By Marty Gangler
What else is there to say about this season, again? We went through a lot of the highlights of the commemorative 2016 World Series Time/Life DVD last week, but who knew the David Ross Last Home Game Celebration would be so insane on Sunday.
I had to double-check this just to be correct, but he’s only been a Cub since 2015. That’s last year.
And he gets a send-off like he’s been here for 10 seasons. Not that it’s a bad thing, it was pretty cool, but man, Cub fans are on board this season.
And once again, I thought the Ross thing was cool, but what won’t the Cub faithful stand up and cheer for right now? I mean, Grandpa Ross seems great and all, but he’s not even been here two full seasons. But then as I think about this I wonder, why do you have to throw rain on this Cub parade? Why do I have to question the sanity of the Cub collective?
Well, I guess that is just me [Editor’s Note: And Coffman]. Because, if you think about it, three standing ovations for a journeyman catcher who is a spot starter and hit like .230 this season and hasn’t even finished two seasons with the team is kinda nuts.
But Cub fans have always been a special breed. We’ve accepted so much badness that anything to feel good (or great) about is just ramped up to the 10th degree – or even the 11th. But when it gets down to it, it’s just part of the great ride that this season was. Ross seems like a leader on the team despite his actual baseball skill, and maybe tonight was just a huge Chicago Cub fan collective thank you for being a leader on this team and for the super fun season.
So, yeah, I’m going to go with that, because if it was about David Ross the journeyman catcher turned Cub these last two years, then we all should think about our life choices. I mean, this wasn’t Andre Dawson retiring, or Fergie Jenkins, or even Henry Blanco (who was a journeyman catcher and a Cub for four years).
Anyway, I sure thought the whole scene was cool, and weird at the same time. Maybe once the Cubs get a couple World Series-es under their belt we look at a guy coming to the Cubs to end his career and give him a nice sendoff and not puke all over ourselves with a bit too much adulation.
–
Week in Review: The Cubs went 5-1 for the week, taking three from the Reds and two of three from the Cardinals. Hard to know if the Reds were really trying to win, but the Cardinals sure were as they are in the middle of a tightly contested wild card race. And the Cubs got to 99 wins. Which is a lot of wins.
Week in Preview: The boys in blue still have to play the remaining seven games of the regular season. They head to Pittsburgh for four and then to Cincy for three to end the season. The Cubs will then wait to play in the playoffs.
Musical Outfielders: And no we aren’t talking about Matt Szczur playing the French horn. Jorge Soler got one start in left this week, and he was the leader in starts last week. Bryant got two starts there and (Cub Factor Fave) Chris Coghlan got three. So, just the same ol same ol for left field through the whole year. And it sure seemed to work.
Former Annoying Cub of the Week: Dusty Baker’s Nationals clinched their division this week. It would be nice if the Cubs get to face him in the National League Championship Series. And not for a revenge sort of thing, but because I think Big Poppa Joe has a very good chance to outmanage Baker over a long series – or a short one. Still, if Daniel Murphy is a Cub killer once again, boy, that would stink. A lot.
Current Annoying Cub of the Week: The last half of the season has been a real chore finding a Cub to hate on. And it doesn’t take much to annoy me. Very little actually. But when a team has been firing on all cylinders for just so long now, and has that magical season look to them, it’s just nothing but love.
Mad(don) Scientist: Big Poppa Joe wants the team to get to 100 wins. I guess when the team doesn’t have much to push for you kind of make up anything. Not like it’s a stretch to want to get to 100. It’s like three digits and it’s a lot better that 99 – even though it’s technically just one more.
Kubs Kalender: This Wednesday as the Cubs take on the Pirates scan the crowd at PNC for Zombies. Yes, real zombies. Well, not real ones, but it is Zombie Night. So, people want to look completely dazed and out of it, as opposed to normal Pirate fans, as their team has been out of it for a bit now.
Beachwood Sabermetrics: A complex algorithm performed by The Cub Factor staff using all historical data made available by Major League Baseball has determined that this could all turn ugly in a few weeks.
–
Marty Gangler is The Cub Factor. He welcomes your comments.
Posted on September 26, 2016