Bleed Cubbie Blue

Cubs Retro Recap: September 29, 1995

2012-02-11T15:00:23Z

The 1995 season started late, due to the lateness of the settlement after the 1994 labor stoppage. MLB set a 144-game schedule, the shortest in the expansion era.

The Cubs, who had been pretty bad in 1994, were a little better in 1995. After a good start had them in first place in early June at 22-13, they went 16-30 and were five games under .500 at what would be the midpoint of a normal season, 38-43. A 23-16 run put them back over the .500 mark in early September at 61-59, but that didn't seem as if it would be enough...

... until the last week of the season, when they started winning. And winning. And winning. They won seven in a row and needed some help, but went into the season's final weekend with a shot at the first-ever wild card. The fourth win in the streak was this game against the Cardinals that was a near no-hitter by Frank Castillo, broken up with two out in the ninth by a triple by Bernard Gilkey.

And then they went for that eighth straight win.

Could this band of misfits and reclamation projects actually do it?

It's late September and usually, by this time we've said our goodbyes to both summer and the Cubs' season.

But with today's incredible come-from-behind, 4-3, 10-inning win over the Astros, their eighth win in a row, the Cubs actually do have a chance to win that newfangled NL wild card, the first of its kind. (It would have started last year except for... well, you know.)

The Cubs will need help. Here's how it looks after today's action:

Rockies 75-67
Astros 74-68
Cubs 73-69

So... if the Cubs can finish the series sweep over the Astros, and the Giants can beat Don Baylor's Rockies twice, that would force a tie for the wild card between the Cubs and Rockies at 75-69, and we'd have a tiebreaker game at Wrigley Field on Monday.

Improbable? Sure. But after the last eight games? Who among you would call it impossible?

Today, as summer hung on with a 76-degree day, the Astros looked like they had the game well in hand. Mike Hampton gave up just three hits and four walks in eight-plus innings, but when he ran into trouble in the ninth with a 3-0 lead, Houston closer Mike Henneman came in. He was awful. And that's what the Astros got him from the Tigers last month for -- to put out fires like this. With a runner on first, Henneman gave up consecutive singles to Sammy Sosa and Shawon Dunston; that scored a run, the only one charged to Hampton. Another single loaded the bases, and then Scott Servais hit into a force play that scored Sosa, making it 3-2. Henneman walked Howard Johnson (his third walk of the day), loading the bases.

At that point, Houston manager Terry Collins had seen enough of Henneman; he brought in lefty Dean Hartgraves to face pinch-hitter Scott Bullett.

With the crowd of 28,297 (well, that's what was announced; maybe 15,000 were in the house) making enough noise to make everyone think there was a sold-out house, Hartgraves walked Bullett on four pitches, tying the game.

Brian McRae had a chance to win it, but he struck out on a 3-2 pitch.

So it was on to extra innings for the second straight day. This time, Randy Myers was safely on the bench, out of reach of any wayward fans trying to tackle him, unlike last night. (The guy who tried to get to Myers after he gave up the homer to James Mouton was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and assault.)

Mike Perez threw the 10th; he hit Milt Thompson, but then he and Servais caught Thompson stealing, setting up the decisive last of the 10th. A walk and a single put runners on first and third; Sosa was intentionally passed to set up a force at every base. Dunston's weak grounder to second forced Jose Hernandez at the plate, but Luis Gonzalez bailed him, and the team, out with a single to right that scored Mark Grace and gave the Cubs their eighth win in a row, their longest streak since May of last year.

Could they really do it? Stranger things have happened in baseball, but not many. This Cubs team took all year to look this good, and even if they don't pull off the miracle, they have given us an amazing week of baseball. It's going to be hard to get baseball back to what it was before the strike. But if we keep seeing play like this, fans will come back.

