Ominous signs loomed on Dec. 9, 1992, when Greg Maddux packed his bags and fled Chicago for Atlanta. A Tribune sports writer at the time described the departure of their Cy Young winner and slugger Andre Dawson on the same day as “about the biggest disaster to hit Chicago in a century.”
Two centuries might have been a stretch, for that would have put Maddux and Dawson up against the Great Chicago Fire.
But a century? Many would agree.
For years, Cubs fans were forced to watch Maddux dominate the league (and the Cubs) and win three more Cy Youngs while they were left to muse bitterly about what coulda woulda shoulda happened. Some blamed Maddux for jilting the Cubs; many others pointed the finger at Cubs management for a ham-handed negotiating style and for not making a better offer.
All of that ended Wednesday, with the Cubs’ announcement that Maddux would sign a three-year deal. The deal instantly catapulted the Cubs’ chances to reach the World Series–and ended 11 years of angst-filled regret.
What is it about the power of a ballplayer?
Saul Bellow once declared “The streets of Chicago are mine”–then split for Boston. Ben Hecht bolted for Hollywood. Nelson Algren ditched our town for the East. But outside of the literati, Chicago shrugged off the losses.
To this day, though, Chicagoans shake their heads and swear out loud about the disastrous Cubs trade of Lou Brock to St. Louis in 1964. And then there was Maddux.
With their wandering pitcher back in the fold, the hope is for redemption on a grand scale at Wrigley around World Series time.
Of course, there are any number of commentators who are quick to point out that this Maddux, at 37, isn’t the same splendid pitcher of 1992. (Or 1993. Or 1994. Or 1995. Those being the years he won the Cy Young in a town other than Chicago.)
But that doesn’t really matter. He’s back. Maddux was and is special. One Cubs executive fumed in 1998 that until the Cubs win a championship, “fans will never let us forget [losing] Maddux.”
And rightly so. Chicago fans have long memories. Pain does that to you. But they are also extraordinarily patient. And, given the right set of circumstances, even forgiving. (We’re assuming here that Steve Bartman is no longer forced to live in an undisclosed location.)
In 1992, Maddux said he left because he wanted to pitch for a winner. Now he’s returning for the same reason. That’s good enough for us.
