Chicago Cubs: Fans blinded by a life of luxury

As the old saying goes “Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.” The Chicago Cubs have not lived up to the expectations they or their fans have set, but there’s still a long way to go.

Coming into the season Chicago Cubs fans expected what is slowly becoming the new norm in the Joe Maddon era. And that is cruising to the National League Central title. However, 2018 hasn’t played out as expected.

Through 52 games, the Cubs sit at 30-23 which puts them in second place. They sit four games behind the first place Brewers.

Let’s look at a couple of the reasons why Cubs fans have already broken the panic button from hitting it too often

Yu Darvish

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The Cubs made a rather significant investment this past winter when they inked Yu Darvish to a six-year, $126 million contract.

To the disappointment of many, Darvish’s Cubs tenure has gotten off to a rather pedestrian start. Darvish has a 1-3 record with an ERA near 5.00 in eight starts. On top of that, he has had two different stints on the disabled list – causing him to miss time.

Look I get it, you pay an All-Star to a mega contract you expect him to come in and do great things and when they don’t you call them a bust.

Many Cubs fans believe that the team should have resigned Jake Arrieta, but let me ask the fans just one question. Would you feel the same way if Darvish was pitching well?

We Aren’t In First Place

Through 53 games the Cubs are in second place, so let’s panic. Chicago should win the Central wire to wire

Sadly that isn’t a reasonable expectation. Throughout the long and storied history of Major League, there have only been five instances where a team has been in first place all season long. The last time it happened was in 2005 when the White Sox led the AL Central from game one through game 162.

With that thought in mind let me ask another question. Would you prefer the Cubs in first place now or on the last day of the season?

Next: Since '15 NLCS, Mets, Cubs trending in opposite direction

Just relax

We all want the Cubs to dominate teams like they’ve shown they are capable of. But, believe it or not, there will be ups and downs. Especially over a 162-game marathon.  At the end of the day, though, this team is too talented not to play good quality baseball.

I  fully expect this team to reach the quality of baseball we expect from them soon, but until then, just relax.