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Although I now not belong to the Wrigleyville parish, it doesn’t imply I’ve any extra persistence for drained and overused narratives in regards to the Cubs. I don’t discover “#Cubes” any extra entertaining or pertinent than I did once I bled blue. Most, if not all, ought to have been washed away by the 2016 World Sequence win. No matter stink/aura is across the Cubs lately is solely self-inflicted by an possession group that didn’t wish to construct on mentioned victory. There isn’t a “Cubiness” concerned. There isn’t a burden for them to hold from merely being the Cubs.
And but it was troublesome, to place it kindly, to disregard the callback that the Cubs put forth on Tuesday evening in Atlanta. Not solely did they blow a 6-0 result in an Atlanta workforce that’s basically in a seashore chair till the Division Sequence, however that is how they capped it off within the backside of the eighth:
For those who’re not up in your Cubs historical past of incompetence, most Cubs followers of a sure age have been getting debilitating flashbacks to September twenty third, 1998, when the Cubs have been additionally making an attempt 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 was speaking about.
To be honest to Brown, and provides hope to Seiya Suzuki, these ‘98 Cubs did wind up because the wild-card workforce, due to the unearthed treasure of a Neifi Perez walk-off homer in Colorado on the final day of the season and a recreation 163. The latter isn’t out there to the Cubs now, and Perez in all probability isn’t popping out of retirement to bail them out once more (although Cubs followers paid the value for that homer by having to look at Perez go well with up for them later. Imagine me I KNOW the penance that was).
The similarities don’t actually finish there, because it’s fully, cosmically unfair to each Brown and Suzuki that they have been those to commit such calamitous errors within the final week of a season. Brown was a fairly well-thought-of prospect that sadly couldn’t play his pure place at first base due to the presence of Mark Grace, and moved to the outfield in 1998 the place he had by no means performed earlier than. He had an .850 OPS that 12 months, and the Cubs wouldn’t have made the playoffs with out him (together with two walk-off homers in every week span that I ditched faculty to see in individual on each events).
Suzuki has been carrying the Cubs the previous few weeks, slashing .375/.434/.727 in September. He’s additionally performed largely an exemplary proper discipline as effectively, and this cock-up is actually out of character for him.
The Cubs caught a mini-break in that the Marlins have been rained out of their recreation in Queens, which means they’d have to comb a doubleheader at this time to make this gaffe actually damage. The Reds nonetheless mainly have to win out to be heard from, and so they don’t have the pitching to take action.
Baseball isn’t simply in regards to the echoes of happiness and glory previous. Its richness comes additionally from the distress and heartbreak of historical past making itself recognized occasionally. Cubs followers know this too effectively, which is why 2016 was as particular because it was. Simply when one thinks they’ve left an period or identification behind for good, it orbits again round with the nastiest proper hook doable.
How are you going to not get romantic about baseball? In spite of everything, an enormous a part of romance and love is feeling like rubbish.
Possibly this can catch on as an Olympic occasion
Fascinating occasions in India:
Lately, operating away from drug testers after a race in all probability ought to be a part of the Olympics. Now that’s tv.
And, lastly, 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 narrative about Brooks Robinson, who handed yesterday:
Comply with Sam on Twitter @Felsgate and on Bluesky @felsgate.bsky.social
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