Cubs Nation

I'd love to see a passing of the torch this year. The Red Sox won the World Series gloriously in 2004. Let's see the Cubs win it in 2005. End the pain and suffering. Even as a Braves fan, I may be generous enough to allow that. Maybe. Let's see a matchup of stellar pitching in the NLCS.

Bill Simmons had the most hilarious column in a recent ESPN the magazine:
"It wasn't easy Chicago, but we got ours. That means you can get yours. Remember the end of Shawshank Redemption, when Andy Dufresne is sanding his boat in Mexico without a care in the world? That's how every Red Sox fan spent this past winter. We're out. Life is good. Now we're just waiting for our Red to show up. The Cubs."

Love that analogy.

On another Cubs note, Gene Wojciechowski has a new book coming out, Cubs Nation : 162 Games. 162 Stories. 1 Addiction . You can read excerpts on ESPN.com (better hurry, before they make it freaking Insider's Only). Of course, I most enjoyed the excerpt on my beloved Maddux, one of the greatest pitchers ever. He is, of course, going for his 18th consecutive 15+ win season. And, the excerpt involves Leo Mazzone, the best pitching coach in the history of the game. No hyperbole, the truth.

Click here for the excerpt on brilliant Mad Dog