Chicago Cubs enjoying rest they earned
It's quite the different position the Chicago Cubs find themselves in now as opposed to last year.
About this time a year ago, they were riding the momentum of a wild-card victory at Pittsburgh into St. Louis for the National League division series. The Cubs lost Game 1 of the NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals but went on to win the series three games to one.
The Cubs were swept out of the championship series by the New York Mets, but their goal this year was to win the NL Central and avoid the one-game playoff.
They succeeded and then some, winning the division by 17 ½ games. That earned them some down time, which they're spending this week working out at Wrigley Field until Friday night's Game 1 of the NLDS at home.
The risk is coming out flat against a team that is riding an adrenaline high after winning the wild-card game, but the Cubs are taking that in stride.
"I feel like we earned that," right fielder Jason Heyward said Wednesday of the few days off. "We earned that so we don't have to earn any extra gray hairs that you get from 162 (games).
"It's a lot of fun, this whole process, the stage, being able to dress up Chicago, the expectations since spring training. Just kind of build up more expectations for the fans and the city, but for us as players, we're just looking forward to it."
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer knows luck, good or bad, can be a factor in a short series, either the best-of-five division series or the best-of-seven championship series.
"In order to win the World Series, you're going to have some moment in time that is fortunate or lucky," Hoyer said. "That's just based on a random moment that comes out in your favor.
"I think that every team that ends up winning the World Series will look back on some moment in time that has nothing to do with skill. It has to do with good fortune. That doesn't mean the team that gets there is lucky. It means you're going to have to have some breaks along the way."
Looking for more:
Shortstop Addison Russell is looking forward to a full playoff run this year. He injured his left hamstring in Game 3 of the NLDS last year and missed the rest of the playoffs.
Still, he said the experience he got was valuable.
"It's pretty important," Russell said. "I kind of got to see the atmosphere a little bit, especially in that wild-card game and the first (games) against the Cardinals, as well. I got that experience in my back pocket. Hopefully this first series … be positive and amped up, as well."