Despite Trailing In NLC, Cubs Have Arrived
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jerad Shaw-
The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a deep 2-0 hole in the National League Championship Series as they return home for Tuesday night’s Game 3.
They will get the privilege of facing the New York Mets’ best pitcher, Josh DeGrom. That’s not really the welcome home present the Cubs want or need at this point.
Regardless of how this series ends, you still have to smile if you’re a fan of these young Cubbies. At the beginning of the season, you could feel there was change in the air. The youth movement was in full force, but the expectations were relatively low. Even the most optimistic fans knew the team was probably a year away from competing for a pennant.
Yet, here they are.
After disposing of the pesky Pirates in what is a glorified play-in game, the Cubs were able to beat their once-vaunted rivals from St. Louis. Some might find beating a team in the divisional round minor in comparison to what lies in front of them, but there’s never a time where a win against the Red Birds doesn’t mean something. To do it in the postseason means that much more.
Now the Cubs stare down the barrel of a possible early exit from the NLCS. The bats are cold and the team’s two best pitchers couldn’t locate pitches when they needed to. In the first two games, the Mets have been a better team. Even with back-to-back lackluster performances, the hope is still there.
What a change that is!
If anything, this group has brought in a new breed of optimism for the Cubs faithful. Their carefree attitude, along with a manager that prides himself in keeping a bunch of 20-somethings loose and excited, has brought a renewed life to the corner of Clark and Addison. This group put together by Theo Epstein has stolen the hearts of followers that have been hesitant to loan their hearts to this club for the last decade or so.
So here we sit. Going into the year I told myself not to get emotionally invested in this group regardless of success. I knew the growing pains would be just that, and even in my wildest dreams I didn’t expect this group to battle for the best record in baseball and a division title.
But they did.
Now, this same group that overcame all of the naysayers has to do it once more. They will deal with talk of a curse and the reference of a black cat. They will have to deal with one of the best pitchers in the National League this season. The still have to face Daniel Murphy at least three times on Tuesday night. Things look bleak for this young Cubs team in a moment that might just be a bit too big for them.
None of that matters though. We now have a team to love. If they’re unable to come back and head to their first World Series since 1945, they’ve still exceeded anyone’s expectations. They’ve recaptured the North Side of Chicago in a time when any positive news coming out of the city is a great change of pace.
And in the end, here I am, fully invested in a team that’s drug me through the mud time and time again. I’ve seen this story play out before. I know how it’s supposed to end. Even if the storyline of the past continues, our time is coming. The pieces are in place. The team we’ve been waiting to see take the field at Wrigley every day is here.[[In-content Ad]]
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The Chicago Cubs find themselves in a deep 2-0 hole in the National League Championship Series as they return home for Tuesday night’s Game 3.
They will get the privilege of facing the New York Mets’ best pitcher, Josh DeGrom. That’s not really the welcome home present the Cubs want or need at this point.
Regardless of how this series ends, you still have to smile if you’re a fan of these young Cubbies. At the beginning of the season, you could feel there was change in the air. The youth movement was in full force, but the expectations were relatively low. Even the most optimistic fans knew the team was probably a year away from competing for a pennant.
Yet, here they are.
After disposing of the pesky Pirates in what is a glorified play-in game, the Cubs were able to beat their once-vaunted rivals from St. Louis. Some might find beating a team in the divisional round minor in comparison to what lies in front of them, but there’s never a time where a win against the Red Birds doesn’t mean something. To do it in the postseason means that much more.
Now the Cubs stare down the barrel of a possible early exit from the NLCS. The bats are cold and the team’s two best pitchers couldn’t locate pitches when they needed to. In the first two games, the Mets have been a better team. Even with back-to-back lackluster performances, the hope is still there.
What a change that is!
If anything, this group has brought in a new breed of optimism for the Cubs faithful. Their carefree attitude, along with a manager that prides himself in keeping a bunch of 20-somethings loose and excited, has brought a renewed life to the corner of Clark and Addison. This group put together by Theo Epstein has stolen the hearts of followers that have been hesitant to loan their hearts to this club for the last decade or so.
So here we sit. Going into the year I told myself not to get emotionally invested in this group regardless of success. I knew the growing pains would be just that, and even in my wildest dreams I didn’t expect this group to battle for the best record in baseball and a division title.
But they did.
Now, this same group that overcame all of the naysayers has to do it once more. They will deal with talk of a curse and the reference of a black cat. They will have to deal with one of the best pitchers in the National League this season. The still have to face Daniel Murphy at least three times on Tuesday night. Things look bleak for this young Cubs team in a moment that might just be a bit too big for them.
None of that matters though. We now have a team to love. If they’re unable to come back and head to their first World Series since 1945, they’ve still exceeded anyone’s expectations. They’ve recaptured the North Side of Chicago in a time when any positive news coming out of the city is a great change of pace.
And in the end, here I am, fully invested in a team that’s drug me through the mud time and time again. I’ve seen this story play out before. I know how it’s supposed to end. Even if the storyline of the past continues, our time is coming. The pieces are in place. The team we’ve been waiting to see take the field at Wrigley every day is here.[[In-content Ad]]
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