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Rozner: Cubs must look inside clubhouse for answers

Seems like only eight months ago that the Cubs won the World Series.

Probably because it was eight months ago that the Cubs won the World Series.

Just writing those words still brings a chuckle. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

Yes, it happened.

It was never supposed to occur, something the baseball gods would never again allow, not in this lifetime at least.

Player after player would come through town thinking they would be a part of it, and on the way out the door would admit that there were just too many factors working against the boys in blue.

Coaches would have theory, managers desperation, executives certainty and owners explanation.

In the end, what they all had in common was a banal acceptance that it could not happen.

And, yet, it did.

In the face of so much confusion — disguised as criticism of Theo Epstein's plan — the Cubs did indeed win the World Series.

You can look it up.

But with the Cubs appearing — so far — like the 17th straight major league team to fail in the quest to repeat, they are now seemingly portrayed as the first to struggle the following season.

All of the things that usually happen to the champs are happening to the Cubs. Injuries, fatigue, poor performance, lack of focus and satisfaction are all part of a familiar equation.

While far from alone in suffering the title hangover, emerging is a narrative that suggests they were lucky to win even a single World Series.

The critics might next ask Epstein to apologize for having a parade.

It is, at moments like this, when you feel a bit of Civil War denial, as in 150 years later you have to remind the South that the North won.

Like it or not, Epstein did everything he said he would do and accomplished the ultimate goal, but now any year in which Epstein calls Chicago home that he does not win the World Series, he will be a failure, an underachiever and a swindler.

Again making the mistake of honesty, Epstein said Thursday that, “There's not a player we can realistically bring in from the outside that can spur us to play at (a championship) level. We're going to get to that point of playing to that level because of the guys that are here.”

In other words, you could bring in Sandy Koufax at his best and it doesn't fix 2017. The Cubs have great players who have not played great baseball, and until they do, acquisitions are pointless.

This did not go over well.

But if the Cubs are going to win the division, they can't have all their best hitters in a slump, all their best defenders kicking the ball and all their best starters either hurt or bad.

Pitching fatigue was predictable, but the rest of it is a surprise. There's not a player out there that puts the Cubs over the top, yet the experts believe the Cubs should trade prospects for that imaginary hero.

Why does that sound familiar?

If the Cubs were playing like the Dodgers and were one player away, Epstein would trade Gleyber Torres for Aroldis Chapman, but the same people saying mortgage the future now are the same people who wanted Kris Bryant here on Opening Day 2015.

Epstein doesn't care about winning, Tom Ricketts is cheap, the fans are foolish for going to the games and the Cubs will never win the World Series.

It is really rather boring.

Still, the Cubs have three weeks to change Epstein's mind.

In the meantime, it seems necessary to remember that the North did indeed beat the South.

And the Cubs are World Series champs.

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.

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