The Cleveland Indians winning the World Series would be a letdown, hear me out. Now both teams seemingly came out of nowhere in the past couple of years and emerged as forces to be reckoned with, however, the buzz this year seems to be totally different for the two teams.
On the one hand, you have Cleveland, who up until June 19 was yearning for a championship, and it got one. In perhaps one of the most spectacular series in NBA history, the Cavaliers beat the Warriors and brought the championship title back to Cleveland. Now, the city seems to be rolling its excitement from the championship into the baseball season. Perhaps Cleveland is hyping its team so much because it sees its chances of a repeat in the NBA dwindling with the recent addition of Kevin Durant to the Warriors, or it’s simply just excited that they could get two championships in one fell swoop. Whatever the case, it knows good and well that it is at least a decade away from putting any hope into the Browns. The Indians had not won the pennant since 1997 and haven’t won the World Series since 1948. With the Cavs winning and bringing life to that program, Cleveland doesn’t really need to win the World Series anymore.
Then you have the Cinderella story that is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have had such a dry and disappointing past that I would’ve forgotten they played in MLB had they not faced the Cardinals a couple times a year. The Cubbies hadn’t won the pennant since 1945 and haven’t won a World Series since 1908. For reference, the last time the Cubs won the World Series, Lyons Hall was still 19 years from being built and the Titanic had not even made its maiden voyage yet. Fun statistics aside, the Cubs have stormed onto the baseball scene as a serious contender over the past couple of years, yearning for a chance to bring a title back to a place that hasn’t seen one in an eternity. Just giving the devil its due, however, being that I am from St. Louis that is an apt title for them. The Cubs fans have stayed by their team through thick and thin. It is only fitting that fans who have been faithful to their team so long see the fruits of the labor come to harvest (peep the seasonal reference).
I am by no means saying that I want the Cubs to win the World Series, nor will I ever say that in my lifetime. However, when the Indians win the World Series I can’t help but think that it will be a bit of a letdown; whether that be due to the Cubs’ Cinderella story striking midnight finally, or to the fact that Cleveland will still be too hungover from its NBA championship to truly appreciate what it means to win a World Series title.
Contact Edward Griesedieck at egriesed@nd.edu