Cubs Retro Recap: September 9, 1989

2012-02-10T19:00:24Z

Despite the Cubs' loss in the NLCS to the Giants, you probably (if you're old enough) remember the 1989 season fondly. Greg Maddux exploded on the scene with a huge year at age 23; Mark Grace established himself as one of the better first basemen in the league; the Cubs had two other solid starting pitchers in Rick Sutcliffe and Mike Bielecki, and Ryne Sandberg hit 30 home runs for the first time in his career.

Combine that with the "pitching like his hair is on fire" closer Mitch Williams, and the Cubs surprised everyone by playing consistently early, then taking over first place on August 5 with a win at Pittsburgh.

The context of the game in this recap is important. Though the Cubs were still in first place entering this day, it was by a thread; a lead that had been 2½ games just a week earlier had slipped to just half a game over the Cardinals after the Cubs blew a 7-1 lead entering the fifth inning the day before, September 8, and it wasn't even clear they'd play on the 9th, as it had been raining most of the morning.

What followed was one of the most memorable games of that season.

Like a runaway train, I thought.

That's what Andre Dawson looked like, thundering around the bases in the bottom of the 10th inning, with a steady light rain falling, after Luis Salazar's double into the right field corner.

He scored the winning run and fell into the embrace of his teammate Shawon Dunston in a memorable scene, one we hope gets repeated this October. The Cubs beat the Cardinals 3-2 in 10 innings on a dark and gloomy late afternoon at Wrigley Field. Despite daylight at the 3:05 start time, the lights were on for the entire game and umbrellas were up for most of it, too, as that rain fell, never hard enough to stop play, but enough to add to the atmosphere surrounding this tense game.

The Cubs knew they had to have it, too; leading St. Louis by just half a game going in, a loss would have put them in second place. And starting pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and Jose DeLeon pitched like it, too; both of them threw seven solid innings. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead into the seventh on the "strength" of a nicely executed squeeze bunt by Dwight Smith that scored Jerome Walton, who could be headed to a Rookie of the Year award (and don't count Smith out of that vote, either). In the sixth, a pair of singles gave the Cardinals the lead and after Sutcliffe was lifted for pinch-hitter Gary Varsho an inning later, it took three Cub relievers (Les Lancaster, Steve Wilson and Jeff Pico) to put St. Louis down scoreless in the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, Smith's daring baserunning helped tie the game. Smith lined a clean single to right field and then took a wide turn around first base. When he saw right fielder Tom Brunansky hesitate getting to the ball, Smith took off for second. Brunansky, seemingly shocked that Smith would do this, threw wide of the base and Smith was safe. Two batters later, Salazar singled him in with the tying run, the crowd of 37,633 (mostly Cub fans, surprisingly) roaring its approval.

Through the ninth the game continued scoreless. The Cubs got the potential winning run to scoring position with two out in the ninth, but Smith flew to left to send the game to extras, the rain continuing to fall.

Paul Assenmacher set down the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the 10th. With one out in the 10th, Dawson took a close 3-2 pitch for ball four. Andre's had a tough season with his knee injuries; his power is way down, but that could have been one of the biggest at-bats of his Cubs career. Four pitches later, Salazar -- playing in just his ninth game as a Cub -- smacked Ken Dayley's fourth pitch of the at-bat for the game-winning double.

Nice work on that acquisition, Jim Frey. Maybe you'll be a decent GM yet.

The Cubs now lead the NL East by 1½ over the Cardinals, three games over the Expos and 3½ over the Mets. Tomorrow, Scott Sanderson faces St. Louis' Ken Hill.

Cubs Announce 6-Game Ticket Packs

2012-02-10T16:40:00Z

The nine-packs of tickets the Cubs have been selling for the last few weeks have been joined by a new six-game pack, which will go on sale next Friday.

From the Cubs press release, here are details:

The Chicago Cubs today announced the sale of the Cubs 6-Game Pack, featuring tickets to Opening Day against the Washington Nationals, rivalry matchups with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, and rare visits to Wrigley Field by the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. Sales begin Friday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m. CST on www.cubs.com/6packs.

