Chicago Cubs end disappointing 2009 season

This has been a huge disappointment of a season for the Chicago Cubs. On the heels of a 97-win 2008 season that landed them the NL Central and made them one of the best teams in baseball, the Chicago Cubs are about to end a lackluster year that won’t involve any playoff baseball games.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has made some mistakes over the course of the past year, and some of the blame will fall on him. One example of this is the $30 million signing of Texas Rangers outfielder Milton Bradley. Not only has Bradley’s season been a complete disappointment (a .257 batting average, 12 home runs and 47 RBIs are not what the team expected), but Bradley was recently suspended for the remainder of the season for disruptive conduct. This stems from the fact that Bradley badmouthed the Chicago Cubs in a local newspaper.

Then there’s Casey McGehee, the rookie prospect the Cubs decided to let go, now a Milwaukee Brewer. McGehee leads all baseball rookies with 60-plus RBIs, and with his .300-plus batting average, he’s a legitimate contender for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

The launch of the team has also been somewhat disappointing. While Ted Lilly and Randy Wells are in the midst of impressive seasons, no Cubs pitcher has won more than 12 games. Ryan Dempster’s 2009 season is nothing like his 2008 season, and Carlos Zambrano really hasn’t looked very good on the mound.

However, Cubs fans are used to this. More than 100 years without a world series will.