Even though I now not belong to the Wrigleyville parish, it doesn’t imply I’ve any further persistence for drained and overused narratives in regards to the Cubs. I don’t to find “#Cubes” any further entertaining or pertinent than I did once I bled blue. Maximum, if now not all, must were washed away via the 2016 Global Sequence win. No matter stink/charisma is across the Cubs in this day and age is solely self-inflicted via an possession crew that didn’t need to construct on stated victory. There is not any “Cubiness” concerned. There is not any burden for them to hold from merely being the Cubs.
And but it used to be tricky, to place it kindly, to forget about the callback that the Cubs put forth on Tuesday night time in Atlanta. Now not most effective did they blow a 6-0 result in an Atlanta workforce this is necessarily in a seashore chair till the Department Sequence, however that is how they capped it off within the backside of the eighth:
In case you’re now not up in your Cubs’ historical past of incompetence, maximum Cubs lovers of a definite age had been getting debilitating flashbacks to Sept. 23, 1998, when the Cubs had been additionally seeking to flag down a wild-card spot, and blew a 7-0 result in the Brewers, which they capped off with this:
When Ian Curtis wrote, “They maintain calling me…” that is what he used to be speaking about.
To be honest to Brown, and provides hope to Seiya Suzuki, the ones ‘98 Cubs did finish up because the wild-card workforce, because of the unearthed treasure of a Neifi Perez walk-off homer in Colorado at the remaining day of the season and a recreation 163. The latter isn’t to be had to the Cubs now, and Perez almost certainly isn’t popping out of retirement to bail them out once more (regardless that Cubs lovers paid the associated fee for that homer via having to observe Perez swimsuit up for them later. Imagine me I KNOW the penance that used to be).
The similarities don’t in reality finish there, because it’s utterly, cosmically unfair to each Brown and Suzuki that they had been those to dedicate such calamitous mistakes within the remaining week of a season. Brown used to be an attractive well-thought-of prospect that unfortunately couldn’t play his herbal place in the beginning base because of the presence of Mark Grace, and moved to the outfield in 1998 the place he had by no means performed prior to. He had a .850 OPS that yr, and the Cubs wouldn’t have made the playoffs with out him (together with two walk-off homers in per week span that I ditched college to look in individual on each events).
Suzuki has been sporting the Cubs the previous few weeks, slashing .375/.434/.727 in September. He’s additionally performed most commonly an exemplary proper box as nicely, and this cock-up is in point of fact out of personality for him.
The Cubs stuck a mini-break in that the Marlins had been rained out in their recreation in Queens, that means they’d have to brush a doubleheader as of late to make this gaffe in reality harm. The Reds nonetheless mainly want to win out to be heard from, and so they don’t have the pitching to take action.
Baseball isn’t on the subject of the echoes of happiness and glory previous. Its richness comes additionally from the distress and heartbreak of historical past making itself recognized once in a while. Cubs lovers know this too nicely, which is why 2016 used to be as particular because it used to be. Simply when one thinks they’ve left an generation or id at the back of for just right, it orbits again round with the nastiest proper hook imaginable.
How are you able to now not get romantic about baseball? In the end, an enormous a part of romance and love is feeling like rubbish.
Possibly this will likely catch on as an Olympic match
Attention-grabbing occasions in India:
At the present time, operating clear of drug testers after a race almost certainly must be a part of the Olympics. Now that’s tv.
And, in spite of everything, Uecker on booze and Brooks Robinson
Let’s finish with Bob Uecker, first coated in booze, as a result of yeah:
After which with a tale about Brooks Robinson, who handed the day before today:
Apply Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @felsgate.bsky.social
