11/2 World Series Game 7 Cubs (Hendricks) @ Cleveland (Kluber) 7:00 CDT Fox

[mikeyt34]

Do we realize how close Rajai Davis came to becoming the next great meme of Cubs futility? It would have been The Goat, Bartman, and Rajai Davis... Thank god this team didn't let that happen and from the sounds of things, thank god for 17 minute rain delays. Man I love this team, they turned the whole Cub culture on is ear and said screw that we're gonna win this thing.

[CubinNY]

Do we realize how close Rajai Davis came to becoming the next great meme of Cubs futility? It would have been The Goat, Bartman, and Rajai Davis... Thank god this team didn't let that happen and from the sounds of things, thank god for 17 minute rain delays. Man I love this team, they turned the whole Cub culture on is ear and said screw that we're gonna win this thing.

Joe Maddon for brain cramping for 36 hours

[bcl412]

I can't get over the fact that throughout the entire playoff run, the Cubs basically mocked the franchises history of futility repeatedly.

 

They go up 2-0 in the NLDS, blow a save late in game 3, then Bryant steps up and says 'nah dont worry' and ties it up in the 9th, but they lose anyways. Then they look lifeless and dead trailing by 3 in the 9th of Game 4. People start thinking about 84 and 03, collapses of epic proportions. Just when the worst of Cub fans is coming out, boom 4 runs and before the fans can even stop spewing negativity the Cubs have won.

 

Then they go to the NLDS, game 1, the Cubs strike early and lead by 2 in the 8th. Then a hit, a walk and things are getting tense. Then here comes the moment they will be talking about forever when discussing Cub futility. Chopper to Bryant, he makes a bad read and tries for the runner at 3rd but can't get there in time and everyone is safe. Oh the horror this is terrible and to make it worse, Chapman gets the first 2 outs but gives up a heartbreaking single to tie it. The doom and gloom is coming. Only...wait Miggy grand slam, Cubs win and no one thinks about Bryants play or the 2 out single again.

 

Then they go and get shut out the next TWO games. I mean think about this, the Cubs got shut out in two consecutive playoff games in the NLCS. How many teams survive that? It looks like another postseason crapout just like they always do, the offense gets cold at the wrong time and next thing you know the seasons over. Only the Cubs were like 'nah we're just having some fun' and score 10 runs in Game 4, 8 in Game 5, and 5 in Game 6 and suddenly were in the World Series

 

We are off to the world series but suddenly, TWO MORE SHUTOUTS in the first 3 games. Man its so Cub to go break the barrier and get to the World Series only to fall flat on our faces to the inferior team. The Indians are throwing a jillion breaking balls and everyone knows the Cubs just recoil at the sight of them. Only....grind out a win to salvage the season. At least we got one at Wrigley right? Then the offense lights up the Indians in Game 6, and is leading 5-1 in Game 7. Now game 7 is just full of typical Cub moments. Bad managerial decisions that backfire, bad decisions on the basepaths and uncharacteristic defensive gaffes, a wild pitch off the catches mask leads to TWO runs scoring, everything working perfectly until you can count the outs remaining on 1 hand and suddenly collapse from the dominant closer. Everyone is apocalyptic, how could we let ourselves believe like this only to have the other shoe drop at the worst possible time. This is going to be the worst loss of all time and now we have a stupid rain delay to sit through to delay the inevitable. Only...nah haven't you been following this team, they got this. And they did. World Series champs. In order to make history and break through this barrier they had to toy with and mock history, showing the fans that there is nothing to be scared of. There are no curses, or jinxes, there is no deity preventing the Cubs from winning it. They showed the world that, and I will love them all forever because of it (except Chapman)

 

From Grant Brisbee's article:

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2016/11/3/13506800/cubs-world-series-champions-results

 

Let’s reexamine what we think we know about the Cubs. Do you remember the error in the first inning of Game 7, the game in which they were desperately trying to overcome their curse? You do not. Because it didn’t matter. What about the infield hit in the second inning, the one that Addison Russell couldn’t quite handle? You do not. Because it didn’t matter.

