The 2015 Cubs charged to the cusp of greatness only to be swatted down by the Mets pitching staff. Picking up the pieces in 2016, even for a team as talented as this one, would not be easy.
Yet by the time November arrived—yes, that’s how long this journey was—the Cubs’ magical World Series run had everything. If the Cubs’ 2016 season was a giant pile of leaves, they invited everyone in the city to dive in and roll around to their heart’s content.
Their own Yoda
It started in spring training with classic Maddon. There’s no other manager who would embrace dance circles, drive a “Scooby-Doo”-inspired van and invite mimes to lead workouts. Maddon rarely blew up at umpires (unless they deserved it, right?) and calmed everybody down when things got tense. His catchphrases—”Don’t ever permit the pressure to exceed the pleasure,” “Try not to suck,” “Embrace the target,” etc.—always put the team and the fan base in a good place, even after losses.
The “plot twist”
There was the “scare” in midseason, when the Cubs, who never trailed in the NL Central standings, saw their lead slip to “only” 6.5 games in late July. That month also saw them suffer their five-game losing streak, their longest of the season, but it hardly qualifies as a real scare, hence the quotes around that word earlier in this paragraph. That’s how dominant they were.
The shadow
There was controversy along the way, to be sure. Closer Aroldis Chapman, who served a 30-game suspension earlier this season for alleged domestic abuse, kept a low profile since being traded to the Cubs in July. Some fans might have a hard time celebrating this World Series victory because they feel betrayed by the team for that move, and that’s fair criticism management will have to bear.
The last ride
David Ross, aka “Grandpa Rossy,” provided the feel-good, cowboy-riding-off-into-the-sunset storyline that fits perfectly with this year’s Cubs. He even gets to tell his grandkids—which he doesn’t have yet, as he’s only 39—about how he cranked out a home run in Game 7.
“I got every stitch of it, kiddos,” he’ll say. “That majestic drive seemed like it took weeks to come down. Must have been 800 feet into center field, at least.”
The mantle-bearers
Although the Rosses and Miguel Monteros and Ben Zobrists and Jon Lesters on the team obviously were instrumental, the Cubs would not have gone anywhere without their core of young talent. The Kris Bryants, Addison Russells, Anthony Rizzos and Javier Baezes will be why this team has successful sequels. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The “villains”
Not everyone is happy about the way the story unfolded. Those like Frank “Bartman Jersey” Kaminsky and Adrian “Should Have Kept My Mouth Shut About How Loud Wrigley Fans Can Be” Gonzalez had hoped for a different ending.
Where are they now? Who cares.
The climax
So much drama awaited the Cubs in the final act. While the NLDS was relatively stress-free (save for one late-inning collapse), the NL Championship Series result was anything but a foregone conclusion, especially after the Dodgers shut out the Cubs in consecutive games.
Then in the World Series, and it’s still unbelievable to type this, the Cubs were shut out TWO MORE TIMES. And they fell behind three games to one. They clawed back to tie the series before blowing a three-run lead late in Game 7. Yet somehow not even those missteps prevented their monumental victory.
The ending
Then there’s the team anthem. Now that the Cubs are champions, you know that song isn’t going anywhere, even if people scratch their heads while trying to explain why it’s so popular. No doubt it will play over the end credits of any movie made about this team. Or at least it should, with due respect to Eddie Vedder’s “All the Way.”
I’d like to suggest a new verse. (Prepare yourselves: It’s not any less cheesy than what Steve Goodman wrote, but it is updated.)
“Theo, Maddon and all of the boys/ Conquered baseball so let’s make some noise
“Take your curses, throw them away/ The Cubs at last have won the day.
“They’re singin’ go, Cubs, go …”
@redeyesportschi | chsosa@redeyechicago.com