The Cubs 6-Game Pack provides a choice of 10 different pre-selected, six-game plans, with each option headlined by some of the schedule’s most popular games. The Cubs 6-Game Pack is available in both the Budweiser Bleachers and reserved seating bowl of Wrigley Field. Prices start at just $112 before taxes and fees for a package in the Upper Deck Reserved Outfield section.

What this means for ticket sales in general is unknown, although it does imply that the nine-game packs might not be selling. The general single-game ticket sale will be on Friday, March 9. More on the six-packs at this link.

Welcome Brett Taylor To BCB

2012-02-10T14:00:38Z

Beginning Monday, Brett Taylor (formerly known here as "AceCubbie") will be joining the front-page staff here at BCB.

At least three times a week (Monday, Wednesday & Friday), and possibly more often depending on how much baseball news is around, Brett will be making an "around MLB" linkpost, highlighting the major stories of the day. It'll be posted generally first thing in the morning.

With pitchers and catchers only about a week away from reporting to Cubs camp and other MLB camps, it's time for all of us to start getting excited about baseball 2012. This will be a way for all of you to have a one-stop shop for all of your MLB news.

As you probably already know, Brett runs the Cub-centric site Bleacher Nation and I'm really pleased to be able to partner with him and welcome him to the front-page staff. He'll continue to do the great work he's doing at Bleacher Nation; in the future he might do additional front-page posting here, and of course soon you'll see more here from our minor league editor, Josh Timmers.

Please join me in welcoming Brett; his first post will be on Monday morning.

The Ultimate Sports Social Media Contest, Part Deux

2012-02-09T20:05:25Z

A few weeks ago, I made this post announcing a contest sponsored by one of SB Nation's advertising partners, for a real paid one-year job doing sports social media work (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

The entry period is closed, but now you have the chance to help decide the winner. Follow me past the jump for details.

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where from thousands of hopefuls, one star is born? Well, BCB readers, here's your chance to play "starmaker" and help pick the new voice of sports in social media!

XFINITY is looking for the next renowned sports social media star through its Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The winning candidate will serve as the new voice of XFINITY in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

From February 9-19, you can review qualified entry videos and vote for the contestant you'd like to see advance to the finals of the XFINITY Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sporting events the weekend of March 8-11. Head over today to Facebook.com/XFINITY and click on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab to vote for your favorite personality (once per day)!

Will you choose the brainiac with the encyclopedia of stats, the former jock who knows the game inside out, or the corporate type who gets the marketing side of the business? You decide. Vote today at Facebook.com/XFINITY! Thanks to BCB/SB Nation partner Comcast/XFINITY for this opportunity.

Cubs Announce 2012 Regular Season TV Schedule

2012-02-08T21:10:00Z

The Cubs announced their regular season television schedule today. As always, all 162 games will be on TV -- if you're younger than about 35, you won't remember the days when about 20 games a year weren't on TV anywhere. Now, you can get every game pretty much anywhere, unless you're in one of the Bud Selig Blackout Areas.

This year, unlike a few recent years in the past, Opening Day will be on WGN. That's good news. The usual eight games are on WCIU; some of those will wind up on ESPN as national telecasts, so you won't miss them if you're outside the Chicago area.

The breakdown of TV games is as follows:

WGN: 63
CSN: 80
WCIU: 8
Fox: 9
ESPN: 2

There are three TBD games; two possible ESPN dates that will be on WGN if not on ESPN, and one possible late-season Fox date that will be on WGN if not on Fox. For simplicity's sake I have listed the ESPN TBD's as ESPN above, and the Fox TBD as WGN above (since those seem the most likely outcomes of those TBD's). After the jump, the complete schedule.

