I don't care about the Brewers and Cardinals. The expectation of this team in 2017 for MANY was World Series. When the Dodgers whipped their ass sideways and stupid, the expectation for MANY in 2018 was to get back to the playoffs and make a run, which they failed miserably to do. Going into this year? Remember when PECOTA had them in 3rd place with 82 wins and every Cubs meatball went on social media and sports radio and said PECOTA is bullshit and sucks? And the team used it as a rallying cry? Amazingly, the Cubs right now have 82 wins and are in third place.

Disappointment levels are sourced from expectation levels. If you went into this season with such high expectations, you were misled. This team wasn't World Series or bust. It was "hey we spent a shit ton of money the past few years on useless free agents, made some good trades, made some bad trades, and now we can't spend any more to fix the obvious gaps." So, where they finished shouldn't have been a disappointment to you at the level of disappointment from the previous two seasons.

Beardown is a lot of fingers into the scotch.

If you go by Baseball Reference, here's their most similar player through their age

Lester- Ron Guidry (not a HoF)

Rizzo - Travis Hafner (not a HoF)

Baez - Junior Spivey (not a HoF)

Darvish - Josh Johnson (not a HoF)

The Boston closer guy that they got - Kenley Jansen (this is the only "could be")

Contreres - Aledmys Díaz (not a HoF)

Hendricks - Alex Wood (not a HoF)

Right. A LONG way to go...

The victims are the American People and the Republic itself.

What was your expectation when the Cubs were in 1st place August 22nd? Were you figuring then "3rd place with 82 wins"?

I don't like white rappers.

I was much more disappointed in '84 and '03.

This year's collapse was jaw dropping and head shakingly incredible. It just didn't have the gut punch that came with the other collapses. Starting in May, this team was just lost.

I don't like white rappers.

WOW! When you put it that way, the Cubs really are a shit team. FIRE THEO!

I don't like white rappers.

Probably the only one alive (though Murph has mentioned this on occasion) who remembers this, the 1967 Sox lost 5 straight games to end the season and hand the AL title to Boston.

And if I recall, the painful part was that the Sox lost those 5 games to the awful KC Athletics and the perepetual loser Washington Senators.

Sox win those 5, the history of the world would have been different.

Team couldn't hit, right?

Probably the only one alive (though Murph has mentioned this on occasion) who remembers this, the 1967 Sox lost 5 straight games to end the season and hand the AL title to Boston.

And if I recall, the painful part was that the Sox lost those 5 games to the awful KC Athletics and the perepetual loser Washington Senators.

Sox win those 5, the history of the world would have been different.

I'll stand by my statement.

In a NL where 5 teams make the playoffs, this is the most disappointing season in Chicago sports history. Especially considering it was a shitty division. 3rd highest payroll in MLB? They don't get in? Can't get that last Wild Card spot?

Horrible season. Worst ever in Chicago sports history.

I don't like white rappers.

Gotta think 2004 Cubs rank somewhere up the list, at least in recent history. The heartbreak of 2003 only created so much legitimate hope for better prospects in 2004. On top of that you add Derrek Lee and Greg Maddux, then trade for Nomar mid-season. The middle of the lineup was insane: Lee, Ramirez, Sosa, Alou. Wood and Prior are in their primes, Zombrano is poised to break out (and he did) but then injuries and whatever else mean you don't even make the playoffs that year. Makes 2003 hurt that much more.

I wasn't around for 2004. What exactly happened that caused them to miss the playoffs?

I wasn't around for 2004. What exactly happened that caused them to miss the playoffs?

I don't like white rappers.