Saturday, October 31, 2015

METS SELF DESTRUCT; ROYALS UP 3-1 at Cubsquest.com

31 October:

The weird play continued Saturday night. Halloween had it"s imprint on the World Series.

The Mets were nursing a 3-1 lead after 5 when apparently malevolent spirits possessed manager of the year Terry Collins. He left his young pitcher Steven Matz in one inning too long. Most...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comMETS SELF DESTRUCT; ROYALS UP 3-1

Friday, October 30, 2015

NOT SO FAST, SAY THE METS at Cubsquest.com

31 October:

The Kansas City Royals entered the den of the Addam"s Family Friday night.

The whole family was there. Gomez. Morticia, Uncle Fester. Pugsley and Cousin Itt were in the stands as well. Left field line.

The Royals were always going to have their work cut out for them. Winning...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comNOT SO FAST, SAY THE METS

METS RETURN TO NEW YORK: WILL ROYALS MELT IN BIG APPLE? at Cubsquest.com

30 October:

The high flying Kansas City Royals come to the City that Never Sleeps.

Back in Kansas, where Dorothy and Toto exist, the big city there rolls up it"s streets at 11 pm promptly. Can their baseball club succeed in an atmosphere where one can go out for some Ethiopian chow at 4...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comMETS RETURN TO NEW YORK: WILL ROYALS MELT IN BIG APPLE?

Thursday, October 29, 2015

ROYALS TAKE A 2-0 LEAD IN SERIES at Cubsquest.com

29 October:

One thing has become clear this 2015 post season.

The Kansas City Royals are absolutely relentless. They have an approach, it"s full on 24/7. Right from Alcides Escobar and his first pitch attack -why would ANYONE throw this guy a fastball there- to the excellent preparation of ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comROYALS TAKE A 2-0 LEAD IN SERIES

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

COLLINS M.O.Y. REEKS OF NEW YORK MEDIA CRONISM at Cubsquest.com

Terry Collins: Manager of the Year. Roll that one off your tongue.

In a Brooklyn accent, munching on a slab of that nasty, greasy pizza New Yorkers tout as some kind of gourmet cuisine, perhaps it sounds enticing, even credible...

But to the huddled masses outside of the Big Apple who...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCOLLINS M.O.Y. REEKS OF NEW YORK MEDIA CRONISM

ROYALS TAKE GAME ONE at Cubsquest.com

28 October:

It came down to two pitches and one outfield misplay.

Matt Harvey gets a fastball up on the first pitch of the game to Alcides Escobar, who drives it to left center.  Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto got their communication fouled up, and it bounced off the wall and around ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comROYALS TAKE GAME ONE

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

WORLD SERIES TONIGHT at Cubsquest.com

27 October:

Sure, most of you don"t care much.

Can"t be blamed much for that. This great Cub run drained most; just focus on Jake Arrieta after the victory over the Pirates in the playoff game. He looked shot, and admitted as much.

250+ innings of intense competition at a supremely high...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comWORLD SERIES TONIGHT

Monday, October 26, 2015

PRE-SEASON OVER - BULLS READY FOR SEASON at Cubsquest.com

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Bulls ended their preseason with a win Friday night, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 103-102.

Chicago concluded their preseason with a record of 4-4 along with some promising facets to a newly directed team. Coach Fred Hoiberg’s new offensive system has proven to be ef...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comPRE-SEASON OVER - BULLS READY FOR SEASON

FIRST LESSONS TO TAKE FROM CUBS 2015 SEASON at Cubsquest.com

26 October:

It"s been six days since The Debacle.

The wonderous Cub summer exposed as the baseball equivalent of Operation Market Garden, or "The Bridge too Far" as the disaster came to be known.

The comparison? The Allies thought they could basically finish off the German army on the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comFIRST LESSONS TO TAKE FROM CUBS 2015 SEASON

Sunday, October 25, 2015

UNHAPPY WITH CUB LOSS? BLAME TBS at Cubsquest.com

25 October:

The final phase of the 2015 baseball season begins Tuesday night on FOX.

