The Chicago Cubs’ 2016 season essentially started on October 22, 2015. That’s the day after the New York Mets finished the Cubs’ 2015 season by completing a four-game sweep in the NLCS. Cubs fans like myself were sad the exciting 2015 season had come to an end, but I know I never expected any of the late-season magic last year. The fact that the Cubs had made the playoffs at all, let alone beat two division rivals in the Pirates and the Cardinals, was all one giant, pleasant surprise. And in true Cubs fashion, I was convinced that the next year was our year.
Back in February, when Spring Training opened, I wrote about how exciting it felt to be a Cubs fan this year. Even then, the whole season felt like one long prelude to October. When Kyle Schwarber went down with a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the season, I wasn’t sad that our season was ruined—I was sad that #SCHWARBOMBS wouldn’t be part of the 2016 season highlight reel.
Living in Utah, it soon became clear that I was only going to be able to watch Cubs games when they were on national TV, which was unacceptable. I bought the MLB At Bat app and a $21 radio subscription, and listened to games on the radio. This proved to be super fortuitous when I moved from Utah to Ireland, and MLB.tv ran a special promotion to stream games for the last month and a half of the season for a reasonable fee. So for the last two months I’ve been listening to Cubs games as I fall asleep, just like I did when I was a kid.
And now it’s 8:00 PM here in Cork, and the first pitch for Game One of the NLDS still isn’t for another six hours. So here I am, writing about it.
Perhaps you didn’t know this, but there’s a playoff game at Wrigley Field tonight. After winning 103 games (!) this season, the Chicago Cubs have home-field advantage until they reach the World Series, which is pretty neat. There are so many good things about this team I honestly can’t pick a favorite, so I’ll just list some of them.
- Kris Bryant is about to be named the NL MVP, after, over the past three years, being named the College Baseball Player of the Year, the Minor League Baseball Player of the Year, and the National League Rookie of the Year—nobody else in the history of baseball has ever won all four of those awards, let alone in four consecutive years. He’s also super dreamy.
- Anthony Rizzo quietly put together one of the best statistical seasons by a Cubs first baseman, ever, and remained a goofball throughout. He and Bryant cemented their bromance legacy by creating the greatest commercial in the history of commercials.
- Addison Russell and Javy Baez are two of the most exciting players in baseball, and they’re both so good that they’re both starters even though they technically play the same position.
- The man who is perhaps our best pitcher is neither the chiseled, bearded, reigning Cy Young winner, nor the $150 million guy who’s better at bunting than throwing to first base, but an Ivy League graduate who looks like your kid’s tee-ball coach and can barely throw 90 miles an hour.
- Grandpa Rossy has been playing #LigamentsBeDamned all year, and it’s the best.
- The defense turned SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT of balls that the other team put in play into outs. That’s the best percentage for any team since 1981.
- The rookies, y’all. The rookies.
The Cubs are really freaking good, you guys.
Their opponent in this National League Division Series is the San Francisco Giants, who won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. This happened due to a handful of factors:
- Brian Wilson got heeeem, and by “heeeem” I mean everybody.
- Madison Bumgarner generally pitched like a grown-ass man, which would be normal, because he is indeed a grown-ass man, except he was so ridiculously good he made everybody else look like little leaguers.
- Buster Posey did the kind of things you would expect from a man with the spectacular name of “Buster Posey.”
- Taylor Swift used them to exact vengeance on the city of Philadelphia, or something like that.
You might have noticed that 10, 12, and 14 are all even numbers, and that 16 is an even number, as well. You may have also noticed that #EvenYearMagic, which is what all the cool kids are calling it, was not included as one of the reasons the Giants have won three World Series titles in the last 6 years. That’s because #EvenYearMagic, like its St. Louis-based cousin, #CardinalsDevilMagic, is not a thing. The Giants won because they were good at the right things at the right times. And they might do those same good things again this year.
I am absolutely terrified of Madison Bumgarner. He’s a human cheat code. However, I’m also super excited for Jeff Samardzija to finally reveal his true allegiances when Addy Muscle, the guy we traded Samardzija for a year and a half ago, hits a glorious dinger sometime during this series. Since then, Shark has been undercover, I’m sure of it. Love you, Shark. We’ll always have the UCLA game.
Last year on the day of the Wild Card game against the Pirates, I remember feeling like a teenager about to go on a first date: stomach in knots, unsure how to dress, and certain that whatever happened, it would be a combination of good, terrible, and memorable.
All of this week, I’ve felt more like a kid on December 22nd, unable to sit still and going stir-crazy dreaming about what might happen when the time to open presents finally arrives.
Pleased with Stumbles 