New Look, Same Personality

By Mike Maguire | Sep 12, 9:10 AM

On one of the few days in recent memory that Lou Piniella showed up to the ballpark with a clean shaven mug, the play of the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in Houston looked all too familiar. The Cubs squandered an early 4-1 lead last night over the Astros and lost another critical game to fall one game behind the first place Brewers. Once again, the Cubs could not deliver the clutch hit when they needed it most. The Cubs stranded 15 base runners (going just 1-11 w/ runners in scoring position on Tuesday), failed to score a run after the 3^rd inning, lost another one run game, and also fell to 2-8 in extra inning games on the season.

It's safe to say that the problems that killed the Cubs on Tuesday night have held this team back all year long. With 18 games remaining on the schedule, the Cubs need to follow their skipper's lead and change their look. I am not saying that the whole team needs to shave something (though I am not lobbying against that approach either), but I will suggest that this team needs to find any way possible to shake off their past and play up to their potential. This Cubs lineup is stacked with talent; they should be able to hit and score in the clutch. If they can't figure it out over the next three weeks, the 2007 season will end the same way as every other season has ended over the past 98 years… in bitter disappointment.

Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy… and on the bright side, there is no arguing that it has been one hell of a ride.

The ulcer inducing, dog kicking, male-pattern-baldness-encouraging ride continues tonight with Rich Hill (8-8, 4.02) squaring off against Matt Albers (4-7, 5.88).

Let the good times roll.