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Keith Nivan

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The 2 best wins of the season have happened in the last 3 games for the weak hitting Padres.

Thurs: Down 2 in the 9th against the surging Giants, 2 out, 2 strikes on our worst hitter...Bam! 2 run double and Pads win it in the 10th.

Tonight: Pads down 5-0, 2 out in the 9th to the Nationals...single...5-1...walk...bases loaded...Shortstop K. Green just happens to hit his first career GRAND SALAMI! TIE GAME 5-5!...bottom of the 12th, 2 out, 2 on...C. Hernandez up...Smack!...3 RUN WALK OFF HOME RUN!

Anything can happen in a short playoff series. Padres have good pitching...

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The Cubs two biggest problems are health and the maddening inability to win at Wrigley Field.

Kerry Wood basically takes up two roster spots every year because he is always hurt, so there is always a need to carry an extra starting pitcher and he has a big price tag attached to his ailing arm. Next year, after the latest arm surgery,he is scheduled to make twelve million dollars and he has never won more than fourteen games in a single season!

Mark Prior has also had some bad luck with injuries the past three seasons, landing on the disabled list three straight seasons. (Why would you let Matt Clement walk away for nothing when you have these two on the team?)

Nomar Garciaparra is often hurt, too, so that is a boatload of cash that could be used on other players sitting on the DL every year.

They also lost Aramis Ramirez and Todd Walker for long spells this year from injuries.

The Cubs have the second best road record in the National League, but only Pittsburgh and Arizona have won less in their home parks. They need to use Wrigley to their advantage. I'm tired of hearing about all the day games draining the life out of the players. Stay out of the bars the night before then, boys!

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The Cardinals have had more players miss more games due to injury than any team except for the Dodgers this season and we are still finishing with the best record in the majors.

While taking nothing away from the Cardinals, who have had a great season, I find that hard to believe. I know they have missed Scott Rolen twice this year (a tremendous loss) and I know that Larry Walker, Reggie Sanders, and Jason Isringhausen all spent 15 day, seperate, stays on the DL, but who else was missing?

The Cubs had Wood on the DL three times and Prior twice. Nomar spent both a 15 day and a 60 day visit on the DL. Walker, Ramirez, Remlinger, and Hairston all have been on there this season and like Rolen, Ramirez fought an injury all year when he was playing. They even called up a kid (Adam Greenberg) as an injury replacement and he got hit in the head on his first major league at bat and not only went on the DL with a concussion, but still is having issues in the minors from that at bat!

Bullpen pitchers Scott Williamson and Chad Fox have both been on the fifteen and sixty day lists and Fox is probably through for his career, thanks to a boneheaded manager move (see, I agree with ya, gregkevinw!)when the trainer said coming off shoulder surgery, he should never pitch two days in a row in the first month and Baker did it anyways and put him in with a NINE RUN LEAD and he blew out his arm!!!!!

All this, and I'm not even counting the now departed ex-closer Joe Borowski, who went down to the minors to fight an injury and got shelled, then woke up in Tampa Bay a few weeks later!

Like I said, I'm not taking anything away from the Cards, but lose Carpenter AND Mulder (or Morris) for a huge chunk of the season and let's have 3/4ths of their infield missing some other parts of the season and let's see how they do!

I wasn't expecting the Cubs to win the division, butI can't see any team losing this many key guys and finishing above .500!

That said, they still are the worst fundamental team I have ever seen!

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Losing a lead off hitter was the biggest problem for the Cubs. When they let Sosa and Alou go they were replaced with sub par talent... the pitching is good but like blackhawkpatty said they were injured too much. They cant get any worse so be prepared for them to "Go All The Way" next year. At least the Cubbies have great taste in music (play the Raspberries Go All The Way) during radio commercial breaks.