 

There were moments like that sprinkled throughout the game, the portents of doom, from the errors to the walks to the misplays to Carl Edwards, Jr. walking Brandon Guyer in the bottom of the 10th. There were so many times when the Jaws theme played, and the pareidolia made you think the strings were actually demons growling “CUBS CUBS.” None of those mistakes amounted to much. Certainly nothing that cost the Cubs the World Series. The World Series the Cubs just won.

 

They basically said "horsefeathers all that horsefeathers. We're winning. We're different."

 

All those little things that have bit us in the ass in the past, well, they're not enough to bring down these guys. Throw as many obstacles at us as you want, it won't matter.

 

It's like every demon tried to come out and keep the curse alive and the flipped them the bird and said "no"

[gflore341]

Do we realize how close Rajai Davis came to becoming the next great meme of Cubs futility? It would have been The Goat, Bartman, and Rajai Davis... Thank god this team didn't let that happen and from the sounds of things, thank god for 17 minute rain delays. Man I love this team, they turned the whole Cub culture on is ear and said screw that we're gonna win this thing.

Joe Maddon for brain cramping for 36 hours

 

Don't know which was more puzzling the unnecessary use of Chapman in game 6, lifting Hendricks or lifting Lester. Thought certainly Lester could get it to 9th to allow for a standard Chapman save appearance.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

 

It's like every demon tried to come out and keep the curse alive and the flipped them the bird and said "no"

 

Maybe even more poignantly, they didn't even notice.

[gflore341]

The grounder hitting the infield lip leading to a misplay was classic 1984/2003 nonsense.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Do we realize how close Rajai Davis came to becoming the next great meme of Cubs futility? It would have been The Goat, Bartman, and Rajai Davis... Thank god this team didn't let that happen and from the sounds of things, thank god for 17 minute rain delays. Man I love this team, they turned the whole Cub culture on is ear and said screw that we're gonna win this thing.

 

Rajai Davis would have been an afterthought. While that 8th inning was a soul crushing wake up call, that 5th inning is what changed everything. And if it had, there'd be 2 men vilified:

 

-Sam Holbrook for his inability to call a strike down the middle.

 

-Joe Maddon for pulling Hendricks.

 

Now here's where it gets mind boggling: Had Maddon pulled Hendricks when he did for anyone but Jon Lester, then David Ross doesn't come in. If David Ross doesn't come in, Assuming that the Indians still score there 2 runs that inning, we could very well have lost 6-5.

 

Now I'm well aware that in every close game, there's going to be any number of factors that could have changed everything. And who's to say that if a didn't happen, that x, y, and z would have anyway. But anytime there's a close game like this, I can never stop thinking about the what ifs.

[BigSlick]

I'm not sure it bears mentioning when we're all so happy and so many great things happened, but boy did Joe manage a poor game

 

It's a good thing Theo and Jed stocked this team up with so much ludicrous talent that it didn't matter, eh

[Little Slide Rooter]

 

It's like every demon tried to come out and keep the curse alive and the flipped them the bird and said "no"

 

Maybe even more poignantly, they didn't even notice.

 

I think it was more a case of shame on us for thinking that we were going to just cruise to a 5-1 W.

[Little Slide Rooter]

woah, both teams scored 27 runs for the series

 

On to game 8! Nothing matters without the Pythag W!

[KatJ]

What? This thread doesn't have 100 pages yet?

[BigSlick]

 

It's like every demon tried to come out and keep the curse alive and the flipped them the bird and said "no"

 

Maybe even more poignantly, they didn't even notice.

 

I think it was more a case of shame on us for thinking that we were going to just cruise to a 5-1 W.

The Indians were such a fierce [expletive] opponent. Was this the greatest World Series of all time? There were some blow outs in there, but the dramatic games...were quite dramatic

[Mark Priors Calves]

Did this all really happen?

[KatJ]

I'm trying to decide if it will get me fired if I make my students watch highlights from the series tomorrow.

 

If the principal had any sense they'd cancel school today.

