Panic room filling up
It's just one game, no reason to fret, no reason to panic.
Yeah, right.
When it comes to the Cubs - who haven't played in a World Series since 1945 or won one since 1908 - it's never too early to panic.
The Cubs better not listen to sports radio or read the sports pages this morning because the discussion will be filled with angst bundled in negativity.
The primary debate figures to be whether to blame pitcher Ryan Dempster for the Cubs' 7-2 loss to the Dodgers, or to blame sluggers Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez for being in their too-familiar postseason form, or to blame manager Lou Piniella for having Kosuke Fukudome in the starting lineup instead of Mike Fontenot -
How about all of the above and then some?
Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said of winning Game 1 of the National League division series, "It's important based on the fact that it does a lot for our confidence."
The least of the Cubs' problems is the Dodgers' confidence. Too many other goshawful concerns weigh heavily upon them.
Like, 23 of 26 teams that lost Game 1 of an NLDS proceeded to lose the series.
Then there's that Dempster was 14-3 in Wrigley Field during the regular season and now is 0-1 in the same ballpark during the postseason.
Then there's that the Cubs ranked fifth in the NL in homers, the Dodgers were 13th and L.A. won the homer battle 3-1.
Then there's that Soriano and Aramis Ramirez were a combined 2-for-26 during last year's NLDS loss to Arizona and were 1-for-9 Wednesday night.
Finally, there's that the Cubs are 0-5 all-time in playoff games played in California, where the series will head after tonight's Game 2 in Wrigley Field.
Now, some people will note that this current Cubs team never played a playoff game in California, just as they note that these players had little or nothing to do with the 99-year championship drought.
Sorry, but the Cubs' past always has everything to do with what's happening in the present.
The Cubs' franchise will either win a World Series for the first time in 100 years or not win one for the 100th straight season.
Don't panic? Why not? The Cubs have lost seven straight playoff games - one in '08, all three in '07 and the last three in '03.
Of course, everything will change if Carlos Zambrano shuts down the Dodgers' offense tonight and Cubs hitters hit better than they did in Game 1.
Piniella is putting the ball and the Cubs' hopes in the shaky right hand of the emotional, erratic, eccentric Zambrano, who has been about as predictable as Wrigley Field's swirling winds.
"Again," Torre points out, "it's going to depend on the next day's pitcher."
So, will Zambrano throw a tantrum? Will he scream at a teammate for erring? Will he be distracted by the plate umpire's strike zone?
Overall, will Zambrano be the pitcher who threw a no-hitter at the Astros on Sept. 14 or the pitcher who followed with two poor outings?
"Listen," Piniella said, "we need Zambrano to go out there and pitch a good game."
With everything that has happened to the Cubs the past century ... well, it's difficult to expect the best.
Much easier is to panic.