Which brings us to a new scapegoat. Unhappy with the Cub"s post season run? Who isn"t?

Blame TBS. That"s right; dump it on Turner Broadcast System. The "minor leagues" of the baseball post season...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comUNHAPPY WITH CUB LOSS? BLAME TBS

Saturday, October 24, 2015

REASON #1 TO GO TO THE ART INSTITUTE at Cubsquest.com

24 October:

Continuing on our little art appreciation theme. Keep in mind baseball is an "art" as well as a game, so the beauty does transfer. There"s THIS:

Walt Whitman, the famous American poet, had connections to baseball. As a newspaper reporter, he covered early American ball games in...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comREASON #1 TO GO TO THE ART INSTITUTE

Friday, October 23, 2015

HAWKS SHOW UP STRONG, TOP FLORIDA at Cubsquest.com

TREVOR BLOCK on the HAWKS

Chicago, IL – The Blackhawks secured their first win without star defenseman Duncan Keith, who is out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks due to a torn meniscus.

Playing without Keith means his defensive partner, Brent Seabrook, will have to step up in his absence. S...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comHAWKS SHOW UP STRONG, TOP FLORIDA

WORLD SERIES SET: METS TAKE ON ROYALS at Cubsquest.com

24 October:

Congratulations to the Kansas City Royals.

They and their fans have obsessed to a fanatical degree to engineer a return to The Dance and got it. Their hijacking of the All Star game- the over the top tampering with the system- was so egregious that MLB had to get involved and...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comWORLD SERIES SET: METS TAKE ON ROYALS

THERE"S MORE TO LIFE THAN SPORTS at Cubsquest.com

23 October:

Some of our esteemed and brilliant readers have asked why Cubsquest doesn"t just do all sports 24/7/365.

Like Bleacher Reports. Or ESPN.

The answer is simple. Baseball guys here. And ones with busy lives that include other, far more mundane AND esoteric pursuits. Our staff...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comTHERE"S MORE TO LIFE THAN SPORTS

OFF SEASON REMEDIES at Cubsquest.com

23 October:

So, does anyone really care about the rest of the baseball season?

If you do, then the funny series will be Mets versus Toronto. Will Daniel Murphy, who averages 11 homers a year outhomer the Blue Jay sluggers in that ridiculous carpeted launching pad?

The worst park in the...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comOFF SEASON REMEDIES

Thursday, October 22, 2015

THE HANGOVER: WHAT TO DO NEXT at Cubsquest.com

22 October:

The dust is settling on Wrigley Field.

Only in the abstract, of course. They will be busy little beavers this off season and the next few making the needed improvements  to the aging infrastructure. The renovations are really a rebuilding, and an ambitious one.

By 2020 this ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comTHE HANGOVER: WHAT TO DO NEXT

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

CUBS DREAM SEASON ENDS DISMALLY at Cubsquest.com

22 October:

This series is going to leave a sour taste for some time.

What should have been at least a competitive series turned into perhaps the most one sided rout in NLCS history. The Mets came in ready to play, that"s for sure.

And just as certain the Cubs were NOT. Almost...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS DREAM SEASON ENDS DISMALLY

WHY IT HAS GONE SO WRONG: LOSING ANALYZED at Cubsquest.com

21 October:

This is as difficult to write as it may be unpleasant to read.

The sense of dread over Wrigleyville for the last few days is now impending doom. While there is no doubt that the Cubs can recover not only from an 0-3 hole but flat out terrible play, it is not a safe bet.

The...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comWHY IT HAS GONE SO WRONG: LOSING ANALYZED

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

CUBS SAVE WORST FOR LAST; FACE SWEEP at Cubsquest.com

21 October:

It wasn"t supposed to be like this.

While there is little doubt that this young Chicago Cub team has had a magnificent season; easily exceeding all expectations, nobody expected THIS.

An epic, only Chicago Cub intensive, fail. With all of the flaws and none of the magic...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SAVE WORST FOR LAST; FACE SWEEP

CUBS SIGN CUBAN PROSPECT MARTINEZ at Cubsquest.com

20 October:

It"s now official.

