SportsDystopia

Just as quickly as they predicted a Cubs World Series title, the members of the sports media have fallen all over themselves to proclaim 2008’s letdown the worst ever for the losers who aren’t quite as lovable as they once were.  Are they right, or are they just covering their own asses for having made those pre-playoff predictions?

Well, to put it mildly, they ain’t right…

ESPN.com’s Scoop Jackson provided a fairly representative quote: “This was worse than last year. Worse than 1989. Worse than 1984. Maybe the worst ever.”  He went on to exaggerate, “…this time the Cubs didn’t just lose a series. They lost a part of their soul, plus a large majority of their fans.”

Does anybody really think the true-blue Cubs fans are quitting the fold because of this?  All this year’s really going to do, in the long run, is shake loose some of the trendy-believers who’ve hopped on the bandwagon in the last few years.  The real fans aren’t going anywhere, and their hurt and anger aside, they’ll be back in April, same as it ever was.

Just like they came back after last year, after 2004, after 2003, after 1998, after 1989, after 1984, after 1969, after 1945, after 1938, after 1935, after 1932, after 1929 (the stock market wasn’t the only thing that crashed that year), after 1918, or after 1910.  Maybe 1910 shouldn’t count in that list.  Afterall, those fans at least had a championship fresh in their minds.

Yes, the Cubs laid down and died this year like an old, tired dog.  Why does that shock anyone, considering almost the exact same roster did the exact same thing last year, against an Arizona team that wasn’t nearly the quality of the LA Dodgers?  You can talk about the so-called curse all you like, but the only curse at Wrigley these last many years has been horrible management by the Tribune Company, which is more than happy to have that curse talk to distract it’s fans from it’s own ineptitude.

It has chosen to invest heavily in players with no particular track record of postseason success.  Alfonso Soriano went 1 for 14 this year, after going 2 for 14 last year, and has been an October lightweight his entire career.  The Tribune Company gave him the 8th largest contract in baseball history.  Aramis Ramirez is getting a cool 75 million over 5 years, in spite of his long noticable disdain for hustling.  He followed up last year’s 0 for 12 with a 2 for 11.  The team was outscored 20-6 in this year’s 3 game sweep, 16-6 in last year’s.

In other words, everyone- and especially the members of the media- should’ve seen this coming, at least to a degree.  The Cubs as they are currently constituted should not have inspired the hype with which they were bestowed.  But sports writers were all too happy to trumpet the line that THIS was the year it was going to happen, and a hope starved fan base desperate to believe understandably bought in.  Reflection will tell that fan base that this collapse is not the worst they’ve ever seen, not even the worst this decade.

2003, on the other hand, was indeed enough to make a fan lose their Cubs-soul.  The story is well known.  Leading 3-1, just 5 outs away from the World Series in the 8th inning of game 6 against the Marlins, the Cubs allowed Florida to rush 8 runs across the plate and snatch away victory.  What’s most remembered is that Steve Bartman, a fan seated along the left-field wall, interfered with a foul ball that may or may not have been caught by Moises Alou.

Less remembered is that shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted a ground ball that would’ve been an inning-ending double play.  Mentioned even less often is the fact that manager Dusty Baker allowed a clearly exhausted Mark Prior keep throwing and throwing, giving up hit after hit.  Perhaps Prior was so exhausted because Dusty had allowed him to throw 7 innings and 116 pitches in game 2 of the series, despite the Cubs leading 11-0 after 5 innings.  Dusty still didn’t bring in a reliever after Prior gave up 2 runs in the top of the 6th.

Game 7 was like going to the gallows to see an execution of someone I loved.  The crowd at Wrigley clearly felt the same way, sitting through the entire game in a silence that can only be described as surreal, even when leading 5-3 after 3 innings.  The silence held all the way until the final out, by which time the Cubs had, of course, surrendered their lead and lost 9-6.

Now THAT’s the worst Cubs postseason collapse ever.  But to recognize that, sports writers would first have to admit they made a mistake when they were beating the drums and building the hype over this year’s team to a fever pitch, in spite of noticeable flaws and a very tough matchup.

A sports writer admitting they were wrong?  Now that would be a story worth some hype.

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