Don’t give up. Or do, I can’t tell you what to do.

In Commentary And Analysis, Major League Baseball, Playoffs by andcounting72 Comments

The Cubs are as on the brink of elimination as they can be. That the E hasn’t been posted next to their name in the Wild Card standings entering the penultimate game of the season is bittersweet. This officially official do-or-die moment comes at an earlier point than I could have imagined three weeks ago yet much later than I could have imagined three months ago.

The Cubs need to win twice with two games remaining, AND they need the Marlins to lose thrice with 2.074 games remaining. The Cubs need more to go right in the next two days than has gone right in the last two weeks. As Paul Hollywood told Steph after seeing her twice-baked Stilton Souffle technical challenge in the Season 10 finale of The British Baking Show, it looks bad, you’ve done well, here’s a hug.

But.

Here’s the thing about baseball: when there’s even a small chance, anything can happen. In this case, that small chance of which I speak is the gossamer thread of hope that all 4.074 games go their way. Compared to where the Cubs were as the trade deadline loomed, the prospects are downright cheery.

We have this tendency as Cubs fans . . . hell, as people, to protect ourselves from pain when the likelihood of heartbreak becomes too great. For those of us who are just recently abandoning our Cubs playoff aspirations, it’s too little too late. The pain of this season’s final act has already hit us between the eyes.

But for the team, it ain’t over until it’s over. And it ain’t over. As much as we may want to protect ourselves from further pain by refusing to believe a wildcard berth is possible, it’s still possible. There is reason to hope. There is definitely still reason to play. Is believing in this particular miracle just an exercise in masochism? Probably. But is it worth the risk?

I’ll say this. The role of baseball in our lives wavers between an escape from reality and an inspiration to face it. At this point, the Cubs have failed to provide us an escape. Loss after loss, meltdown after meltdown, setback after setback, and heartbreak after flyball-dropping, lead-blowing heartbreak have made the end of September much more of a metaphor for real life than an escape from it. But at this point, it still serves as an inspiration.

I don’t know if the Cubs have given up yet. It very well may not matter. But I think not giving up is worth it in life and as a fan. At least it can be. Yeah, it does make us vulnerable to little extra shots of pain. But pain? It’s underrated.

No, I can’t tell you what to do. But my suggestion is . . . don’t give up. Maybe this team and this beautiful dumb life will break your heart AGAIN. Or maybe, just maybe, this shit will get ridiculous. In a good way. Again.

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  4. Author
    andcounting

    My mom’s shirt-term memory might be shot, but she can recall Bob Feller and Early Wynn at the drop of a hat. (dying laughing)

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 181 9/9:
    Rarity: 162
    IMMACULATE!
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    Play at:
    https://immaculategrid.com
    @immaculategrid x @baseball_ref

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  17. Rice Cube

    The Cubs have the lead.

    The Reds are getting owned by the Cardinals and will likely be eliminated.

    The Marlins have just taken the lead and their destiny is in their own hands.

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  26. Perkins

    I made the mistake of reading the comments earlier at BN and it was even more meatball than I remembered. More anger than I expected toward Ross specifically.

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  30. berselius

    Perkins:
    I made the mistake of reading the comments earlier at BN and it was even more meatball than I remembered. More anger than I expected toward Ross specifically.

    Possible that there’s some misplaced Bears anger helping that along (dying laughing).

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  35. Perkins

    Rice Cube,

    He’s obviously operating with more information than I have, but my main complaints about Ross relate to his refusal to use Canario and PCA (also Little) in a meaningful way as all the regulars were so clearly gassed and continuing to run Leiter out there in high leverage situations after he lost his splitter. I guess he played guys like Hosmer and Mancini too much early on, but that’s as much on the front office.

    That said if Craig Counsell becomes a free agent I hope the Cubs fire Ross in an instant and hire Counsell, because I’m pretty sure he could have guided this roster to a division title.

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  37. Rice Cube

    There was obviously a lot of stuff with injuries and dings that probably better luck (and a better training staff) could have helped with but sometimes it’s just the way things roll

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  40. Author
    andcounting

    berselius:
    andcounting,

    I’d fire the medical staff first. Or sacrifice an extra alpaca to Fortuna or something.

    I know what you mean, but maybe the injuries are less of a problem if you play your reserves every once in awhile and rest dudes.

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  44. Smokestack Lightning

    Rice Cube:
    If the Cubs win tomorrow they’ll guarantee second place but alas no playoffs

    My favorite is how the Cubs will have a significantly better run differential than all but 2 of the 6 teams in the NL bracket, including +23 (give or take a few after tomorrow) over the team that’s currently 8 games in front of them in the standings.

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  50. Perkins

    As disappointing as it is to have seen the Cubs fade in such a soul-crushing fashion, I realized that today’s will be the only meaningless game they play all season, and that is a hell of a lot fewer than each of the last two years.

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  51. berselius

    ⚾️ Immaculate Grid 182 8/9:
    Rarity: 241
    ⬜️🟩🟩
    🟩🟩🟩
    🟩🟩🟩

    Thought Ugueth Urbina got over the threshold, I guess going to prison for attempted murder stopped him from gathering those stats.

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  61. Author
    andcounting

    I should have known in 2016 that the “What would you give up in exchange for a World Series championship” question people would always ask me was not, in fact, theoretical, and I’m wishing I would have come up with an answer other than “Enjoying sports ever again.”

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  62. Smokestack Lightning

    Rice Cube:
    Ricketts thinks every team would obviously want Cody Bellinger back, will do their best but shrug emoji

    Unpopular opinion, but I’m rather shrug emoji when it comes to wanting Bellinger back. I fear the horrible version that played his way out of Los Angeles is still very much in there, just waiting for someone to pay him 250MM.

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  71. Perkins

    While I’m happy the Cubs played only one meaningless game this season, equally will I consider next season a failure if they play even that many.

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