Think of all the Chicago Cubs fun that might lie ahead
Part of the fun of a pennant race is looking ahead.
It's a bit of a guilty pleasure for fans, especially Chicago Cubs fans, who may feel that if they get too far ahead of themselves something bad will happen and their team won't make the postseason at all.
Forget all that.
If we permit ourselves to peek under the Christmas tree early, there are some enticing possibilities ahead for the Cubs, should they hang on to their second wild-card spot in the National League or even move up.
As it stands, the Cubs would face the Pittsburgh Pirates in the wild-card game on Wednesday, Oct. 7. That game would be at PNC Park.
After that things could get really fun. Let's take a look at some of the enticing possible matchups if the Cubs get past the Pirates, should it play out that way:
Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals in NLDS:
The Cubs have never faced the Cardinals in the postseason, and that alone should send excitement off the charts.
The two teams were members of the NL East, when only one team per division made the postseason. As fans of both teams know, the Cardinals have had recent run of the National League Central, where both teams reside now.
When these teams get together in regular-season play, the atmosphere at either Wrigley Field or Busch Stadium is at the tops in baseball. Imagine that in October.
Back in late 2003, then-Cubs manager Dusty Baker warned that the Cardinals had a “whole decade of us coming.”
It didn't happen, but maybe this will be that decade.
Cubs vs. New York Mets in NLCS:
If the Cubs can get past the wild card and the division series, they could face the Mets in the league championship series.
Old-time Cubs fans remember when Cubs-Mets was quite the rivalry. That might have something to do with 1969, when the upstart Mets overcame a 9-game deficit as late as Aug. 16 and ended up winning the NL East by 8 games over the Cubs on their way to an improbable World Series title.
The 1973 and 1986 Mets also won world championships, further fueling New Yorkers' superiority complex over the Second City.
If the two teams do meet this fall, look for some great pitching matchups.
Cubs vs. Houston Astros in World Series:
For me, the coolest thing about this matchup is that it would mean both Chicago teams would have played the Astros in the Fall Classic. The White Sox swept Houston in 2005.
Since then, the Astros have moved to the American League, and they've undergone a rebuilding program similar to that of the Cubs.
The Cubs have their own tortured history against the Astros. The old Astrodome was every bit the chamber of horrors as was Shea Stadium in New York. Cubs manager Leo Durocher likened the newfangled AstroTurf to a pool table and ripped a telephone off the dugout wall.
How about a Game 1 battle of the beards between the Cubs' Jake Arrieta and the Astros' Dallas Keuchel?
Here's something else to consider. If the World Series goes to a seventh game, it will be played on Nov. 4. A warm-weather city with a retractable-roof at Minute Maid Park could come in handy.
Cubs vs. Toronto Blue Jays in World Series:
This cross-border Series would be intriguing on a few levels. The Cubs would get a glimpse of what might have been and what might yet be.
Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson could win the MVP in the American League. If you recall, the Cubs drafted Donaldson with the 48th pick overall in 2007 only to trade him to Oakland in 2008 to get pitcher Rich Harden for the playoff drive.
Looking ahead, the Cubs no doubt would face David Price in the Series before likely making a run at him in free agency this fall.
The ex-Chicago factor would be in full force with former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle pitching for the Jays and ex-Cubs catcher Dioner Navarro backing up Russell Martin.
That domed stadium in Toronto would be a welcome sight come Nov. 4, too.