The Chicago Cubs are the 2016 MLB Champions. This Is Not a Joke!

The Chicago Cubs are 2016 MLB Champions. This is not a joke!!! The second of November will always be a memorable night. Chicago has had a familiar history of losing. They have had chances to end their 107-year title drought, most recently, 2003, 2008, and 2015, but choked when it mattered most. The Steve Bartman incident in the 2003 NLCS haunted these fans for years.

But now, things have dramatically changed. The team hired Theo Epstein, architect of the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 world series championship, in October 2011, and a few years later, hired Joe Maddon away from the Tampa Bay Rays, after he lead them to a world series berth and several playoff appearances. Epstein then acquired/drafted/signed in free agency the following players, who would be on the World Series roster: Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, and Aroldis Chapman. Most of these players are in their twenties, and others have been in MLB for a while.

Now that the World Series is over, teams from around the league will make moves in order to challenge the Cubs in October. Chicago and its passionate fan base should celebrate the victory. After 108 years, there is no more talk of curses. MLB got a major boost, in that this was the second consecutive season in which the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants were not in the running for a World Series championship.

Next season, though, these teams will be back and hungrier for a title than ever. Yet, they will have to defy the odds. The Cubbies are favored to repeat, with the Dodgers, Nationals, and Red Sox right alongside. Still, it is a great thing for baseball that the Cubs are World Series champions for the first time in over a hundred years.