Rich Cohen, The Front Office, & The Story Of A Curse Still Being Written

[RavenCub30]

It won't be like this forever... will it?

Image courtesy of © Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Perhaps one of the more reassuring aspects of Cubs fandom is this: there are many of us. Indeed, when you think of the most prominent and storyline-intensive franchises in all sports, our baseball team finds itself on a short list with the likes of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. With that said, you can bet that the whole world is watching when the Cubs move. 

I watched Kris Bryant throw the ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, recording the final out of the 2016 World Series, erupting into jubilation as the sins of a 108-year curse were washed away before my eyes and the eyes of record-breaking millions around the nation. Or so we thought…

Back in 2017, a year I would later dub “The Hangover Year,” after most of the confetti on Sheffield outside of Murphy’s Bleachers had been swept up, Glencoe native Rich Cohen published a book called “The Chicago Cubs: Story Of A Curse.” We’ll delve into specifics momentarily, but I’m here to tell you unequivocally: the curse is alive, and the story is still being written. If the current outcomes of the 2024 season aren’t proof enough, stick around while I get you caught up on why the curse is still with us and what chapter we’re on. 

Rewinding the clock before a World Series championship was a legitimate proposition. We zoomed in on 2009, the year the Ricketts family took ownership of our beloved baseball club. According to Cohen’s book (If you haven’t read it, do so), Tom Ricketts and his trusted cohorts imposed an immediate shift in trajectory. 

For as much critique as Ricketts is due for his team’s performance on the field, spend a few minutes with the guy, and it’s clear: the guy cares, and he knows his stuff. Speaking with Rich Cohen at the outset of his acquisition of the Cubs, he had this to say about the curse: “The people you’d want to ask are the players because the only way the curse has any real meaning or impact is if the players felt pressure in a way that affected their performance on the field.” Heard, Tom. And a nice first name, by the way. It goes without saying that these comments were made before Chicago eradicated a 108-year championship drought with the fearless Theo Epstein at the helm. Epstein operated with a sense of confidence and maybe a little arrogance that was enough to ignore our club’s very real curse and win in defiance of it. This aura of confidence, this recognition of the Chicago Cubs as a beloved brand that scores of other humans count on, is why Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins underachieve: they aren’t arrogant enough about it and don’t act in defiance of the curse. Maybe it’s because they think one World Series was enough or because they treat their business too much like a business. Regardless of how you want to view their approach, one thing is painfully clear: they’re not producing results worthy of Cubs baseball.

Losing is, without a doubt, not the most important component of a loss; it’s how you lose that sticks with a team more than anything. Look no further than the Cubs’ flame thrower Justin Steele’s reaction to his team’s latest tilt with the Milwaukee Brewers for proof of this theory. He had his release, pleading with his team to “wake the (expletive) up!” after the offense failed to break the game open with another pack of stranded base runners. Piling up more one-run losses than any other team in the majors is a cruel manifestation of the curse; Steele, though he hasn’t been around here long, understands that a touch of well-timed fire is needed to ward off both curses and a lost season. “I know how good we can be; I love every guy in that locker room.”

Could Steele’s pleas be enough to win this chapter of the Chicago Cubs’ curse? Will Michael Busch and Ian Happ stay as hot as the griddle serving hot dogs at the Wiener’s Circle? Probably not. But the possibility will keep me, and I’m sure at least a few other fans will return to find out. Maybe that’s why we remain devout followers; yes, watching our team lose is gut-wrenching and excruciating at times, but “knowing how good. we can be” isn’t just what keeps use going; it’s what makes being a part of the Cubs family special.

View full article

[CubinNY]

The Cubs curse is bad ownership.