For a few hours yesterday the joy reigned supreme. It appeared that all of Chicago was caught up in the wonder of it all. The Cubs, who hadn’t been in a World Series since 1945 and who hadn’t won one since 1908 were slowly and steadily pulling in front of the Marlins. By the time the seventh inning ended they had six outs remaining and the celebrations could commence, although 40,000 fans at the park and who knows how many thousands who couldn’t get in, had been celebrating since the first run was scored in the first inning.

Click below for another fine essay by Ed SternJohn Kennedy said it forty years ago. “Who told you that life was fair?” Six remaining outs are the toughest outs to get in a ballgame. Don’t celebrate too soon. If anyone should have known this, Dusty Baker was the one. It doesn’t take much of a memory to recall Dusty handing the game ball to Russ Ortiz in the seventh inning, patting him on the back, and sending him on his way, revelling in the certainty that the Giants were world champions.

Yesterday the Cubs had a three run lead with one out in the eighth inning. Their wonderful young pitcher hadn’t allowed a run. The only apparent uncertainty in their world was knowing whether it would be the Sox or the Yankees they would be facing and they couldn’t care less. The venerable, historic, park which had been rocking since the first inning with the certainty that a new day was dawning was now erupting. A few very short moments later despair had overcome exhilaration.

With one out, a foul fly that might have been caught had a fan kept out of the way was followed by a walk, a hit, an error by the shortstop, and a double. Prior was removed. Disaster followed. Eight runs by the end of the inning and Urbina shut them down for two innings.

Baker was slow in removing Prior, a not too uncommon occurance for Baker. It is said that Baker has little faith in his bullpen and therefore kept Prior in when it was apparent that he was losing it. If this was in fact his reasoning, it is open to question. Farnsworth was his projected reliever. If he had little faith in him, the time to get him in the game was before the game was on the line, with three runs already in and two men in scoring position. If brought in sooner he could have been removed with the game still in a winning posture. The pitchers who followed him gave up a couple of hits but it might not have been the debacle it turned out to be.

If life isn’t a seven inning game, six games are equally not a seven game series. There is still one game to play. It can be won. It won’t be won if the Cubs react similarly to the 2002 Giants. That was a team which simply quit in the seventh game. They were beaten before they walked out on the field. The encouraging note is that Wood is not likely to melt down in the fashion of Livan. He will, however, need help. He will be facing a gritty, come from behind, young ballclub which can smell the roses. In a few hours we will know the answer.

Ed