Don't blame Greg ...

Blame me. As I was racing back home with beer to enjoy with last night's Dodgers-Mets game, it occured to me: He's not going to be able to do it tonight. Somehow I just knew. I'm in a hopeless place right now when nothing seems right. So since I wanted so badly to see him do well, post-season and in front of a nationwide audience, it just stood to reason that he would blow it.

So when Greg Maddux unravelled in the first inning it was my fault, not his. I jinxed him by my very existance.

But look at his numbers! Take that disastrous first inning out of the mix and he did a creditable job. He doesn't look at it that way, of course. The Professor is talking about retiring.

Of course I want him to come back. Just look at all he accomplished this year! He performed admirably in Cubbie blue, far better than his stats show. The mature veteran who was supposed to be our fourth starter became our second starter when neither Prior nor Wood could come back. We had no bullpen, so he stayed in games much longer than he wished to. And he still delivered for us as well as any pitcher but Zambrano.

He was rejuvenated by (leaving me and) moving to LA, racking up yet another season of 15 or more wins. Take the 334 career wins out of the mix, because that's for Cooperstown and I'm thinking about 2007 here. He had 15 wins this year and, kids, it pains me to say it but he managed to accomplish this with a Cub team that simply could not support him.

So I hope he will spend the winter working on his hand/eye coordination (playing golf) and perhaps losing a few pounds (that's just because I find him more attractive with a little less in his "center of gravity") and refreshing his spirit. And I hope he will rejoin Nomar in Dodger blue next year.

And if he does choose to hang it up, well, thanks for all of it, Greg Maddux. It's been a joy.