October 30, 2016: Patience

How long have you been waiting?  Patience is a virtue.  Unfortunately, it’s one that us Cubs fans are all too familiar with.  Will we have to go back to the well again?

Patience is something that this Cubs team seems to have lost at the plate.  Is it that hard to believe?  You are familiar with the ages of the starting lineup, yes?  OK, I know that sounds like an excuse.  It is the truth though.  This Cubs team, this mighty 103 win Cubs team, this Cubs team that is the best team that most of us have seen, is showing their age.  Great time for that whole age thing to kick in.

The Cubs have been the team that works that count.  They take strikes, and don’t blink.  They take strike two, and choke up on the bat.  They take walks.  They don’t try to win it in one swing; they trust in the man behind them in the order.  This has been the Cubs M.O. the whole season.  This has disappeared in Games 3 and 4 of the World Series.  And now, it’s backs against the wall time.

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Guys.  Guys.  I know that everyone standing in this room wants to win the World Series.  I know that everyone is out there trying their hardest.  How did we win 103 regular season games?  How did we win the NLDS and the NLCS?  We have to trust in each other.  There is not one guy in this room that can win the World Series for us.  It has to be done as a team.  Do you still all believe that we can do this?  I do.  Our season, this long, awesome journey, comes down to 3 games.  We’re at the end of the line boys.  Does anyone know how many times we’ve won 3 games in a row this season?  Anyone?  18 times.  We have to do it one more time.  This is going to take everybody.  It starts on the mound.  Does anyone NOT believe that Lester, Arrieta, and Hendricks will give us the best chance to win these next 3 games?  We know they will; that’s half the battle.  The second half comes down to the bats.  What have we preached all year long?  Patience at the plate.  Forget who is throwing the ball for the Indians; it shouldn’t matter.  We play OUR game.  We work the count.  We make them come to us.  We don’t have to swing at every pitch.  We don’t have to hit a home run in every at bat.  We play OUR game.  THIS is the way we won 103 games.  THIS is how we ended up with the best regular season record in the major leagues.  These final 3 games, we get back to OUR game.  Nobody, I said NOBODY, can beat us at OUR game.  It starts tomorrow night, and it ends Wednesday night in Cleveland.  We got 3 games to win.  Now, let’s huddle up.  Where else would you rather be, but right here, right now?  It doesn’t get any better than this boys.  I love you guys.  This is OUR time.  This is OUR time.  Now let’s go out, and show everyone what I know… what we all know.  Let’s show everybody who the best team in baseball is.  Let’s go out there and win it all!  Win Three on Three… 1, 2, 3…… Win Three!

That’s all I got.  I refuse to think of anything other than that.  I’m not ready for this season to end.  I’m not ready to have this mission end incomplete.  There should be no pressure now.  Everybody who has expected us to win, now, does not.  All the panicky Cubs fans, are walking outside on the ledge.  All the bandwagon Cubs fans are planning their escape.  All that’s left are us die hards; us fans that believe year after year that this will be the year.  Will it hurt if they lose?  Stupid question, but…  I refuse to see it.  I’m not ready to see that.  I still believe.  I don’t believe we’re going out like this.  This team hasn’t quit all year long; no reason to start now.  We have one more 3 game winning streak to go on.  It starts on Sunday night.  Hey Chicago, what do you say?  Let’s Go Cubs!!!