It was one of those games that the Cubs used to play all the time. They got a lead and started walking guys at an apocalyptic rate, but they didn’t surrender the lead. Even though they had to take out a starting pitcher, who was throwing a no-hitter, in the sixth inning! To make things worse, the guy who replaced him walked the next two hitters.

But somehow the Cubs got out of it with the lead, and the in the eighth, The Farns managed to make a nice pitch to get himself out of a two-out, first and third jam. That was until nobody caught the harmless two-out pop up hit into shallow left field…and the lead…and first place were gone.

Somewhere, Brant Brown stood in front of his TV saying, “See it’s not so easy, is it f@#$ers?”

The next four days will determine whether the Alou-Lofton-Gonzalez drop can be laughed off like the Brown incident. The Cubs have Mark Prior going today and a win gives them a 5-1 road trip and a strong showing this weekend against the AA Reds will make it all OK.

Besides, this one didn’t have the epic feel of Brant’s drop.

Brant Brown dropped his on September 27, 1998 in Milwaukee. The Cubs had a two run lead with two outs in the ninth and a Jeromy Burnitz flyball to left was going to end the game. Brown got under it, lost it in the sun, dropped it and three runners scored to immediately end the game.

Ron Santo was in the radio booth screaming, “Nooooooooooo! Nooooooooooo!” And Brant was immortalized, forever.

In fact, the next night in Houston he was attacked by a bird. In the Astrodome! I’m not making this up.

Last night’s just fails the tragedy test. It was the eighth inning, so the Cubs had another at bat. Nobody dropped it, because three guys circled it and let it fall. Plus, Santo was at home watching the game on TV. Dave Otto didn’t rise to the occasion and make an ass out of himself on the radio call.

So really, this one’s no contest. Brant wins in a landslide.

Sorry, Brant.

Because I’m prescient, I had noticed the last couple of weeks that Chip Caray had added a new irritating habit to his already impressive stable of irritating habits. On pop ups and fly balls he says, “There’s a popup to (fill in erratic Cubs fielder’s name here), he’ll catch it for the out.” Chip, these are the Cubs. Take nothing for granted.

You found out why, last night.

The way that game was going, I would not have been surprised to see the Cubs chuck up the lead in the ninth. It’s a bad sign when your starting pitcher is throwing a no-hitter and can’t throw a strike to the Cooperstown troika of Brian Schneider, Henry Mateo and one-legged Jose Vidro. Then, the lefty specialist comes in and walks Brad (Don’t call me Curtis) Wilkerson and Endy Chavez.

Endy Chavez!

This is the man whose own manager said of, earlier this year, “I can’t lead off with Endy Chavez, it’s like starting the game with one out.”

The play earlier in the eighth when Randall Simon fielded a grounder, eschewed the easy toss to first and tried to tag the runner is exactly what Pittsburgh fans were warning us of when we traded for him. His glove itself isn’t terrible, but his decisions often are. How nice.

Anyway, given that the Astros are managed by Jimy Williams and the Cardinals are a big, ugly, red ball of twine that is already unraveling, I’m not worried.

Besides, I can’t look at consecutive series with the Reds, Mets, Pirates, Reds and Pirates and not grin like an idiot.

Oops. Maybe that’s the point.

Meanwhile, Sox fans were busy printing up the playoff tickets after winning the first two games of their series against the Twins. But a loss last night cut their lead to one game, and after today’s game with the Twins, check out the rest of Minnesota’s schedule:

Indians (suck), White Sox (in the Metrodome where the Sox wilt like hot lettuce), Tigers (three games against the worst team ever), Indians and Tigers (FOUR games with the worst team ever).

The White Sox finish up with the Red Sox, Twins, Royals, Yankees and Royals. Hee hee.

You know what this means, right?

The Cubs will fold like a paper donkey, the Twins will implode and the Sox will start throttling the Bosox and Yanks.

Sigh.

—

Phil Rogers compares Dusty Baker to Preston Gomez (who’s number Karry’s been admiring on the Hiram Bithorn Stadium wall all week). Not a good thing. Ever.

Even for the Cubs, last night was bad.

Matt Clement, who will never be mistaken for a determined competitor, didn’t argue with Dusty taking him out. That’s the point. You wuss.

This just in: Mark Prior is good.

Paul Sullivan answers some creepily geeky Cubs’ fans questions.

The Sox hope today isn’t the beginning of the end of Esteban Loiaza’s deal with the devil.

Rick Morrissey tells Sox fans to stop obsessing over the Cubs.

How was your stay in Chicago, Jose Paniagua?

Antonio Freeman returns to Green Bay just in time to christen new Soldier Field presented by Bank One and 17 other corporate sponsors, with about three TD catches. Sigh.

NHL camps open today. Seriously, does that godforsaken season ever end? I remember the best thing about the players strike a few years back was that hockey highlights didn’t take up valuable time during SportsCenter.

Somebody thinks the Cubs can win it all.

There’s a lot wrong with baseball, but today they seem to be getting most things right.

Penn State thinks Nebraska players are cheap. Actually, I hear they make pretty good money.

Benjamin Geza Affleck? Really?

Who says we haven’t liberated Iraq? We’ve brought them porn!

Ah-nuld will get to tell Oprah why he wants to be the Gubernator of Cal-ee-for-nee-yah.

A North Carolina man paid for his groceries with a $200 bill. Huh?

Britney misplaced her shirt, again. Oops! Wait, this isn’t Brolee Spears again, is it? Nah.

Sharon Osbourne says she left Ozzy for a few days after Jack went into rehab. Do we think Ozzy noticed? Plus, we already saw this on the show. Remember when she went to the Malibu house after Jack went to rehab? Then, they spoofed it on the last show when they pretended she left again to mourn the “not really dead” Minnie.

The world’s greatest newspaper says that NASA has bred a race of giant space spiders who will spin a protective web around the earth. Well, it’s about time.