The first pitch of the 2008 World Series has just been thrown and I'm settling in for the Fall Classic with a thin thread of interest. Although I do have great admiration for Ray's manager Joe Maddon, I can't root for another expansion team to win the Series before the Cubs. So that leaves me to root for the Phils -- especially the three Phillies who are ex-Cubs:
Matt Stairs surprised the hell out of all Cubs fans in 2001 when he and his fat ass actually played 128 games at first, had an OBP of .358, and hit 17 home runs. The Cubs management was thrilled, but not enough to keep him for another year.
Scott Eyre was a Cub for almost three seasons and his defining moment came earlier this year when he set a Cubs team record by making 33 consecutive appearances without allowing a run. He was a personable guy (as our last post sorta proves), but for some reason, Lou never quite got around to learning his name and kept calling him "Stevie" for his entire tenure.
Now we come to the Oldest Man Alive in Baseball -- the guy even Julio Franco admires -- Jamie Moyer. How can you not love a guy who pitches in the majors with a fast ball that tops off at 80 mph?!?! Jamie pitched for the Cubs in late '80s (even appearing in the All Star game) before being shipped off with Rafael Palmeiro to bring the Wild Thing to Chicago. After an arm injury, the Cubs reached out to him once more in 1992 to offer him a spot on the Spring Training roster only to release him a few weeks later. Well, many years later, he is still slinging it across the plate. I hope that the shelling he received by the Dodgers in the NLCS is quickly forgotten and Jamie is back in the starting rotation for the Series. Rotation or bullpen, either way I hope he gets a World Series ring.