CHICAGO — Before pitchers and catchers had a chance to break a sweat in February, Ryan Dempster predicted the Cubs would win the World Series. It was a timely boast. After all, the 2008 season was the 100th anniversary since the team had last won the championship.
The Cubs heard a lot about that 100-year drought. Manager Lou Piniella tried to ignore it.
"Let this team stand on its own merit," Piniella said of the 2008 Cubs. "Don't think about the past, don't think about 100 years — think about this year here. That's all you can do."
The Cubs did have a successful year but could only pop one round of champagne. They won the National League Central and posted the best record in the league, but were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. The Cubs played their three worst games of the season at the most inopportune time.
The '08 campaign had plenty of highs. The Dempster-Kerry Wood flip, in which Dempster returned to the rotation and Wood took over as closer, worked well. Dempster won a personal-best 17 games and finished among the top pitchers in the league in ERA. Wood saved 34 games and showed that his arm was durable enough for the job but did land on the disabled list again, this time because of a nagging blister. Both pitchers were named to the NL All-Star team, part of the Cubs' eight-player contingent.
Speaking of All-Stars, add Carlos Zambrano. He treated 23,441 fans who bought tickets for a last-minute game at Miller Park between the Cubs and Astros to the team's first no-hitter in 36 years. The game had been relocated after Hurricane Ike struck Houston.
But it wasn't all about pitching in '08. The Cubs had five players with 20 or more homers — Alfonso Soriano (29), Aramis Ramirez (27), Geovany Soto (23), Mark DeRosa (21) and Derrek Lee (20) — and four with at least 80 RBIs. Jim Edmonds, a midseason pickup, added 19 homers as well. The team led the NL and ranked second in the Majors in runs scored (855).
"This is the best team I've been a part of, the deepest team I've been a part of, the best offense, and all the way through," Wood said after the Cubs clinched their second straight Central crown.
The Cubs were ready, but came up short. Maybe next year.
January
The year began with news that former Cubs pitcher Goose Gossage had gained election into the Hall of Fame. At the annual Cubs Convention, Zambrano claimed he was willing to let Ted Lilly start on Opening Day. However, Piniella gave fans at the winter gathering his lineup for the first game of the 2008 regular season and had Big Z as his starter. DeRosa spent most of the convention answering questions about rumors that the Cubs were going to trade for Orioles' second baseman Brian Roberts. That never happened.
February
When Dempster arrived in Mesa, Ariz., for the start of Spring Training, he boasted that the Cubs would win the World Series in '08. "I wouldn't have worked as hard as I did and everybody worked as hard as they did to not believe that," Dempster said. Piniella was OK with the statement, saying, "I like the confidence our players have."
Camp began with competition between Wood, Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry for the closer's job. Spring Training also marked the debut of Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs' first Japanese player. Zambrano greeted the outfielder by wearing Fukudome's No. 1 jersey, saying, "I'm No. 1 here." In his first at-bat of Cactus League play, Fukudome was hit by a pitch on the arm. It was an interesting camp. Reliever Jose Ascanio had a swollen eye and missed time after he was attacked during a robbery attempt outside a convenience store in Scottsdale, Ariz. DeRosa was taken to a local hospital on a stretcher after suffering an irregular heartbeat during a drill and eventually underwent a procedure to correct it.
March
Soriano was hindered early in Cactus League games when he suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger while doing outfield drills. Even more bad news for most Cubs fans: three companies approached the Cubs about purchasing naming rights at Wrigley Field. In Fukudome's first Cubs-White Sox game in Tucson, Ariz., he was flipped in a collision at second base. During a game against the Royals, he was hit on the neck by a throw. It was a tough spring for strength coach Tim Buss, whose 1995 Nissan was turned to junk when somebody took a sledge hammer to it. No one confessed, but the players did present him with a new SUV.
Scott Eyre was sidelined the last week of spring because of tightness in his elbow. Wood was named the Cubs' closer on March 24. "I appreciate the fact that I've been given another chance to get out there and play the game I love, and I want to take advantage of it," Wood said. The next day, the Cubs signed Reed Johnson, who was released by the Blue Jays. At the end of camp, Matt Murton and Sean Marshall were sent to Triple-A Iowa. Piniella grew weary of answering questions about it being 100 years since the Cubs won the World Series, saying the 2008 team should stand on its own merit. If this was to be the year, documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld was there to cover it. He began work in Spring Training on a movie titled "We Believe."