Thur	4/5	vs. Washington	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	4/7	vs. Washington 12:05 PM	CSN
Sun	4/8	vs. Washington	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	4/9	vs. Milwaukee	7:05 PM	WCIU
Tue	4/10	vs. Milwaukee	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	4/11	vs. Milwaukee	1:20 PM	WGN
Thur	4/12	vs. Milwaukee	1:20 PM	CSN
Fri	4/13	@ St. Louis	2:15 PM	WGN
Sat	4/14	@ St. Louis    12:05 PM FOX
Sun	4/15	@ St. Louis	1:15 PM	CSN
Mon	4/16	OFF DAY	
Tue	4/17	@ Miami	        6:10 PM	CSN
Wed	4/18	@ Miami	        6:10 PM	WGN
Thur	4/19	@ Miami	       11:40 AM	WGN
Fri	4/20	vs. Cincinnati	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	4/21	vs. Cincinnati 12:05 PM	WGN
Sun	4/22	vs. Cincinnati	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	4/23	vs. St. Louis	7:05 PM	CSN
Tue	4/24	vs. St. Louis	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	4/25	vs. St. Louis	1:20 PM	WGN
Thur	4/26	OFF DAY	
Fri	4/27	@ Philadelphia	6:05 PM	CSN
Sat	4/28	@ Philadelphia	6:05 PM	WGN
Sun	4/29	@ Philadelphia 12:35 PM	WGN
Mon	4/30	@ Philadelphia	6:05 PM	CSN
Tue	5/1	@ Cincinnati	6:10 PM	CSN
Wed	5/2	@ Cincinnati	6:10 PM	WGN
Thur	5/3	@ Cincinnati   11:35 AM	CSN
Fri	5/4	vs. LA Dodgers	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	5/5	vs. LA Dodgers 12:05 PM	CSN
Sun	5/6	vs. LA Dodgers	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	5/7	vs. Atlanta	7:05 PM	WCIU
Tue	5/8	vs. Atlanta	7:05 PM	WGN
Wed	5/9	vs. Atlanta	1:20 PM	CSN
Thur	5/10	OFF DAY
Fri	5/11	@ Milwaukee	7:10 PM	WGN
Sat	5/12	@ Milwaukee    12:05 PM	FOX
Sun	5/13	@ Milwaukee	1:10 PM	WGN
Mon	5/14	@ St. Louis	7:15 PM	WCIU
Tue	5/15	@ St. Louis    12:45 PM	CSN
Wed	5/16	vs. Phila.      7:05 PM	CSN
Thur	5/17	vs. Phila.      7:05 PM	WGN
Fri	5/18	vs. White Sox	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	5/19	vs. White Sox	6:15 PM	FOX
Sun	5/20	vs. White Sox	1:20 PM	CSN
Mon	5/21	@ Houston	7:05 PM	CSN
Tue	5/22	@ Houston	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	5/23	@ Houston	7:05 PM	WGN
Thur	5/24	OFF DAY
Fri	5/25	@ Pittsburgh	6:05 PM	CSN+
Sat	5/26	@ Pittsburgh	6:15 PM	FOX
Sun	5/27	@ Pittsburgh   12:35 PM WGN
Mon	5/28	vs. San Diego	1:20 PM	WGN
Tue	5/29	vs. San Diego	1:20 PM	CSN
Wed	5/30	vs. San Diego	1:20 PM	CSN
Thur	5/31	OFF DAY 
Fri	6/1	@ SF Giants	9:15 PM	WGN
Sat	6/2	@ SF Giants	6:15 PM	FOX
Sun	6/3	@ SF Giants	3:05 PM	WGN
Mon	6/4	@ SF Giants	2:45 PM	CSN
Tue	6/5	@ Milwaukee	7:10 PM	WGN
Wed	6/6	@ Milwaukee	7:10 PM	CSN
Thur	6/7	@ Milwaukee	1:10 PM	CSN
Fri	6/8	@ Minnesota	7:10 PM	WGN
Sat	6/9	@ Minnesota	1:10 PM	CSN
Sun	6/10	@ Minnesota	1:10 PM	WGN
Mon	6/11	OFF DAY
Tue	6/12	vs. Detroit	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	6/13	vs. Detroit	7:05 PM	WCIU
Thur	6/14	vs. Detroit	1:20 PM	CSN
Fri	6/15	vs. Boston	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	6/16	vs. Boston	6:15 PM	FOX
Sun	6/17	vs. Boston	TBD     WGN or ESPN
Mon	6/18	@ White Sox	7:10 PM	WCIU
Tue	6/19	@ White Sox	7:10 PM	CSN
Wed	6/20	@ White Sox	7:10 PM	WGN
Thur	6/21	OFF DAY
Fri	6/22	@ Arizona	8:40 PM	WGN	
Sat	6/23	@ Arizona	9:10 PM	CSN
Sun	6/24	@ Arizona	3:10 PM CSN
Mon	6/25	vs. NY Mets	7:05 PM	CSN+
Tue	6/26	vs. NY Mets	7:05 PM	WCIU
Wed	6/27	vs. NY Mets	1:20 PM	CSN
Thur	6/28	OFF DAY	
Fri	6/29	vs. Houston	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	6/30	vs. Houston	3:05 PM	WGN
Sun	7/1	vs. Houston	1:20 PM	CSN
Mon	7/2	@ Atlanta	6:10 PM	CSN
Tue	7/3	@ Atlanta	6:10 PM	CSN
Wed	7/4	@ Atlanta	6:10 PM	WGN
Thur	7/5	@ Atlanta	6:10 PM	CSN
Fri	7/6	@ NY Mets	6:10 PM	CSN
Sat	7/7	@ NY Mets	3:10 PM	WGN
Sun	7/8	@ NY Mets      12:10 PM	CSN

