Ozzie Who? We got LOU!

I wasn't sure throughout the season if I liked him. He's kind of crass with a bad temper. I didn't think the Cubs would even make it to the play-offs this year. In previous years, the last oh, 22 or so, I have been following the Cubs fairly diligently. I am a life-long Cubs fan. I remember my first game, where I sat, who they played, the smell of Wrigely Field, the ivy, the fans, and the peanuts. Baseball is by far my favorite sport and the Cubs my most beloved team.

So, I haven't really been following them this year probably due to the fact that Massimo takes up, oh, 24 hours of my time. It's time well spent, nontheless. So I know a little bit about Lou Piniella. He's won two world series playing for the Yankees and one as a manager in Cincinnati.

This morning I was multi-tasking at 6:30 am - - baby in the high-chair shoveling cheerios and grapes in his mouth - - emptying the dishwasher, making Dom's lunch, all while listening to Lin Brehmer on XRT. I was waiting to hear the outcome of last night's first game against the D-Backs.

I had fallen asleep last night in the first inning. So, Mary (Dixon - who does the news on XRT) came on and reported the loss. Then, they played a sound byte of Lou talking to the press after the game. He's not really warm and fuzzy, but to the point. I don't remember exactly what he said (I was multi-tasking remember), but it was something along the lines of, "Yeah, we lost, we played well, blah blah, this is not over, its the first game." He don need ta esplain hiself ta nobahdy! He's confident and completely optomistic and he's not going to let anyone, especially the press, get to him or his team. Nobody is going to break their focus. This is definitely NOT OVER.

So I start thinking maybe the Cubs CAN do this. Maybe they CAN go to the World Series. I think Lou Pinella can take them there. I think he might actually know what he's doing. He sure seems to think he does.

The last word in all this is my 90 year old grandmother who has been a Cubs fan for longer that most of you reading this have been alive. She grew up near Wrigely Field and has been a devoted baseball fan for as long as I've known her. She rarely misses a game when broadcasted in Arizona and politely pretends to listen to what you're saying when a game is on while her eyes are glued to the tv. She has become a bit of a D-Backs fan since the franchise was born (they don't get as many Cubs games anymore in Arizona and because of the D-Backs, so she's got to watch someone - she just loves baseball). A frequent exchange this summer has been:

E: Hey Grandma, the Cubs are in 1st Place

G: Yeah, I know. And so are the Diamondbacks. I really like the 1st baseman.

I called her last night around 8:30 and my first question was "So who are you rooting for?"

"I'd like to see the Cubs win," she said, "It's been a long time."

Yes, it has!!

GO CUBS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!