The Rise and Fall of the Chicago Cubs

GET THE ATHLETIC FOR ONLY $1 A MONTH: theathletic.com...
.
In this video, Dawson takes a look at the rise and fall of the Chicago Cubs. Following their 2016 World Series win, the Cubs looked like they were destined for more great things to come, but as we all know 2016 would be their peak. Included in this video is also some of the reasons the Cubs failed, and what might happen with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kyle Schwarber's upcoming free agency.
.
Random Video: • MLB's New Expanded Pla...
.
Follow Me:
Instagram: / dawsonwrightmlb
Twitter: / dawsonwrightmlb
Snapchat: @its_ddub19
.
Background Music Provided by Lakey Inspired: / @lakeyinspired
Background Music Provided by Enyer Gonzalez: / @musicbeat657
Background Music Provided by LukKremBo: / @lukrembo
Outro Song By TrillPhill: • Trillphill - Are We Th...
.
#MLB #MajorLeagueBaseball #ad
.
See y'all in the next one

[@DawsonWright]

Out of Baez, Bryant, Rizzo, and Schwarber, who are the Cubs going to keep?

[@bzbaseballandbasketball]

Rizzo. Bryant is another Kyle Seager with better years before a decline. Schwarber is a DFA candidate.

[@person44107]

Riz and Baez

[@JordanDaYeh]

I think they should keep Rizzo. He just seems like a Cub for life. He's so loved in Chicago I can't see him on any other team. As for the other 3, I feel like they keep Baez.

[@potawatomimko6108]

I would say Rizzo for sure.

[@person44107]

As much as I don't want bryzzo to be Torn apart, I think that it will happen aventially

[@davidmartinez52420]

Cubs fan here. The Cubs were THE biggest underachievers in baseball since 2016. Inconsistent hitting, inconsistent pitching, defense fell off a little. It's been tough watching my team struggle knowing they're way better than what they've shown. Beyond frustrating.

[@bartbaker-fuchser7456]

cubs only won in 16 because mlb gave it to them, screwing agon calling him out at home plate on that wild pitch and dodgers would of been up 3-1 in that nlcs but mlb couldn't have that so they made the umpires reverse the call, that call completely changed the momentum in that series. Honestly should be lucky cubs even got that world series

[@davidmartinez52420]

@@bartbaker-fuchser7456 Assuming that's true that the league forced the umps to change that call(which is a stretch but I'll play along), nothing like that happened for the rest of that series. That overturned call happened in the 2nd inning anyway, so they still had plenty of time to make up for that. If the Dodgers really were the superior team, they would've found a way to win that series regardless. I noticed that you didn't mention the Cubs coming back from being down 3-1 to the Indians. How did the league help them on that? What overturned plays can you point to for that?

[@jasonmilly3320]

Sorry nope. That title still belongs to the Dodgers until they win a World Series in a legit year. They been going at for even longer than the Cubs. Dodgers first LCS during this run was in 2014. Still haven't won in a legit year. Cubs have. Astros even have more pressure to win one without cheating. They got good right around when the Cubs did and have only won once because of cheating...sounds like they've underachieved. They were gonna dominate, now they're in danger of losing free agents. Yankees have underachieved more too. Have they even reached the World Series since then, let alone win one?

[@davidmartinez52420]

@@jasonmilly3320 The Dodgers are fair, but at least they're still giving themselves chances to succeed by making consistent deep and(most importantly) competitive runs. The Cubs are one of the most talented teams in baseball and should be constantly up the Dodgers or any other team's ass, but they've played some really underwhelming baseball at the worst times since 2016. I'm a die hard Cubs fan with a tattoo to prove it, so I say all that with a heavy heart and hoping to be proven wrong.

[@rcruz262]

@@bartbaker-fuchser7456 There is no reason why MLB would want the Cubs to win. It would be more of a draw if they were still 100 plus years without winning a WS!

