North: Cubs will win it all sooner than later
There is plenty to be excited about as the Cubs get ready for the playoffs.
I love the one-game playoff, but I think most Cubs fans would probably prefer a best-of-seven.
Cubs fans, though, should be comfortable with the wild-card position. After all, there are plenty of wild-card teams tat have won the World Series: the Florida Marlins (1997 and 2003), the Los Angeles Angels (2002), the Boston Red Sox (2004), the St. Louis Cardinals (2011) and the San Francisco Giants (2014).
Right now I sense that fans have a quiet satisfaction about the Cubs as opposed to the bragging I have heard with past playoff appearances.
If they win this wild-card game on Oct. 7, though, then the intensity level will explode. If they lose, the team goes home and the fans know it was an impressive season for a team that many believed was still a year or two away.
The Pirates might be a playoff tested team, but this Cubs team appears to be loose, and they don't seem to wilt under the lights.
Theo Epstein, Cubs president of Baseball Operations, made some exceptional moves to get here, and none more important than hiring Joe Maddon as manager. I have often said the Cubs would never win with Starlin Castro at shortstop, and instead of ruining his confidence after initially benching him, Maddon brilliantly moved him to second base, replacing him with Addison Russell.
That move helped to settle the infield with powerhouse Kris Bryant at third and Anthony Rizzo, a born leader, at first.
Jake Arrieta (21-6) should win the Cy Young Award with a record most people thought would have belonged to Jon Lester (10-12). We might even say Arrieta deserves to be the MVP.
This is a roster with names some would consider castoffs, such as catcher David Ross, center fielder Dexter Fowler and left fielder Chris Coghlan, but mixed in with the youngsters of Bryant, Rizzo and right fielder Jorge Soler, Maddon made it all come together.
Can Maddon get the Cubs to the next level this year? The chances are good, and I can't believe I'm actually making this prediction in print, but I honestly believe this team will taste a World Series Championship soon. If they don't, something drastically went wrong.
I believe this ballclub will help us finally be able to put 1969, 1984, 1993 and 2003 disappointments to sleep. The wild-card game will be a blast and America will get to know this eventual World Series champ.
When will that happen? I don't know, but it will be sooner than later.
Program notes:
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