After yet another contentious acquisition, which one could say has been the trademark of the Theo Epstein regime, the signing of Eddy Julio Martinez has been announced by Baseball America"s Ben Badler.

Like other Carribean rim players Martinez had a number...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SIGN CUBAN PROSPECT MARTINEZ

Monday, October 19, 2015

HAWKS FLATLINING EARLY ON at Cubsquest.com

TREVOR BLOCK on the Hawks

Chicago, IL – In the previous two games the Chicago Blackhawks have looked uninspired. In back to back games on October 14 and October 15, the Hawks suffered a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia followed by a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals.

Saturday night t...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comHAWKS FLATLINING EARLY ON

WHY CUBS WILL WIN TUESDAY at Cubsquest.com

20 October:

There comes a time when it isn"t always about the hottest pitchers, the top sluggers or even the best team. It comes down to who WANTS to win more than the other guy.

The Mets are fired up. They have, and have had, the best pitching staff not only this year but on any team in a...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comWHY CUBS WILL WIN TUESDAY

CUB NOTES 19 OCTOBER at Cubsquest.com

19 October:

Notes about the Cubs and from around the league:

One man wrecking crew Daniel Murphy has "made himself millions" according to a source close to the Met organization. However they have no plans to bring him back other than meet his option.

He"ll get way more than that from...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB NOTES 19 OCTOBER

Sunday, October 18, 2015

CUBS DROP SECOND TO METS at Cubsquest.com

18 October:

This was about as bad an outcome as could be expected.

Nobody in their right mind thought the trip to New York was going to be a picnic. Nor did anybody expect Jake Arrieta to continue his incredible run of dominance. The Cubs 7-0 record against them was also something that was...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS DROP SECOND TO METS

Saturday, October 17, 2015

CUBS LOSE OPENER TO METS at Cubsquest.com

17 October:

Everyone knew the Cubs weren"t going to win every game.

And that going 7-0 against the Mets was bound to even out. So it did. But what nobody wanted to see was the team play poorly, which they pretty much did.

The score was much closer than the game. Even when it was tied...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS LOSE OPENER TO METS

Thursday, October 15, 2015

CUBS TAKE ON METS IN NLCS at Cubsquest.com

16 October:

It was inevitable.

The mighty had all fallen; the Cardinals, Pirates and now the Dodgers have all fallen by the wayside. The two left standing are clubs few chose to make it this far. A few visionaries picked the Cubs for the post season; Phil Rogers was one.

Cubsquest had...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS TAKE ON METS IN NLCS

BULLS PRE-SEASON TAKING SHAPE at Cubsquest.com

Chicago, IL – Four games down and four to go. After a split of the first four preseason games, the Chicago Bulls look to start sharpening their game as the regular season inches closer.

Two wins and two loses in and it is clear the Bulls are in mid-preseason form, if that’s any indication as t...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comBULLS PRE-SEASON TAKING SHAPE

CUB PLAYOFF NOTES at Cubsquest.com

15 October:

Some points of interest:

The signing of Cuban Eddy Julio Martinez announced by the Cubs last week just might be a tad premature. As is often the case with these third world entries, all is not what it seems. Martinez did agree to a $2.5 million contract with the Giants, then...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB PLAYOFF NOTES

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

CUBSQUEST ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS at Cubsquest.com

15 October:

The informed and brilliant readers have asked some questions to which answers are deserved. After all, this entire exercise is aimed at YOU. This isn"t being done for any internal benefit; thousands of hours and dollars have gone into making Cubsquest what it is, and to those who...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBSQUEST ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

CUBS VERSUS DODGERS? OR METS? at Cubsquest.com

14 October:

In the afterglow of the marvelous and generally most excellent victory of the Cubs over the androids from Delos (aka St Louis Cardinals) one can sit back, enjoy a favored beverage of choice, and watch their next victim.

Could it be those overpaid underachievers who ply their...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS VERSUS DODGERS? OR METS?

CUBS BEAT CARDS! ON TO NL CHAMPIONSHIP! at Cubsquest.com

13 October:

In the end it wasn"t a pretty, nor a tidy affair.

