The Cubs lost a heartbreaker tonight. That was hard.
But they lost to a really good team. A team I predicted from the beginning of the season would go to the World Series. I just didn’t know they would be playing the Cubs to get there. And the Cubs are really good, too.
They’ve had such a magical run. I was thinking about that tonight. I wrote in my facebook status a few years ago that I didn’t want Lou Piniella to become the Cubs’ manager. Well, it turned out I was wrong on that one. Piniella did become the Cubs manager, and he was one of the best things to happen to them.
But not as good as Joe Madden. Joe Madden is by far the best manager the Cubs have had since I started following them. Joe Madden is an old school manager who is very much for his players, and very much about the mindset going into baseball. He is about teamwork, keeping things in perspective, having a good time, and moving forward when you get hard knocks.
He KNOWS the game. Very rarely do I disagree with his decisions, and I can’t think of a time when he has challenged a play and been wrong. He listens to his players, he knows the game, and he is able to help his team come together and not cave under pressure (which is SO important for the Cubs.)
I love post-season baseball. It has such a neat feel to it. As a Cubs fan, it’s not something I get to experience very often. I feel like the past three years have spoiled me. The Cubs went to the post-season in 2015 when they weren’t even expected to, all the way to the NLCS. Joe Madden said it was great they got within 4 games of the World Series, and the young guys got some post-season experience. He said they should be proud of all they accomplished, and they would be even better in 2016. He was right.
The most incredible World Series run I have ever seen; an unforgettable World Series; Champions at last.
The Cubs are not stranger to being behind. They were down three games to one in the World Series and came all the way back to force a game 7 in Cleveland, which they ultimately won. This year, they should have been able to clinch the NLDS at home in Chicago, but an unexpected off day allowed the Nationals to start Stephen Strasburg twice, and both times he was dominant. So the Cubs clinched it in Washington, in a nail-biter that they barely pulled out.
Now they are down again, two games to none. But they were exhausted after that late game in Washington, crossing three time zones, and a five-hour flight delay. Now they have an off day, and then they will be home, in Chicago. I have full confidence that they could come back. But I have also accepted the possibility that they might not. The Dodgers have been incredible all year, they have an amazing team, and if the Cubs lose to them, they will have lost to a worthy opponent. I hope, with all my heart, the Cubs repeat and go back to the World Series. I wholeheartedly hope the post-season magic continues. We don’t know how long Joe Maddon will manage the Cubs. We don’t know what will happen next year. So I really want this to continue as long as possible. But if they lose, I will not be crushed. They had a good year, a great run, and they should be proud of all they have accomplished. Making the post season three years in a row, winning the World Series, breaking a 108-year drought… that is incredible.
Go Cubs.
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