It is a cubs world and we are all just living in it. No not a wild bear cub that has unmatched strength and can frighten grown men, but the Chicago Cubs, a team that won over 100 games in the regular season and has struck fear into opposing teams all year long. This is a Chicago team that has the highest expectations it has had in years. Having been World Series favorites since spring training the Cubs are on the right path to taking home the ultimate hardware and for good reason.
The regular season, something that now seems like an after thought as it was never a question of how they would perform then, but how they would perform when it matters in October. The Cubs may be a whole lot closer than it appears to winning their first world series in over 108 years. After defeating the San Francisco Giants, in an even year I might add, the road ahead for the Cubs is not all as daunting as it first appeared. Having defeated a Giants team that questionably had the best remaining division left in the playoffs outside of the Cubs, Chicago looks to hold their own destiny. Going up against a Los Angeles Dodgers team that defeated the Washington Nationals in five game the Cubs can not be seen as anything but favorites. This is a Dodgers team that was forced to use its closer Kensley Jansen for over 50 pitches and have their ace Clayton Kershaw close out game five. A Dodgers team to say the least will be very reliant on their depth in a NLCS that sees the Cubs coming in well rested after putting away the Giants in dominant fashion.
Although in sports it is a cardinal sin to assume things, especially series victories, for the sake of this article lets assume the Cubs are able to defeat the Dodgers. The American league features two teams in the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays which each swept their ALDS opponents. An Indians team that perhaps would challenge the Cubs hitters with there dominant pitching depth. A match-up that would feature two clubs whom made significant mid-season moves acquiring the backend of the Yankees bullpen in Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller respectively. A power pitching match-up vs. power pitching, yet what would set these two teams apart would be that of the Indians inexperienced roster and lack of offensive talent that the Cubs are bursting at the seems with.
As for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team with the most offensive fire power perhaps in all of baseball this season has the stuff to swing for the fences, and make it in any series they play. Against a Cubs team that features swing and miss aces in Lester, Hendricks, and Arrieta this could be an all or nothing series for the Blue Jays. A rotation that has admirebly outperformed expectations it can only be assumed that the Jays pitchers have to run out of steam at some point, this an area that the cubs loaded depth does not seem to be of concern.
No matter the team, no matter what the Cubs face it just seems like this has to be the Cubs year. A team that has been 108 years in the making and what a better time to brake the curse. The same year that other curses have been crushed as the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally ended their title drought it only makes sense for another city such as Chicago in a championship drought to win it all this year. So why cant that be the Cubs?
