What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

Dan Petry out-dueled Scott Sanderson in leading the Tigers to a 3-1 win in Game Five, bringing the series back to Tiger Stadium with the home team one win away from its first World Series title in 16 years. But the Cubs felt good about their chances of forcing a seventh game, with Cy Young winner-to-be Rick Sutcliffe on the mound with his 19-1 record since coming to Chicago. The story after the jump.

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What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

After the Cubs fought back to square the series at two games apiece, Chicago manager Jim Frey had a decision to make. Dennis Eckerlsey’s turn in the rotation was up, but the veteran – acquired in a June trade with Boston for the popular Bill Buckner – had been hit hard in two postseason starts. The alternative? Righthander Scott Sanderson, who hadn’t pitched since Game Four of the NLCS against the Padres. Detroit would counter with Game Two starter Dan Petry, who hadn’t made it out of the second inning. The story after the jump.

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What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

Game Three saw the Cubs win their first home World Series game since 1935, but they would need to make it two in two days to avoid going down 3-1 in the series. The pitching matchup was a repeat of Game One, with Steve Trout facing Jack Morris. The story after the jump.

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What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

After losing the first two games in Detroit, the Cubs returned home for the first weekday afternoon World Series game since 1971. With ace and probable Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe rested and ready, Chicago was in position to gain its first victory in a World Series game since 1945 and first home win in a Fall Classic since 1935. The Tigers countered with 17-game-winner Milt Wilcox. The story after the jump.

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What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

With Jack Morris having outdueled Steve Trout in Game One on Tuesday night, the Tigers looked to go up 2-0 with 18-game-winner Dan Petry on the mound in Game Two on Wednesday, October 10. The Cubs countered with Dennis Eckersley, who had gone 10-8 since coming over from Boston in a midseason trade, and whose dominance as a reliever was still years away. The story after the jump.

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What if Leon Durham hadn’t booted that ball? What if Lee Smith hadn’t let Steve Garvey take him deep? What if the Chicago Cubs had actually won the 1984 National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres? We’re re-imagining the 1984 World Series through the use of the APBA Pro Baseball Game, with the Cubs facing the American League champion Detroit Tigers.

With Commissioner Peter Ueberroth having decreed that the Cubs would give up home-field advantage if they made it to the World Series because of Wrigley Field’s lack of lights, the 1984 Fall Classic opened at Tiger Stadium in Detroit on Tuesday, October 9, 28 years ago today. With Rick Sutcliffe having pitched in the decisive fifth game of the NLCS two days prior, the starting assignment for Chicago went to Steve Trout, whose father, Dizzy, had started and won Game Four of the 1945 World Series for the Tigers against the Cubs 39 years and three days prior. Detroit countered with 19-game winner Jack Morris. The story after the jump.

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With the year just days away from its end, let’s look at how I did on my 10 Predictions for 2010 from back in January:

1. The USA will advance to the second round of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. – They did. Thank you, Landon Donovan

2. The USA’s game against England will be the highest-rated soccer telecast in American television history. – It wasn’t, but it was close. The Ghana game two weeks later was the third-highest USMNT match ever, though.

3. There will be a brief MLS work stoppage, but the season will begin on time. – Half right. They came up with a collective bargaining agreement at the 10th hour. The season began on time.

4. The USL and the new NASL will agree to live together under the same roof with USSF as referee, just for 2010, before going their separate ways in 2011. – Bingo.

5. Philadelphia Union will make the MLS Cup Playoffs in their first year. – They missed it by 15 points.

6. The Seattle Sounders will win MLS Cup 2010. – Oops. I should have said, “The Seattle Sounders will finally score an MLS Cup Playoff goal, but it will be late in the process.”

7. Tim Tebow will be drafted by an NFL team, but not in the first round. – Half right, though that wasn’t exactly going out on a limb. He probably shouldn’t have been, at least not by Denver, which has a quarterback who’s doing pretty well, thank you.

8. Ryne Sandberg will be managing the Chicago Cubs by year’s end. - Never underestimate the complete ineptitude of Jim Hendry.

9. Ellen Degeneres will be terrible on American Idol, and the show will have its lowest ratings ever. – She was terrible, but I didn’t realize that in its first season, the show only got about half the ratings (or less) it does now, so it couldn’t get its lowest ratings ever It did get its lowest average ratings in six years, though, so I’ll count that as a “got it.”

10. Soccer fans will overreact. It doesn’t matter to what. They just will. – I almost feel guilty taking credit for that one, because it’s the safest bet ever.

So five out of ten (three and two halves), that’s not bad. What do you want me to predict for 2011?

I took the Packers to task not long ago for saying with a straight face that they needed to raise ticket prices by $10 or $11 to remain competitive. I said I’d have more respect for them if they’d just come out and say “We know you’ll pay it, so we’d be stupid not to¹.”

Now the new Cubs’ ownership has just admitted that, yeah, the semi-free ride of games on WGN is slowing down for financial reasons.

“Certainly the superstation — the fact that we were in 70 million homes outside of Chicago — was in large part responsible for the national love affair between this great franchise and its fans,” president Crane Kenney told fans at the Cubs Convention. “So we’re very respectful of that. But the fact is, we as a club make twice as much with the games being played on cable as opposed to over-the-air television.”

Having previously called for a team to just fess up, I can’t very well call Crane Kenney an idiot for fessing up. That said, he is an idiot on general principle², this episode notwithstanding.

As for me, I’m kinda proud that that crap organization has gotten none of my money since July of 2008, and that will continue.

1 – Due, in large part, to meatheads like this guy.
2 – If you saw his speech at the unveiling of the Ernie Banks statue, you’ll agree.

Milton Bradley, July 12, 2009: “When I tell you I’m back, I’m back. You can mark it down. I’m going to be hitting for the rest of the year.”

Milton Bradley, since the All-Star Break: 2 for 13 (.154), 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts.

Because Alfonso Soriano doesn’t get it, and Lou Piniella won’t do anything about it.

Soriano plans to make himself the leadoff hitter that he longs to be and the one Cub fans will love by…no, not by getting on base more…not by striking out less…not by hitting in the clutch….

By stealing more bases.

Yeah, that’ll help.

I’m guessing he also plans to be a better left fielder by switching to GEICO.