TB Rays: The Poor Chicago Cubs

by Hardcore Legend on Oct 14, 2008 11:40 PM EDT

If 100 years wasn't bad enough,

Since the Chicago Cubs last played in the World Series, these expansion franchises appeared in the Fall Classic:

New York Mets - 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000
Houston Colt .45s (Astros) - 2005
San Diego Padres - 1984, 1998
Colorado Rockies - 2007
Florida Marlins - 1997, 2003
Arizona Diamondbacks - 2001
Seattle Pilots (Milwaukee Brewers) - 1982
Minnesota Twins (franchise broke from Senators) - 1987, 1991
Los Angeles Angels - 2002

Toronto Blue Jays - 1992, 1993

Tampa Bay Rays - 2008 (1 Game Away)

Montreal Expos (Washington Nationals) - Never
Washington Senators (Texas Rangers) - Never
Seattle Mariners - Never

So hold out hope in the fact that the Rangers, Nationals, and Mariners won't be going anytime soon.

Teams who have won the World Series since the Cubs last won:

Pittsburgh Pirates
Philadelphia Athletics
Boston Red Sox
Boston Braves
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
New York Giants
New York Yankees
Washington Senators
St. Louis Cardinals
Detroit Tigers
Brooklyn Dodgers
Milwaukee Braves
Los Angeles Dodgers
Baltimore Orioles
New York Mets
Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
Toronto Blue Jays
Atlanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Arizona Diamondbacks
Anaheim Angels
Chicago White Sox

Take solace in knowing that the St. Louis Browns, Montreal Expos, Kansas City Athletics, Seattle Pilots, Houston Colt .45s namesakes don't exist anymore so they can't best you.

Pray that the Giants don't win one in San Fransisco, the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals don't reach that mountain top.

And root as hard as you can against the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays.

39 teams have existed in 1 form or another since the Cubs last won a World Series.

All but 14 of those teams have done what the Cubs have not.

It's not even really fair anymore. No fan deserves that much suffering.

1 recs | Comment 21 comments

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What about this

Since the Cubs last appeared in a World Series the Cardinals have been in it 9 times. And the Cardinals have WON 5 World Series championships since the Cubs have last appeared in a World Series in 1945 in which they lost by the way.

We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there.

by KYCards on Oct 15, 2008 12:56 AM EDT 0 recs

Something cool to look at: World Series Titles won by each team.

New York Yankees AL 26 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943,
1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962,
1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000

St. Louis Cardinals NL 10 1926, 1931, 1934 ’42, 1944, 1946, 1964, 1967, 1982, 2006

Boston Red Sox AL 7 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007

New York Giants NL 5 1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954

Philadelphia Athletics AL 5 1910, 1911, 1913, 1929, 1930

Pittsburgh Pirates NL 5 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, 1979

Los Angeles Dodgers NL 5 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988

Cincinnati Reds NL 5 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976, 1990

Detroit Tigers AL 4 1935, 1945, 1968, 1984

Oakland Athletics AL 4 1972, 1973, 1974, 1989

Baltimore Orioles AL 3 1966, 1970, 1983

Chicago White Sox AL 3 1906, 1917, 2005

Chicago Cubs NL 2 1907, 1908

Cleveland Indians AL 2 1920 ’48

Florida Marlins NL 2 1997, 2003

Minnesota Twins AL 2 1987, 1991

New York Mets NL 2 1969, 1986

Toronto Blue Jays AL 2 1992, 1993

Anaheim Angels AL 1 2002

Arizona Diamondbacks NL 1 2001

Atlanta Braves NL 1 1995

Boston Braves NL 1 1914

Brooklyn Dodgers NL 1 1955

Milwaukee Braves NL 1 1957

Philadelphia Phillies NL 1 1980

Kansas City Royals AL 1 1985

Washington Senators AL 1 1924

We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there.

by KYCards on Oct 15, 2008 1:06 AM EDT 0 recs

Athletics

Shouldn’t the Philly A’s and the Oakland A’s be combined, since they are the same team, just in a different city?

On that similar note, can we really say (like H_L does above) that the Kansas City Athletics namesake doesn’t exist anymore? They move and they don’t exist anymore?

Even better though, let’s say that TLR and Dunc (who played for the K.C. A’s) embody the Kansas City A’s spirit, and therefore, the K.C. A’s have bested the Scrubs.

Just a few thoughts from the son of a rabid A’s fan (I’d probably be disowned if I didn’t say something ;) )

Cubs are Scrubs

by Arambar on Oct 15, 2008 7:43 AM EDT up 0 recs

one would have to add the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers together

also. Also the Twins and old Senators, or the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves. Its a funny subject, because through the years I’ve watched some teams embrace their past history in different cities, while other teams don’t. Then, new ownership will come in and change how a team handles its view of the its history. Personally, I tend to view them as one team, but others don’t and I can understand why. Since I’m new to the blog I hope this is helpful to the discussion. :)

As for the Cubs…. well, enough said.

