{"id":938696,"date":"2026-07-16T11:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938696\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T11:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:14:19","slug":"column-chicago-cubs-reunion-a-reminder-saga-is-still-in-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/938696\/","title":{"rendered":"Column: Chicago Cubs reunion a reminder saga is still in progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s OK to admit you suffer from Chicago Reunion Fatigue, otherwise known as CRF.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nonthreatening ailment brought on by the proliferation of reunions of our legacy sports teams over the last 10 months, from the 40-year anniversary of the Bears\u2019 1985 Super Bowl team to the Blackhawks\u2019 Banner Years ceremony to Derrick Rose\u2019s jersey retirement by the Bulls to the recent return of the 1983 division champion White Sox.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an audience for nostalgia days for obvious reasons: The team gets to sell tickets and promote the brand, and adults get another opportunity to tell their kids or grandkids how much better it was back in the day, forgetting their parents told them the same thing.<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s reunion of the 2016 Cubs is no different, though it feels to some like we\u2019re still going through a continuation of a long-running saga that began with the original rebuild in 2012, with former President Theo Epstein\u2019s handpicked successor, Jed Hoyer, trying to fulfill the promise of \u201csustained success.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of like a \u201cYellowstone\u201d spin-off without Kevin Costner. People will watch, though the feeling is different with a new cast of characters.<\/p>\n

Reminders of still-active members of the 2016 Cubs now employed elsewhere \u2014 Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras<\/a>, Javier B\u00e1ez, Aroldis Chapman \u2014 make fans realize it wasn\u2019t all that long ago they were daydreaming of a dynasty.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t happen, of course, and there are too many theories to go into in a newspaper story. And the old chestnut that sold many an Obvious Shirt<\/a> \u2014 \u201cJust one before I die\u201d \u2014 also turned out to be a false narrative.<\/p>\n

Cubs fans promised to be satisfied with one championship in their lifetimes, bringing up the names of dead relatives who never got to see one. Then they discovered it\u2019s OK to desperately want second helpings and blamed ownership for not delivering another.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all forgiven this week as the Cubs roll out the red carpet for the drought busters of 2016, who ended a 108-year wait in epic fashion. <\/a><\/p>\n

The 10-year anniversary celebration got off to an early start in April with Anthony Rizzo\u2019s and David Ross\u2019 \u201cThe Lovable Reunion\u201d<\/a> podcast, which features players and personnel from the 2016 season telling stories and sharing laughs, like fraternity brothers remembering things they barely remembered the next day, then maybe embellishing a little.<\/p>\n

No reunion of any kind can thrive without some embellishment, and Rizzo and Ross are perfectly suited for the job. Both were beloved Cubs players who eventually were cast out of the organization and replaced by new models: the legendary Frank Schwindel<\/a> at first base for Rizzo and Craig Counsell in the manager\u2019s seat for Ross.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re taking their podcast game to the big time Thursday with a live show at the Chicago Theatre featuring Joe Maddon, Jake Arrieta, Dexter Fowler, Kyle Hendricks, Miguel Montero and others. Boog Sciambi will host the proceedings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the Chicago version of a Friar\u2019s Club roast, though everyone and anyone is liable to get roasted, except perhaps for Hendricks. Maddon probably will be asked again why he took out Hendricks in Game 7 of the World Series, since Cubs fans just can\u2019t seem to let that one go, even though the Cubs reportedly won Game 7.<\/p>\n

Other topics might include the Onesies Trip<\/a>, Matt Szczur\u2019s magical bat, Jason Heyward\u2019s rain-delay speech or Arrieta pitching nude in the desert<\/a> in a photo shoot for \u201cThe Body Issue\u201d in ESPN The Magazine. There\u2019s a lot of ground to cover, not the least of which is why Epstein sent down Tommy La Stella to Triple-A Iowa with a .295 average, causing the player known as \u201c3 a.m.\u201d \u2014 \u201cHe could wake up at 3 a.m. and hit,\u201d Maddon opined<\/a> \u2014 to consider retirement.<\/p>\n

The live podcast serves as the unofficial kickoff to reunion weekend at Wrigley Field, which culminates in the Champions Gate dedication ceremony<\/a> Saturday morning at Gallagher Way before the Cubs-Minnesota Twins game.<\/p>\n

\"AA rendering of a daytime view across Clark Street of the new Champions Gate at the entrance of Gallagher Way outside Wrigley Field. (Chicago Cubs)<\/p>\n