[@thechild7355]

Oh well. Most importantly, they ended the 108 year drought. No matter what, this Cubs core was a success

[@sfmasterupfront3553]

Cubs: "Ah shit here we go again"

[@jgyujbcf]

@@sfmasterupfront3553 lmaooooooo

[@sfmasterupfront3553]

@@jgyujbcf hi

[@chrislewis5069]

You'd want to most important instead of moat importantly. You could say more importantly.

[@jgyujbcf]

@@sfmasterupfront3553 hi

[@UnderdawgMLB]

Funny how some of our worst contracts going into this year (Darvish and Heyward) turned out to be our best players in 2020. Pretty depressing

[@dfgccgggff7963]

Underdawg MLB wasn't dervish a cy young contender

[@jordanchambers7178]

At least Heyward is finally loving up to his contract?

[@coreyrowe2598]

@@dfgccgggff7963 Sadly he got traded and for a less than impressive return.

[@corvaliis]

@@jordanchambers7178 His offensive numbers still are not that great. They are good but nowhere near what he's getting payed.

[@ricogomez4020]

@@dfgccgggff7963 Not his 1st year with the Cubs when they needed him.

[@luscorpio3679]

I'm French. I went to Chicago a few months after that World Series win. Didn't know much about baseball, but I bought a Cubs "world series champion" shirt because I knew about the broken curse. I remember a teacher saying that I better put this shirt in a frame because it was special and it might be a long time until the Cubs win a World Series again. He was right

[@MustacheDLuffy]

It’s not guaranteee but it’s interesting since it’s more an American culture Vs French culture thing

[@luscorpio3679]

@@MustacheDLuffy Actually it was one of the American teachers who said that

[@MustacheDLuffy]

@@luscorpio3679 I’d say to give it time, this team still has its players and can still be competitive real quickly

[@luscorpio3679]

@@MustacheDLuffy Oh I still wear the shirt regularly, but at this point I think the Cubs are holding themselves back

[@MustacheDLuffy]

@@luscorpio3679 it’s the players underachieving but they’re still very talented

[@truthteller4442]

As a Cubs fan, believe me, I'm still trying to process what the hell happened. Was a literal flash in the pan. We should've been great with that core for at least another few years. The great years basically only were 2015, 2016, and 2017. 2018 was okay, and by 2019 it was over. Ultimately, pitching and defense win championships, and the Cubs former front office were horrible at developing pitching. Once our key great pitchers started aging and declining, that was it. There was no affordable option to replace them in the pipeline. We only won the World Series because we had so many rookie hitting mashers come up at the same time, it was like a brute-force blitz attack. The league couldn't properly prepare in just a few months....especially AL teams who aren't spending most of their time studying NL players. They really had nothing to go off of in terms of the rookies' major league experience. Can't properly and fully prepare a great scouting report for a guy that's only been up in the majors for 2-3 months. Looking back, the whole thing was just a castle made of sand, and it wasn't built to last. P.S. Maddon was used as Epstein's scapegoat for an inept roster construction.

[@Murphmonster69]

Cards fan from illinois here. Was rooting for the drought to be broken and was happy to see them be so good

[@bigpasty1582]

Honestly I think most of us Cubs fans will cherish 2016 forever and now again it's just a matter of when the next one will come. Either way, Go Cubs Go!!!

[@Cbear3450]

Not long after the Cubs won the World Series, I told my friend my biggest fear is the 2016 Cubs would become the 1985 Bears. There are numerous reasons why things have never been the same since 2016. I put the biggest share of the blame on the young players underachieving. Over the past couple of seasons, the Cubs have been terrible with runners in scoring position. I look at the Dodgers with envy because that is what I thought the Cubs were going to be. Top young stars and regular trips to the Fall Classic. That being said, I still treasure the fun, the excitement, the highs, the lows and everything else of the 2016 season.

