The Cubs have gotten into the habit this year of falling behind before they can move ahead. It got them in trouble today, as the magic ran out. There was no Bote moment or two-out heroics – they just never came back. I got two messages from my die-heart-Cub-fan son today – both emojies – as the game continued to deteriorate – vomit then poop. They went predictably down to the Brewers 1-0, before Rizzo homered, one of only three Cubs hits, then fell behind again 3-1. Baez tried to set off a spark with a two-out, ninth-inning hit, but Rizzo fell short on his bid for a second long ball. As a result, the Brewers celebrated in Chicago’s house and claimed their first NL Central title since 2011. They deserved it, while my lucky Cubs socks failed to do their job. 

“The Crew” finished the season strong with their 8th straight victory. They also won five out of seven games against the Cubbies, and swept the Cardinals to dominate the Division. The Cubs slowly watched it slip away, managing only 16 of 29 victories down the stretch. One more victory would have claimed the title. Instead, they’ll have to come from way behind via the Wild Card route. This time, however, they may not have a shot because they’re behind the Eight Ball.”

Drinking Champagne,

Yelich and Braun.

The Cubs look on, 

Division hopes Gone.

Have the Cubs fallen behind too far this time? Can they rebound from this Division Disaster? Five years ago, fans would have been thrilled to simply have earned a Playoff spot, as would any current White Sox fan. However, this fourth playoff appearance in a row is now tainted in Bitter Brew. The Cubs get a second chance tomorrow, as the Rockies come to town, after a similar fate against the Dodgers. Jon Lester takes the mound for the Cubs seeking his 19th victory of the year. The Rockies will pack their bags and fly from L.A. to Chicago, symbolically passing over their Denver home, where both teams will start the second season by trying to forget about what happened today – tomorrow.

The Cubs will need to get more than the three hits they managed today to move forward, and chances are good that they will once again fall behind as soon as the first inning. I can only hope that they will respond as they have all year long, there will be no Wade Davis revenge, and they’ll “Fly the W” at least one more time. In the meantime, the Brewers get a day of rest and the satisfaction of taking that first positive step towards a winning their first World Series in history. They won it as the Milwaukee Braves 60 years ago with MVP Lew Burdette, along with Hall-Of-Famers Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, Red Schoendienst, and Eddie Mathews. Will the “Comeback Cubbies” eventually earn a second chance to stop the Brewers from winning it all?