Imrem: Chicago Cubs' Plan seems to be all good
Let's address some old business before a new baseball season moves too far along.
Theo Epstein was a guest Wednesday on ESPN 1000's "Kap and Co." and he acknowledged that good fortune helped his club reach the lofty point it's in right now.
The Chicago Cubs' baseball boss also noted that it's remarkable that the club became favorites to win the World Series so soon.
Nothing Epstein said is surprising, but it was good to hear him say it.
As you might recall, I opposed The Plan the Cubs initiated when Epstein arrived here late in 2011.
Even a dimwit like me understood Epstein's strategy. I just didn't agree with taking what figured to be a very long time to become this good.
Tanking is a mistake, even if Cubs management calls it by some corporate-speak and MLB absolved them of employing the strategy.
In my sports world, every team should try to win every game. By extension, every team should try to compete at the highest level every season, qualify for the playoffs and win championships.
Now, if Epstein said that 2015 would be the year the Cubs grew up, as did take place, I probably would have gone along with The Plan.
It would have meant "merely" three pathetic seasons of the Epstein tenure and "only" five pathetic Cubs seasons overall.
But it figured to take longer by as much as a year or two and maybe three or four. That's an eternity in baseball years.
My preference would have been for Epstein to use every last penny of club owner Tom Ricketts' fortune to try to win every year.
Who knows? Maybe Epstein would have quick-fixed the Cubs and won a World Series sooner than later.
Kenny Williams remodeled the White Sox in a matter of months and in 2005 they won what still is Chicago's only baseball championship since 1917.
So it can happen.
Heck, Epstein might have put together a World Series-caliber team in 2012, or maybe 2013, or maybe 2014.
The reason for being methodical and preaching patience was that Epstein, Ricketts and their associates wanted a team that would sustain success.
That's a nice goal, but the Cubs aren't just any franchise. They haven't won a World Series since 1908 or even played in one since 1945.
So in my mind at my age, sustained success isn't Priority 1. It's winning a World Series, just one, and worrying about the rest later.
Epstein's timetable was it would happen when it happened. It just happened to happen that the Cubs happened to get good in 2015.
Who knew?
Nobody could have expected Kris Bryant to start his big-league career exploding instead of evolving.
Nobody could have expected Kyle Schwarber to be batting against Big Ten pitching one year and battering big-league pitching the next year.
Nobody could have expected Joe Maddon to flee Tampa Bay for Chicago and become the perfect manager for this team at this time.
Anthony Rizzo bumped and grinded into one of baseball's best players … Jake Arrieta became both Cy Young and Cy Young Award winner … the A's gifted the Cubs with Addison Russell …
Overall we're talking about good scouting, good developing and good luck.
I still don't expect the Cubs to win a World Series in my lifetime, but the truth is they have a chance now.
Now all they have to do is go ahead and do it.
OK, I feel better now and am ready to move on to new business.
mimrem@dailyherald.com