[@famguy218]

Primarily it was the inability to develop pitching along with an offense that was just not diversified enough. The lack of pitching required trading the farm system away which ended up not changing the roster too much after 2017. Also some of the free agents they got such as Darvish, Chatwood and Kimbrel took too long to get going and their contracts handcuffed the team. Hopefully Jed hoyer learned from Theo’s mistakes and doesn’t repeat them this time around

[@zachschwanke3178]

As a cubs fan this hurts

[@person44107]

Yep same

[@bunt2462]

I’m happy they beat the curse but they could’ve been a dynasty

[@boo-boo3319]

Makes me hurt😢

[@baronvg]

Man, you GOT a WS! I’m a dodgers fan, and I’ll gladly give back all those best regular season records and winning streaks for ONE WS! Lol

[@davidmartinez52420]

@@baronvg At least the Dodgers won one in most American's lifetime. Going into the 2016 World Series, there was only one person that I know of that was alive the last time the Cubs won, and she was born only 2 months or so before that win.

[@MrAWalker123]

Tom Ricketts looks like Ted Cruz's slow little brother

[@corkyromano191]

Man this one stings 😞.. that core had SO MUCH potential, they were all so young when they won it all and the Cubs had plenty of years left of control in all of them, it seemed like it would be a dynasty run. Good news is, they're still relatively young, bad news is, it'll be extremely hard to keep that core.

[@austinmurphy1970]

yeah with some of these players destined to leave, future success hinges on the progression of guys like Ian Happ, David Bote, and Nico Hoernier. Plus the Cubs have room to add one large contract to the team now that Lester's deal is wrapping up.

[@guyincognito320]

Chicago baseball is cursed. I'm a Sox fan. Neither team will ever sustain for a decade. If it didn't happen with that Cubs team and a strong front office it's never gonna happen. Be happy you got the one like we did, many years ago now.

[@ricogomez4020]

@@guyincognito320 How can winning the WS be a curse. The players turned into it's all about me attitude.

[@Gooltag]

1:07 As a Cub fan Im disappointed in that Gatorade shower

[@gooday7653]

LMAOOOOO FACTS

[@MorgenBaird_888]

yeah pretty disappointing

[@VivekBabbar]

If someone actually believes that the Cubs failed to make a good team is totally ignorant. They did win the world series which most of the fans think will never ever happen. Despite being a young team they went all the way and still have a shot at going deep in the postseason if they can make a few good trades and a bit more consistency.

[@DawsonWright]

Yeah at the end of the day they still got a title, and thats what will be remembered. Just a shame how the years to follow turned out, I remeber after '16 a lot of people believed they were destined to be a dynasty.

[@-slurmdaddy-8147]

They were the youngest team when they won it in 16. They fell off quick

[@-slurmdaddy-8147]

They need to make moves

[@ricogomez4020]

@@-slurmdaddy-8147 Just like the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Bulls didn't and that was because Jordan was a tool with his teammates. Jordan made sure they stayed focused on winning instead of making commercials.

[@andreamay437]

Another K. Bryant that won an MVP award

[@GetRidOfCivilAssetForfeiture]

For all those saying the Cubs underperformed, the real underperformance was the front office and their lack of pitcher scouting. Only 7 of 124 pitchers drafted made it to the Majors with any team shows they didn’t draft and developed in a balanced manner.

[@guyincognito320]

That's probably close to average and within luck variance.

[@goldenapplereviews9135]

Why did you have to make this video? It’s just pain.

[@chaimweingarten7219]

To explain to non Cub fans

[@thewhiteasian9703]

it's alright for me but that's because i'm a brewer fan

[@ChasHawk3]

clicks...

[@Duke_Scanlan]

@@thewhiteasian9703 at least Dawson won't have to make a video why the Brewers always suck.

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Be quiet your Cubs won the World Series. There are some fanbases who are still waiting for their team’s first World Series appearance (Seattle). Calm down it was good while it lasted. Except it wasn’t good, and it didn’t last... Cubs suck

[@Darth_Vader.731]

As a Cubs fan, you express the changes that needed to be made appropriately instead of bashing us, so I can confirm.

[@mxchump]

I remember when people were dubbing this team a dynasty before they had even won a single world series, funny how that turns out.

[@matthewbartlett9105]

Shoulda been but baseball be baseball

[@jasonmilly3320]

Same with the Astros. People dubbed them up, even more perhaps. They've won the same amount but by cheating. Now they're in danger of losing key free agents. At least the Cubs did it clean. The Yankees of the 90s were the last real dynasty. It's just too rare. People call the Giants of the early 2010s one, but they didn't even make the playoffs the years inbetween winning.

