Rozner: What have Cubs done for you lately?
It's a few days into June and the Cubs have not yet repeated as World Series champs.
Once again, Theo Epstein has failed Cubs fans.
That's the new narrative - or at least it will be if the Cubs don't go back-to-back.
And it's irrelevant that it hasn't been done by any team since the 2000 Yankees.
Yes, get ready for the next version of a decrepit storyline, which changed virtually by the month over the past few years.
There was the one where Epstein did not need to rebuild, did not need to scrape the bottom before reaching the top. That proved he was afraid to go for it right away.
The Cubs didn't have to trade Matt Garza or Ryan Dempster or Jeff Samardzija or Andrew Cashner or Scott Feldman. That proved he didn't know talent.
Kris Bryant should have been here on Opening Day, for that crucial week of baseball his rookie year. That decision proved the Cubs didn't care about winning.
They should have kept Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez because fans liked them. That decision proved Epstein didn't care about fans.
They should have spent money on free agents Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. That decision proved Tom Ricketts was cheap.
That dim narrative - and the many variations of it - would have been humorous if not so tedious. It took a bit of imagination to see that Epstein was building toward something, which is all the explanation you need for why it escaped the grasp of some.
And now, having witnessed the Cubs' first World Series title in 108 years, the narrative will change from the Cubs will never win under Epstein, to they will never win as much as they should under Epstein.
The Cubs should have repeats and three-peats and nine-peats. Anything less is a failure.
Of course, it has been 17 years and it may be another 17 before we see anyone repeat in baseball.
But it's the first week of June and the Cubs play in a bad division. To our knowledge, MLB hasn't crowned a champ yet, and the Cubs haven't been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
The reality is the Cubs have played mediocre baseball for two months and at times have played terrible baseball. They have earned their record.
They have not pitched well. They have not hit consistently, except for one homestand when the weather turned a bit warmer and the wind blew out. And they've been among the worst defensive teams for most of the season.
That last part is the real shocker. Would not have guessed that.
They entered this season with a club - on paper - that nearly everyone thought was good enough to win the World Series.
Two bad months is probably not reason enough to start selling and rebuilding, not when the plan was to have several bites at the apple over the next decade.
The division allows them the luxury of playing it out, waiting another month or six weeks to see who can get it together and who can't.
At that point, significant additions may be necessary if Epstein still believes the Cubs are World Series caliber in 2017.
He has already done the impossible on the North Side, having buried a tired story, but if the Cubs don't win again this year the Cubs president will spawn a new narrative.
What happened to the nine-peat?
brozner@dailyherald.com
• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.