7/9-12		ALL-STAR BREAK (Kansas City)

Fri	7/13	vs. Arizona	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	7/14	vs. Arizona	3:05 PM	FOX
Sun	7/15	vs. Arizona	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	7/16	OFF DAY
Tue	7/17	vs. Miami	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	7/18	vs. Miami	7:05 PM	WGN
Thur	7/19	vs. Miami	1:20 PM	CSN
Fri	7/20	@ St. Louis	7:15 PM	WGN
Sat	7/21	@ St. Louis	3:05 PM	FOX
Sun	7/22	@ St. Louis	1:15 PM	WGN
Mon	7/23	@ Pittsburgh	6:05 PM	CSN
Tue	7/24	@ Pittsburgh	6:05 PM	CSN
Wed	7/25	@ Pittsburgh   11:35 AM	WGN
Thur	7/26	OFF DAY
Fri	7/27	vs. St. Louis	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	7/28	vs. St. Louis  12:05 PM	CSN
Sun	7/29	vs. St. Louis	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	7/30	vs. Pittsburgh	7:05 PM	CSN
Tue	7/31	vs. Pittsburgh	7:05 PM	WGN
Wed	8/1	vs. Pittsburgh	1:20 PM	WGN
Thur	8/2	OFF DAY
Fri	8/3	@ LA Dodgers	9:10 PM	WGN
Sat	8/4	@ LA Dodgers	8:10 PM	CSN
Sun	8/5	@ LA Dodgers	TBD     WGN or ESPN
Mon	8/6	@ San Diego	9:05 PM	CSN
Tue	8/7	@ San Diego	9:05 PM	CSN+
Wed	8/8	@ San Diego	5:35 PM WGN
Thur	8/9	vs. Cincinnati	7:05 PM	CSN
Fri	8/10	vs. Cincinnati	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	8/11	vs. Cincinnati	3:05 PM	CSN
Sun	8/12	vs. Cincinnati	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	8/13	vs. Houston	7:05 PM	CSN+
Tue	8/14	vs. Houston	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	8/15	vs. Houston	1:20 PM	WGN
Thur	8/16	OFF DAY
Fri	8/17	@ Cincinnati	6:10 PM	WGN
Sat	8/18	@ Cincinnati	6:10 PM	CSN
Sun	8/19	@ Cincinnati   12:10 PM WGN
Mon	8/20	@ Milwaukee	7:10 PM	WCIU
Tue	8/21	@ Milwaukee	7:10 PM	CSN+
Wed	8/22	@ Milwaukee	1:10 PM	WGN
Thur	8/23	OFF DAY	
Fri	8/24	vs. Colorado	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	8/25	vs. Colorado   12:05 PM	CSN
Sun	8/26	vs. Colorado	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	8/27	vs. Milwaukee	7:05 PM	CSN
Tues	8/28	vs. Milwaukee	7:05 PM	WGN
Wed	8/29	vs. Milwaukee	7:05 PM	CSN+
Thur	8/30	vs. Milwaukee	1:20 PM	CSN
Fri	8/31	vs. SF Giants	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	9/1	vs. SF Giants	3:05 PM	FOX
Sun	9/2	vs. SF Giants	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	9/3	@ Washington   12:05 PM	WGN
Tues	9/4	@ Washington	6:05 PM	CSN
Wed	9/5	@ Washington	6:05 PM CSN