[@MorgenBaird_888]

As a cubs fan what they have done in the past couple of years is making me sad but at least they won the world series.

[@DawsonWright]

Facts

[@DwayneIsKing]

As a Cardinals fan, I've always kind of HATED the Cubs. But I'm not gonna lie, the Cubs winning the Series was great to see for the city of Chi town as a whole. Those fans really deserved it

[@MVPFLF]

Cubs just haven't done a good job in term of evolving over the past 3 years. Their glitz and glamour of 2015-2016 roster faded fast. Injuries, inconsistencies, and lack of smart moves have doomed this team. Even still, they won that championship so even if they end up going into a rebuild, it was worth it for what they did in 2016.

[@DivePlane13]

They remind me of my STL Blues

[@CheeseMasterSports]

2015: Mets beat the Cubs Mets management: *We’re gonna pretend we didn’t see that*

[@patrickmcdaniel2048]

Life long Cubs fan here, and to your point about the Cubs not always "putting their best foot forward," I was just thinking a couple of days ago about getting into arguments back in school because the Cubs, as an organization, obviously weren't trying to put a competitive team on the field some years. Trying to explain that back then just felt like a lost cause. When you're in school you get people who are huge band wagon fans. Their favorite teams in the 90s were the Bulls, the Yankees, the Cowboys... whoever the best teams are the band wagoners will swear they've been a fan their whole lives. Kinda like people saying they've been Golden State fans forever because they watched a couple episodes of Hangin With Mr. Cooper when they were kids. I would try to explain that the Cubs have a huge fan base across the country and that people would still go to games whether they won or lost, so there really wasn't a huge incentive to dump a bunch of money on the team's payroll because tickets and merchandise were going to sell no matter what, especially during the really lean years when the Tribune Co. owned the club. They'd ask, "Why even have a team if your goal isn't to win the World Series?" Because the goal of teams isn't to win the World Series, it's to make money.

[@poi2587]

As a cubs fan I’m happy we accomplished our goal and even though we underperformed in the last couple years I’m excited for the next decade of cubs baseball

[@Videogamelover58]

@@Wguz1 yea

[@johnlarson5255]

The next decade where you planning on keeping the guys we just traded

[@poi2587]

@@johnlarson5255 😑

[@Ohhffjtt]

I remember when this happened and I told my dad the Cubs were gonna come back in the series and win and I was right

[@tjanders]

The Cubs management flaws began became evident with the ridiculous $184M Heyward deal even before the WS win. Fact is, Cubs were lucky to have won in 2016. The Giants blew it to Cubs in 2016 playoffs and Madden came close to blowing game 7 with inserting Lester over Hendricks and later overusing Chapman. After 2016 the spirit of 2015-16 was steadily eroding. They lost their hunger and drive. It was sad to watch.

[@Aviator43]

The only reason the Cubs won the division in 2020 was that they started 13-3. They played sub .500 ball the rest of the season. I easily could've told you they were gonna lose to the Marlins

[@davidmartinez52420]

They made it easy for the rest of the Central(besides Pittsburgh) to overtake them in the division. Not the Cubs fault that the other teams couldn't get it done. As far as losing to Miami......I can't say that I saw it happening, but I was surprised that it did either.

[@titush6533]

@@davidmartinez52420 tbf up until now fish team was undefeated in the post-season. But we werent playing great baseball either

[@MustacheDLuffy]

The Cubs could’ve made the wildcard even without a 13-3 start, also it was against the pirates and the royals, the cubs would’ve won those games later in the season anyway so it wouldn’t of mattered

[@jasonmilly3320]

Yeah they did win those games. But you say it like it doesn't mean anything...you know what happens when you start so good, that means there could be less "must win" September pressure games for you. Not everyone is the 2019 Nationals and can rebound from that start. Starting hot matters a lot.

