It’s actually the third round if you want to get technical, but for the second consecutive year the Cubs will see the Dodgers in the NLCS.
It was the NLDS first time around back in 2008. I remember it well. Living in LA, dealing with those fans after the regular season best Cubs were swept out of the playoffs; that sucked. Being there in person for the final game of that sweep almost got ugly. That seems like ancient history.
Of course, we will never forget what happened last year, when the Cubs beat the Dodgers to make it to their first World Series in my lifetime; the first time since 1945. I don’t have to look up how it ended. Once the double play was turned, I fell to my knees in disbelief. I would finally get to see my Cubbies play on the biggest stage.
There were lots of memorable moments from that series. The Miggy Slam, the Zobrist bunt that started the comeback, the Russell home run, and the Hendricks performance in Game Six all immediately come to mind. It was a glorious series, and now they’re back for the rematch.
As if beating them wasn’t bad enough, we hosted them in the first home series of the year. Yes, they got to sit there and watch highlights of their defeat, along with the trophy and flag raising ceremonies. I remember them kicking our ass in LA earlier this year, but that was before the 2nd half.
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The Dodgers had jumped out to a big lead…a huge lead. Yeah, they came back to earth, but they were still really good. People talk about how great their pitching is. Kershaw, of course; yes, he was the losing pitcher in Game Six last year. Rich ex-Cub Hill?!? Really? Their mideseason acquisition of Yu Darvish scare anybody? What about Alex Wood who was great, but saw his velocity drop as the season went on. Their pitching is really that great?
No better than ours. Line them up anyway you like, but Lester, Arrieta, Hendricks, and Quintana are my choice. I kind of think Lackey will start Game 1. I think this is going to be another long series. The guys who start 2 & 3, most likely Quintana and Lester will get 2 starts if it goes 7. Jake is still not 100%, although I’d love to see him pitch in Dodger Stadium again. Kyle just threw, so we won’t see him until Wrigley. But any way you line it up, I know I’m biased, but it’s the Cubs rotation over the Dodgers.
But Vegas favors the Dodgers. It will be the second consecutive series that the defending World Series champs will be the underdogs. Don’t these people know that this is a new era, one of the Golden variety, of Cubs baseball? That’s ok.
I’m not mad. My cable is fixed, which means I should be able to watch Game 1 on Saturday night in LA. I’m looking forward to this game and series just as much as the first round. I’m not taking any of these playoff games, which will hopefully continue to grow in number, for granted. I’m savoring it, soaking it in, loving every minute of it. The champs want to return to defend their championship. First they’ll have to defend the NL crown. As they’ll be chanting many times out in LA: Let’s go Cubbies, clap, clap, clap,clap, clap.
AL
Go Cubs Go!!! Beat LA! I hate the Doyers with a passion make it happen Cubbies..
MK
3 straight trips to the nlcs for the Cubbies. Who would ever have thought that 5 years ago? Pretty damn impressive as round 2 vs the dodgers begins. The Cubs had home field last year and took them out in 6 games. This year, the dodgers have home field and are favored. What does it mean? To me, this is the matchup I wanted. No easy trips here. The gnats and now lala. The 2 best in the nl all year. Bring it. 2008 was an extra painful loss for me because the Cubs had the best record and got swept with us being at that final game…ouch! Glad we got our of there in 1 piece. Last year, the Cubs got some revenge and send lala home. On top of that, they had to watch the Cubs celebrate and raise the World Champs banner in Wrigley to start their year. Yes, they have been great all year. No way in hell would I pick them over the defending champs, though. Kershaw is one of the best, but the Cubs got to him last year. Hill? Wood? Darvish? Yeah, I will take Lester, Jake, Kyle, and Q any day. Only problem is the bullpen. Should be a great series…thinking 7 games. Like I said, nothing easy…hasn’t been all year so why start now? Definitely loving every minute of this Cubs season and team. Time to keep the defense going. Head west Cubbies and take em out! GO CUBS GO!!!