Steve Bartman come home; all is forgiven.
The Chicago Cubs are in the playoffs. Forget the goat. Forget the choke. Forget 1929, 1945, every single season between 1947 and 1966, 1969 and especially 2003. Let bygones be bygones. Go Cubs!
Yes, we’re feeling giddy. Magnanimous, even. We’re not too proud to admit we got some help from our frenemies, bless them all. Hats off to the rest of the National League Central, whose astounding mediocrity set the stage for this moment. And especially to those unlikely allies who helped the Cubs clinch the division just when it looked like time to go back to planning the 100 Years of Futility Celebration:
To the Atlanta Braves, who knocked the wind out of the Milwaukee Brewers’ late-season surge. We’ve been nursing a grudge against the Braves since they poached Greg Maddux in 1993, but we’re over it now. Thanks to Maddux, now a San Diego Padre, for having just enough to stuff the Brewers.
A special shout-out to our mortal foes, the St. Louis Cardinals, who faded just when things were looking dangerous but perked up long enough to keep the lid on the Brewers while the Cubs were being swept by the Florida Marlins — the worst team in the National League East.
For all the talk about the Cubs being in the driver’s seat, having control of their own destiny and so on, it was up to the Brewers, who had an 8 1/2-game lead in late June, to lose the division. God bless them for finding a way.
The Cubs looked good Friday night in their 6-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. They looked a lot better than they had in a few days. So, sure, it was a creaky road to the clinch. We’ll take it.
It would have been nice to cash in that Magic Number a little earlier with a brilliant display of offensive firepower (by the Cubs, not the Marlins), but it can’t hurt to save a little something for the postseason. Look what happened to the last Chicago team that slumped its way into the playoffs …
