Even a World Series Ring Can't Guarantee Patience for Cub Fans

As I sat and ate my breakfast this morning, I read all the articles I could find recapping last night's Cubs game (a morning ritual for me between the months of April and October). Jesse Rogers and Carrie Muskat are usually my go-to beat writers for all things Cub, but an article written by former Cub Doug Glanville was my favorite this morning. He talked about his experiences on the Cubs back in 1997 when they started the season 0-14 and how a 3-4 start for the 2018 team should not cause panic for the Cubs' fan base.

I was only 3 years old in 1997, so my knowledge of that start and that season as a whole is non-existent. In fact, my first memory as a Cub fan is sitting on the living room couch watching game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. It doesn't require an explanation, you know what happened. Moises Alou went up against the brick wall in left and Steve Bartman did what any fan would have done. I remember being frustrated, but as a fourth grader the enormity of the situation didn't stand out to me. I viewed it as a bump in the road in that game and that game alone, but for my dad, a lifelong Cub fan who had experienced plenty of Cub-related heartbreak before that game, it was a much bigger deal. My dad is one of the most laid-back and easy-going individuals I've ever met, but when Bartman touched that ball and my brother, Zach (a Cardinal fan, no less), started laughing, my dad about lost it ("IT'S NOT FUNNY!"). Needless to say, that's one of the funnier moments we reflect on as a family now, but how fitting is it that my first memory of cheering for the Cubs is one of heartbreak?

It's hard to believe this year will be the 15th anniversary of that game. The craziest part about it is how much the Cubs' organization has changed since then. In 15 years the Cubs have had plenty of different "saviors" who would lead the ball club to that coveted World Series title: Nomar Garciaparra, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Lou Piniella just to name a few. Not one of those guys made it out of the NLDS. However, those guys gave the fan base hope. It was after they were all gone, with Soriano being the last man standing, that things had to get ugly in order to get pretty.

I have this app on my phone called "TimeHop" which, for those of you not familiar with it, allows you to see your social media posts from past years on today's date. Looking back four, five and six years ago on that app at this time of year is incredibly painful. Seeing the starting lineups featuring the likes of Luis Valbuena, Emilio Bonifacio and Jeff Baker isn't something I hope to relive any time soon. Add in the fact that Carlos Marmol was the closer back then and you have a heart attack waiting to happen. Cubs baseball was not fun back then. Did I still watch as many games as I could? Absolutely. All the way through September. It was brutal most days, but there was a reason for it and Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer had the 5-year plan in place.

So now here we are in 2018. A World Series banner has been raised and the Cubs have made three consecutive trips to the NLCS. I grew up watching an NL Central division that was perennially dominated by the St. Louis Cardinals. Heck, the Cardinals made three consecutive trips to the NLCS TWO SEPARATE TIMES. My brother couldn't have been more spoiled as a Cardinals fan. Sheesh. But look at who was on those Cardinals teams. Generational legends like Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen. All-time legends like Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa. Those teams were flat-out good, and now the Cubs have the roster to make the same noise those Cardinals teams did.

Who would have thought there would ever be a year where Cubs fans couldn't wait for their bullpen to enter the game? Last night, Justin Wilson walked three straight hitters to load the bases only to watch new-comer Steve Cishek strike out Lorenzo Cain to get out of the jam. The days of watching Kevin Gregg or Brian Schlitter blow a late-game lead are over. They have one of if not the best bullpen in baseball right now (albeit with a very small sample size) and even though they're off to a bit of a slow start, their starting rotation should be at least in the top five, potentially top three by the end of the season. There is not a single hole in their batting order and the youth of the team projects perennial contention for the next few years. This is a Cubs team unlike any other Cub team before them.

So stop panicking. Stop being impatient. Stop questioning the Cubs' focus or motivation. It's April 7th. This team was built for longevity, not just "win now" on a one or two year timeline. Cubs fans (myself included) have been so spoiled these past three years and I never thought I'd be able to say that. The problem now, though, is that success is not a hope or a pleasant surprise, it's an expectation. Hoyer and Epstein have made all the right moves and now the team has shown the potential it has. That brings about a lot of pressure, but also a lot of irrationality from the fan base.