Thur	9/6	@ Washington	6:05 PM	CSN
Fri	9/7	@ Pittsburgh	6:05 PM	CSN
Sat	9/8	@ Pittsburgh	6:05 PM	CSN
Sun	9/9	@ Pittsburgh   12:35 PM	WGN
Mon	9/10	@ Houston	7:05 PM	CSN
Tues	9/11	@ Houston	7:05 PM	WCIU
Wed	9/12	@ Houston	7:05 PM	CSN+
Thur	9/13	OFF DAY
Fri	9/14	vs. Pittsburgh	1:20 PM	WGN
Sat	9/15	vs. Pittsburgh 12:05 PM	CSN
Sun	9/16	vs. Pittsburgh	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	9/17	vs. Pittsburgh	7:05 PM	CSN
Tue	9/18	vs. Cincinnati	7:05 PM	CSN
Wed	9/19	vs. Cincinnati	7:05 PM	CSN
Thur	9/20	vs. Cincinnati	1:20 PM CSN	
Fri	9/21	vs. St. Louis	1:20 PM	CSN
Sat	9/22	vs. St. Louis	TBD     WGN or FOX
Sun	9/23	vs. St. Louis	1:20 PM	WGN
Mon	9/24	OFF
Tue	9/25	@ Colorado	7:40 PM	WGN
Wed	9/26	@ Colorado	7:40 PM CSN
Thur	9/27	@ Colorado	2:10 PM	WGN
Fri	9/28	@ Arizona	8:40 PM	CSN
Sat	9/29	@ Arizona	7:10 PM	WGN
Sun	9/30	@ Arizona	3:10 PM	WGN
Mon	10/1	vs. Houston	7:05 PM	CSN
Tue	10/2	vs. Houston	7:05 PM	CSN+
Wed	10/3	vs. Houston	1:20 PM WGN

WGN: WGN-TV
CSN: Comcast SportsNet
CSN+: Comcast SportsNet Plus
WCIU: WCIU
FOX: Regional Fox Telecast
ESPN: National ESPN Telecast

All times listed are Central Time and are subject to change

Cubs Retro Recap: September 12, 1998

2012-02-07T18:20:16Z

The 1998 season was remarkable for many reasons -- not the least of which was the Cubs' first playoff season in nine years, and the first (and so far, only) wild card postseason spot won by the Cubs.

For the last 45 days of the season, no more than one game separated the first- and second-place teams in the NL wild card race -- the Cubs, Mets, and in the final week, the Giants, who the Cubs wound up playing in the memorable tiebreaker game at Wrigley Field.

This game was part of an amazing weekend series with the Brewers, who were in their first year as a NL team. The Cubs won two of three, but both teams scored 10 or more runs in all three games. Orlando Merced, pictured here, played a key role in this game. Why is this photo of him in a Twins uniform?

Primarily because Merced's Cubs career was very brief. The Twins sent him to the Red Sox in a July 31 deadline deal that year (along with Greg Swindell), but Boston released him on September 1. Four days later he was a Cub; he played in just 12 games and had only 10 at-bats. One of them was particularly important.

