North Side Zombie Apocalypse: A Cubs Franchise - life_boy's Blog

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North Side Zombie Apocalypse: A Cubs Franchise

Posted on March 18, 2011 at 08:14 PM.

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They were left for dead.

Maybe they were dead.

Maybe they were just sleeping.

Maybe this time it was personal.

Maybe this year�

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!

Not so fast.

In 2010 the Cubs proved not only that plenty of players do not live up to their potential but also that their front office has done a great job of finding these players and giving them regrettable contracts that keep them in a Cubs uniform for a long time. Despite the exciting emergence of young players Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin, the Cubs only scored 685 runs, 18th in all of the MLB. The silver lining: the World Series Champion Giants were 17th.

But let�s not talk about the past, let�s talk about the future. The National League Central division is still weak overall. Some think the Reds played above their heads in 2010, some say the Cardinals can�t make their offense match their pitching despite having the greatest player in the game, some say the Brewers made some moves for the better but are still a second place ball club, some see optimism in the Astros second half record. Pittsburgh fans are still frustrated. Can the Cubs rise to the challenge and claim the top of a division riddled with such questions and doubts? Is it truly any team�s division for the taking? Could the Cubs even go further and break their proverbial drought?

There is no doubt the Cubs have as many questions as the rest of the division. Will Soto and Ramirez make it through the season in good health? Will Castro digress in OBP and Avg? Is Garza the staff ace? Can Carlos Silva put two halves of the season together to mimic his first half 2010 numbers (9-3, 101.2 IP, 72 K, 1.14 WHIP, 3.45 ERA)? Who is Carlos Zambrano and can we remember why he gets paid this much? Can Carlos Pe�a bat .200?

Whatever the answers to those questions, at the end of the season, there are only two numbers here that are going to be important. Team Wins-Team Losses.

In 2010: 75-87.

In 2011: 87-75?

Hopeful? Yes. Insane? Maybe. Exciting? I hope so.

Join me on a fantastical journey through the mythic landscape of the North Side. Using the Xbox 360�s MLB 2K11 and some custom sliders for enhanced realism and exciting gameplay, I will play a bunch of games in a Cubs franchise. I will sim some games. I will make trades. I will have fun. Hopefully, I will reverse the team�s record from last season. If so, I may be able to win the NL Central division. I will document some of what happens with as much flair and flourish as I can muster.

At this point, I can really only make four promises:
1) The Cubs will play every game they play.
2) The Cubs will win some of the games they play.
3) If the Cubs win enough games to win, they win; if they don�t win, they lose.
4) There�s always next year.

This will not be an exact representation of the 2011 season or even a solid case for a Cubs 2011 pennant. But it may be a blueprint for the future. And there is always next year.