Cubs: 2015 better than expected, the best yet to come

It’s been a week since the Mets in the National League Championship Series ended the Cubs’ season. Some fans are still trying to process what happened and continue the grieving process and others, including myself, have moved on. Actually, it didn’t take long for me to get over it. One night of sleep did the trick…well that and knowing the future of the team is in good hands. Just like me and many other Cubs fans, Thursday was a new day and life continued but the only difference is that there would be no more Cubs baseball to look forward to. Which actually stung more than the Cubs not making the World Series.

Once the weekend came around, I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I just couldn’t get enough Cubs baseball. This team was just addicting to watch all year long. We got to see the young kids (who are roughly my age but I'm calling them kids) come up through the minors, join the major league roster and grow as men and baseball players. 2015 was just a sneak peak of the future. This was a young team going out everyday, loose and relaxed and just playing ball. Thats it. There was no pressure on this club and they just went out and had fun…and you know what? I had fun watching them have fun. It’s something I’ve never seen from a Cubs team before and it was truly a breath of fresh air.

For a team that was only expected to make “some noise” and were expected to “actually” contend for a World Series in 2016, the Cubs were a year ahead of schedule.  Apparently, the organization…and especially the players didn’t get that memo. It took getting no-hit in July for them to flip that switch and make a run for the World Series. A quest that came four wins short of a pennant and eight wins short of ending a drought. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a fan reaching over the railing to catch a playable ball or a black cat or a grounder through the legs or a bobbled double play that doomed the Cubs. Actually, it wasn’t any one event or “Cubbie occurrence” that determined the fate of the team. The fact of the matter is that the Cubs lost the NLCS because they got outplayed in every facet of the game. They got out hit, out pitched, and were lackluster on defense and on the base paths. If it makes anyone feel better, the Mets were definitely the hotter team. They’re a team that beat Kershaw, Greinke, Lester and Arrieta. If you can do that, you deserve to be playing the World Series. For once the baseball “Gods” were not against the Cubs…unless they came down in the form of Daniel Murphy.

There is no consolation prize for the Cubs. They fell short of the ultimate goal.  However, we should feel good as a fan base and as an organization. “Year 1” went much, much better than expected. 97 wins, won the Wild Card game against the Pirates and slayed the dragon that is the St. Louis Cardinals by eliminating them in the NLDS. It’s a tough call to determine whether this season was a success or failure. It’s a success in regards that the team was exceeding expectations and getting their playoff exposure by making it all the way to the NLCS. It’s a failure if you consider that the “inexperienced rookies” title should have been shed once they won the Wild Card and took a series from the most consistent franchise in baseball. Failing to win a World Series is a failure of a season no matter which team you are and this Cubs squad, once the calendar changed to October, was no exception.

Unlike with previous Cubs playoff teams, there is no reason to be distressed. This current team is built for the long-term is not a one-hit wonder. As Theo Epstein and Tom Ricketts keep reiterating, they want to build for sustained success. They’re building a model very similar to the St. Louis Cardinals. That model is quite simple: draft and stock up on a bevy of prospects supplemented with necessary free agent signings. Do the Cardinals win the World Series every year? No, absolutely not. They do make the playoffs almost every year, which just gives them a chance to win one. They’ve made the playoffs twelve times in the last sixteen seasons and reached the World Series four times. They’ve won two and lost two. Here's the kicker...the two times they lost were to Theo Epstein’s teams (Boston Red Sox). The point being is that all you need to do is have a team that is consistently getting to the playoffs. If you keep knocking on the door, eventually you’ll knock that door down. Love it or hate it, the Cardinals are a team you’d want the Cubs to be more like. If teams and fanbases start hating you, then you’re a team they’re jealous and envious of. Which indicates that you’re an extremely successful organization. The 2015 Cubs are just the tip of that iceberg.

I’ve been saying this since before the start of the season but the 2015 Chicago Cubs were going to be a lot like the 2008-2009 Chicago Blackhawks. A young team that got their playoff experience but was a year away. If anyone recalls the ’08-’09 Blackhawks went to the Western Conference Finals and lost to the Red Wings in five games. They added a seasoned veteran leader in Marian Hossa and we all know what happened the following season. They won the Stanley Cup and went on a run to win three championships and six seasons. That’s the kind of run I would expect from the Cubs in the coming years. The Cubs and Blackhawks are two teams that pretty much mirror each other in organizational structure and philosophy. The Blackhawks and Cubs both had or have a significant championship drought. The Blackhawks had one of 49 years that ended and the Cubs currently have one of 108 years. 

