A New Day For The Cubs

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The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of their best year since 2008. The Cubs currently have a record of 72-51 as they are on the cusp of eclipsing their win total of 73 games from last year. And only the stellar seasons of the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates respectively are preventing the Cubs from being in first place in the National League Central.

Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon is in his first year as the manager of the Cubs and he’s always been known to do things a little bit differently. For nine years, Maddon was the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays and during his time in Tampa, he led the Rays to their only American League Pennant in 2008 along with three additional postseason appearances. Maddon has never been a conventional manager which is perfect for a Cubs organization that is desperate to re-write their record book.

Whereas the Cubs have not made the playoffs since 2008, they have not played in the World Series since 1945 and they haven’t won the Fall Classic since 1908 as this is a franchise that is hungry for a title.

When Tom Ricketts purchased the Cubs in 2009, he looked to revitalize every aspect of the organization which included renovations to Wrigley Field which has been the team’s home ballpark since 1914. Ricketts would simply love to build a new ballpark for the Cubs, but the City of Chicago has designated Wrigley as a landmark which hasn’t stopped him from building and developing the actual team.

Theo Epstein

In 2011, the Cubs hired former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein to be their new president of baseball operations. During Epstein’s time with the Red Sox, he helped them win a pair of World Series Titles; including the team’s first championship since 1918 which was 86 years in the making. Epstein brought Jed Hoyer to Chicago with him to be the Cubs general manager after Hoyer’s stint with the Red Sox as the team’s assistant general manager. And as Epstein and Hoyer have rebuilt the Cubs minor league system, they have turned over the reigns to Maddon to get this team to the promised land.

When the Rays began their turnaround in 2008, it was Maddon that was at the helm of that young team which is once again the case for a young Cubs squad in 2015.

Anthony Rizzo

The Cubs currently have seven players on their roster as everyday players that are 26-years old or younger and they aren’t just on the roster to get coffee for the veterans. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is in his fourth season with the Cubs and he has the makings of a player that could someday become the National League MVP. This season Rizzo is batting .291 with 25 home runs and 76 runs batted in as he has become the epitome of what a cleanup hitter should do. Rookie third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant began the year in the minors as the Cubs were looking to milk all of the service time possible before calling him up. But since Bryant joined the Cubs on April 17, he has been a regular in the starting lineup as he has 20 home runs and 75 runs batted in. And aside from Rizzo and Bryant being named to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game last month, the Cubs now have two anchors in their lineup for the coming years.

But the arrival of Maddon to Chicago brought with it huge expectations although some people didn’t think that the young Cubs were ready to achieve in 2015. After several years of rebuilding, the Cubs were expected to need another year to develop, but under Maddon there time appears to be now. Although the Cubs currently own the second wild card spot in the National League, they have a strangle hold over that position as they possess a 6.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants. The folks in Chicago are so confident in the Cubs postseason chances this year that the Cubs front office has already given season-ticket holders the opportunity to purchase playoff tickets for October.

During his time as an MLB manager, Maddon has left no stone unturned to lighten the mood in the clubhouse. During Maddon’s time with the Rays, he was infamous for having his club dress up in costumes on road trips just to lighten the team’s mood. And upon Maddon’s arrival in Chicago, he had the press there eating out of his hand as he heldd his introductory press conference at a watering hole where he promised to buy a round of drinks for everyone in attendance.

There are long suffering sports fans and then there are the folks that follow the Cubs. It’s been 106 years since the Cubs won the World Series and the next closest current title drought in Major League Baseball belongs to the Cleveland Indians who have not won the Fall Classic themselves since 1948. And aside from the drought of the Cubs, it is the bad luck that has been in place to befell them over the years which ranges from “the curse of the billy goat” to the infamous black cat incident in 1969 just to name a few. Maddon doesn’t believe in curses or jinxes, but even if he had to bring a witch doctor to change the fortunes of the Cubs, he would pony up the bread for it.

Kris Bryant

With the young bats of Rizzo and Bryant leading the Cubs lineup and a pitching staff that has the fourth lowest team earned run average in the NL as they are led by starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and his 15 wins, Chicago has what it takes to makes the playoffs. And everyone that is currently on the Cubs roster is too young and thus too immune to remember the team’s long history of futility which could be good for the North Siders come October.

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