Opening Day was March 31, and kicked off with the unveiling of a statue commemorating Ernie Banks. Fukudome notched his first homer, first RBI, first single and first double in his first game, but the Brewers spoiled the day with a 4-3, 10-inning win at Wrigley Field. Zambrano had to leave the game early because of cramps in his forearm.
April
Soriano batted second in the first two games but was back at leadoff after going 0-for-9. He would go on the disabled list April 16 because of a strained right calf. On April 23, the Cubs picked up their 10,000th franchise win with a 7-6, 10-inning victory over Colorado. Wood was the winner in relief. At Washington, Johnson made what many felt was the best catch they'd ever seen as he snared Felipe Lopez's ball in left-center and slammed head-first into the bottom of the outfield fence. Johnson trotted off the field. "At Wrigley, they might have had to call time out to find his head in the vines," Piniella said.
Fukudome was the Sports Illustrated cover boy in late April. The Cubs finished the month with a franchise-best 17 wins and Soto was named Rookie of the Month after hitting .341 with five homers and 20 RBIs.
May
The Cubs announced Ryne Sandberg would manage at Wrigley Field on July 29 in a Midwest League game between the Peoria Chiefs and Kane County Cougars. The 2008 season was Sandberg's second as a Minor League manager. Rich Hill struggled in his five starts, and on May 3, was optioned to Triple-A Iowa. The lefty was 1-0 with a 4.12 ERA, walking 18 over 19 2/3 innings. "I take this not as a demotion but you go down to get better, not to stay down there," Hill said. His outings were limited because of back problems.
The Cubs activated Eyre from the DL on May 9. In business news, Tribune Co. CEO Sam Zell rejected the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority's plan to acquire Wrigley Field. Edmonds was released by the Padres after hitting .178 in 26 games and signed with the Cubs. Soriano raised his batting average from .223 to .296, belting seven homers and driving in 14 runs from May 12-18 to win NL Player of the Week. In what many felt was the game of the year on May 30, the Cubs rallied from an eight-run deficit to beat Colorado, 10-9. DeRosa capped a six-run seventh with a two-run homer.
June
Zambrano had three hits, including a game-tying RBI triple, to help open a West Coast trip with a 7-6 win over the Padres. However, he reacted poorly in Los Angeles after giving up seven runs on 13 hits, tossing a Gatorade cooler in the dugout as he exited in the seventh. In the First-Year Player Draft, the Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner. They also selected Bob Brenly's son, Michael, a catcher, in the 36th round. The Cubs were to play in the last Hall of Fame game, but it was rained out.
The Cubs' injuries continued to mount. Daryle Ward was sidelined with hip problems. On June 11, Soriano suffered a broken bone in his left hand after he was hit by a pitch. Zambrano was placed on the DL because of a minor strain in his right shoulder and Eyre (groin) and Fukudome (left calf) also were sidelined. Frustrated? On June 30, Piniella was ejected in the second inning of an Interleague game against the White Sox for arguing a check-swing call. It was the 60th time he'd been tossed in his career.
July
The Cubs had a record seven players selected for the All-Star Game, including Soto, Fukudome, Dempster, Wood, Soriano, Zambrano and Ramirez. However, Wood (blister on his right index finger) and Soriano (left hand) did not play. Marmol was added to the NL team as well and Piniella was named one of the coaches. GM Jim Hendry beat the trading deadline when he sent Sean Gallagher, Murton, Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson to Oakland for right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin on July 8.
Dempster went 10-0 at home before suffering his first loss July 13. The NHL announced Wrigley Field would host an outdoor game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 1. On July 25, Jeff Samardzija was called up and made his Major League debut vs. the Marlins at Wrigley. The biggest series was July 28-31 at Miller Park, and the Cubs made a statement by sweeping the Brewers. Edmonds capped the series by hitting a pair of homers, including a grand slam, to back Harden in an 11-4 win. With the win, the Cubs opened a 4 1/2-game lead ahead of the Cardinals.
August
Eyre was designated for assignment, and then dealt to the Phillies on Aug. 7 for Minor League pitcher Brian Schlitter. Aug. 8 marked the 20th anniversary of the first night game at Wrigley Field, although that game was rained out. On Aug. 16, Piniella said a good friend of his noticed the team had developed the "swagger" that the Cubs manager was looking for. However, late in the month, Piniella met with Fukudome to try and get the outfielder out of his offensive slump. On Aug. 26, the Tribune Co. announced it had narrowed the field of bidders for the Cubs to five groups, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Talk about high tech: On Aug. 28, instant replay made its debut at Wrigley Field. It was to be used only for home run calls in case there was a disputed boundary call. The Cubs went 20-8 in August, and won at least 15 games in the first five months for the first time since 1969. The 20 wins in August were the first since the 1984 Cubs won that many.
