We are NOT, repeat NOT, going to talk about Iowa State Football. Yeah, I love them and all, but I find, to paraphrase Coach Mac, their recent form makes me sick in the stomach. Nor are we going to talk about Troy Davis, who seems to have applied butter to his hands. How long will it be until Ditka chews him out on the sideline? Pretty darn soon, if he can’t stop being another Rashaan Salaam!

What we are talking about is the other fall sport: Baseball! Hello! Why doesn’t anybody pay attention to our national pastime anymore? Sure, you can have moral objections to watching overpaid idiots like Albert Belle. But how can you not like the Pittsburgh Pirates or the San Francisco Giants, teams who weren’t supposed to be successful, but are. Isn’t that what this country is about? Finding success where it’s not supposed to be?

Today, however, the specific topic of discussion is the Chicago Cubs, the best-loved losers in history, and my personal favorite team. This is a team with a real chance to perform well next season, despite having the third-worst record in the MLB this season. They have shown flashes of brilliance after an 0-14 start and have played very well of late, sticking a knife in the NY Mets’ playoff chances.

The Cubbies have made some nice trades and acquisitions to fortify their pitching staff, most notably getting Kevin Tapani and Mark Clark.

Tapani, a veteran right-hander, was injured at the very start of the season, but when he returned from rehab this season, he pitched a jewel against the Braves. Clark has won four straight including back-to-back complete games since joining the Cubs in a trade with the Mets.

Jermi Gonzalez, a rookie, has been successful this season as well, going 11-6 so far.

Kevin Foster has had a good season, going 10-6. He is injured now, but is expected to be back for next season.

Steve Trachsel has struggled this year, but with luck may be able to return to his rookie form, where his ERA was under 3.50.

The bullpen has been solid the second half, especially since Mark Pisciotta has become the setup man, and Terry Adams the closer.

The lineup has starting to produce runs after Lance Johnson joined the team. He is a .300 hitter, as is Doug Glanville. Glanville and Johnson are also both super fast, and Glanville is “turning into a human highlight film in left field,” according to Pat Hughes of WGN radio.

Mark Grace is a great contact hitter who should recover from a slight power outage this year with a very strong ’98 season.

Sammy Sosa provides a good dose of power as well as stealing a base or two.

Kevin Orie is a very good defensive player who has come up with some clutch hits this year.

Jose Hernandez is a nice addition to the Cubs infield, as is Manny Alexander. Both are solidly spectacular defensively, and Hernandez has some pop in the bat as well. Scott Servais is a catcher with power.

A bench that includes Dave Clark can’t hurt either, and heck, if the Cubs don’t succeed, there’s always next year.

Jayadev Athreya is a sophomore in mathematics from Ames.