“Lovable Losers”, “The Doormat of the National League” are just two terms used to describe the Chicago Cubs over the past several years. That is no longer the case, as the Cubs are now heading to the World Series for the first time in 71 years! Fans may not remember this, but a lot had to go right for the Cubs years before for last night to even be possible.
Looking back, not even 24 hours later, I am still in shock and soaking this all in. This is a moment I did not think was possible a few years ago. The Tribune Company owned the Cubs, and all they seemed to care about was the almighty dollar. As long as the seats were filled and the cash kept coming in, they could not have cared less about the success or failure of the team. But seven years ago something happened that would change everything. Tom Ricketts bought the Cubs and promised to bring a championship to Chicago. Many fans were skeptical about his words because they are all things we have heard before. In many fans eyes, he was just another “greedy owner who would only care about the bottom line. We were lucky to have Ricketts buy the team, as I do not believe he was even the highest bidder.
Ricketts though was different from the start. He told us that he was going to be a hands off owner and let his baseball people take care of the baseball side of the team. He told us that in his very first year he was just going to sit back and observe before making any real moves, and that is just what he did. He allowed Jim Hendry to run the team in 2010 and he first half of 2011 before making any real changes. He relieved Hendry on his duties, and waited to find the perfect baseball man to run his team.
Luck and fate would again be kind to the Cubs as as things fell apart elsewhere, they fell apart at the right time for the Cubs to strike and capitalize. In a matter of 129 minutes, everything changed for a few franchises which made all this possible.
They will go down as the most thrilling 129 minutes in baseball history. Never before and likely never again—if we even dare to assume anything else can be likely ever again—will baseball captivate and exhilarate on so many fronts in so small a window the way it did
During these 129 minutes the collapse of the Boston Red Sox would be complete and Theo Epstein would leave the Red Sox organization and join the Cubs front office, Epstein himself would negotiate the deal. When all was said and done, Epstein was the Cubs president of baseball operations, he would then hire Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod to help build this team.
When Epstein was hired, we were told not to expect miracles, but considering what he had just done in Boston, fan’s hopes were high. The “baseball gods” were smiling on the Cubs as fate brought here to implement his plan to turn the “perennial losers” into perennial winners. However, due to changes in the bargaining agreement Epstein could not build the team the same way he did with the Red Sox, but that is okay. Epstein had another plan, one which would take a lot of belief and trust. What he had in mind was unheard of, he wanted to tear down the team and build from the ground up. That meant trading talent for prospects, signing rehabbing players in hopes they could have a resurgence in order to be flipped for prospects themselves.
The first three years sucked and were filled with many losses. I cannot think of a worse three year stretch for the Cubs or any other baseball organization. But through the “tanking” the Cubs were able to bring in players like Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Hendricks, Travis Wood, Jake Arrieta, Pedro Strop, Kris Bryant. Add them to current prospects Javier Baez and Willson Contreras along the signing of Jon Lester and Dexter Fowler, you have All core members of your 2016 National League Champions. But something was missing. A manager who would lead the Cubs and help them develop.
Luck would once again shine on the Cubs. Andrew Friedman would take a job as the Los Angeles Dodgers President of Baseball Operations, leaving behind his job as General Manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. That would in turn kick in an opt out clause for Joe Maddon the then current Manager of the Rays, making him a free agent allowing the Cubs to swoop in and sign him.
After years of weird shit happening to figuratively put the Cubs behind the 8-ball, for once this weird shit fell into place for us to be right where we are. Heading into the World Series for the first time in 71 years! This is one moment the fans have been waiting for, and last night, they showed up in mass to support the best team the Cubs have seen in over 100 years.
The wait for Tuesday will be agony.
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