[@dylanpearl3593]

U should make a video on how the rays became the team they are with such a low payroll

[@nikogardeakos4534]

As a true fan of the cubs born and raised in chicago this team should do one of two things try to make one last push and go all in or just revbuild

[@xLA625]

Epstein should go work for Seattle. Would like to see what he can do there, just because.

[@DawsonWright]

Or return to Boston 👀

[@crowtservo]

Agreed. Seattle or Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Some place where they’ve only had little to no success so far this century and are a small market team. Yeah, Epstein’s stuff works in the big markets of Boston and Chicago, but let’s see what he could do with a restricted budget because I doubt he could win a World Series with those three teams. He’s overrated.

[@markokuhar670]

Or Cleveland

[@noah_that_bills_fan1613]

@@DawsonWright yes please

[@DivePlane13]

@@crowtservo definitely Seattle because they haven't been to a world series

[@MarkRosa]

3:35 and again at 10:14 - The Cubs did not finish last five times in a row. They had losing records for five years in a row, but only finished last in 2013 and 2014. In 2010 the Pirates finished behind them, and the next two years the truly-awful Astros finished behind them.

[@DawsonWright]

Yeah my bad. When I looked back at the standings graphics for whatever reason the Astros didn't show up. Good catch

[@MarkRosa]

@@DawsonWright Just because they got shipped to the other league doesn't mean all those losses in the NL didn't happen :)

[@DawsonWright]

@@MarkRosa yup

[@brianbaumbach5858]

Honestly, just blow it all up. Ik a lot of guys had tough years, but you could get SO much return for KB, Rizz, Baez, Contrereas, Schwarbs, Hendo, Kimbrel, & others. It would hurt like hell, but the cubs have shown how anti-clutch (and general bad-ness) they’ve been since winning it. I’d rather have two or three more years of pain to have another 6 year run, than stay average for the next ten years

[@sheckwes9845]

Kinda called the first half

[@TV-fv1ih]

Odd? No mention of Ben Zobrist! World Series MVP! Only one of seven men to win back to back WS with different teams! Especially since he played for Joe Madden at Tampa Bay!

[@seanisty]

Ironic title,we need the update me boy💓

[@kingpig8577]

As a cubs fan it feels so declined yet at least nowadays they can make the postseason but this team has seriously declined. It is honestly very sad but nothing compared to what cubs fans back then dealt with even before I was born.

[@tonyc8752]

Playoffs in 2015, 16, 17, 18 and 20. Three division titles, 3 straight NLCS appearances, a world title. How much better were they supposed to do? So many people think it was a disappointment

[@kevinryan8592]

It’s because so many bandwagoners hopped on too late and never got to see a World Series win. Also White Sox haters love to laugh at the cubs. I don’t know that I’ve seen anyone make fun of the series they won in 05 vs the astros because they won a World Series. It’s ridiculous what Sox fans will say.

[@MikeNapoli1989]

@@kevinryan8592cubs live rent free in their head.

[@youtubegains7796]

You can only see Cubs win once in your lifetime. 108 years. We are a lucky generation. Let's be thankful. People have lived and died without witnessing this.

[@Videogamelover58]

Agree. Looks like were going to a new rebuild

[@joeschauer2732]

Its painful being a cubs fan

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Could be worse, could be the Pirates.

[@jasonmilly3320]

Not me. I'm only 27 and started watching in 2001. Since then in my time of watching the Cubs have a top 10 record in MLB (4th in NL) with a handful of division titles and LCS appearances plus a World Series. Not my grandfathers Cubs. Glad I picked the Cubs. Over half the teams have had less success in my time, so I picked wisely!

[@oo-hk6zd]

You got that right. Heres to are kids kids kids getting to watch another world series.

[@kevinryan8592]

@@jasonmilly3320 we both got a preview of what that was like in 03 when we blew the nlcs with the Gonzalez ball through the legs. The Kerry wood homer in game 7 was as loud as wrigley had ever been up to that point.

