Can Chicago Cubs deliver on high expectations?

Chicago Cubs teams have faced expectations in the past. So all this talk about the great expectations surrounding the 2016 Cubs is nothing new.

Circumstances are different, however. Unlike Cubs teams that were supposed to win over the past thirty-something years, this year's version is a young team, built for "sustained success," to quote the team's progressive front office.

The 97-win season of last year has given rise to a "World Series or bust" mentality for this season. That's probably unfair to a team that features several key players entering their second seasons and perhaps having to deal with the dreaded "sophomore jinx."

One or more of these players may take a step back in 2016. Remember, Cubs president Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer repeatedly have said that "progress isn't always linear."

In other words, as promising as these careers seem, don't be too surprised if a player takes a step backward before he takes two steps forward. To their credit, manager Joe Maddon's bunch has embraced the targets - the target in front of them as well as the targets on their backs.

With that in mind, let's look at how Cubs teams in the past years have fared with high expectations.

1985: Unfinished business

The 1984 Cubs captivated Chicago by sprinting to first place in the National League East and then winning the first two games of the then-best-of-five championship series at home against the Padres.

That was it, however, as the Padres swept the Cubs in San Diego, leaving a feeling of unfinished business among Cubs players.

In 1985, the Cubs ran out to a 35-19 record, good enough for a 4-game lead on June 11. But the bottom fell out immediately as a 13-game losing streak followed, and the Cubs weren't heard from again, finishing 77-84, 23 ½ games out of first place.

Injuries wiped out the starting rotation, with reigning Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe starting only 20 games and going 8-8.

2004: Beyond Game 6

The 2003 Cubs were up three games to one in the best-of-seven NLCS over the Marlins and were five outs from the World Series in Game 6. There's no point reliving what happened after that.

The 2004 club looked to be a powerhouse, as then-GM Jim Hendry traded for first baseman Derrek Lee (from the Marlins) and signed pitcher Greg Maddux for what was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming.

The '04 Cubs also had a full year of third baseman Aramis Ramirez - obtained during the '03 season - and Hendry traded for shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at the July 31 trading deadline. Maddux earned his 300th career victory a week after the Garciaparra trade, so what could go wrong?

Just about everything.

Manager Dusty Baker decided to take on an us-against-the-world mentality, which included about everybody in the media, even the team's TV broadcasters.

The schedule came into play in September. After their Sept. 1 game in Montreal, the Cubs did not play again until Sept. 6 because of a hurricane in Florida. They played doubleheaders against the Marlins Sept. 10 and Sept. 20. From Sept. 10 through the end of the season on Oct. 3, the Cubs had no days off.

A fateful weekend in New York, where the Cubs lost two of three Sept. 24-26, was followed by a disastrous homestand against the Reds and Braves that sunk the ship.

The Cubs went 2-7 over their final nine games to fritter away a wild-card spot.

The 2003 Cubs got as far as they did after an 88-win season. The '04 team won 89 games but did not make it to the postseason.

2007-09: Trib's last stand

The team's previous owners, the Tribune Co., set about to sell the team before the 2007 season. So in the winter of 2006-07, ownership instructed Hendry to spend and spend big to win now and drive up the team's value.

The '07 team, after a rocky start under manager Lou Piniella, rallied to win the NL Central. But Piniella yanked starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano early in Game 1 of the division series at Arizona, and the Diamondbacks went on to a three-game sweep.

The Cubs looked to be a powerhouse in 2008, and at home they were virtually unbeatable, going 55-26.

But for whatever reason - maybe reflecting Piniella's anxiety and sense of urgency - the Cubs looked tight in the division series against the Dodgers and again were swept out of the playoffs.

After the 2008 season, Hendry traded heart-and-soul player Mark DeRosa to free up money for outfielder Milton Bradley, who had solid on-base numbers with the Texas Rangers.

Even though the Cubs were contenders into August 2009, Bradley was a drag in the clubhouse and was sent home in September. The Cubs fell out of the race in August and weren't heard from again until last year.

Even though this year's Cubs team should bear no weight of history, the past teaches us that there are no guarantees, no matter how bright the future might look.