Chicago Cubs: Hasn't this run been amazing, regardless of everything?

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Despite the Chicago Cubs struggles their prolonged excellence during their window of contention has made millions of fans happy, proud and contented.

I really like music. I always have and I’ve been exposed to everything from country to rap to prog rock in my relatively brief time spent on the planet. Problem is, an affinity for music means random song lyrics make surprise visits to your brain. This is a blessing and a curse– sort of like being a diehard Chicago Cubs fan lately. To that end, September 21, 2019 honestly felt like the day the music died. Problem is, so did the 18th,19th and 20th. The levee is pretty freakin’ dry in Chicago.

I had a million songs running through my head as I tried to put the last few days as a Cubs’ fan into perspective. I had angsty songs like Nothingman by Theo-favorite Pearl Jam rattling around making me think about how the Cubs or certain players coulda been something… I had Justin Timberlake’s Cry Me a River trickling around while I waded through the muck of often vulgar and disgusting Cubs’ Twitter.

I definitely had Linkin Park’s Numb and Lil Wayne/Eminem’s Drop the World floating around a little bit in my darker moments. Then, I had a totally different thought inspired by another song: I’d like to talk everyone off the ledge and tell them that things aren’t that bad and we’ve had it pretty good.

In offering a pragmatic perspective rather than channeling the raw emotion most of us have felt in spades of late, why not enjoy what we have had and the things life has brought to us (especially recently) as Cubs’ fans?

Chicago Cubs: Even if it ends, this has been the golden age

In order to back everyone away from that edge, I want you to go listen to the song Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh. While it sounds silly and a tad cliché, hasn’t life as a Cubs fan been good to you?

Hasn’t life as a Cubs fan been really good since Joe Maddon came to town? So far, I can’t argue with either idea. True, we are somehow still sane after all we’ve been through, but heck, we’re Cubs’ fans. We know all about misery and losing. Problem is, we started expecting more… a lot more. Not that there’s anything wrong with hoping and dreaming.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m probably the only one right now. I’m not going to be dreaming though, because whatever happens this offseason is going to make up for crashing the Maserati doing 185 this season.

Managers come and go. Trades are going to happen. Options are going to be picked up. Qualifying Offers will be made. Free agents will be signed. Or not. Who can say what the offseason will bring and who it will bring.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Chicago Cubs: Time for Theo, players and fans to look in the mirror

Last season, Theo Epstein spent an entire end-of-season news conference pontificating about production over potential and how things were going to change. Yet, many of the issues the 2019 Cubs have were issues the 2018 squad had as well. But hey, we did sign Daniel Descalso!

It’s possible that in the face of unfiltered emotions and really bad hot takes, it might just be okay if the Cubs miss the playoffs this year. Now before you start blowing me up on Twitter, hear me out.

Not necessarily because it’s a wake-up call that will kick people in the butts or usher in new eras, but because it could make us all take a step back and appreciate just how good life as a Cubs’ fan has been for us the past few years? Heck, even the players might be free to take a step back and do the same… and then gear up for focused and fresh 2020 season.

Life’s been good to Cubs’ fans and missing out on the playoffs may just make life better in the long run. It’s just gonna be a little hard to see that while you’re watching the Cardinals and Brewers in the playoffs.

Next. What do the Cubs do at leadoff in 2020?. dark

If you’re really having a hard time thinking back to 2016 and enjoying how good that felt, go pop in the World Series dvd you have on your shelf. While you may be annoyed at their play in 2019, there’s always the chance that 2016 brand of ball could be right around the corner.

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