[@ethanknizhnik9743]

If only they were the Dodgers and could simultaneously be the best team in the league and have an amazing farm system

[@oldfrend]

biggest difference between the dodgers and cubs is the dodgers don't have a bunch of immature egomaniacs on their roster, just a bunch of pros who believe in the system and are willing to sacrifice in order to win. closest thing to a meathead that we have is kershaw, and even he wasn't griping about dave taking him out today after only 80 pitches. a lot of our roster is a bunch of super-utility guys willing and able to play anywhere and everywhere to help the team. contrast that with the cubs; i don't see baez giving up short to make room for someone who can hit that day's opposing pitcher better, or bryant willing to give up anything. even bellinger was happy to give up 1st base and learn CF so that we could find a place to play muncy. the cubs have the talent. i believe they're neck and neck with the dodgers in that regard, but their roster inflexibility leaves them vulnerable to matchup exploitations that the dodgers can manage around. in short, the game is evolving beyond the cubs organizational philosophy and in a short time, positional specialists will be frowned upon vs guys like bellinger who can play elite defense at multiple positions.

[@patricklee4316]

Cubs peaked early. Dodgers haven’t peaked yet

[@michaelconnor5378]

@@patricklee4316 what nobody talks about with the 2016 team is all the top notch talent that was brought in to support the young nucleus of Bryant, Rizzo, Russell, Baez, and Schwarber. The Cubs picked up Fowler, Zobrist, Montero, Lackey, and Chapman. The Cubs won by osmosis of talent. It was almost impossible to lose. Then Fowler and Chapman left right away. Montero and Russell had their meltdowns and it was sayanara. Lackey retired, and Zobrist also. That is what hasn’t been said here. The team eroded the three years after 2016. As a diehard Pirate fan from Pittsburgh, that had to watch Arrieta carve our hearts out in fifteen as our guy sparred with the Gatorade jug, I could only wish that we could get to the playoffs on a twenty million budget. You Cubs can waste twenty million a year on a no show like Heyward.

[@patricklee4316]

@@michaelconnor5378 I don’t think the Cubs will be handing out contracts like Heyward for a long time.

[@Trillphill]

The Rise and Fall of would be such a good series

[@AirtimeThrills]

They did tail off too soon for that core they built, but at least they hit the pinnacle

[@hifijohn]

Just wait til 2120 we'll show you.

[@stevenjeon8600]

AYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Dawson's back. Missed your content my man.

[@jessedelreal6643]

2 best teams in last 6 years, astros in AL, Dodgers in NL

[@xaviorbufkin7250]

As a cards fan, congrats to Chicago for actually winning one. However y’all are screwed and will not be even competitive to win another for about 5 years at minimum and I am extremely happy for that.

[@patricklee4316]

It’s gonna get ugly on the north side. We will all be longing for tribune company to rebuy the team. The cardinals will be facing the white Sox in the World Series in the next 5 years.

[@alwillk]

The cards can’t hit. Let’s trade Arozarena for Liberatore. Awful Trade.

[@xaviorbufkin7250]

@@alwillk yeah I will say that it looks like a dumb move right now. However liberatore was their best pitching prospect and they have a really good farm. If liberatore can take his stuff and apply it to the majors he will be good for us or another team if we use him as a trade piece. And yes we can hit for small ball. We showed that in the postseason. We just need more power

[@MustacheDLuffy]

I wouldn’t say that, your team isn’t that competitive either

[@xaviorbufkin7250]

@@MustacheDLuffy so making the postseason while playing 51 games in 44 days is not competitive?

[@davee164]

One year wonders..

[@jasonmilly3320]

They were 7 wins from 3 straight World Series. Still won the division this year too. Been the best in the division (consistently) for 6 seasons. A much better example of a one year wonder is the 2005 White Sox. They sucked before and after, somehow magically dominated and won the World Series that one season, go figure.

[@metabolicraged]

I'm an Indians fan so the 2016 WS is a painful memory for me, but even with the obvious decline of the Cubs since 2016 the peak had to have been worth in for Cubs fans. I feel like they're going to be a more consistently contending big market team in the future like LAD or NYY after the win. The explosion in popularity the team has had since the win puts them in a pretty enviable situation.

