[Arturo2nd]

This is a shout out to the Chicago Cubs who finally broke the long running string of non-championship seasons. This crew looks like they may be able to notch a few more. Theo Epstein is believed to have more top level talent in the pipeline, too.

The image of "lovable losers" only arose in the latter part of the 20th Century and was always misleading. After all, the Cubs have made 17 previous playoff appearances since the start of divisional play in 1969. In the years 1906 to 1945, the Cubs appeared in the World Series 19 times, winning twice. The Tinker to Evers to Chance bunch won those two Series while winning four pennants in five years. They hold the still standing record of 116 wins, 36 losses and 3 ties set in 1906. This was near the beginning of a ten year stretch in which they had the highest winning percentage of any team in the history of major league baseball.

The Chicago franchise is one of only two that has played continuously since the National League was founded in 1876 and was largely responsible for organizing the league. (The Atlanta Braves, then based in Boston as the Red Stockings, is the other surviving franchise.) The team won the pennant 6 times during the first 11 seasons. Then, Hall of Famer King Kelly was traded to Boston and Chicago would not have another pennant winner until the White Sox won in the American League's inaugural season of 1901. Adrian "Cap" Anson, the team's first baseman and manager from 1876 to 1897 was the first player to amass over 3,000 hits. He is still the teams all time leader in WAR.

So welcome back, Chicago Cubs. Don't wait so long between championships next time. Chicago is a great city and deserves more parades.