The bottom line is this: things could be so much worse. It's a beautiful day when a 3-4 start can be considered a reason to be anxious rather than bringing about a "here we go again" mentality when thinking of the season as a whole. Be excited because truthfully, it could and has been so much worse. I'd take a 3-4 record with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Javy Baez headlining the Cubs any day over a team with Marlon Byrd, Bryan LaHair and Koyie Hill. Smile, Cub fans. Life's pretty darn good right now.

The 2017 World of Wadley MLB Guide

The calendar has turned to that familiar time when the sun shines a little brighter, the grass turns a little greener and the grills come out. It's baseball season, and while the excitement of a new season is nothing new, something feels a bit different in 2017. The Chicago Cubs are defending World Series champions. 99.9 percent of the world's population has never known this kind of world, but the curse ended and so too did a major story line in the game. 2017 is a new chapter for baseball and it's an enticing one.

Here are some things to keep an eye on and what to watch for this season...

Can the Cubs repeat?
This is an obvious starting point for the 2017 discussion. The Cubs open the season Sunday night in St. Louis on ESPN and may have improved from last season. Kyle Schwarber will be available for an entire season and, who knows, maybe Jason Heyward will play like a big leaguer again. It's scary if both of them produce. After all, this team already has MVP Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo plus a stable of pitchers who are downright nasty.

So can they repeat? Sure they can, but they won't. It's simply too hard. Too many things can happen such as injuries or poor play at the wrong time. As ESPN pointed out, no team has repeated since the Yankees in 1998-2000 and only one National League team (the Cincinnati Reds) has ever repeated in the last 95 years. The numbers simply aren't on the Cubs' side.

So who wins then?
The Boston Red Sox. Boston spends big and they should win big this season. Rick Porcello may not turn in another season like last season, but Chris Sale is in Boston now and he and Porcello along with David Price is a nightmare for opposing offenses. Big Papi is gone, but name a more fun trio to watch than Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, Jr.? The Red Sox will have to overcome an always tough AL East and the Cleveland Indians, but if they stay healthy then they will win it all.

What about those Indians?
The Indians will be in the ALCS. They came oh so close last season and they have a loaded roster. It wouldn't be surprising to see them in the World Series again if they can get past Boston. But like the Cubs, it's hard to do it all over again and that's why we are predicting the Indians to be ousted before the World Series rolls around.

Don't forget about Mike Trout
Last season we wrote about how Mike Trout is stuck in Anaheim. He might be stuck on a bad team, but tune in whenever you can to see him play. He's the best player in the game and it's easy to forget that he's still only 25 years old. Trout will be an MVP front-runner once again, but like past seasons, he's going to be sitting at home watching the playoffs. Still, he's a special talent so don't miss out on his best years.

Speaking of the Angels, Albert Pujols is going to make history
Albert Pujols' star has faded since leaving the St. Louis Cardinals, but this season he should pass 600 career home runs. He enters 2017 with 591 and he's done it all clean. His name has never been linked to steroids and he will become the ninth player to eclipse the 600 mark.

Are the Dodgers ever going to win with all that money and talent?
Who knows, but they won't win this year. Magic Johnson and the Dodgers have spent big and on paper this team looks fantastic. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the game and will surpass 2,000 strikeouts for his career this season. Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager and Justin Turner make a great lineup. Yasiel Puig is a wild card year-in-year-out. LA hasn't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs and with the Cubs in the National League it doesn't seem like that will change this year.

Will Bryce Harper return to form?
Harper struggled last season after his MVP campaign two years ago. He hit .243 with 24 home runs and 86 RBIs last season, which is a great season for many guys in the MLB. But this is Bryce Harper, the guy who hit .330 with 42 home runs and 99 RBIs in his MVP season. Still only 23 years old, this is Harper's sixth year in the league. The Nationals, much like the Dodgers, haven't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs and without Harper at his best they don't stand a chance.

Which Astros team should we expect?
The Astros have taken us on a rollercoaster ride the past two seasons. The joy of 2015 was gone after an average 2016 season in which Houston missed the playoffs. The core of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer is still there and the pitching staff hasn't changed. Dallas Kuechel's shoulder is an issue, but one thing to watch is whether or not the Astros make a move for Chicago's Jose Quintana before season's end. This is a fun team to watch, but the AL West has strengthened the past few years. Time will tell if the Astros can take the next step.