[@johnlarson5255]

All I got to say is the tree that we made for Jose quinntana was the beginning of the fall for me. Especially when Justin Verlander wanted to only be traded to Chicago before being talked into Houston. And he cost the same amount of money that they eventually sign Yu Darvish for the following year.

[@tiancleveland9129]

We just underperform

[@bryanw91178]

As a Cardinal fan, I was dreading those years of 2015-16 because I was hearing what the Cubs were stock piling in the minors the years leading up and would soon be coming to the big leagues and our ownership of the Central was over and was going to be over for a while. With that being said, this group were the ones to finally break the curse and win it for the Cubs, so can you really consider them a failure??

[@DawsonWright]

I wouldn't say they failed. At the end of the day they broke the streak, and that is what everyone will remeber. Its just a shame that in the years to follow the team performed how they did.

[@deltuhh7656]

NOW THIS IS ON MY RECCOMMENDED ?!

[@longlakeshore]

After his Cubbies blew a game Lou Piniella said "Some days I just want to shoot myself!"

[@austingibson4996]

One word: Underachieving

[@madc2004]

Oh man we had no idea how fast things would change

[@Yinzermakesvids]

You should do the Rise and fall of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Because this franchise was rich with history tarnished by greed.

[@alwillk]

Rise? Lol they made the playoffs two years In A row.

[@Yinzermakesvids]

@@alwillk no 3 years. But that's not what I'm talking about.

[@joshuapatrick682]

3:58 with the right team any field manager can produce results….

[@fiesta061000]

The CHI Cubs made it to three straight NLCSs from 2015-2017 and won the World Series in 2016 ⁉💺⚾🏆The Cubs lost all their Playoff games (0-4) they played in 2018 and 2020..📉A lot of the Cubs players from the 2016 title team were gone after 2019..🤔

[@michaelreynosa195]

You know what really sucks they ended our cub era by trading so many good players even Joe maddon I don't think Chicago will ever have another world series and the greatest players on that team I'm a true Cubs fan to the heart with all our greatest players gone it's not worth watching baseball anymore.. it's so sad to see Rizzo Baez schwarber Bryant and the rest that got traded... Yes it hurts I know all of the Cub fans around the world are hurt... And yes there are more confidence in this world than any sports fan of all kinds.. this is how much we love our Cubs.. to all the conference out there in the world keep your head up and cheer to Chicago bears maybe we will win a super bowl and kick ass the Packers still suck and so do the Brewers....

[@shrihithtalapaneni9227]

Still waiting for Urinating Tree's Cubs song video for this year.

[@davidmartinez52420]

I love his videos, but hate that he's a Purates fan that bashes the Cubs unlike any other team in baseball. I guess I'll take comfort in how shitty his Pirates are...lol

[@danielvelasco4003]

@@davidmartinez52420 he's just eternally assblasted that Kyle Schwarber single handedly ended the pirates relevancy in 2015

[@davidmartinez52420]

@@danielvelasco4003 Don't forget Arrieta pitching a complete game shut out

[@danielvelasco4003]

@@davidmartinez52420 very true, arrieta was unstoppable then

[@VivekBabbar]

Lol urinatingtree is just a butthurt pirates fan who still can't get over the fact that his team is run by a retarded front office and that they were thrashed by the young cubs team in the 2015 season.

The Cubs should trade Kris Bryant right now for whatever they can get, they should also trade Jason Heyward. They should keep Rizzo and Baez and should invest long term in one of the free agent shortstops in 2022( Lindor, Seager, Story or Correa)

[@CheeseMasterSports]

No I think they’re gonna go all in for 2020. Baez is their key franchise player, as he is an undeniable talent with insatiable desire. Bryant, other than his 2016 season, has not returned to the dizzying heights he was seemingly destined for. He will be gone

[@daviddamascus9657]

Do a Braves video analyzing their rebuild.

[@seenkim1128]

Who’s here after they traded Rizzo and Bryant?

[@ChiCubsRule1]

You’re right about 1 thing, Joe Maddon isnt the entire reason the Cubs went to shit so quickly. He’s not the one that signed Jason Heyward or John Lackey.