September
On Sept. 1, the Cubs called up Casey McGehee, Koyie Hill, Micah Hoffpauir and Michael Wuertz from Triple-A Iowa. Righties Angel Guzman and Jon Lieber both were activated from the DL as well. The next day, the Cubs set a club record by reaching 3 million fans at Wrigley faster than any other season in franchise history, doing so in the 74th home game. Zambrano had to leave a start early because of soreness in his right arm, but dazzled on Sept. 14 when he no-hit the Astros in a game moved to Miller Park because Hurricane Ike had damaged the Houston area. It was Big Z's first start in 12 days, the first no-no by a Cubs pitcher in 36 years, and played in front of 23,441. Zambrano would win NL Player of the Week honors. The next day, Lilly nearly repeated the feat in a 6-1 win over the Astros.
On Sept. 20, the Cubs beat the Cardinals, 5-4, at Wrigley to clinch their second straight NL Central crown. They became the first team to secure a playoff berth. Dempster was named the NLDS Game 1 starter, and was to be followed by Zambrano, Harden and Lilly. The Cubs were a little banged up, as Soto nursed a sore left hand. The team did finish with the best record in the NL at 97-64. On Sept. 30, Piniella's option for the 2010 season was picked up. The team finished the home schedule 55-26, the most wins at Wrigley since 1935, when the Cubs won a club-record 56 games.
October
For the second straight year, October was the toughest month for the Cubs, as the Dodgers posted a sweep in the NLDS. Dempster walked seven in a 7-2 loss in Game 1. In the next game, all four infielders — Lee, DeRosa, Ryan Theriot and Ramirez — committed an error and the Dodgers won, 10-3. "We just booted the ball all over the place and put [Zambrano] in a bad situation," Lee said. In Game 3, the Dodgers won, 3-1, to force the Cubs' early exit. Chicago's offense disappeared. "We got whipped handily," Hendry said.
They also had to pay a price. The Cubs were sent a bill to repair a busted pipe, damaged after the Game 3 loss at Dodger Stadium. Fukudome, who struggled to hit .217 in the second half, met with Hendry before returning home to Japan and given an offseason program. On Oct. 8, the Cubs picked up Harden's option, and on Oct. 20, the team gave Hendry a four-year contract extension through 2012. "There's no other place I'd rather be," Hendry said. Ramirez was named the NL winner of the Hank Aaron Award. Dempster, Wood, and Henry Blanco were among the Cubs to file for free agency.
November
Soto was named the NL Rookie of the Year, receiving 31 of 32 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He batted .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBIs in his first full season. For the third time in his career, Piniella was named top Manager of the Year by the BBWAA. He had previously won the award while with the Mariners. This time, he donated the $100,000 bonus in his contract to Cubs Care. The Cubs also announced they will bring back all of the coaches for 2009. Zambrano won his second Silver Slugger award as the top hitting pitcher. On Nov. 13, the Cubs traded Minor League pitcher Jose Ceda to the Marlins for Kevin Gregg, who will compete for the closer's job. The move meant the Cubs had decided to part with Wood, who saved 34 games in his first season as a closer.
The team announced it will open new Yankee Stadium with exhibition games April 3-4. On Nov. 18, the Cubs and Dempster, who was a free agent, agreed to a four-year, $52 million deal.
December
The Cubs declined to offer arbitration to any of its free agents, including Wood. Part of the decision was because the ownership situation was still in a state of flux, and the Tribune Co. announced at least three groups remained in contention to buy the team. At the Winter Meetings, the Cubs were a hot topic, as the Padres tried to work out a deal for Jake Peavy. It never happened. What did happen was news that the Tribune Co. had filed for bankruptcy, but the Cubs were not a part of the move. Greg Maddux, who began his career with the Cubs, announced his retirement. Ron Santo was denied entry into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee again.
The Cubs acquired reliever David Patton from the Reds in the Rule 5 Draft during the Meetings. They also signed Johnson, Neal Cotts and Gaudin to one-year contracts, and added speedster Joey Gathright, who was non-tendered by the Royals. Gathright signed a one-year contract on Dec. 16.