Lessons to be learned from World Series

Here in Chicago the Cubs and the White Sox are left behind to ponder the lessons of a World Series featuring the Rockies and the Red Sox.

For the Cubs, it's that nobody needs six decades to rebuild a pennant winner. Or, in Colorado's case, to build one.

For the White Sox, the lesson is nobody needs eight decades to win another World Series. The Red Sox have an opportunity to do it in three.

If Colorado could win a pennant -- and during the past quarter-century lost outposts such as Florida, Arizona, Anaheim, Kansas City, Minnesota and even Canada could -- surely the Cubs can.

OK, maybe the Cubs can't. But play along. Accept the premise that in an imperfect world even the Cubs can get to the World Series.

The common belief is a franchise like the Cubs' can't take the time to build a winner by drafting, developing and playing young players.

You know, the way the Rockies methodically did.

But why couldn't the Cubs?

When Dallas Green was the general manager, I sat in his office one day listening to him insist Cubs fans didn't have the patience for a long rebuilding process.

I thought, "Huh?" Nobody is more patient than Cubs fans, and at that point they had waited only about 75 years for a world championship.

Now the franchise is a year away from making it an even 100 and patience is about the only durable commodity at Wrigley Field.

Meanwhile, Colorado qualified for the World Series in its 15th major-league season, and with one of baseball's best collection of young players.

Because the Rockies did it the right way -- the way it is said the Cubs can't take the time to do it -- Colorado might be in two or three more World Series before the Cubs are in their next one.

A younger core of underpaid stars gives a team payroll flexibility to add on. An older core of overpaid stars limits a team's payroll ability to add on.

It's a lesson the Cubs should have learned a couple of decades ago. Actually, maybe they did and simply weren't smart enough to execute the plan as well as the Rockies executed theirs.

Then there's the lesson the White Sox should learn from the Red Sox.

Only seven Red Sox remain from 2004, when Boston ended an 86-year wait between world championships.

Instead of bringing back everybody year after year, Red Sox management remade their team around select players such as Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.

Three years later, Boston's equivalent of Jermaine Dye, Juan Uribe and Jose Contreras are gone.

Being committed to aging players is a mistake. Replacing them a year too soon rather than a year too late provides an opportunity to remain contenders.

Sure, it helps to have a $140 million payroll, which the White Sox don't. It also helps to have youngsters like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury emerging from the minors, which the White Sox haven't had.

Oh, what am I talking about?

The Cubs don't have the inclination to build with young players like the Rockies did, and the White Sox don't have the wherewithal to rebuild like the Red Sox did.

Maybe the lesson learned is it's going to be a long time before either Chicago team gets back to the World Series.