I never would have thought I'd see:

• CUBS lose both games 1 and 2 at home
• Dempster lose at home
• Dempster walk more in five innings than in the previous five weeks
• Z get a walk
• errors by the entire infield in a single game
• an error by DLee
• CUBS get out-homered
• Pie get a walk
• Pie NOT get doubled off first on a line drive to second
• Dick Stockton announce baseball at the ripe age of 96

So at this point the last things I expect are:

• CUBS come back from 0-2 deficit
• Harden and Lilly to throw back-to-back shutouts
• Soriano hits five HRs in three games
• Howry gets a save
• I get to use my LCS ticket on October 10th

Yeah, I'm embarrassed.  But if nothing else this team has surprised me over and over again this year.

I live in California and am trying to decide where to go to see CUBS playoff games.  I saw just one game this year - Dempster's 12 strikeout win over Maddux at Wrigley.  I purposely skipped west coast games this year to save travel and ticket money for the playoffs.

I don't think I can afford world series tickets, and I want more of a thrill than the division series, so I've narrowed my choices to NLCS.  Road tickets are about half the price of Wrigley tickets.  We're pretty close to confirming that we won't play PHI inthe first round - and I think we will play them in the NLCS.  So I think these are my choices:

1. Buy tickets now to both NLCS games 3 and 4 at PHI.  If the CUBS don't make it then I have to deal with selling my game tickets.  If PHI doesn't make it then I'll get ticket refunds but now I've got no game to see.
2. Buy a ticket to NLCS game 2 at Wrigley.

So what do you suggest?  Is it better to see just one game with your brethren win or lose?  Or see two game amidst the enemy (I sat through two losses at Candlestick in '89 - not a lot of fun)?

THANKS!

John