A Limited Foundation For Success

I was in Chicago last weekend.

It was a good time for a Cardinal fan to be in Chicago. I’ve always believed it is important for winners to be gracious…and losers to be quiet. So, let me be gracious. The Cards beat the Cubs four straight games at Wrigley Field, a feat not accomplished in almost a hundred years. I’m sure, for Cub fans, it felt like the bad old days. And there have been plenty of bad old days for the franchise prior to their recent success.

The architect of that success is a guy named Theo Epstein. He allowed the team to lose 101 games back in 2012 in order to get higher draft picks. The fans in Chicago, to their credit, tolerated the tank job. They had no choice. He told them the plan was to “build a foundation for sustained success.”

Epstein made some good moves from the front office and the Cubs were able to achieve the world championship which eluded them for so many years in 2016.

After this weekend, Cub friends of mine------yes--I have friends who are Cubs---were calling for Epstein’s hide, the job of Manager Joe Maddon, wholesale trades…in other words, what have you done for me lately? Clearly “sustained success” tops out at four years in Chicago.

I have compassion for my Cub brothers. It is my hope they don’t have to wander through baseball’s wilderness for another hundred years before they are able to once again build the foundation for success.  

It is my hope they can pull it together in---say---25 years----after I’m gone.