With all the memories that Sammy Sosa (and Mark McGwire) are making for us this season, it took a man who has been a Cub for just one week to get the most important hit in today's amazing 15-12 come-from-behind win over the Brewers.

Actually, calling it "come-from-behind" doesn't come close to describing what the Cubs did today. After being blasted in a slugfest yesterday 13-11, it looked like more of the same this afternoon, on a lovely sun-kissed 80-degree afternoon, the kind you see in September all the time and say, "Please stick around through the fall!"

Milwaukee hitters pounded Mike Morgan for three home runs in the third inning, one from Geoff Jenkins, one from Jeromy Burnitz and one from Bobby Hughes, who isn't really even a home run hitter. The eight-run inning chased Morgan, who's not anywhere near the pitcher who went 16-8 with a 2.55 ERA in his first incarnation as a Cub six years ago. The inning might have ended with "only" six runs, due to an error by Jose Hernandez that made the last two home runs come after the third out should have been registered.

So the Cubs were down 8-2; the Brewers made it 10-2 and then 12-5 by the time the Cubs bats finally woke up in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sammy slammed his 60th, a three-run job to make it 12-8, and Glenallen Hill followed with a solo shot to cut the deficit to three. Sammy's blast put him back within two of Mark McGwire, who went 0-for-3 today against the Astros.

Felix Heredia -- yes, Felix Heredia -- managed a scoreless eighth, and then Tyler Houston led off the last of the eighth with a homer off Chad Fox to make it 12-10. That was the eighth home run of the day.

Thank heavens for Terry Mulholland, who has done pretty much everything and anything Jim Riggleman has asked of him this year. He got the first two outs in the ninth before yielding to Rod Beck, who gave up a single to Marc Newfield to very deep short -- neither Hernandez nor Gary Gaetti could do anything with it -- before retiring Hughes to set up the bottom of the ninth.

Two singles, a successful sac bunt by Gaetti (what a find! Keep him around for a while!) and a walk loaded the bases for Houston, who singled in a pair to tie the game and sent Mickey Morandini, representing the winning run, to third base with one out.

Up stepped Orlando Merced.

Merced? Some of the crowd looked around, wondering who this guy was. The Cubs just signed him a week ago after the Red Sox let him go. He'd been 1-for-4 as a Cub, a single that drove in a run against one of his former teams, the Pirates, last Wednesday.

Merced hit Bob Wickman's second pitch into the right field bleachers for a three-run walkoff home run.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up. Merced had a couple pretty good years for the Pirates in 1995 and 1996; he's only 31. Why not keep him around? He's a useful backup first baseman and outfielder.

And he won the game. I think everyone knows who he is now. The win, coupled with the Mets' loss to the Expos, puts the Cubs one game ahead of New York in the wild card race. It's been close like this for more than a month. Tomorrow, Steve Trachsel faces the Brewers' Brad Woodall.

What a year. No matter what happens, we'll always remember the 1998 season.

Cubs DFA Blake DeWitt

2012-02-06T22:14:02Z

I know this news will crush many of you, who were Blake DeWitt fans. (Sarcasm intentional!)

According to MLB Trade Rumors -- the only source of this story, thus far -- the Cubs have designated The Franchise for assignment to make room for Adrian Cardenas, who was claimed on waivers from the Athletics today. Here's a link to the official Cubs news release on these moves.

I admit, I thought DeWitt could become a decent major league player. When the Cubs acquired him from the Dodgers in the Ted Lilly deal, DeWitt was only 24 and had posted decent numbers in the major leagues at age 22. He never progressed beyond that, and though he had occasional success as a bench player, he neither developed power, nor had much speed, nor played good enough defense to be used as a defensive replacement.

Cardenas is a middle infielder who hit .314/.374/.418 in 545 plate appearances for Triple-A Sacramento in 2011, though he did not get called up in September. I presume he'll get a shot at winning a middle infield backup job in spring training.

So long, Franchise. At least we'll never have to see him try to play the outfield for the Cubs again.