Word: chicago
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...Zambrano in the Zone When Carlos Zambrano, Chicago's 6'5", 255-lb. ace, is on his game, few pitchers in the majors are more lethal. Just ask the Houston Astros, against whom Zambrano pitched a scarily dominant no-hitter on Sept. 14 in which just two balls left the infield. "The balance that the Cubs have is tremendous," says Astros general manager Ed Wade. "But I think one thing that separates one club from another is the ability to have a true top-of-the-rotation starter. They've got that in Zambrano...
Soto's work with Chicago's starting-pitching staff is even more impressive than his swing. It's hard enough for any catcher to play both tactician and psychologist for a pitcher. Being a rookie compounds the difficulty of the task. But Soto, 25, doesn't shy away from his elders, and he's won the pitchers over. "This is the same game I've been playing since I was 5," says Soto. "Nobody is going to come in and tell me what's going on. I've always kind of taken charge. I want to have that power...
...with their two world titles in four years, have set the postseason model. A team that is patient and hits for power - the Moneyball way originally preached by Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane and perfected by the Sox - prevails. These Cubbies fit that mold. Chicago led the National League in both walks and that sacrosanct benchmark for the stat heads, on-base percentage plus slugging...
Piniella, 65, is more balanced and composed now than in his younger days. He no longer tosses bases or crushes watercoolers - except on the TV ads that play on his feisty image. "With his reputation, you're expecting this guy to be yelling and screaming every day," says Chicago first baseman Derrek Lee, a Cub since 2004 (Piniella joined the team last season). "It's not really like that." McCarver, a longtime friend of Piniella's, has seen a new Lou too. "His transformation has been more than subtle," he says. Yes, he's still brutally honest with his players...
...Cubs title, on the eve of the most anticipated presidential election in history, with a candidate who just happens to be from Chicago (though Obama is a White Sox fan) - it's the perfect story line. And in a year of extraordinary sports stories, why shouldn't we be blessed with one more: putting a century-long Cubbies curse to rest for good...