Brewing rivalry: Is the Brewers-Cubs match-up underrated?
As the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs prepare for their second-to-last meeting this weekend at Miller Park, A.V. Club writers Marcus Gilmer (Cubs fan) and Matt Wild (Brewers backer) chat about the teams’ longstanding rivalry, ousted Cubs GM Jim Hendry, dunder-headed fans, and why soon-to-be free agent Prince Fielder might make for a good fit in Chicago.
Marcus Gilmer: Okay, Matt, here we are, heading into another Brewers-Cubs series. The Brewers have the upper hand so far this season, leading the series 6-4 with six games left. But here on the North Side of Chicago, we’re already looking forward to 2012. Youngsters Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney have had solid seasons and look to be the middle infield of the future, even if there’s the occasional brain fart. And a big draft class this year sets the stage for even more future excitement. Wayne Gretzky’s son? That has to be a sign, right? Sure, maybe we’re still saddled with awful contracts (Soriano) and a shit show of a pitching staff. But did you see? DID YOU SEE? Hendry’s gone! Fired! While it’s always sad to see someone lose their job—especially in this economy—it’s a fate earned by the man who signed Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30 million contract. It didn’t take long for the “Will Theo Epstein take a job with the Cubs?” stories to stir up, and we should dismiss them just as quick; it’ll never happen.
But after a precipitous fall following back-to-back playoff appearances in 2007 and 2008, it seems that the Cubs are getting younger and could put themselves in position for some great signings this offseason to improve that pitching staff, and—possibly—bring a big bat to hunker down first base. Say, Pujols or (more likely) Prince Fielder? There’s reason to be optimistic after how bad this season has been.
Matt Wild: Hold on, hold on. “Looking forward to 2012”? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. At the risk of coming off like an obnoxious, insufferable jackass fan (something I’m sure you’re familiar with at Wrigley Field—zing!), let me bask in the glory of the 2011 season. What’s that? The Brewers are dominating their division, and are 20 games ahead of the Cubs? Ho-ly shit. Let’s allow that to sink in for a moment, shall we? 20 games...
Okay, now that that’s out of my system—20 games!—let’s talk about the future. In the case of Prince Fielder, it’s practically a given that he’ll jump ship at the end of this season. There’s been the usual “Maybe he’ll stay because he likes us!” chatter in Milwaukee, but Prince has always been chillingly pragmatic when it comes to his future. “I’m a Brewer now, but this is a business,” seems to be his free agency mantra. And while some folks find it unthinkable that Fielder would defect to a rival team, there’s a dude currently mowing his lawn in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that should put that notion to rest.
Having said that, it’ll be sad to see him go. But the inevitable loss was dampened somewhat by Ryan Braun’s $105 million, five-year contract extension that keeps him in Milwaukee until at least 2020. Which brings me to my point: What does this second-to-last Brewers-Cubs series mean? The teams are on completely different ends of the spectrum—one is winning and locked in for the long haul, and the other is losing and rebuilding—so it seems that beyond some good, old fashioned shit-talking, this series is fairly meaningless. But that could just be my perspective—what say you, Marcus?
Marcus: I think it’s curious to see the way this rivalry has been reversed in recent years. For a while, it was the Brewers who were on the outside looking in as the Cubs beat them to make the playoffs in 2007 and 2008. But in 2009, things turned around a bit with the Cubs missing the playoffs and, as you’re quick to point out, the Brewers are finally atop the NL Central. Throw in the fact that the Cubs have, on occasion, been displaced from Wrigley by bad weather and played some “home” games at Miller Park, and you’ve got yourself an underrated rivalry. It’s deepened a bit by the fact that so many Cubs fans make the short trek up to Milwaukee for these series thanks to more ready ticket availability. Oh, and the fact that Miller Park convinced the Cubs that they want a nice new stadium just makes things a bit more... complex? So the shoe is finally on the other foot. The Brewers are running away with the division while the Cubs are an Astros winning streak away from the cellar, but in a transition period, that could result in swiping one of the Brewers’ best sluggers and deepening a nice rivalry that’s unfolded over the last 5-6 years.
