enchilada. I was at Candlestick Park the last time they played meaningful games in October, and I saw them bow out. Tonight they would send Fee-Nom Kerry Wood to the mound against Greg Maddux. That would be worth a scalped ticket, playoffs or no.

Throwing Kerry Wood was the last act of a team with its back against the wall. Here is a young man with elbow problems who has not pitched in a month. Throw in the fact that it was a cold Chicago night and you cook up a recipe for disaster. This seemed like a poor gamble. Here you risk the career of your best prospect, with the only payoff being one more game against the Atlanta rotation. If the Cubs went into Saturday tied at 1-1 I could see an argument for Wood, but to me it was a stupid move and the Cubs are lucky that they weren't burned. The Cubs had three hot prospects on the mound early in the year. They blew out Jeremi Gonzalez's arm, he'll be on the shelf for quite a while. They screwed up some paperwork and ended up releasing Amaury Telemaco. Given their track record, Wood should be shaking in his boots.

On the flip side was Greg Maddux, the Cub that got away. He wouldn't have lead the Cubs to 8 division crowns in the 90's, but they would have been to the playoffs a few more times and perhaps might have won something. The Cubs let the best pitcher of the 90's walk to Atlanta, and they can only kick themselves. With a strong wind blowing in and Maddux on the mound things looked bad for the Cubs.

I sat in just about the last set of seats of the firstbase Upper Boxes. The face value of the ticket was $30, but I felt better when the guy sitting next to me revealed that he had paid $300 for his seat earlier in the week. I was wearing my winter jacket and I still felt a bit chilly, no, there was no snow, but the weather had to affect the game to some degree.

Wood looked shakey from the beginning. He had two baserunners in the first inning and never retired the side in order. He was nicked for a run in the third. Maddux lead off with a duck-double to center and was promptly moved to third. He came in on a passed ball. After the end of three Kerry Wood had tossed 59 pitches, Maddux was cruising at 25. That's the best way to state the relatve fortunes of the teams.

With the strong wind blowing in most balls in the air were turned into outs. Going into the 8th inning the Braves still clung to a mere 1-0 lead. Then the roof caved in. Terry Mulholland had come in for Wood in the 6th and retired the first 6 men he faced. But Lockhart lead off the 8th with a single and Chipper Jones walked on four pitches. Riggleman had seen enough. He went to the bullpen and brought in his closer, Rod Beck.

I first saw Beck many years ago when he pitched for San Jose in the California League. He's always been one of those stoppers who made you reach for the Rolaids. Galaragga was his first batter, and Beck induced a short flyball to center for an out. It was Gerald Williams who drew blood. He sent a shot into left that Henry Rodriguez couldn't catch. There was a lot of confusion on the play. Williams ran to second, only to find it occupied by Jones. It wasn't clear that Lockhart was going to score. WIlliams even turned and ran back to first. But the relay throw to the plate went long and when all the dust settled there were Braves on second and third and a run in.

Bad news for the Cubs. A 2 run deficit, and Maddux glowering from the opposing dugout. And the Braves were still batting. Andruw Jones got a free pass to set up the double play, the Cubs counting on the catcher's speed of Eddie Perez. Well, Perez didn't run very quickly down the line, it wasn't required. He deposited Beck's offering across the street for a grand slam.

Down 6-0 many people started to file out like rats off a sinking ship. These were the Bulls fans who had cheered so loudly when Scottie Pippen had lead the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." The real Cubs fans stayed behind, and to the credit of the team, there were alot of them. And just when you felt you could put a fork in them, the Cubs came roaring back.

Jose Hernandez took Maddux's first pitch of the 8th and shot it back up the middle for a single. Ditto Sandy Martinez. When Lance Johnson loaded the bases with a single to right that was it for Maddux. He lasted three batters into the 8th, throwing 91 pitches. Wood had tossed 93 in his five innings of work. The Braves brought in their own Kerry, Kerry Ligtenberg. He faced a battle, bases loaded, no outs, and the meat of the Cubs' lineup.

Mickey Morandini placed a ball to center for a sac-fly to put the Cubs on the board. The next man to the plate was mighty Sammy Sosa. Sammy was 0-3 on the night, and the Cubs needed a clutch hit. He let the first two pitches by for balls, and at 2-0 was in the driver's seat. He swung at the next two and the count was even. Wrigley Field was just one big noise machine when he fouled off the next pitch. It went silent when he struck out. Mark Grace got his first hit of the post-season to drive in a run, but that was it for the Cubs. They had scored two runs but it wasn't enough.

The Braves loaded the bases against Beck in the ninth, and old man Mike Morgan pitched them out of it. The bottom of the order was in place for the Cubs in their half of the ninth. Ligtenberg did his job and the Cubs went out on ten pitches.

This was an amazing season for the Cubs. They lost Harry Caray and then Jack Brickhouse, two men who own the same status as Ernie Banks in the Cubs worldview. They had Kerry Wood flash across the sky before his arm went dead in September. Sammy Sosa thrilled the world with his longball feats. And they took a clutch game from the Giants to claim the wildcard. Only the most bitter fans could look at this season as being anything but a success.