10/06/08 5:26 PM ET
Cubs come to grips with early exit
Focus for GM Hendry soon to shift to free-agent decisions

By Nick Zaccardi / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Ryan Dempster is back to cracking jokes. All might not be well in Cubs Nation, but at least the players are beginning to swallow what just happened.

Dempster and several teammates cleaned out their lockers at Wrigley Field on Monday, fewer than 48 hours after getting swept out of the National League Division Series for the second straight season.

The Cubs won an NL-best 97 games in the regular season, the club's best record since 1945. They won 55 times at home, most since 1935. Then they lost any momentum by dropping Games 1 and 2 at Wrigley to the Dodgers on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Cubs have nine consecutive playoff losses since 2003.

"We are the best team in the National League," said left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who hit .107 (3-for-28) in the 2007 and 2008 playoffs. "The way we played and the way we lost was very disappointing. Nothing you can do now, just get ready for next year."

"We got whipped handily," general manager Jim Hendry said.

But why? Soriano offered a reason.

"I think we had too much time to relax [after clinching the division with eight games left], and we got a little surprised at how the Dodgers played," he said.

Reliever Bob Howry, who gathered his belongings, including a Trek bicycle, echoed Soriano.

"It's all who plays good at the right time," he said. "Last year, Colorado had to fight all the last month to get in, yet they go to the World Series. It's all about timing and coming up with the big hits at the right time."

The focus shifts to Hendry. He and assistant Randy Bush will reflect on the season this week and reconvene in two weeks for organizational meetings. Among the first decisions is how big an effort to make to re-sign top free agents Dempster and Kerry Wood.

"Obviously, you'd like to keep your good players," Hendry said. "We haven't even started the process."

Would Dempster like to return for a sixth season?

"Absolutely. I love it here," he said. "I love the city. I love playing here. Hopefully, everything works out. For right now, I'm worried about making a tee-off time somewhere."

Baseball goes on the backburner until pitchers and catchers report in February and the World Baseball Classic begins in March.

"2008 is over," Soriano said. "2009 is coming."

Nick Zaccardi is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Cubs are Cursed

And they are the biggest joke in Professional Sports