Cubbies-Tribe: The Something’s Gotta Give Series

si-cover-tribeI’ve been watching baseball a long time.  Not so much recently but like every red-blooded American, I grew up in a baseball household.

Let’s just say in my lifetime, the Cubs and Indians have never been good.  Don’t get me wrong, they’ve had some good teams but they’ve never been historically good.  That’s because they’ve never won anything that mattered.  The Indians had those promising teams (remember that silly Joe Carter and Cory Snyder SI cover?) and even made it to the World Series (the only one those Braves teams ever won) but other than that the Indians have been an exercise in futility.

If it weren’t for the ineptitude of the Chicago Cubs, the Cleveland Indians would be, well, like every other Cleveland team, pre-2016 Cavs, of course.  The Indians haven’t won a World Series since 1948.

When it comes to failure in sports, however, no team symbolizes a lifetime (actually, multiple lifetimes) of suffering more than the Chicago Cubs.  This poor franchise hasn’t won a World Series since 1908.  So basically the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since air conditioning was invented.

Between Bartman, goats and Rocky Colavito, these two teams have more combined curses than a Richard Pryor stand-up routine.

That just might be about to change for one of these two teams (and right now, fans of those two teams are reading this and screaming NOOOO!!!!!)

somethings-gotta-giveThe Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs are headed for a collision course in the 2016 World Series and there’s not a single baseball fan (who’s not a Dodgers or Blue Jays fan) who wouldn’t want this to happen.

While Red Sox fans thought it would be cute to see them face the Cubs, the Sox are no longer a cursed franchise.  The Red Sox have won three World Series titles in the last twelve years.  The Indians haven’t won three World Series titles in their existence.

A Cubs-Indians World Series would feature neither an East Coast team nor a West Coast team yet it could be the most watched World Series we’ve seen in ages.  It’d be like seeing Halley’s Comet square off against Charlie Sheen staying sober.

However, in a battle of two historical underdogs, the real sadness is that one of these franchises would have to lose.  Again.

And while it will be a tremendously watchable World Series for the drama alone, that’s the worst part of it all.  One of these teams will continue its drought.  It’s like going to the animal shelter and being able to rescue one only dog.

The Cubs landed the manager they wanted (Joe Maddon), the GM they wanted (Theo Epstein) and the team they wanted.  They’ve been heavy favorites to win the World Series the last two years, ever since those two started calling the shots.

But they haven’t won… yet.

That could all change this year.  Again, shhhhhh says the Cubs fan, the most superstitious of them all.

These Indians won’t make it easy and they are hardly about to roll over just because America’s bandwagon has a soft spot for the Cubs.

indians-celebrateSo again, while we root for a collision of two franchises that could oh so use a World Series to put their miserable pasts behind them, we should be careful what we wish for.  If the Cubs make it to the World Series and the Indians don’t, of course we’ll be rooting for Chicago.  Vice versa if Cleveland makes it and Chicago doesn’t.  But if they both make it, look out.

For when we see one of these two teams spraying expensive champagne in the locker room, we’ll inevitably see camera shots of the other, its players dejected, knowing they gave it their all but were destined to wallow with the better luck next year mantra and one inescapably looming curse hanging over their heads for at least another year.

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12 Replies to “Cubbies-Tribe: The Something’s Gotta Give Series”

  1. When you have two good mangers as is the case with Terry Francona and Joe Maddon , you’re going to get the best out of the teams under their management if the talent is there. I would be surprised if neither won the respective Manager of The Year Awards within the AL and NL this season !

    This might be the Year of the Prescott , as in Dak Prescott. This kid can play and he doesn’t let anything fluster him at all. I really believe the Dallas Cowboys can win the NFC East with ease this season , especially if the front office stick by their decision to push back Tony Romo’s return to the starting lineup.

  2. Al…

    I love all the hypothetical talk on sports radio regarding what to do when Romo comes back, as if anybody outside that locker room knows what the hell is going on inside it.

    The traditional rule of thumb is that a quarterback doesn’t lose his job to injury and gets it when he comes back.

    Unless of course those two men are Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady.

    At this point, the Cowboys appear to be for real, their only loss coming in the first week of the season by a single point to the Giants.

    If they keep this up, I can’t see how they possibly stick Tony Romo back in there.

  3. They opened their season with a helluva game. I sat there, shivering in the stands in the 32 degree weather and didnt leave the stands until the rays of the sun left my lower arena seat..and only because I froze my tits off.
    GoOooO Tribe!

  4. Jimbo…

    If a Cubs-Indians series were to occur, I wonder what percentage of the population would be rooting for the Cubs, Indians or have no interest at all?

  5. I am going to guess in a Cubs-Tribe WS, it’d be 53-47 Cubbies. Joe Maddon tips the scales. No one has earned it more than Tampa’s own Joe, “The Baron of Bayshore Boulevard” ⚾️⚾️

  6. Hard to believe I’ve been quiet over a baseball post…. but here’s what I put together on this:
    In 2004, “my” Red Sox won their first World Series Championship since 1918 with Theo Epstein as GM and Terry Francona as Coach ( I did blow kisses to Terry when I saw him vs Orioles during our Baltimore trip this year)

    Now look where we are… 2016 World Series:
    Theo is GM for Cubs  – Cubs last WS win 1908..

    Terry is Coach for Indians – Indians last WS win 1948..

    My Mama and I are cheering hard for the Cubbies… but wow the connection here to “my” 2004 Red Sox ending their 86 year drought. It is awesome that Theo or Terry are once again part of ending a World Series Championship drought (Cubs 108 years/ Indians 68 years) for another talented and beloved team….
    YES.. I LOVE BASEBALL!
    Go Cubs Go!
    Dee Dee

  7. Late to the thread but I’m glad the Cubs finally won, now we don’t have to listen to their cursed BS any longer. They were only cursed by a lack of talent putting it all together at once. Now that this has been solved the news flash is that Theo Epstein is negotiating to take control of the Dodgers… in my dreams, vivid as they may be

    Oh and too bad hearing about Val’s tits… wouldn’t wish that on any girl

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