Earlier today, I wrote sort of a goodbye-Shea-Stadium-see-you-in-hell post at The Cub Reporter. Also this evening, the Tribune's Paul Sullivan offers a short history of Cub misery at Shea Stadium, invoking names like Turk Wendell and LaTroy Hawkins.

All of this grisly reminiscence was at odds with what wound up being a pretty satisfying Cub victory tonight. Carlos Zambrano (4 2/3 IP, 5 R, 4 BB, and one grand slam allowed to Carlos Delgado) pitched like a guy who should be grateful to get a starting turn in the playoffs, let alone the Game One assignment, but the Cub bullpen, despite some bumpy going, limited the home team to just one run over the last five innings. The Cub offense recovered from a 5-1 deficit and eventually seized a 6-5 lead. After the Mets tied the game in the eighth inning, then failed to capitalize on a golden scoring opportunity in the bottom of the ninth against Bob Howry, Derrek Lee drove home Ryan Theriot with the game-winner in the top of the tenth and Aramis Ramirez ripped a two-run homer to seal the 9-6 win.

In all, the Mets scored one run despite having a man on third with nobody out in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.

The Mets remain 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the NL East. The Brewers, who beat the Pirates behind C.C. Sabathia on Wednesday night, are now tied with the Mets for the Wild Card.

If the three teams end the season in a tie, the Mets and Phillies will play Monday in Philadelphia to determine the NL East winner. The losing team will then travel to Milwaukee to settle the Wild Card. And the Cubs will be watching all the while.

Rich Harden walks the first two Milwaukee hitters, though he is then able to limit the Brewers to one first-inning run. Unfortunately, he has to throw 38 pitches to retire the side.

Stage 1: Mild Irritation


In the Cubs' half of the second inning, Jim Edmonds smacks a game-tying home run off Milwaukee's David Bush. In the fourth inning, another solo shot, this one by Aramis Ramirez, puts the Cubs ahead, 2-1.

Stage 2: Optimism


A Mark DeRosa error, Jeff Samardzija's lack of control, and some opportunely placed Brewers hits allow the visitors to score four runs in their half of the sixth inning to go in front, 5-2. In the bottom of the inning, Alfonso Soriano is on first when Derrek Lee hits into an inning-ending double play.

Stage 3: Depression


Still trailing 5-2 and having accumulated only three hits—two of them the solo homers by Edmonds and Ramirez—the Cubs get a potentially game-changing break in their half of the seventh inning: Milwaukee manager Dale Sveum hands the ball to Eric Gagne (6.25 ERA). But Gagne retires Ramirez, Edmonds, and Mark DeRosa on four pitches.

Stage 4: Anger


Despite running the bases like nervous Little Leaguers, the Brewers pad their lead to 6-2 in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the inning, Salomon Torres retires the first two hitters.

Stage 5: Resignation


Double, single, single, homer. Tied game.

Stage 6: Delirium


After Marmol keeps the Brewers off the board in the top of the 10th, Wood is brilliant in the top of the 11th, the Cubs threaten but don't score in the bottom of the 11th, and Wood wriggles out of a seemingly desperate situation in the top of the 12th, Derrek Lee bats in the bottom of the 12th and scores pinch-runner Jason Marquis with a solid, two-out, game-winning single to center field.

The magic number is two.

Stage 7: Peace

The Cubs scored early then not at all as they suffered another 9th inning defeat Tuesday night, while the Brewers waited until the 11th to be overcome yet again by the Reds. The Cubs have now dropped 8 of their last 9 games, but have only lost a game off their NL Central lead (still at 4 1/2 games), owing to Milwaukee's current 2-7 homestand.

All of that being the case, tonight we present Ronny Cox in the role of the Chicago Cubs and the Banjo Kid from "Deliverance" as the Milwaukee Brewers in a musical interpretation of what has become the freakishly compelling National League Central race.

Seven of nine Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writers picked the Brewers to win the NL Central; the other two went with the Cubs. One picked the Brewers to win the NL pennant; none chose the Cubs.

Six of seven Chicago Tribune writers picked the Cubs to win the NL Central; only Mike Downey picked the Brewers. Phil Rogers and Rick Morrissey think the Cubs will take the NL pennant; no Trib writers went with the Brewers.

This would be an apt demonstration of provincialism and partiality in the daily sporting press, if it weren't for the fact that those seven Milwaukee writers are imbeciles, and those six Chicago writers are dead on.

Go Cubs!

On Wednesday, the Brewers signed free agent catcher Jason Kendall to a one-year deal with a vesting option for a second year that will kick in if Kendall starts 115 games this coming season. Since the Brewers traded their '07 starting catcher, Johnny Estrada, to the Mets on Tuesday, the #1 job is clearly Kendall's.

The veteran catcher split last season between the A's and Cubs, hitting an anemic .226 (OPS+ of 48!!!) in 80 games with Oakland before coming to the Cubs in a July trade and hitting .270 with 1 HR, 19 RBI, and a strong .362 OBP in 57 games.

Defensively, the 33-year-old Kendall has been in decline for some time, and last year with the Cubs, the decline continued. Kendall threw out just 5 of 57 (8.8%) would-be base-stealers and allowed 5 passed balls in 432 2/3 innings behind the plate; Estrada, the guy he'll be replacing at Miller Park, threw out 11 of 84 base-stealers (13%) and allowed 5 passed balls in 961 innings caught.

Tom Haudricort of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel justifies the signing by pointing out that the Brewer offense is already loaded (team record 231 home runs last season) and that catching talent is in short supply throughout Major League baseball these days:

What the Brewers want Kendall to do is show some energy, be positive, call good games, work with the pitchers and be on the same page with pitching coach Mike Maddux. At one time or another, Estrada had problems in each of those areas...

The Brewers went after what they felt was the best available option, within reason financially and in the relative short-term. They don't expect Kendall to be Johnny Bench.

The Brewers are tickled pink that they’re on Curt Schilling’s Maybe List.

So are the Cardinals.

The Astros re-signed veteran catcher Brad Ausmus so he could back-up the guy the team actually wants to see behind the plate, J.R. Towles.

The Reds are bringing back Adam Dunn, Scott Hatteberg, Javier Valentin, and, if he’s willing to return for less money, “Everyday Eddie.”

And on Monday, the Pirates will have a new manager, whose name will be Trent Jewett (AAA Indianapolis manager), Joel Skinner (Indians third-base coach), John Russell (Class AAA Lehigh Valley manager), Dave Jauss (Dodgers bench coach; son of Chicago sportswriter, Bill Jauss) or Joey “The Biter” Cora.

If it’s Cora, the Pirates should immediately sign up a local dentist or orthodontist to some sort of sponsorship deal. I realize I have now broken the five-sentence promise, but it’s worth it to spread an old, never substantiated rumor about a member of the White Sox family.