October 5, 2020: What a Difference a Week Makes

Well that was quick… Rewind a week ago, and we were on top of the world. Cubs in the playoffs; Sox in the playoffs. Bears sitting at 3-0. What has happened since then was nothing short of a complete turnaround. Sox knocked out; Cubs knocked out. Bears look like crap, lose their first game of the season. What a difference a week makes…

Yeah, things move pretty quickly around here. One minute you’re on top of the world; the next you’re getting smacked back down to where you belong. Let’s start with the Cubs. 1 run in 18 innings isn’t going to get it done. The offense has been a problem for a while now; this is nothing new. What happened in this series should not surprise any of us, if you’ve been paying attention. It’s hard to believe that the Cubs would just be able to flip a switch come postseason, when they haven’t hit consistently the entire year. Sure, I wanted to think since it’s the shitty ass Marlins, we’d be able to, but… nope. And now, the Cubs are done. And now, what will they do? It’s not like just 1 of their top hitters went cold. Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez didn’t record one hit in the series. Sure, it was 2 games and anybody can go cold, but again… this isn’t a new issue. Firing every hitting coach that comes along has not resolved it. What now? We’ll have plenty of time to talk about that.

As far as the Sox go, things should feel more upbeat for their fans. This was just the tip of the iceberg, just the opening of the window. Sure, should the Sox have beat that As? Yeah, 100x times yes. Renteria botched the managing of the pitching staff, which is a manager’s number one job. Should he pay with his job? I think so. There would still leave an issue, which would be the lack of starting pitching. Goes back to the trade deadline this year. Sox should have made a move, but instead, stood pat, knowing what the weakness of this team was. That just tells me they were satisfied making the postseason, and not really interested in winning it all, thinking they will be back. They may be correct about being back, but you can’t take any opportunity lightly. If they had added another legitimate starter, they would be playing the Astros in the ALDS which by the way, would be very winnable. Now you’re one series away from the World Series. Rays, Yankees? Sure, it wouldn’t be easy, but not impossible. Then possibly Dodgers? OK, the final steps would have been tough, but it would have been nice to get there, and by adding one arm, I think it would have happened. Woulda, coulda, shoulda… like finding a kicker to replace Parkey 2 years ago…

Speaking of the Bears… it’s only 1 loss, I get it. Still, you couple that with the games that we barely won, which would be all 3, it makes for a shaky feeling going forward, especially considering this dud was turned in by the guy who is supposed to be our better QB. Like Mitch, you can’t put everything on Nick; I understand that too. But if not the QB, then who? Is Nagy, the offensive genius, in a rut? Does he still not have the personnel he needs to run this offense? Will he ever? Can he not adjust the game plan to the guys we do have? How much blame goes to the line? The offense remains broken, and just like the Cubs and their hitting woes, it’s hard to believe that is going to be fixed from one week to the next… or from one QB to the next…

Yeah, playing at the highest level is not easy; rooting for your teams to climb that hill is not for the faint of heart. Seeing your team go out in flames really sucks; knowing they still have a chance to bounce back, like the Bears, is encouraging. For the Cubs & Sox, it’s wait until next year. When are the Bulls & Blackhawks coming back? Not going anywhere though… can’t shake the die hard out… still hurts. Ready for the next opportunity for pain… which comes this Thursday. What part of the roller coaster ride will we be on then? Hang in there…