Cubs

Teams from the American League East will play the National League Central next season as part of the interleague schedule, which means the Orioles will play the Chicago Cubs, which means they can complete a trade or two during the series. They'll love the convenience. You might be interested to know that second baseman Eric Perlozzo - son of former Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo - batted .247 with eight doubles, two triples, one home run and 16 RBIs at Bluefield, the Orioles' Rookie-level affiliate.

The Chicago Cubs glowed like a super nova -- winning 10 straight games to climb to the top of the National League Central standings -- and raised the question again.Are they good enough to get to the World Series for the first time since 1945?The answer is not clear. The Cubs were a popular dark-horse pick in the preseason because of the off-season acquisition of several key veteran players. They would appear to be an even more popular pick now, since the emergence of pitching phenom Kerry Wood and the re-emergence of veteran Steve Trachsel have solidified a pretty good starting rotation.

Jim Frey lost the struggle for control of the Chicago Cubs yesterday and was replaced by former Chicago White Sox general manager Larry Himes.Frey, who took over as general manager after the 1987 season, had seen his power erode in a battle with former club president Don Grenesko. Frey, who has one year remaining on his contract and will report to Himes, was forced by Grenesko to fire manager Don Zimmer, Frey's close friend."I've had better days, I've had worse," said Frey, a former Baltimore Orioles coach.

IF IT takes forever . . . "That snippet from a song written long before my time caught my attention, as my hopes for one elusive winning season sailed out of the park. The afternoon was warm, sunny -- utterly dismal. The Cubs' eleventh-hour rally failed to yield a victory over the Giants.As I glanced at the television for a final peek at Ryne Sandberg, I noticed a woman with those lyrics emblazoned across her T-shirt. In that instant, the meaning of Cub fanaticism hit me like a face full of foul tips.

MESA, Ariz. -- The Chicago Cubs have two huge reasons to believe that they will get up off the mat in the National League Central after last year's disappointing sixth-place finish. The Cubs were one of the few teams able to trade for a quality starting pitcher in the off-season (Ismael Valdes), and the club expects to have 1998 phenom Kerry Wood back in the rotation in early April. If all goes well, they'll have at least four solid starters (including veterans Kevin Tapani and Jon Lieber)

CHICAGO -- Hard to imagine why the Chicago Cubs took so long to win a game at Wrigley Field. The formula's pretty simple:Just take the ugliest goat in the state of Wisconsin -- preferably one that looks like somebody's dear old mother. Round up a voodoo doll from Jamaica. And mix in a healthy dose of infectious optimism from the greatest Cub of all: His Happiness Ernie Banks.Oh, yeah. It helps, too, if rookie Steve Trachsel pitches seven solid innings, and Sammy Sosa and Eddie Zambrano chip in with home runs.

CHICAGO -- With every victory, every strikeout and every 1-2-3 inning, Rick Sutcliffe pushes the Cubs front office toward a difficult decision.Do they sign the veteran at the end of the season and gamble that his shoulder will hold out? Or do they risk angering theirfollowers by bidding the immensely popular pitcher goodbye -- and hope he doesn't mount a comeback with another club?Those questions would not have been raised if Sutcliffe, 35, had lived down to most people's expectations and failed in his return to the rotation this month.

It's Wednesday night at the Fallston Recreation Complex and the duelon the baseball diamond is a smoker. The 15-16 Fallston Cubs haven'tbeaten the 15-17 Forest Hill team in three attempts this season. Butthis night things are looking up for the Cubs. The score is deadlocked, 4-4, in the final inning.Forest Hill's Joe Reinhardt steps upto the plate to start the inning and clubs a single. Shawn Wheat follows with a grounder through the hole at second base, but the ball takes a funny bounce on the lip of the outfield grass and deflects to center field.

If there is one painful emotion that is shared by most of mankind, it is fear of the unknown.A thumping at the door late at night when visitors are not expected. The squeaking of a floorboard when no one is about. Walking down a dark, deserted street or into a room filled with strangers.It is why people look under beds before retiring. Or cover their eyes during a frightening movie. And why agoraphobics won't leave their homes: They are terrified by what's out there, even though they don't know what it is.Shrinks have written enough books and papers about the subject to fill a library, while making a tidy profit listening to the frettings of the fearful.

CHESTERTOWN -- What seems an eternity, in sports anyhow, is the consistency of failure associated with the Chicago Cubs. It's now 50 years, a half-century, since they last qualified for the World Series. One of the franchise's most illustrious players, Bill Nicholson, the fabled "Big Swish," empathizes with the team's devoted and long-suffering fanatics."All we can do is keep hoping and stick with them," he said, sounding more like a fan than a man who contributed appreciably to the Cubs' last pennant winner in 1945 with his throwing, fielding and hitting.