Cubs' Postseason Run Providing Plenty of Emotion

You've heard about it. You've read about it. You've been a part of it. The Cubs are in the National League Championship Series, and that is not a typo. For the first time in seven years, the north side of Chicago has life in the month of October, and it would behoove the rest of the country to pay attention to it.

Since 2000, the Cubs have enjoyed a couple postseason appearances, three to be exact. Those years were fun, they had excitement. Even the trip to the NLCS in 2003, the first Cubs season that I can vividly remember, was something that gave the North Side hope. That was supposed to be The Year and yet, it wasn't. You know the story. You know how that season came to a screeching halt. And then 2007 and 2008 came and went without a single postseason victory. Those teams were good, but there was always a lingering doubt, almost as if Cub fans were waiting for a reason to believe something bad was going to happen. And sure enough, both seasons ended in 3-0 sweeps in the NLDS.

Epstein has pieced together one of the best teams in Cub history

Yet here we are, with the New York Mets cementing themselves as the only thing that stands between the Cubs and that elusive World Series appearance that the Cubs, their fans, and the city of Chicago crave so badly. But this year is different for reasons other than just this season alone. This season has been a long time coming, and the Cubs are now reaping the benefits of one of the biggest rebuilds in sports history.

It began with Theo Epstein, the mastermind who put together the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. In 2011, he took over as President for the Cubs and announced a five-year plan to completely tear down and rebuild the Cubs roster. It was painful to accept and even more painful to watch. The first year of the five-year plan ended with the Cubs finishing with a 61-101 record which, obviously, gave Cubs fans very little reason to feel optimistic. Yet each year showed improvement. In 2013 they went from being 40 games under .500 in 2012 to being 30 games under. Then in 2014 they finished 16 games under. And now here they are, in 2015, with a regular season record of 97-65: the best record left in the postseason.

This wasn't a part of the plan. After all, it's only year four of Epstein's time with the Cubs. Were they supposed to compete? Yes. Were they supposed to make the playoffs? Not likely. Were they supposed to up-end the top two teams in the league on their way to the NLCS? Never in a million years. It's not even so much that they did it, but HOW they did it. Joe Maddon, though one of the best in the business, is in his first year and until August 8th when Anthony Rizzo turned 26, their entire infield plus two thirds of their outfield was 25 or younger. These are kids we're talking about. These are rookies that haven't even been in the league for a full calendar year. And that's what makes it so great.

Being a Cub fan is not something you just do, it's something you invest in. There may not be another team in all of American sports with a fan base that has more pitiful optimism or dedication to their team than the Chicago Cubs. After all, how many teams can say that their fan base's motto is "Wait till next year"? A phrase that has been uttered millions of times in hopes of defending letdown season after letdown season? The fans are committed, even when the Cubs are bad. This is not to get into a debate about the best fans in baseball, this is about realizing how much this postseason run means to the organization, the fans, and the city of Chicago.

The Cubs are 4 wins away from another celebration

When you walk into Wrigley Field, as I had the extreme pleasure of doing three times this past summer, you feel the electricity. I've been in 17 different MLB ballparks, none of which have a buzz like Wrigley Field, especially this year. There is nothing like walking up the steps from the main concourse and looking out onto the field and seeing the green ivy, or the scoreboard in center, or the rooftops that line the opposite sides of Waveland and Sheffield Avenue. The park is beautiful, and every day it's filled with a sea of blue that hopes it gets to see a win that will move their team one step closer to the month of October.

It's October now, and what an October it has been. First the Pittsburgh Pirates, then the bitter rival St. Louis Cardinals. Neither team could match the Cubs offense and now the Cubs have given the baseball world every reason in the world to hope, to believe. It has no longer become a season where fans wait to see something bad happen for the Cubs. This team provides an excitement and energy that the previous three playoff teams did not. They're young, but they're good, and everybody knows it. There is no longer doubt and there is no longer any reason to wonder. The Cubs are legitimate World Series contenders.

So now the date is set: Saturday October 17th. The New York Mets vs. the Chicago Cubs. Matt Harvey vs. Chicago's $155 million-dollar man, Jon Lester. 1986 World Champions vs. 1908 World Champions. Two teams that tore through the second half of the season and now sit on the doorstep of potential history. If you're a Cubs fan, confidence is not hard to find. After all, the Cubs did go 7-0 against the Mets in the regular season and outscored them 27-11. But this is a different Mets team, one that has added Yoenis Cespedes and has brought back their captain David Wright. Winning won't be easy, but for once, the Cubs are favored. The Cubs are now the top dog. It is their series to lose. They know it, the fans know it, and Chicago knows it. And with each win, the city of Chicago comes one win closer to being thrown into absolute chaos. The baseball world will be flipped upside down and the party may never stop. And for the first time in a long time, the Cubs have given everyone reason to believe that the party is not an unrealistic thing to believe in. There is no next year. Next year is here.