Are we there yet? YES!!!
Thankfully, yes...FINALLY. Tomorrow is:
And the games finally count!!!
Huge changes this year. No DeRo. Milton Bradley's bat balances the lineup. Gregg as our closer. A possibly recently disgruntled Marmol as our setup guy. More playing time for Fontenot and a new guy named Miles. Soto with a solid all-star season under his belt raring to go in an effort to avoid the sophomore slump. All this and more equals a very interesting prospect that is the 2009 Chicago Cubs MLB season. And I am ready.
I got my new gear:
I got my new Cubs Club card:
I got my MLB.TV:
I got my New York Chicago Cubs Fan Meetup group:
And the Opening Day roster is set:
I'm ready.
I decided at the end of 2008 I would no longer expect anything, simply enjoy the ride. That's exactly what I'm going to do in '09. I have no expectations. Zero. Simply go out and enjoy the season, all of it's ups and downs and bumps and bruises and highs and lows. Come October, we'll see where that brought us. It will be hard to maintain this mindset for sure, but it's my new approach to being a Cubs fan. I think we have a great chance and I wouldn't devote as much time to the team if I didn't always think this was the year. However, after 101 years of it not, it's time to stop expecting a change and simply enjoy the ride no matter the outcome. That's going to be tough like I said, but it's definitely worth a shot.
That being said, here are my 2009 MLB Predictions. Predictions that is. Not expectations.
AL EAST
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays
AL CENTRAL
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins (WC)
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Detroit Tigers
AL WEST
1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Oakland A's
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers
NL EAST
1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
NL CENTRAL
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
NL WEST
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Francisco Giants (WC)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
ALDS
Red Sox over Indians
Twins over Angels
NLDS
Cubs over Giants
Mets over Dodgers
LCS
Red Sox over Twins
Cubs over Mets
World Series
Cubs over Red Sox
And there you have it. Your 2009 MLB World Series Champions, the Chicago Cubs. Streak dead. AC000000. No expectations. Simply a prediction. Go Cubs Go!!!
I'd be happy to go see the Mets beat Them in the division series again...and I agree with your selection mostly, but do you really think the Twins could beat the Angels? And how does Baltimore get 3rd place? Matt Weiters and Nick Markakis don't seem like enough to beat Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay, much less Scott Kazmir and Evan Longoria. But you may be right. We'll just see how this turns out! Happy Opening Day!
http://imbringingdiamondback.mlblogs.com
Report any abuse or spam
Can't wait to kick of the season tomorrow. Like you, I'm not "assuming" the Cubs will win the World Series like I did last season... but I absolutely do believe that they have a great chance.
GOCUBSGO!
Report any abuse or spam
I love the spirit of Opening Day. It brings out the best of everyone.
Aaron
http://mlbtribefan.mlblogs.com
Report any abuse or spam
Ryan - I was down by Fenway Park today and you could feel the excitement in the air! I can not wait! Play Ball!
Julia
http://werbiefitz.mlblogs.com/
Report any abuse or spam
Opening Day! Hallelujah! I am so ready!
Melissa
http://clemsongirlbaseball.mlblogs.com
Report any abuse or spam
Just for the record, regarding your earlier post - I'm a Mets fan in NY but follow the Cubs very closely every season.
Report any abuse or spam
Great post, Ryan! And thanks for commenting on my blog. Hope to see you at a NY Cub fan Meetup.
Report any abuse or spam