No players or coaches from the 2016 team remain with the Cubs, and the media relations people are gone as well. Only a few writers from that year still cover the team, and only one wrote a serialized account of the 2016 season as it happened that\u2019s still available in paperback on Amazon<\/a> under the title \u201cThe Weight Lifted: How the Cubs ended the longest drought in sports history.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only main characters left are Chairman Tom Ricketts, business operations president Crane Kenney and Hoyer, the architect of the latest reboot, which began in 2021 and consists of one playoff appearance.<\/p>\n

But leftovers from the success of that team \u2014 which really includes the 2015 season that started it all \u2014 have been enjoyed by many. Wrigley Field and its surroundings have evolved into a River North type of entertainment district that has benefited the Cubs, Ricketts, Kenney and many local business owners.<\/p>\n

Whatever your opinion of the Cubs brass, it can\u2019t be disputed that they know how to make money.<\/p>\n

But neither Ricketts nor Kenney is as front and center as Hoyer, who gets most of the heat when the Cubs are in a downward spiral and only some of the credit when they\u2019re winning. A wild first half this year \u2014 with the Cubs going 15 games over .500, falling back to .500 and ending 12 games over at the break \u2014 has seen Hoyer go from genius to bum and back again.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s not nearly as popular with fans as Epstein, who brought gravitas to the presidency from his days as Boston Red Sox general manager and usually received the benefit of the doubt on his big decisions, including the acquisition of Chapman. Hoyer is more well-liked by the media because of his self-effacing personality, acknowledging his mistakes more freely.<\/p>\n

Hoyer also has proved to be more cold-blooded than Epstein, willing to trade the biggest stars of the 2016 champions \u2014 Kris Bryant, Rizzo and B\u00e1ez \u2014 in one memorable deadline sell-off in 2021, or to non-tender Schwarber after a subpar year in the pandemic-shortened, 60-game 2020 season, or to knock on Ross\u2019 door to tell his manager he was done after a playoff chase fizzled out late in 2023. Hoyer likes to play the long game, even at the risk of alienating beloved members of the Cubs family.<\/p>\n

\"CubsCubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, left, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer embrace during a news conference formally announcing Crow-Armstong’s contract extension on March, 27, 2026. (Josh Boland\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

His greatest accomplishment to date has been acquiring prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong from the New York Mets in the B\u00e1ez deal, though even Hoyer couldn\u2019t have guessed PCA would become the face of the organization by 2025 in his second full season.<\/p>\n

What Hoyer hasn\u2019t done as Cubs president is win a division title or advance to a National League Championship Series, much less a World Series. Until that happens, he\u2019ll remain a suspect in some fans\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n

A rash of pitching injuries has made this his most challenging season as top dog, and the upcoming trade deadline can either make or break the Cubs\u2019 chances of a long October run, putting the onus on Hoyer to deliver.<\/p>\n

When he acquired Chapman, Epstein famously said, \u201cIf not now, when?\u201d With a talented lineup in dire need of pitching, Hoyer could be asking the same question, especially because a 2027 season might not even happen.<\/p>\n

Hoyer can remind angst-ridden fans that 2016 wasn\u2019t a cakewalk to October. The Cubs went 2-9 in their final 11 games of the first half. The \u201cTry Not to Suck\u201d shirts suddenly looked ironic, and Rizzo said fans were \u201cfreaking\u201d over the slump, thinking it was the same old Cubs again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t they?\u201d he said, before issuing some advice to the panic-stricken fans:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not easy, but that\u2019s what being a fan is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

That might be the greatest lesson from 2016. It\u2019s never easy, and sometimes it\u2019s so dark you think they\u2019ll never wake up. The best teams find ways to overcome obstacles in the end. There\u2019s no formula, but it takes a group of tough-minded individuals to do it, and Maddon\u2019s team was ready for its close-up.<\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re tired of looking back, suspend your reunion fatigue for a few days and enjoy reliving a season like no other.<\/p>\n

It could happen again, believe it or not.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s OK to admit you suffer from Chicago Reunion Fatigue, otherwise known as CRF. It\u2019s a nonthreatening ailment…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":938697,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[107668,50270,960,1271,378005,83460,5386,1818,104765,4619,21891,50275,98615,8321,1277,378006,1273,378007],"class_list":["post-938696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-2016-world-series","tag-anthony-rizzo","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-cubs-10-year-reunion","tag-david-ross","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-jake-arrieta","tag-jason-heyward","tag-jed-hoyer","tag-joe-maddon","tag-kyle-hendricks","tag-kyle-schwarber","tag-pete-crow-armstrong","tag-theo-epstein","tag-tom-ricketts","tag-tommy-la-stella"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116929369811600714","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=938696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/938696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/938697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=938696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=938696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=938696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}