Savage: Cubs fan is feeling anxiety, finding Zen
From SABR member Bill Savage at ESPN.com on October 16, 2016:
OK, time for a deeeeeep cleansing breath.
As the Cubs move on to the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, it’s a tense time in Section 416, because like all Cubs fans, the gang has long memories.
But we don’t need to tap into 2003’s National League Championship Series defeat to be stressed right now. We charged into the 2015 series against the Mets high on the adrenaline of beating the hated (and, might I add, hate-worthy) Cardinals in the National League Division Series. Then the Mets’ pitching shut the Cubs down, Daniel Murphy was a hitting machine, and the Cubs and their fans slunk home for the offseason.
In 2015, of course, we didn’t enter the season with high hopes: Too many rookies, this Maddon guy might be a charlatan, it’s the Cubs, let’s aim for .500 mediocrity, and then Theo’s plan will maybe kick in around the 2016 All Star Break.
Well, as anyone reading this knows, the Cubs have been dominating all year. One rough patch midseason, but otherwise, the North Siders have steamrolled into the playoffs with an MLB-best record of 103-58-1 (love that tie, just to mess up standings tables). We’re a mortal lock to win it all. Right?
Read the full article here: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17796550/the-view-section-416-anxiety-zen
Originally published: October 17, 2016. Last Updated: October 17, 2016.