Right
now, Cub fans can’t wait for “next year” to come. They think that in five short months
everything will break their way. Maybe,
maybe not.
This
week, their team has collected three awards: Kris Bryant, Rookie of the Year;
Joe Maddon, Manager of the Year; and Jake Arrieta, Cy Young. That’s only happened one time before in ML
history, and, guess what? It was the
1983 White Sox, who did the same with Ron Kittle, Tony LaRussa and LaMarr
Hoyt. Then next year rolled around, and
Kittle turned into little more than an occasional power threat and Hoyt a so-so
pitcher and victim of substance abuse.
LaRussa was still LaRussa, which is to say a gifted but by no means
perfect manager. It was always “us
against the world” with him, and that didn’t have a long shelf life in
Chicago.
Hoyt was traded after
one more season with the Sox; Kittle and LaRussa left midway through the 1986
season. So, dear Cub fans, you would do
well remember that awards are fleeting, and next year can come all too
quick.
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