[KatJ]

Well, the downside is that there will never be a moment as greats as this in my life as a sports fan

 

That's the old Cub spirit! :-D

[Hunter]

Stupid Cobs couldn't even Win the Run Differential, totally blew it.

[CubInOK]

A storm rolled through downtown OKC while Rajai Davis was rounding the bases, so I never actually saw him score. The storm knocked out the bar's satellite, so about 50 people crowded into a 250 sq ft bar, with everyone on their phones watching the top of the 9th through either MLB Gameday (like I was) or streaming.

 

I seriously watched the top of the 9th inning of the greatest sports game I'm ever going to see through MLB Gameday on my phone, as if I was in my office following a Thursday regular season game. That's going to stand out in my mind as much as any event during this game.

[muntjack]

I cried last night, then couldn't stop laughing this morning. Watched that damn Nike video at work just now and just couldn't hold back the tears.

[JennieGarthAlgar]

Its been said the Cubs used the rain delay to refocus and get organized, pumped, whatever... I wonder what Cleveland was doing? Picking out their champagne bottles?

[Banedon]

https://youtu.be/nApTGkLd2hs

[LeonDurham]

Do we realize how close Rajai Davis came to becoming the next great meme of Cubs futility? It would have been The Goat, Bartman, and Rajai Davis... Thank god this team didn't let that happen and from the sounds of things, thank god for 17 minute rain delays. Man I love this team, they turned the whole Cub culture on is ear and said screw that we're gonna win this thing.

 

Rajai Davis would have been an afterthought. While that 8th inning was a soul crushing wake up call, that 5th inning is what changed everything. And if it had, there'd be 2 men vilified:

 

-Sam Holbrook for his inability to call a strike down the middle.

 

-Joe Maddon for pulling Hendricks.

 

Now here's where it gets mind boggling: Had Maddon pulled Hendricks when he did for anyone but Jon Lester, then David Ross doesn't come in. If David Ross doesn't come in, Assuming that the Indians still score there 2 runs that inning, we could very well have lost 6-5.

 

Now I'm well aware that in every close game, there's going to be any number of factors that could have changed everything. And who's to say that if a didn't happen, that x, y, and z would have anyway. But anytime there's a close game like this, I can never stop thinking about the what ifs.

 

 

 

Remember Ross was the one who had to field the ball, which any other pitcher could have easily fielded but Lester, and threw the ball away enabling men on 2nd and 3rd. These guys scored on the wild pitch.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I'm not sure it bears mentioning when we're all so happy and so many great things happened, but boy did Joe manage a poor game

 

It's a good thing Theo and Jed stocked this team up with so much ludicrous talent that it didn't matter, eh

 

It's nor like Francona managed a great one. Like Maddon, his lack of faith in his middle relief forced him to burn through the 2 guys he did trust before he should have.

 

And then he pulled Coco Crisp, owner of an .885 OPS in the WS and .922 for the post season in favor of a defensive sub, who was the offensive equivalent of Jason Heyward with mono.

[janie3]

I love you guys.

[trushar]

i have to work. i want to read this entire thread and then make 700 posts to it.

 

obviously excluding the wife/kids thing, i don't recall ever feeling like this. it's just a game, but when you see the images of folks in the streets outside of wrigley, gosh. i love this team. how much horsefeathering money am i going to spend on world series champion stamped horsefeathers? holy horsefeathering crap!!!!!!!

 

is anyone even talking about what happened in that game? how the horsefeathers did we win? and what a way to do it! and we have these guys for the long haul! an actual honest to god working baseball organization! can't wait for my daughter to get a little older and bring her to wrigley.

 

anybody go to the PJ shows at wrigley this year? they were selling an "all the way" t shirt that i wanted to get, but were sold out. looks like i need to horsefeathering spend $100 on ebay for one. great.

 

this site is the best. cubs fans are the best. theo is the best.

 

for ronnie/arne/harry/fred!!

 

i hope you all enjoyed the moment. heck, i'm still basking in it!!!!

[Banedon]

I'm not crying at my desk at work! You are!