Sustained Success

The Cubs message boards are, for the most part, filled with a bunch of hate. Filled with a bunch of people who think Theo Epstein is stupid and Ricketts even stupider. I've even seen them called Dumb and Dumber. But here's the thing about message boards: 1. No matter what message board you read, they are always filled with much more hate than positivity. 2. Statistically speaking, they are probably young kids, most of which are 18 or younger.

These people don't really understand baseball. Baseball is a complex sport, that has constantly changed. Even if you do study the game and come to understand it, it will soon change and you're going to have to relearn it all over again. The steroid era redefined what superstars in their mid to late thirties can do. Even before we knew it was the steroid era, it was changing what we knew about baseball, which players need to be signed to long-term contracts, how to put together a winning team. Now we're in yet another new era. We're in the post-steroid, sabermetrics era. This new era redefines yet again, what players should get signed to long term contracts and which should be ignored. Yet still, many teams are locking up free agents until they're in their late thirties. Sabermetrics tells us this will be a mistake, but only time will truly tell us anything.

I'm on board with the concept of not signing high priced free agents to long term contracts that will put them in a Cubs uniform until they're 40. I completely agree that building a strong farm system, waiting until they develop, seeing which ones work out then, and only then, fill in the holes with free agents or trades. It's kind of a new concept, a concept that many teams don't use. So for a team to begin using this system, it will take them two to three years for it all to flesh out. That's two to three years of going into the season knowing your team will not compete and make a run for the playoffs. That is a hard pill to swallow as a fan, and even more so for a Cubs fan.

But here's why it should be swallowed: Sustained success. Since I've been a cubs fan, there have been a few runs to and in the playoffs and obviously no world series victories or even appearances. Furthermore, none of those teams had any sustained success, most went right back to a losing record the very next season. I, for one, am willing to buck-up and hold my breath for a couple of years for the chance at sustained success. For a chance to be able to cheer for my team through September year in and year out.

If you mention this on any of those message boards, you'll be laughed out of the room. They'll tell you you're "buying into the hype," or that "you're believing their propaganda." Except "you're believing their propaganda" will look more like "your beleving there propognda." Yes, there is nary a person on the message board who knows how to properly use the different variations of there, were or to (or even care to spell correctly). This is how you can tell they are under 18. This is the result of an education system that has been seriously underfunded for way too long. Every time you cut the budget a little further, one more child graduates high school not knowing the difference between then and than.

But the thing is, the Cubs sucked last year and they probably will suck again this year. So the "stupid" message board kids are right, at least for now. They're right when they say the "Cubs suck" or "Theo is an idiot and he's gonna fail to win again this year." So until all of the young prospects develop and our minor leagues are fully stocked, we won't be able to tell these kids "I told you so." And even then, they won't care anyway.