ST. LOUIS – Standing on the mound in front of a sellout crowd at Busch Stadium, John Lackey is a new scowling face of the Cubs, glaring at hitters and punctuating plays with a “F--- yeah!”
Standing in front of his locker surrounded by reporters, Lackey speaks softly in a Texas twang, which becomes harder to hear when the Cubs are pumping the dance music in the visiting clubhouse after a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Monday night felt like a rivalry changing, even if the Cardinals won 100 games last year and still have 11 World Series banners flying above the video board in right field.