Matt: I agree that a southbound Prince would likely deepen the Brewers-Cubs rivalry, though I’m hesitant to call that rivalry “nice.” Frankly, these sorts of longstanding grudges bug me. I like good-natured shit talking as much as the next guy—20 games!—but when it comes to the Crew and the Cubbies, things always seem to get out of hand. I used to work with a middle-aged dude who made it his mission to go to Brewers-Cubs games and pick a fight with anyone from Chicago. This was a grown man, mind you, with a wife and two teenaged children. I know the Cubs get a bad rap for dunder-headed fans, but it’s clear that these dopes exist on both sides of the border.
Again, I’m curious to see what the temperature will be for this series. It hasn’t been that long since the two teams met up—July 26-28, to be exact—but they now seem like completely different ball clubs. The Brewers were 55-49 going into that July series, and the Cubs were 42-61. Compare that to today’s numbers: Brewers, 78-54; Cubs, 57-73. (Oh, did I mention the Brewers pulled off a totally sweet sweep?) So with the Crew playing for so much, and the Cubs more or less biding their time until 2012, will this series have all the panache of mild-mannered exhibition games, or could the teams’ opposite standings lead to something ugly?
Marcus: You have a point, but I think the Cubs are trying their best to play with pride and head into September with momentum to build. They finally put together a nice little winning streak and have been playing with a bit more pop in their bats. This may be one of those times when the rivalry seems like it lacks pomp and circumstance, but Fielder’s free agency question should, hopefully, help give the Cubs a little oomph in their step. They want to woo Fielder, not chase him back up north. Plus, Hendry’s firing has occurred in the interim since the last match-up, and with that black cloud gone, the team is playing with something to prove both to the new potential GM (again, not Theo Epstein) and to potential free agents who could see Wrigley as a possible next stop. If my memory serves, 2012 will also be Soriano’s last year under his god-awful contract. Zambrano will be gone, and with Carlos Pena allegedly being picked up off waivers by the Yankees, there’s plenty of reason to think the Cubs will try their best to lure Fielder to Chicago. The question is: What will the Brewers do about it?
Matt: Well, I’m not sure there’s anything the Brewers can do about it. There’ll be the sizable yet perfunctory offer—much like the lowly $100 million offered to CC Sabathia in 2008—followed by the “Eh, Milwaukee is nice, but this is a business” chorus from Fielder and uber-agent Scott Boras. After that, it’ll be nothing but variations on the headline “Goodbye, Sweet Prince” splashed across Wisconsin sports pages for weeks on end.
And that’s fine. The thing is, Brewers fans have been steeling themselves for Fielder’s departure for some time now. When it finally does happen, it may seem a bit surreal at first, but it certainly won’t be a killer. And the more I think about it, the more and more I like the idea of Fielder playing for the Cubs. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to see the guy every now and then? I’m not one of those jackasses who boos former players when they return to Miller Park—I wanted to throttle every last person who jeered Carlos Lee during a recent Brewers-Astros game—and I think Milwaukee fans would be honestly happy to see Fielder on a semi-regular basis. (Yes, even if it means watching him constantly adjust himself in the opposing team’s dugout as opposed to our own.) So if at the end of this season Prince does decide to catch the Amtrak Hiawatha to Chicago—and that’s still a big “if”—I’ll wish him nothing but the best. Of course, there’s still the matter of cold, hard cash: Do you really think the Cubs are ready to pony up the reported—gulp—$200 million Fielder’s looking for?
Marcus: Yes, they’ll pony up. The Cubs have had one of the highest payrolls in baseball for years and have had little to show for it—like, you know, the Mets. After the awful contracts handed over to the likes of Soriano and Bradley, Cubs fans and management will be willing to make that splash on a free agent like Fielder if they think they can get him. That said, your point about Braun is well taken. Milwaukee is still going to be a leader in the division even if Prince leaves, especially depending on what happens with Pujols and St. Louis. I’ve always seen this rivalry as underrated despite the vitriol reserved for Cards-Cubs, and I think a Fielder switch will deepen that. And if the Cubs can get a good GM and can make some key signings, it could be a Brewers-Cubs battle atop the NL Central for several more years to come.
