Signs abound that this could be another strange year

Lou Piniella probably thought he could get through at least one home game without hearing about curses.

The Cubs manager almost did Monday, when his team beat the Colorado Rockies 4-0 in Wrigley Field.

Oh, sure, the message on the building across Sheffield Avenue stared back at him: "0063100."

For the uninitiated, that's 00 seasons since the Cubs' last division title, 63 seasons since their last National League pennant and 100 seasons since their last World Series championship.

If Piniella wanted, he could stare away from the sign all afternoon. What he couldn't ignore was the question hurled at him after the game.

It concerned the dead goat that police found early Monday morning hanging by a rope from the Harry Caray statue outside Wrigley Field.

"I don't have any thoughts about it," Piniella said. Then he added, "Poor Harry. Why would anybody do something like that? I wouldn't find that too amusing."

For sure a dead goat hanging by a rope from a statue outside a major-league ballpark - or anywhere else - isn't amusing.

Who would do something like that? Where around here does one come up with a goat, dead or alive? Some twisted mind must be at work, right?

Well, we'll absolve Cubs chairman Crane Kenney of suspicion even though he did have a priest try to exorcise the club's demons during last year's playoffs.

Let's just assume that not even Kenney would stoop to something this heinous.

The Billy Goat curse, the black cat hex, the Gatorade glove jinx ... they're all invoked in the name of fun at the old ballpark.

The supernatural is raised because nothing else explains how a sports franchise can go 100 years without winning a World Series.

Until the Cubs win one, the 800-pound goat will be the 800-pound gorilla in the clubhouse.

Last year was the Cubs' year. All the pieces were in place as they won the National League Central with 97 victories.

Of course, Los Angeles swept the Cubs out of the first round of the playoffs and stretched their postseason losing streak to nine games over three series and six years.

Even Piniella had to admit over the winter that he learned during his two seasons here that the century of futility weighs on players.

So here the Cubs are again, trying to knock down the wall by continuing to beat their heads against it.

They have another good team. A real good one. Maybe one even better than the team that led the entire NL in victories last year.

My goodness, Ted Lilly nearly pitched a no-hitter in the home opener and he wasn't even good enough to pitch for the Cubs in last season's playoffs.

Two concerns entering this season, Kosuke Fukudome and Derrek Lee, combined for 3 hits in 5 at-bats, 5 walks and 2 runs batted in.

Injuries sidelined starters Geovany Soto, Milton Bradley and Aramis Ramirez, yet reserves have helped the Cubs to a 5-2 record.

"You gotta be well-pleased," Piniella said. "There's more work to be done, believe me. (But) good things are happening."

Now if the Cubs can just keep their minds off dead goats and their eyes off that sign across Sheffield ...

mimrem@dailyherald.com