Day 69

Fresh Start_69: Look at the blood on the walls
I will tell you that what the Cleveland Indians are doing in the World Series is surprising and fun. I am one of the few people left that still doubt the Indians and don’t believe them. As I watching Game Four progress, I couldn’t stop and think how good the Indians where playing the game. EVERYTHING seemed to bounce their way. The where patient at the plate, played great defense, and pitched really well. This team is more complete than I ever thought before. Last year the mantra for this team was that they “were almost there”, well they’ve made it. The Cleveland Indians can play let me tell you. This Cleveland team is a complete team. There is not an aspect that the team is not good at. I had my doubts about Corey Klueber pitching on short rest, but he shut me up extremely quick in Game Four. Game Four was the biggest game of Klueber’s life and he was needed by his team, and the former Cy Young award winner delivered in the windy city. He made mistakes, but he pitched a great game. Klueber looked like a chess master, four moves ahead of the Cubs at all times. Klueber and the Indians had a game plan and it work to perfectly against the young Cubbies.

From the Cubs perspective, I kept thinking of a team that reminds me of this year’s Cubs team. That team is the 2014 Kansas City Royals. The Royals hadn’t won a World Series since 1985 and were riding a hot streak from the Wild Card game all the way to the Series. The young unproven Royals hit a road block and dumped into the two-time champion Giants. The Royals, who coasted to the Series that year, seemed to struggle the longer the series went on. Sure they competed and forced a Game Seven, but in Game Seven, the ball just rolled San Francisco’s way. I am not saying that the Indians are the Giants from two years ago, but they are playing like they have been there before. Given the Indians have Terry Francona a two-time World Champion with the Red Sox (and by the way broke the curse of the bambino) as well as veterans like Napoli and Coco Crisp that have been in this situation before. The Cubs have Lester and Ross, but they don’t have the man at the front of the ship leading the way like Francona is for the Indians. Sure, Joe Madden has been to the World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays, but that team had absolutely no chance against a far sapphire team in the Philadelphia Phillies. Going down 3-1 and losing home field for a young team is degrading and we will see how they react.

Getting back to the Cubs/Royals comparison, these teams are almost the same team. Both teams have a young, talented, unproven core surrounded by very few battled tested players, and a manager that hasn’t tasted the Champion Champagne. Both teams were undoubtedly better than the opposition and prove it in every facet of the game. Both teams fought and have been competitive, but because of the inexperience, have fallen short to date. Both teams had the pressure of a city behind them, and the drought of a championship looming over them the entire time (being dawned the “team of destiny”). So with that said, I think the Cubs in this moment, will lose the World Series this year. I don’t know how many games the series will be, but in the end, they will lose and probably to last night’s starter Corey Klueber. We have seen this scenario before, and most likely we will see it again. Not to pain the hearts of Cubs fans, but your time will come. The team is still the best in the National League, and with the talent on roster, will most definitely be back in the World Series multiple times in the next 5-10 years. This may be a tough pill to swallow after 108 years, but every champion has to be battled tested, and this is your battle. Chicago, you will win the war, but if the outcome of 2016 isn’t how you want; swallow the bullet and charge full steam ahead to 2017, were it isn’t just destiny, but a uncontrollable thirst for that illustrious champion champagne.
Sources:(espn.com, baseballreference.com)

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