But who cares? The Cubs are going to the NL Championship series, and the 100 game winning St Louis Cardinals are going back to stare over the banks of the Mississippi for 6 months and wonder just WHAT went wrong.

They can...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BEAT CARDS! ON TO NL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Monday, October 12, 2015

CUBS BOMB CARDS; LEAD SERIES 2-1 at Cubsquest.com

13 October:

OK. So it wasn"t a Jake Arrieta masterpiece.

The man has been lights out for so long he was due an off night. He had a rare one Monday night.

No matter. With warm winds from the west whipping out at 20 mph the Cubs muscled up for a major league record six home runs in a...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS BOMB CARDS; LEAD SERIES 2-1

CUTLER LEADS BEARS TO STUNNING COMEBACK WIN at Cubsquest.com

12 October:

It"s not a good day for those who make a living bashing Jay Cutler.

Are you listening Steve Rosenbloom? Or David Kaplan? There are a host of others; he has been a very convenient whipping boy for the media during his tenure as a Bear.

Not to relieve him of any culpability....
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUTLER LEADS BEARS TO STUNNING COMEBACK WIN

GAME ON: ARRIETA TAKES ON WACHA at Cubsquest.com

12 October:

It"s been a long time since a playoff game happened at Wrigley.

And even longer since a marquee match up as anticipated as this one; the 100 game winning Cardinal machine against an incipient Cy Young award winner having the best second half of a season in baseball...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comGAME ON: ARRIETA TAKES ON WACHA

Sunday, October 11, 2015

BEARS AT LIONS: EXPECT A WIN at Cubsquest.com

11 October:

This should be the first good test of the Bear offense.

Kansas City has struggled on defense all season, and the Jay Cutler led offense showed signs of being the juggernaut it could develop into with last week"s victory over the Raiders.

Keep in mind Oakland was 2-1 coming...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comBEARS AT LIONS: EXPECT A WIN

Saturday, October 10, 2015

CUBS POUNCE ON CARDS; EVEN SERIES at Cubsquest.com

11 October:

This game would aptly be referred to as "Maddon"s revenge".

The media, particularly the national one, was abuzz all day about how Mike Matheny "schooled" the Cubs Friday night. That Joe Maddon was "outmanaged", and especially the decision to allow Chris Coghlan to face lefty...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS POUNCE ON CARDS; EVEN SERIES

Friday, October 9, 2015

CUBS SPANKED BY CARDS at Cubsquest.com

10 October:

They probably had this one coming.

The Cubs have been basically out of their minds; winning the last nine games in a row. It was not only their best run of the season, it was their best streak in 10 years.

The entire baseball world was in awe of Joe Maddon"s experiment by...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SPANKED BY CARDS

CUBS SIGN CUBAN PROSPECT at Cubsquest.com

 

9 October:

The inside scoop on Eddy Julio Martinez, Cub"s newest prospect.

 

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60

Think a young Andruw Jones. That"s how some scouts have described the 20-year-old center fielder from Cuba. Evaluators like...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SIGN CUBAN PROSPECT

Thursday, October 8, 2015

CUBS LINEUP FOR CARDS SERIES at Cubsquest.com

9 October:

The pitching matchups for the series have been announced.

They are Jon Lester vs John Lackey Friday, Kyle Hendricks against Jaime Garcia Saturday, Jake Arrieta takes on Michael Wacha on the home opener Monday, and then Lance Lynn will go against Jason Hammel on...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS LINEUP FOR CARDS SERIES

CUBS-CARDS: AS GOOD AS IT GETS at Cubsquest.com

8 October:

This is the baseball equivalent of the Bears playing the Packers for the championship.

True, it"s yet another step; the winner plays the victor of the Dodger-Mets series. But for sheer drama, fan passion and nationwide awareness this rivals the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry that is...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS-CARDS: AS GOOD AS IT GETS

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

CUBS WIN! ARRIETA SHUTS OUT CRYBABY PIRATES at Cubsquest.com

8 October:

It was the game Cub fans expected.

A Jake Arrieta complete game shutout. An excellent conclusion but not a total surprise. How they got there is another story altogether.