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Pat, I wouldn't have posted it if it weren't true. I resent the implication. I don't know the actual numbers but it's been discussed everywhere in the media; besides the Dodgers, the Cardinals have had more players miss more games due to injuries this season. As you mentioned, Rolen has been out pretty much all season. Walker, Sanders, and Molina missed most of July and August. Even when Walker isn't on the DL, he's only able to play 2 out of 3 games at most due to his neck. Among position players, only Pujols, Eckstein, and Edmonds haven't missed significant time due to injury. We have been fortunate in that our pitching staff has been relatively injury free but's it's still pretty impressive to miss so many pivotal players and not only run away with the division but, once again, have the best record in baseball.

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Tony,

The Cardinals appeared in three World series in the '60s. They beat the Yankees in '64, the Red Sox in '67, and lost to the Tigers in '68. In the '80s they beat the Brewers in '82 and lost to the Royals in '85 and the Twins in '87. The Padres, on the other hand, have appeared in two WS and lost both. Who has a history of choking?

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Badfinger:

Ther should be no resentment at all, my friend. You are one of my favorite posters on here. That is why I questioned if I missed anyone on the Cards being out? I just couldn't imagine anyone having more injuries than the Cubs have had, not only this year, but over the last three years. It's maddening, as you can't even blame the trainer, as they have switched medical staffs three straight years. Usually, the team that stays healthy, wins the division.

You peaked my interest, so I went to the Cards official website to check out their DL list for this season:

7/26/05 Larry Walker Placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 23, with a stiff neck.

7/22/05 Scott Rolen Placed on the 15-day disabled list with aggravation stemming from a surgically repaired small labrum tear in his left shoulder.

7/18/05 Reggie Sanders Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hairline fracture of his right fibula.

6/6/05 Roger Cedeno Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring injury.

5/12/05 Scott Rolen Placed on 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder sprain.

4/27/05 Jason Isringhausen Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right abdominal muscle.

4/15/05 Cal Eldred Placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 11, with a viral infection.

4/12/05 Bill Pulsipher Placed on 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring.

4/2/05 Mike Lincoln Placed on the 15-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Matt Morris Placed on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder problems.

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Now, here's the Cubs list:

9/12/05 Kerry Wood Transferred from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

8/30/05 Kerry Wood Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury.

8/26/05 Aramis Ramirez Placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 25, with a strained left quadricep.

8/5/05 Jerry Hairston Placed on the 15-day disabled list (torn ligament left elbow).

7/25/05 Kerry Wood Placed on the 15-day disabled list with right-shoulder inflammation.

7/15/05 Adam Greenberg Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a concussion.

5/29/05 Nomar Garciaparra Transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

5/28/05 Mark Prior Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right non-displaced fracture of the lateral epicondyl (elbow).

5/25/05 Mike Remlinger Placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 21, with a left hand fifth finger non-displaced distal phalanx fracture.

5/17/05 Chad Fox Transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

5/2/05 Kerry Wood Placed on the 15-day DL with a supraspinatus muscle strain in the right shoulder.

4/26/05 Chad Fox Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right elbow injury.

4/21/05 Nomar Garciaparra Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin injury.

4/11/05 Todd Walker Placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left knee sprain.

4/3/05 Mark Prior Placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 25.

3/31/05 Scott Williamson Placed on the 60-day disabled list while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

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Barb, didn't the Cards have a couple of 3-1 game leads in the World Series they lost? And they can't even win 1 game against the lesser talented Red Sox last year. I call that choking.

The Padres were heavy underdogs with less talent and pitching in both the World Series they appeared in. You don't choke when you are supposed to lose to the Yankees and Tigers.

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The Padres lost their winningest pitcher (Eaton)for over 2 months, lost their starting shortstop twice on the DL, their starting 2nd baseman for a month. and their 2 top power hitters (Klesko & Nevin-traded) are having their worst seasons of their careers. Every team has obstacles. GET OVER IT!

Wow! All those injuries and the Padres are still in first place? They must be neck and neck with the Cards for the best record in the NL! Let's look at the paper today and see that the Padres have the same record as...........the Cubs!

Thanks for supporting my claim!

BTW, I'd take Peavey in a heartbeat over Eaton.

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