Article: The Cubs and The Promise of A New Baseball Season

[Brandon Glick]

On the morning of Opening Day, the Chicago Cubs are but one of 30 teams trying to do the impossible.

Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Ever since 2016, Opening Day has felt a little more liberating, hasn’t it? The pressure that once came with having the longest championship drought in professional sports is now gone; in its place is the lesser, lighter pressure that comes with being a professional sports team at all. There’s a concrete but agreeably remote expectation to win, rather than just an abstract hope that it will one day happen. 

And yet, this Opening Day feels different than most. Maybe it’s the lingering hype from the Cubs re-signing Cody Bellinger, well after pitchers and catchers first reported to camp. Perhaps it’s leftover angst from the team’s collapse down the stretch last season, when they ultimately missed out on the final Wild Card spot by one game after entering September with more than a 90% chance of making the playoffs. It could also be excitement for Craig Counsell’s first season as the manager, or the development of a budding farm system filled with impact prospects. 

It’s impossible to say exactly what makes this year feel so rejuvenating. The last few seasons have been a slog for the Cubs (remember Frank Schwindel being the story of the second half in 2021?), and there’s no guarantee 2024 will be different. Hopefully, this team will rise to meet the expectations set before it, which start with an NL Central crown and end with another World Series trophy on the mantle. 

No matter how this season unfolds, this moment is always fun. There’s always that little bit of hope that things might break our way. Combine that with the blind faith that fanaticism creates, and you have a recipe for over-the-top belief that this team, despite all of its flaws, can go all the way. That’s the Promise of A New Baseball Season. 

No team has been truly ravaged by injuries yet, nor has any one franchise established itself as an oppressively dominant force. As star-studded as the Los Angeles Dodgers are, or as deep as the Atlanta Braves go, there’s no guarantee they can handle the pressure that comes with being the championship favorites. On paper, the Cubs don’t quite stack up to the titans of the National League, but in practice… well, that’s the Promise of A New Baseball Season. 

In 2024, the Cubs will have plenty of concerns to assuage if they want to be taken seriously. Their depth is enviable around the diamond, but do they have the star-level contributors to get them over the hump of mediocrity? Can they withstand an injury to Justin Steele, or a few down months from Dansby Swanson? Are Michael Busch and Christopher Morel capable of handling the infield corners, offensively and defensively? Is their bullpen capable of holding down the fort for an entire 162-game season? Only time will tell if the answer to those questions is affirmative or negative, but for now, it’s easy to hope for the best; that’s the Promise of A New Baseball Season.

There are many trials and tribulations yet to beset the Cubs in 2024, and potentially even more memorable moments that have yet to happen. No one - no fan, player, front office staffer, national pundit, or even local beat writer - has any clue what’s going to happen this season. There’s a reason they play the games, after all. And it’s that shared fog - the universal unknown enveloping all of baseball - that makes everything so exhilarating. All of us, perhaps against our better judgment, can squint just hard enough to see a future where the Cubs really do pull it off and win the 2024 World Series. That’s the Promise of A New Baseball Season.

For now, today is Game One of 162. The Cubs are playing the defending World Series champions: the Texas Rangers. On paper, they’ll probably lose this series. Can they handle the offensive onslaught of Cory Seager and Marcus Semien? Can the lineup score enough runs in a hostile environment to keep up with the reigning champs? Even if it feels impossible, no one really knows if they’ll win or lose. They have to actually play the games for us to find that out. If things break their way, maybe the Cubs will steal a game this series. Maybe, just maybe, it all starts with one win.

That’s the Promise of A New Baseball Season.

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[Derek_Lee_Truther]

Not what I expected.. but damn if this didn't get me hyped for OD. let's go cubs!

[Guest234]

Interesting to note that DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo will man the corner infield spots for the Yankees, better than the Cubs? Past glory versus maybe potential.