"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
-Dizzy Dean

by thegashousegang on Oct 15, 2008 8:24 AM EDT up 0 recs

The Baltimore Orioles

are really the St. Louis Browns.

by spants on Oct 15, 2008 1:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don’t know if it’s still this way,

but when I was growing up in the ‘70s, the AL and NL each had their own method of franchise record keeping.

To the NL, the franchise itself was the entity that counted; for example, the Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers counted as a single franchise, as did the N.Y./S.F. Giants or the Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. Their team records – including pennants and World Series titles – all fell under the team’s name, as opposed to its city.

To the American League, on the other hand, the city trumped the franchise. So the entire history of the Athletics franchise dating back to 1901 was not reflected in the Oakland Athletics’ team records. As far as the AL was concerned, the Oakland A’s were a separate entity from the Philadelphia or Kansas City A’s. Perhaps this was because of the fact that AL franchises which relocated tended to rename themselves as well: the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles (1954), the original Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins (1961), the Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers, the NEW Washington Senators/Texas Rangers.

Nevertheless, more recently I’ve seen the A’s listed as one entity, most notably as the team with the 3rd most World Championships (right behind the Cardinals) with nine.

"The Detroit Tigers' biggest obstacle to a championship will be keeping a straight face. The Tigers in three. (OK, make it four.)"
- Bob Nightengale's World Series prediction in USA Today, Oct. 20, 2006

by StLouisSwifties on Oct 16, 2008 12:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

I forgot that the leagues used to do this differently...

thanks for reminding me. :) Now it seems to be up to the individual teams… which changes with new ownership.

Wish they would make this uniform, for how do you count the World Championships for a team like the A’s? Philadelphia and Oakland separately? Or Philadelphia and Oakland together as you point out you’ve seen. Either they are the same team or they aren’t. Of course, I think the Orioles would just as soon forget their Browns past……

"It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
-Dizzy Dean

by thegashousegang on Oct 16, 2008 1:18 PM EDT up 0 recs

If the Rangers

find a way to get some pitching, they might have a chance. That is one damn productive offense and one weak division (with the exception of the Angels this year).

On with the (good) youth movement!

by aet15 on Oct 15, 2008 1:09 AM EDT 0 recs

Cubs Fan Rooting for Rays

I’d like to see the Rays win the World Series because of all the terrible seasons they had leading up to this season. I certainly don’t want to see the Red Sox win their third World Series title since 2004.

The most shameful stretch for the Cubs was the 20-season stretch from 1947-1966 in which they finished in the bottom half of the National League every season.

The most shameful stretch for any major league team was the Phillies from 1918-1948 having only one winning season and finishing at least 11 games under .500 for 30 of those 31 seasons.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 15, 2008 9:05 AM EDT 0 recs

re: phillies' stretch

yikes. it was the phillies who fairly recently became the first team to 10000 losses, right? i guess that’s how they did it…

by mattybobo on Oct 15, 2008 11:07 AM EDT up 0 recs

Head to Head for 1918-1948 Phillies

Here are the lousy totals. 2941 losses were recorded by the Phillies franchise during those 31 seasons.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Oct 15, 2008 11:39 AM EDT up 0 recs

ouch

but they went .458 against the braves! the only team they broke .400 against… blech.

by mattybobo on Oct 15, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up 0 recs

One benefit of the Cubs being out of it

Lots of bars in Wrigleyville with WIDE OPEN seating, big-screen HD TVs, and really cheap drink deals, all showing baseball playoff games not featuring the Cubs.

It’s like a ghost town over there on weekday evenings…I love it.

by lightbulb on Oct 15, 2008 9:22 AM EDT 0 recs

Phillies have their own curse to exorcise

Actually, it’s a curse over the entire sports scene in Philly. Not many people talk about it, but it’s called The Curse of William Penn.

Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me......with nothin'.

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

by Tackle Box on Oct 15, 2008 1:21 PM EDT 0 recs

what's your quote from?

if I were to guess, I’d say cool hand luke

go rays

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Oct 16, 2008 12:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

and you would be correct.

Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me......with nothin'.

Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.

by Tackle Box on Oct 16, 2008 12:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

nice

one of my faves

go rays

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Oct 16, 2008 2:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

Cubs remarkable pattern of failure seems to have created a culture of losing

I included these quotes from The Hardball Times in another fanpost:

“With repeated and unprecedented choke jobs, you have to wonder what the
heck is going on. From a perfectly sabermetric point of view, the last two
postseasons can be shrugged off as a quirk of sample size. To hell with the
perfectly sabermetric point of view. Again, it’s the process, not the
result, that sets off the alarm bells….”

“Repeated loss can make a bunch expect defeat. When the wheels start coming off, the result can be a ghastly sight….”

Cubs Culture of Losing

The Hardball Times article is sympathetic toward the Cubs and full of interesting and entertaining insights. Highly recommended for Cardinal fans and Cub fans both.

by CardsWin on Oct 15, 2008 5:09 PM EDT 0 recs

this

the link?

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Oct 16, 2008 11:44 AM EDT up 0 recs

the Rays are worse than cursed

They sucked.

“Since 1998, the Cubs fan has watched his team play in October four times; the Rays fan has watched his lose 90 games 10 times.”

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Oct 16, 2008 11:22 AM EDT 0 recs