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Everyone remembers where they were on November 2, 2016. I was in my room, drinking some bitter brew, listening on the radio. It had happened. People have talk about this for years, but many thought it would never come to fruition. The Chicago Cubs ended over 100 years of misery by winning the World Series. What's impressive is they came back from a 3-1 deficit to accomplish that feat. The nation rejoiced as if a boulder was taken off their backs. The Cubs used a core that included third baseman Kris Bryant, shortstop Javier Baez and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. These three made strides to help the team win that title. Many fans and experts believed that this trio would be around the Cubs for a long time.
Five years later, all three are traded within a two day period thus ending the dream.
Despite the fact that the architect of that championship team, Theo Epstein and manager Joe Maddon were long gone, Cubs fans believed with those three would continue the success coming into the season. Towards the All-Star break, the writing was on the wall. GM Jed Hoyer executed Operation Blow It Up. As much as many people can blame them, they had to it.
Tom Ricketts is the Chairman of the Chicago Cubs. He and his family hold executive positions within the organization. He is worth a value of $2 billion dollars, according to Forbes magazine. The Chicago Cubs are one of the most profitable franchises in all of professional sports. Why am I telling you this? Simple. It's easy to blame Ricketts for crying poor on not extending Bryant, Rizzo and Baez. Many think he is the reason for the Cubs' downfall in the last few years. Many believed Ricketts was the reason Epstein left, despite no proof. The North Siders seem to be in disarray.
Before you Cubs fans begin to riot, here it is. Their loss in the 2017 NLCS is when I realized the decline was beginning. I was right. I don't blame Ricketts and Hoyer for this. They had to do Operation Blow It Up. Even if an extension with either one of the three or all three wasn't going to help the Cubs. Their starting pitching and the bullpen have regressed so badly to the point that they traded Craig Kimbrel to their cross-town rival, the White Sox.
Don't be upset, Cubs fans. You may have a tough few seasons ahead, but hopefully, you can enjoy the fruition of a long, rebuilding process again.
Unfortunately, it's been five years since a World Series championship.
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