Game 1

I don't have a ton to say about it. Cubs lost. Things didn't go as planned.

I would have left Dempster in too, so I am not going to get all lathered up about game management.

Overall, a tough pill to swallow in a short series. The Dodgers are a good club and you can't get away with putting guys on base all game long and having location problems. On offense, you have to move runners over and you have to hit with RISP. No excuses. Let's get them tonight.

I will say that watching the game in a bar always reminds you of what utter tools people are. If your emotions are going to ride from elation to deflation on every pop fly you think is a home run, it's going to be a long night of roller coaster emotions. The umpire was calling a decent plate and he isn't the reason Dempster walked all those guys. The atmosphere of a crowd that is such a joy to be around when your team is winning 2-0 can turn dangerously toxic just a short while later. I wonder what the Mayor's policy is on beer sales in Wrigleyville if the Cubs lose so embarrassingly that people are screaming profanities at the top of their lungs.

Try to relax and enjoy it. If the Cubs lose, so be it. It will still have been a fun season from a fan perspective. Ultimately, what I want even more than that elusive championship is the feeling that, should this team not advance in the playoffs, they will actually be back in the playoffs next year. Part of the gloom was always the sense that you never knew when the next playoff appearance would happen.