These Chicago Cubs are new and true. I know, I know, it's been said over and over again that it ain't the same ole cubbies. But if there's ever been a time of truth in that statement, it's now. For the last 71 years, comebacks were a daydream intrenched in heartbreak that seemed too heavy for gravity to handle. Just think back to the tragedy of '86. Most Cubs fans still chew on it, and I can feel their pain. I wasn't even alive in '86 and I can feel that pain. But these 2016 Chicago Cubs? Let me tell you, I'm not saying they'll win it all definitively (although in my previous article I predicted them to win the World Series in 6 games, and I stand by it), but they're not going anywhere anytime soon. That was realized during their comeback in game 4 of the NLDS against the Giants, in which they took advantage of a weak San Francisco bullpen and drove in 4 runs to end the even year magic by a score of 6-5. You could almost feel the difference in the team. You could almost taste the glory. Then came the NLCS.

Jon Lester was keyed in for Game 1. He pitched a GEM in Game 1 of the NLDS, giving 8 shutout frames. Lester, in all honesty, was good but not his dominant self. The Cubs defense carried the game in spectacular fashion, with Chicago's star outfielder Dexter Fowler avenging two of Lester's poor pitches with layouts to get the out, one of which ended in Fowler breaking his belt. Then again, who said you needed a belt to ball hard?

Likewise the infield remained it's dominant self, allowing only one run on during Lester's time on the mound. Overall, the Cubs dominated the game defensively. But let's let bygones be bygones. Let's talk about the offense briefly.

Offensively, the Cubs were alright, and I say that hesitantly due to the eighth inning comeback (which I'll touch on later). Anthony Rizzo continued to struggle along with Addisson Russell and Jason Heyward. All three players have been on a massive postseason slump dating back to the beginning of the NLDS, but it hasn't heavily affected them. Kris Bryant, Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist and Javier Baez have been sensational, and let's not forget about the pitchers (Jake Arrieta, Travis Wood, Kyle Hendricks).

Chicago came out in the first and put up a run on a Bryant RBI, allowing Fowler to score. In the second, the Cubs brought in two more runs, one by mistake. The runner to score by mistake? None other than second basemen Javier Baez.

Baez has been on FIRE this postseason. He is hands down the MVP of the NLDS and at this rate could be the MVP of the NLCS and, dare I say, the World Series? Don't put it past him. Proof of this can be seen in his second inning break for the plate. Late in the second, Baez was driven to third base, and while Lester was seeking to drive him in via the sac bunt, Baez held a suicide lead. Ruiz sensed Baez's lead and threw a bullet to Turner, while Baez was nearly halfway home. Any player in the league would have frozen. What does Baez do? Guns it home. Turner throws back to Ruiz, but it was too late and Baez stole Chicago's 3rd run of the game. (Mark my words, if the Cubs win the World Series, Baez will be the MVP).

Lets take a step forward, to the eighth inning and shoot back to the defense. Lester's pulled (back in the sixth), and the Cubs hold a 3-1 lead. Enter Pedro Strop, one of the Cubs' premiere pitchers in the bullpen. With a long story short, a combination of poor pitches and some mental mistakes by the defense, Chicago loaded the bases with no out. Joe Maddon (Cubs manager) then pulled Strop and brought in Aroldis Chapman to save an eighth inning debacle. The Dodgers were in business, down 3-1 to the deep and versatile Cubs team seeking their first pennant in 71 years. So with the bases loaded with no out, Chapman strikes out the first two batters. It began to look as though the Cubs could get out of this unscathed. However, when Adrian Gonzalez came to the plate, he belted a double between first and second, allowing two to score. Chapman would cause the next batter to ground out, but the damage was done: 3-all at Wrigley.

The bottom of the eighth descended on the teams, and you could see the doubts in Wrigleyville pulsating in the deep wind. Now that Chapman was in the lineup, he would be required to bat if that time came, which it did. The Dodgers' strategy was to get Chapman out of the game. In order to to this, Dave Roberts (Dodgers manager) elected to walk several batters in order to get the matchup for LA's new pitcher Blanton. This forced Maddon to pull Chapman and have Montero pinch hit in place. Chicago had the bases loaded with two out. The inning looked grim. Montero came to the plate, more focused than initially thought.

Blanton runs the count 0-2, and Montero stares down an inning ending strike. Blanton lays out a breaking ball, and the rest is history.

Montero cuts, and just like that, it was gone. The crack of the whip could be heard 'round the world. Maybe it was the spirit of the Cubs faithful whipping back to life. Perhaps it was the veil of poor history being torn. Could it have been the curse being broken in that one swing of the bat? Or, just maybe, it was all of it.

Montero's grand slam sent Wrigley Field into a frenzy so insane you could barely hear yourself think. The camera's shook, and so did the baseball world. The Cubs' bad fortune, which seemed to hang on them anywhere they went, is gone. They broke the game open, leading 7-3. It was like the masks were removed, new life was breathed into the lungs of Wrigley. Notwithstanding, to add insurance, the next batter, Fowler, went yard on the first pitch of his at bat. Resume the party, Cubbies, it's now 8-3.

The Chicago Cubs left the game with an 8-4 victory to take an early NLCS lead. Game two will feature the Dodgers' Kershaw at odds with the Cubs' Hendricks. Can the Cubs' extend their new fortune to make the lead 2-0, or will Los Angeles roar back and lock it at 1 a piece? Tune in at 7:08 CST/8:08 EST to see who has the upper hand.