The pressure was all on Pittsburgh. This was there third consecutive trip to the Wild Card, and they came...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS WIN! ARRIETA SHUTS OUT CRYBABY PIRATES

CUBS-PIRATES: WHAT TO EXPECT at Cubsquest.com

7 October: 11:45 am

7  hours and counting.

First of all, let"s make one thing perfectly clear. The Cub playoff games of the last decade are utterly relegated to the dustbin of history.  So is the 5-13 record.

That isn"t just bad. That is awful in a historic sense. That"s .380 b...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS-PIRATES: WHAT TO EXPECT

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

YANKEES AND ASTROS IN SNOOZEFEST at Cubsquest.com

7 October:

The guy in the photograph was watching the game while waiting to take off Tuesday night. Can"t blame him.

Yes, the playoffs are here. It seems somewhat regrettable that one has to sit through a Yankee/Astro exercise in somnambulism first, then again maybe it"s a blessing in...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comYANKEES AND ASTROS IN SNOOZEFEST

Monday, October 5, 2015

CUB LINEUP FOR PLAYOFF; ANALYZED at Cubsquest.com

7 October:

The inside scoop has the Cub"s starting lineup as more or less set; Joe Maddon knew who he wanted to go with as early as last week, and has simply been toying with position flexibility.

This is what is most likely the starting eight. 1) Fowler CF 2) Schwarber RF 3) Bryant 3B 4)...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUB LINEUP FOR PLAYOFF; ANALYZED

Sunday, October 4, 2015

CUBS SWEEP; 97 WINS AND OFF TO PITTSBURGH at Cubsquest.com

5 October:

A collective exhale can be emitted.

It"s not that the Cubs weren"t going to play in the postseason; that"s been a fait accompli" for weeks. The only real drama would be will the Cardinals and Pirates hang on?

They did. There is little doubt that the resurgent Chicago Cubs lit ...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SWEEP; 97 WINS AND OFF TO PITTSBURGH

BEARS GET FIRST WIN; BEAT OAKLAND at Cubsquest.com

4 October:

It was an ugly affair at Soldier Field.

This is where the old axiom, "Id rather win ugly than lose pretty" comes true in spades. This was a game the Bears absolutely HAD to win. Most analysts, including Cubsquest, think the team better than their 0-3 start.

They are. But you...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comBEARS GET FIRST WIN; BEAT OAKLAND

Saturday, October 3, 2015

CUBS WIN #96; BEAT BREWERS at Cubsquest.com

4 October:

It was about as undramatic as a 1-0 game ever gets, at least for awhile.

Then it came apparent that the Cincinnati Reds were going to snap their 13 game losing streak and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, which they ended up doing. Now, all of a sudden, the razor thin lead became...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS WIN #96; BEAT BREWERS

Friday, October 2, 2015

CUBS SPANK BREWERS FOR WIN #95 at Cubsquest.com

3 October:

The playoff tuneup continues.

It"s a strange feeling watching games that mean little -sure they COULD wrest that home field advantage away from Pittsburgh, but it is pretty unlikely. After staking themselves to a 4-0 lead, the Reds, losers of 12 in a row, are now deadlocked in a...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS SPANK BREWERS FOR WIN #95

Thursday, October 1, 2015

CUBS FINISH SWEEP OF REDS; 94th WIN at Cubsquest.com

1 October:

At least the Reds tried to make a game of it.

The Cubs could use a challenge; they are going to go right from the 12 losses in a row Reds club to the 22 games under Milwaukee ball club. One hopes the Brewers actually show up for the series and a best case scenario with the Reds...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comCUBS FINISH SWEEP OF REDS; 94th WIN

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS; CUB PLAYOFF PUSH at Cubsquest.com

1 October:

This is truly Twilight Zone time for the Cubs.

They are laying out a string of baseball games that mean nothing, the postseason is more or less set, with the only minute possibility a Pirate visit to Wrigley rather than the other way around. The Cubs are basically injury free,...
Check it out at Cubsquest.comNO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS; CUB PLAYOFF PUSH