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North: Will the 2016 Cubs follow the path of 1985 Bears?

With the Chicago Cubs consistently hovering around .500 as we head toward the All-Star Game break, I have a comparison and a question.

Is there a good chance that the 2016 World Series championship Cubs will be like the 1985-86 Super Bowl champion Bears and not win another championship?

Are we possibly looking at the one-and-done Cubs?

Maybe!

The Bears of '84, '86 and '87 were great, but couldn't win another NFL title. Some defections, notably defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, hurt the team even though his replacement, Vince Tobin, helped to deliver a solid 14-2 record the following season.

But the 1986-87 Bears lost their first playoff game and were done, even though their defense ranked first in the league.

A year after Ryan left, wide receiver Willie Gault was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders, and then hard-hitting linebacker Wilber Marshall left to play for Washington. It wasn't much later that general manager Jerry Vainisi parted ways with the Bears, and the unraveling of the team continued.

Let's remember, though, the Bears faced some solid competition from Washington, the New York Giants and the San Francisco '49ers, but the Bears still managed to own the NFC Central division.

Today, in a very similar scenario, the Cubs should be the best team in their division, but the Milwaukee Brewers have a slight lead.

The Cubs have some young players, but they are not performing as expected. The pitching staff suddenly looks old with 38-year-old John Lackey (4-9) leading the way as Jake Arrieta (6-4) and Kyle Hendricks (4-3) continue to underperform.

We still can say the Cubs are just a five- or six-game win streak away from taking over the division, but then they have to go through the playoffs and face some stiff competition such as the Dodgers (41-25) in the NL or the Astros (45-22) in the American League.

So you can understand my question: Is it out of the realm of possibility that the Cubs won't win another championship any time soon?

No! But I don't expect any quit from three-time World Series champion and Cubs president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer or players such as Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant or Ben Zobrist.

It has to be said, though, that this team has been very disappointing so far. Maddon continues to shake up things, but batting Kyle Schwarber at leadoff at the beginning of the season was a debacle.

Of course, the Cubs could win it all again, and I do believe these players have another championship in them, but after Madden almost blew it in games six and seven of the World Series against Cleveland, it will be even tougher without the “career” type years so many of the players had last year.

So what is it folks? Are the Cubs the reincarnation of the 1985-86 Bears? Or will they win another series?

Tweet me @north2north and let me know what you think.

• Follow Mike on Twitter @north2north. Check out his podcast Monday-Friday at podcastarena.com, iTunes or audioboom. His column appears each Friday in the Daily Herald. For more, visit northtonorth.com.

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