CHICAGO, IL -- The 2011 Cubs are not a good baseball team. In fact, Rick Morrissey, a respected writer for the Chicago Sun Times, puts it plainly:
This is the worst team in the storied 138-year history of the Cubs.
And over the next two days they'll get the pleasure of facing Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and a Phillies team with the best record in baseball.
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Now, to be completely accurate, Morrissey later goes on to admit his vision is clouded by the here and now, but his point remains the same, that this Cubs team stinks.
They even know it. See "We stinks."
This conjures up two thoughts. First, this is a perfect storm of everything pointing towards a Phillies series victory which means the baseball gods will stick a tack in Cliff Lee's cleat or force Roy Halladay to trip and fall while running Wrigley stairs only to forget how to throw a cutter for a day, thus giving the Cubs a wildy unexpected series victory.
But more so, it makes you think how quickly things can go wrong for a club. At one point, the Phillies are losing out on Alfonso Soriano to the Cubs in free agency, the next, they're the 2008 World Series Champions, and are now going for a fifth* straight division title and third World Series appearance in four years.
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And Cubs fans are wearing brown bags on their heads. It's just a reminder to enjoy the product we have now in Philadelphia, because runs like this only last so long.
Programming note: I'm out in Chicago this week, working the games on Monday and Tuesday nights, and enjoying the view (and beverages) from the bleachers on Wednesday. So if there's any Chicago angle or storyline you'd be interested in hearing about, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
A Level fist bump to Julianne Hough Fan Club President Ryan Lawrence for the heads up on the Sun Times article. You may remember from the Phils trip out to Chicago last season that Hough sang the classic "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." [pictured]
And yes, it's hot as hell in Chicago this week. Please don't forget your deodorant.
For more on this Cubs team, see our Q&A from a few weeks ago with ESPNChicago's Jon Greenberg.