The White Sox stink now, but....
Okay, we know no one is tuning into White Sox games this year because they just can't get enough of the SouthSiders. Chicago is going to stink. Sure, Todd Frazier will hit some bombs, but that's about it. However, don't sleep on this team in the future. They made some quality moves this offseason (namely getting Yoan Moncada) to go along with youngsters Tim Anderson and Charlie Tilson, which means the future could be bright on the South Side. The young guys are going to get their chances this season and that may just be worth tuning in.

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The 2017 season begins Sunday, April 2nd with a tripleheader on ESPN.

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.

Cubs Continue to Grow as Postseason Looms

The process was supposed to take five years. The complete dismantling of the Chicago Cubs roster began when Theo Epstein took over the ball club in October of 2011, and it was a process that was high risk, high reward. Every veteran was traded or not re-signed in favor of youth and each of Epstein's first three seasons ended with records that were 15+ games below .500. The Cubs were, in a word, horrible. Yet oddly enough, everything was going according to plan. Prospects were being acquired slowly but surely, and with Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro leading the way, Cubs fans could see their future lineup begin to take shape.


The players were surrounded by hype. Names such as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell headlined the future of the Cubs, yet the most important spot in the dugout was the one hole that needed to be filled. Former managers Dale Sveum and Rick Renteria were unproven managers that, quite frankly, were not the right men for a task this tall. To lead a franchise back to the top of the division you need a culture change. You need a manager that will give an organization a chip on their shoulder and an identity that the players can buy in to.

Maddon has restored the faith on the North Side

Enter Joe Maddon. The former Tampa Bay Rays skipper stepped in as the new manager for the Cubs this season and immediately talked about making the playoffs this year. THIS year? Surely not. Not with four rookies consistently being in the starting lineup (Bryant, Russell, Jorge Soler, and now Kyle Schwarber). After all, this is only year four of the five-year Master Plan. To think of making the playoffs this year seemed a bit too optimistic, even for Cubs fans.

Then came Jon Lester, and his decision to sign with the Cubs. A bona fide ace the Cubs so desperately needed. He would join the reacquired Jason Hammel and Jake Arrieta on a rotation that was suddenly quite formidable and, suddenly, the Cubs' hunt for October didn't seem so far-fetched. The bullpen was still a question mark, but the North Side finally had a couple high-profile starting pitchers.

Now here we are in late September, with the Cubs sitting one game behind the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central and on the verge of overtaking the Bucs for the top Wild Card spot. They have pieced it all together, and they have weathered every storm that has come their way. They've enjoyed walk-off wins on numerous occasions and have shown that they have the potential to boast one of the best lineups in the league. Runs have been easy to come by lately, and when the performances of Lester and the Cy Young candidate Arrieta are taken into account, it's easy to see why Chicago has reason to believe again.

The Lester signing headlined a successful off-season for the Cubs

Winning in the NL Central is not easy. The Cubs sit in third place in the division but also have the third-best record in all of baseball, which goes to show just how tough this team is. They are not intimidated by anyone and they play with excitement. Joe Maddon has led the charge and has preached patience while also demanding perfection on the simple aspects of the game. They are currently 25 games over .500 and have a very good chance to move into second place in the division. And while it would be a historic charge as well as a brutal collapse by the Cardinals, winning the division is still a possibility as well. The opportunities are endless, and this Cubs team realizes that.

The regular season is quickly drawing to a close. The playoff match-ups are beginning to take shape and October is right around the corner. It's been 7 years, but this Cubs team is staring a postseason berth right in the face and deservedly so. The young kids have led the way, backed by stellar starting pitching and even better management. There is not a team in the league the Cubs don't think they can beat, and with a weekend series against the Cardinals currently happening, the Cubs have a great chance to shake things up in the NL Central. They believe they can make a run deep into the postseason as do the Chicago Faithful. What else would you expect the theme of this team to be? It's always been about being optimistic, whether that be justifiable optimism or not. It's time to realize that this Cubs team is not following Theo Epstein's five year plan. They're ahead of schedule, and the rest of the league would be smart to notice that.