E.K. NATION

So the Marlins just now took a 7-3 lead in the eighth. If the Cubs lose this game, that fan who kept Moises Alou from catching that foul ball may just wind up in the hospital, or worse. And Alou may lead the charge after him. Or maybe they could borrow Don Zimmer to chase him down.

Another quick thought: When Gonzalez moved over to field that ground ball that should have been at least a forceout, he didn't have his glove ready. The palm of his glove was still facing the outfield wall, turned down, when the ball took its last bounce just a few feet away from him. He simply wasn't ready.

What an unbelievable eighth inning. Incredible.

(A few minutes later...) It's now 8-3 and the wheels have absolutely fallen off the Cubs' wagon. I'll say it now so that you can write it down: Marlins win Game 7. Teams that lose sixth games like this do not rebound to win the seventh. It is over. Let's go back: Giants lose 5-0 lead in Game 6 of last year's World Series, and lose Game 7. In 1987 the Cardinals blow a 5-2 sixth-game lead and then lose Game 7. The Red Sox certainly didn't rebound after Buckner's error in '86, and the Cardinals couldn't recover after the blown call by Don Denkinger in 1985.

(After the game...) Hearts in Wrigleyville have been broken, and so have some backs. How in the world do you get up for a Game 7 when you had Game 6 and your fans' admiration wrapped up? As a Giants fan, I know I was resigned to a Game 7 loss just moments after I watched Game 6 end last year. And how does Florida not be totally ecstatic just to be able to walk on the grass at Wrigley tomorrow? The Marlins are going to win 3-1.

I think we know what Al Leiter should be doing in years to come: taking up space in the broadcast booth. That guy is fun to listen to and he's much more informative than most analysts networks have to offer. Steve Lyons was correct, though, when he said that the pressure was on Florida tonight and would be square on the Cubs' shoulders were there to be a Game 7. As for Thom Brennaman, well, someone ought to tell him that he's not doing local Cubs broadcasts anymore; he's doing national games. Assuming the quiet tones of a funeral home director for when Cubs' opponents score is not the way he should be handling his duties.

* Of course, the play in question was not fan interference, at least in accordance with the rules of the game of baseball, but it certainly was a case of A Fan Interfering. Dusty Baker was asked in the post-game press conference whether he understood the phenomenon of hometown fans hindering their players' chances of catching flies near the stands, and he simply said, "No. I've never understood that at all." Me neither.