THE DEATH OF JOSE FERNANDEZ The baseball world was shaken one early Sunday morning. As the pennant and playoff races were heating up and Major League Baseball was in a good place, a devastating blow was felt as 24-year-old all-star pitcher Jose Fernandez was killed in a boating accident off Miami Beach, along with two other friends. It came as a shock as Fernandez not only played an integral role for the Marlins, but the entire league. He was a fierce competitor who had a decade of brilliant pitching, if not more, to offer the game. He had an infinite amount of potential, and because of his September 24 death, many came to realize that baseball is a distraction from painful realities such as this. One can discuss the cause of his death, recklessness and looking up to athletes. The point is baseball lost one of its best at a young age, an event that left an eerie feeling the rest of the season. Only the Marlins and Braves cancelled their game that day. All other games were played as scheduled, but the game took a back seat. Many players wrote his uniform number on their caps, cleats and the dugout. The following day, the Marlins hosted the Mets and baseball again took a back seat. It was a touching and very heartbreaking moment to see all of his teammates, wearing number 16, embracing each other and their opposition. Fans were left in tears. GO CUBS GO! Now that wasn’t such a long wait. It only took 108 years. For the past two seasons, thanks to team President Theo Epstein and past draft selections, the Cubs finally looked primed to win a World Series for the first time since 1908, with a mix of young talent and a big payroll that could acquire the likes of Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and prospects that could help them trade for one of the game’s best closer, Aroldis Chapman. 2015 was a huge year for the lovable losers. They won 97 games, not bad for a team that won 73 the year before. They reached the NLCS for the first time since 2003. (Don’t mention Bartman!) Although they were swept by the Mets, many fans chalked it up to an inexperienced group that just needed time and tweaking. That’s exactly what they did. Then, they lost one of their best hitters Kyle Schwarber for the most of this season due to injury, and Heyward, who they signed in the off-season for a huge sum of cash, largely underperformed. None of that mattered. With the exception of a slow couple of weeks, the team, led by manager Joe Maddon, a great starting staff and a balanced lineup that features MVP Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez, thrived all year, winning 103 games. No matter how great a team is during the regular season, the playoffs are always a crapshoot. They played many competitive games, including a tough series with the Dodgers. However, the edged them in six at Wrigley, which was a special moment for Cubbies fans, especially older folks that got to share it with their families. But the curse wasn’t over. They needed to tackle the final monster and win the fall classic. This year’s American League representative, the Cleveland Indians, was suffering their own ‘curse.’ The franchise hasn’t won a World Series since 1948, so either way, agony and ecstasy would be on the menu. It looked like the Cubs were just too young again and their hex would continue. The Indians took a 3-1 series lead thanks to their deep rotation and bullpen. The Cubs’ hitting just looked overmatched. But to their credit, they took it one game at a time, a cliché that is true. They won game 5 at home at Wrigley, giving them at least a shot at winning the last two on the road. The offense woke up in a big way in Cleveland, forcing a sport fan’s best friend, a game 7. It started out great for Chicago, gaining a 5-1 lead after the top of the fifth. Then the Indians woke up and in a manic ending that featured errors and questionable bullpen decisions, the Indians tied it in the bottom of the eighth with a three-run homer by Rajai Davis. The city of Cleveland was delirious and it looked like heartbreak city for the Cubbies again. However, in extra innings after a rain delay, the bats came alive for Chicago, thanks to Schwarber who returned from injury and led off with a single. Zobrist, a World Series hero in the past, delivered the go ahead run and though Cleveland threatened to tie it again, Cubs fans got what they had waited for their entire lives. A ground ball to their third baseman, and just like that, 1908 became 2016 -- the beauty of baseball. Fans that congregated outside Wrigley just to stare at the scoreboard and be together went delirious. Millions showed up for the celebratory parade. Hey, it doesn’t happen every day. Photo: Vittles and Bits QNS.com 12 WINTER 2016
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