North: Cubs parade, rally give city chance to shine
It will be a very long time before the city tires of hearing that the Chicago Cubs are the champions of the world.
Congratulations must go to the entire organization, but especially to the President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein.
I said in 2013, when the Cubs were a dismal 66-99, that Theo had no clue, but I was wrong.
Today, from my perspective, he is the greatest front office man ever.
I am not alone in saying that because his popularity with the fans was evident as they chanted his name at the victory parade and rally.
Manager Joe Maddon was almost flawless during the regular season as his team played steady baseball with confidence. He was also very good during the postseason until Games 6 and 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. Then Joe went rogue, making a few bizarre moves, like pulling Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks too early in Games 6 and 7, and then overusing Aroldis Chapman and starting pitcher Jon Lester.
Miraculously, the Cubs pulled through and bailed out their manager, winning both games to win their first World Series championship in 108 years.
The players were clutch from Ben Zobrist to Dexter Fowler to Anthony Rizzo to Kris Bryant.
And I have to admit that David Ross is one likable guy, and what a way to finish his career!
So all ended well for the Cubs faithful, and now the next question is: Can they repeat?
I say maybe, but I also know that with the ownership they have, the front office and a young squad, they do have a couple more championships in their future.
Kudos go to the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Fire Department, Streets and Sanitation and all my old pals at the Chicago Park District for how they handled the parade and rally.
Everyone did a great job, and the city looked worthy of all the accolades. Cubs fans, for the most part, handled themselves with class.
As we get ready for next year, I'll share a few random thoughts that crossed my mind during the series.
I never thought these two things would happen in my lifetime: the Chicago Cubs would be world champions and that WSCR 670-AM the Score would be the Cubs flagship station with Pat Hughes hosting the championship rally.
In 1992 when the Score first started, the station had a million-to-one shot of ever doing baseball, and now they've had both the White Sox and a bonanza with the Cubs. Congrats to WSCR operations manager Mitch Rosen and the station.
Enjoy the off-season, Cubs fans - you earned it!
• Follow Mike North on Twitter @north2north. His column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.