The “year in review” pieces will come, in time. The MLB playoffs will soon start up, and the story lines will all unfold, but once again the Cubs will be on the outside looking in. So be it. It will be hard for this year’s postseason to top last year’s, but I’m willing to give it that chance.
As for this miserable Cubs season, I’m ready to put it in the rear-view mirror. And no, Wednesday’s walk-off win over Houston doesn’t help. This was an awful team, and the controlled demolition that took place at the trading deadline was as bad as anything I’ve seen in many, many years as a Cubs fan.
The clock is now ticking considerably louder than it once did for Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the rest of the front office. Nobody expected success this season, but the failures that came along were particularly hard to swallow. And now the swallowing is over, at least for a few months. There’s nowhere to go but up from here.