As Cubs fans, we’re all aware of the 108-year drought and the supposed “curse of the Billy goat”. The last thing we needed was for the TBS’ broadcast team and the national baseball guys to be constantly reminding us of it. Stop throwing it in our face. We get it; the Cubs haven’t won in 108 years now and are trying to break a “curse”.  Do we seriously realize how stupid this sounds? How is a 108-year drought relevant to any of us? I, for sure, haven’t been around for that long. I’m only 25 years old and that’s as long as Cubs futility runs for me. I don’t care about the 83 years before that because quite frankly, I was not alive and have no interest in about anything that happened to the Cubs before my existence. This is the general rule of thumb which should apply for every Cubs fan out there. Why should we care about anything that happened to the franchise before we were alive? Oh, and there is the entire “Cubs are cursed by a goat” thing. The sheer ignorance of this “curse” chaps my behind. Let me get this straight, someone was dumb enough to bring a goat into a ballpark…A GOAT…and when he and his pet were asked to leave he felt so offended that he “cursed” the Cubs? Who the hell brings a goat to the stadium? Did people not have common sense in 1945? Billy Sianis, you and your goat are mind numbingly moronic. “You are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again. You are never going to win a World Series again because you insulted my goat”. Like we haven't heard that from a drunk, belligerent oaf outside an opponents ballpark before. Well, Mr. Sianis, you did come in handy by giving me a great idea. I’m going to get myself a pet pig. I will then proceed to buy two tickets to Busch Stadium or U.S Cellular Field and when I get kicked out, because it’s absolutely certain that I will, I’m going to “curse” the St. Louis Cardinals or the Chicago White Sox.  You have offended me, my pig and my intelligence. However, equally stupid are those that are beating the story of the curse and the drought to death.  Do you have nothing else to talk about? Whenever the Cubs are in the playoffs, it’s a guarantee that the network and reporters covering them will bring up these two things. It’s a poor attempt to build the hype and as a Cubs fan we don’t need to be reminded, we know. The baseball fans around the country…know. Even people outside the country…know. Pretty much the whole damn world knows. Why? Because it’s silly, stupid and absolutely hilarious. For the media and non-Cubs fans, it’s a feeble attempt to take shots at the team and let’s face it; for the most part the Cubs have been a walking joke. Sooner rather than later, my friends, that will no longer be the case. Oh and I do realize that I just reminded Cubs fans of the drought and curse in the process of telling you that we don’t be reminded of it. For that, fellow Cubs fans, I am sorry.

2015 was a spectacular season but fell just shy of a World Series appearance. The team did a lot more than anyone expected them to do. That includes the Owner, the President of Baseball Operations, the General Manager and the Manager. Now, we look forward to what should be an interesting off-season with some big names out on the market. There could very well be a splash signing and/or a couple trades to bolster and improve the roster. Then in February, it’s time to report to Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona for the start of the 2016 season. Be warned though, baseball is a weird a game. You can’t predict regression or injuries. Nothing is guaranteed and it’s going to be really hard for the Cubs. They’re not sneaking up on anyone like they did this season and there will be a target on their back. They play in what is the toughest division in baseball with the Cardinals and Pirates also being consistent playoff teams. The question is how much more can they improve on 2015? 97 wins, Wild Card win, NLDS win and a trip to the NLCS. The 97 wins were 3^rd best in their division...think about it. 97 wins couldn't win you the division. Of those 97 wins, 22 were thanks to Arrieta and his magical second half. Theres significant doubt that he can repeat this historic and record setting performance. Nevertheless, the Cubs are going to make moves this winter and look to improve on the 2015 season and I believe that they will. The sting of losing the way they did in the NLCS should be a driving force and motivation for 2016 and if I were a gambling man, I’d put my money on them next season. It's ok to feel disappointed right now on how the season ended but don't lose sight of what the Cubs can do going forward. It's going to be extremely fun watching them and the party at Wrigley, WHEN they win the World Series, is going to be truly the most amazing thing ever seen. Yes, I did just say "when" not "if". So, Back to the Future II was wrong…big deal. Plus, the director of the movie was Cardinals fan. He probably stole information from an Astros fan’s computer anyways. HA!