Like many of you, I really enjoyed Al's offseason series "The Cubs Can Of Worms", in which he conjured up memories of failures past. In hindsight, it gave me a good chuckle and brought relief that the players or coaches profiled were no longer haunting us. In reality, though this season has been a disappointment, we are still a good team. There are, however, a number of candidates for Al's series, and I've narrowed it down to three nominees. Try to have fun with this!

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Yesterday, this fanpost was posted by BCB reader copingwiththecubs. I found the post very well written, and while my kneejerk reaction was to scream "Fairweather Fan!!!", I have read it a few times and thought about what the poster was trying to say. After having read and thought about the arguments presented, I still disagree, and wanted to share my opinion in the matter. Please note: I do not think of myself as any better nor any worse of a fan as the poster, I just happen to disagree strongly with a few of the points made.

I have been a Cubs fan since 1986 when I was just 6 years old. Growing up in North Carolina, it was the Cubs on WGN in the daytime and the Braves on TBS at night. I fell in love with Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, the aura of Wrigley Field, and listening to Harry Caray entertainingly call even the most lopsided of games (and believe me, there were many!). I was hooked, and have come to find out, 23 years later, that it was destined to be a lifelong passion of mine.

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I feel the need to write a post about this, as I have been very stubborn in my support of Lou Piniella. I have excused his seemlingly disinterested attitude as "trying to be a calming influence", I have forgiven questionable moves because I do not have the audacity to think I know more than he does, and I have defended him on this site many, many times. I like to think of myself as pretty respectable and mild-mannered, but in light of this fanshot, it is time for me to admit I was wrong. Please note this is *NOT* designed as a Lou bashing session.

Last night while watching the game on MLB.TV, I was absolutely dumbfounded when Lou sent Sam Fuld to pinch hit for Ted Lilly. At that point of the game, it was not feasible to take Jake Fox out of the game as he still had another at bat left, therefore ensuring Sam Fuld would not be able to enter the game defensively. Our best defensive outfield, which Lou has said many times he wants out there in late innings, was made unavailable for a 2 out, nobody on pinch hit attempt. Quite honestly, I'm very glad that Al, and many others in the recap, were outraged at this as well. This was a mistake, any way you slice it. Not only did he bat before Fukudome (which made it two lefties in a row, which is much easier for the opposing team to manage), but again, he was wasted defensively. Jeff Baker or Alfonso Soriano would have been a much better option in that situation.

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So while I was stuck at work today I was watching the game on Yahoo! since Gameday wasn't working for me. Notice Aaron Miles' season average as he strolled to the plate for his at bat in the 7th. Good job, Yahoo!, you're not too far off on this one. :) Forgive the quality, it was taken with my blackberry, and I wanted to share as it gave me a little reprieve from my Cubs-induced headache. To repeat the hundreds of fanposts before mine, and in my best Eric Hanna voice, GET RID OF THIS GUY ALREADY JIM!

In light of Randy Wells' stellar rookie campaign, I decided to do a little research to see if the Cubs ever had back to back ROY award winners, and as many of you can guess, I was stunned and saddened at what I found. I'm relatively young, and wanted to share this with other younger fans who may not know the story of Ken Hubbs. For the rest of you, please feel free to add your own stories and memories about this.

The Cubs did in fact have back to back ROY award winners on one occasion, as Billy Williams won the award in 1961 and Ken Hubbs did the same in 1962. From what i've read, Hubbs was primarily known for being a strong defensive player (he also won the gold glove at 2B in his rookie season). What's sad is that he was only able to play in two full seasons at the major league level, and his life was tragically cut short on February 13, 1964 at the age of 22.

Hubbs had a fear of flying, and decided to take flying lessons as a way of overcoming his fear. (side note: I'm assuming MLB teams chartered flights by that time, so Hubbs knew he was going to have to fly a lot) Hubbs' long time friend, Dennis Doyle, had recently become a new father, and his wife had traveled to Provo, Utah to visit her parents and allow them the opportunity to see their new grandchild. Doyle and Hubbs, who received his pilot's license a month earlier, decided to fly to Provo for the day to surprise Mrs. Doyle. The next morning, the pair departed for California in hopes of beating a storm, but never made it.

Hubbs finished his career hitting .247 with 14 HR's. He led all rookies in 1962 in games, hits, doubles, triples, and batting average. He also went 78 games (418) chances without an error, and started a triple play.

Hubbs wore number 16 for the Cubs, and that number was not again issued until 1967.

Following last year's success at Wrigley Field, the NHL has decided to hold the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park in Boston, where the Bruins will host the Philadelphia Flyers. After holding an outdoor game in Edmonton in 2003, the NHL decided to build on that success and on January 1, 2008, held its first annual Winter Classic in Buffalo, NY.

Last year's Winter Classic was very special to me, as I'm sure it was to many of you, as I am a big fan of the NHL and loved seeing Wrigley Field showcased like it was. I'm sure the fans in Boston feel the same way, and I'm excited for MLB to be able to integrate another of it's cathedrals into the NHL and its fans and players.

Shall we start an over/under now as to how much a Green Monster seat will be for this game?