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As the 2015 Major League Baseball post-season is about to commence, I’m not sure I recall a season with so many “perfect scripts” for so many teams to drive a path to win the World Series. The Chicago Cubs, of which I’m 1 of many long-suffering fans, are a part of that this year. I’ve endured several Cubs’ regimes, each of which has claimed to have the formula to win, but failed. I’ve seen new manager after new manager enter the Friendly Confines & be christened the new ambassador to lead the team to the promised land. Unless I’ve slept through an entire season, that hasn’t happened in my lifetime. Last time it did: 1908, 3 YEARS before a certain automotive division came into existence.
But now, the stage is set. If ever a time was, dare I say it may be now? First, the Cubs landed on a new radio home, Chicago’s WBBM newsradio 780 AM, & they also had a new TV home for ~25 games, ABC 7 Chicago. Then, the current regime hired Joe Maddon as manager; for the 1st time I can remember I have actually wanted to hear what Maddon has to say after every game. The Cubs endured Wrigley Field renovations early in the year & capped a 97-win season, good enough for the 3rd-best record in ALL of MLB. Yet, the Cubs only managed to “squeak” into the playoffs as the National League’s 2nd Wild Card behind fellow NL Central rival, Pittsburgh Pirates, 98-64. The best record in all of baseball? The NLC’s St Louis Cardinals, 100-62. Given that the Wild Card Game winner plays the team with the top record in the division, 2 of the 3 top teams in all of baseball will be out by the end of the Division Series.
At any rate, the playoffs (if you can call the Wild Card Game part of the fray) start for the Cubs at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, Wednesday, 10/07/2015. The Cubs have some heart-breaking losses in that city. Yet, they also have some great ones, including a 4-1 win in 1984 to clinch the then-NL Eastern Division title at 3 Rivers Stadium.
Should the Cubs find a way to beat my Dad’s Pirates, their next opponent would be the St Louis Cardinals, the NL’s New York Yankees. As opposed to prior seasons, this Cubs team has managed to beat St Louis in St Louis. Hmmm. Should the Cubs manage to sneak past St Louis, their next opponent would either be the Los Angeles Dodgers (the favorite of an uncle & a cousin of mine) or the New York Mets, the team that overtook the Cubs in the last month of the 1969 season. For a World Series berth, I’m not sure you could script a better winning path than against those particular teams.
Adding to the intrigue, the ‘Back To The Future’ trilogy, which “predicted” the Cubs would win the 2015 World Series. The prediction won’t completely come true, regardless, because the Cubs cannot play Miami in the Fall Classic. BUT, even with all of this “just can’t make this stuff up” drama, I’m still hesitantly excited about this Cubs team. Haven’t we been here before!?
By the way, if you didn’t see it earlier, I wrote an article about re-aligning MLB.
OC,SH original: my cousin & OC,SHer BEN M found this picture
We’ll see what happens. I was at the Bartman game. That sucked. I may actually watch some baseball this post season. I’ve pretty much stayed away since that game.
Love the picture, though. So 80’s.
Go Cubs! My family has season tickets, so we got Cub t-shirts a couple of years ago for Christmas. I think that makes me a fan. 🙂
very informative article, Cort. You know I have been for 70-some years and remain an avid fan of the Cardinals. But there is a kind of NL-Central pride, too — lots of excitement building.
Definitely 80s, Ben! Have you been watching? I’ve been listening to the radio….
I’d say it does … are you going to the game Monday evening?
Thank you, Bob! Definitely lots of excitement. I had an earlier thought that it might be another Chicago-Houston World Series 10 years later, but … maybe not. SSSooo many possibilities for story lines this post season!