[@boscopappas234]

The way people talk about the 2016 Cubs reminds of how people used to talk about the 1990s Atlanta Braves. Everyone talks about what they should have accomplished rather than what they did accomplish. The 1995 Braves beat a stacked Indians team to win the World Series. And the Cubs broke a 100+ year championship drought. Should they both have won more? Sure, but it’s hard enough to win once. Celebrate what they DID accomplish rather than what you’d wish they’d done.

[@jasonmilly3320]

I feel the same way. You build to win a World Series, anything more than that is a bonus. The Cubs, and Braves, were successful. Braves being more successful though obviously, having stayed a real contender for a longer period of time.

[@SPG8989]

No you build to win multiple. As a braves fan people talk about what they didnt accomplish because while yes they did amazing things, they also totaly choked several years in the playoffs. When you have teams winning back to back championships in sports, or multiple in a few year period that is what everyone wants. Im also a Bama alum. If the team doesn't win a natty the year is a failure. Ppl can say it's too much to expect that, but when you ha e guys playing a damn game for 100s of millions of dollars and coaches getting paid absurd amounts......it's really not that crazy to expect a dynasty​@@jasonmilly3320

[@Alice-mb3xf]

You probably won’t believe me, but I am related to Tom Ricketts, the owner of the Chicago Cubs. It’s because his wife is my aunts sister. They visit them, I’ve never met him

[@DMalltheway]

I’m still scratching my head why they still hold onto Kris Bryant when he will be gone in free agency. They also should’ve shipped Arrieta out that winter of 2016 to restock the farm since he was getting way over paid and was clearly not in the Cubs future plans.

[@Devin-qe8sz]

dude i was at the game the giants lost that sent the cubs ahead i thought they would actually pull it off since it was an even year but gg to the 2016 cubs they earned it

[@rsswilliams2866]

just got this from the algorithm after Baez to Mets, Rizzo to Yanks, and Bryant to Giants.

[@joebondo2422]

As a lifelong Cubs fan, I will say the Cubs caught “lightning in a bottle” back in 2016. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take it, but there were some players who had career years and even the last 3 months of the season. Kris Bryant was great his first 2 years but since then he can’t scratch an 80 RBI season and honestly he’s been a below average player since then to present day. Jake Arietta did something “paranormal” for almost 2 years then went right back to the pitcher he always was. Addison Russell had his only good season that year as well as a phenomenal post season. Montero, Ross, Schwarber, all contributed in big ways down the stretch and into the post season. Pretty much the entire roster did with the exception of Heyward. As for Joe Maddon, I think about him now & then. I have mixed emotions. The man knows baseball inside & out. I’ve never seen anybody handle post game press conferences better than Maddon. The answers he gives just roll off his tongue without any hesitation and they all make sense. With that said, even though the Cubs won it all in 2016, game 6 & 7 of the World Series that year might’ve been the 2 worst games I’ve ever seen managed in my entire life of watching baseball. Maddon trusted no other bullpen pitcher other than Chapman, forgetting all the other bullpen pitchers who helped get him there. Bringing in Chapman in game 6 with that big lead was a crime that Cub fans nearly paid dearly for in game 7. In game 7 Maddon said he had it all mapped out, Hendriks, Lester & Chapman. The only problem is instead of managing the actual game as it unfolded, he followed out his plan regardless of what was happening in the game. Kyle Hendriks could’ve very well pitched 7 or 8 innings that game, who knows. As much as I respect Joe Maddon for helping the Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years and managing some brilliant games during the regular season under his tenure, it seems the only thing I think of first when I remember Joe Maddon is how he unintentionally almost blew game 6 & 7 of that World Series. I still call it unforgivable even though the Cubs pulled it out in-spite of his egregious moves.

[@conbitches]

I always found it disturbing that Maddon admitted to “mapping out” his pitchers for game 7 of the World Series as if it were a broadway play. It was that type of thinking that got him fired. He got in his ego. He thought he was changing baseball. What’s ironic is that his greatest strength leading up to that point was his ability to not let the moment get too big for him and how he could pass that mentality to his players. The whole ‘Try Not to Suck’ motto to make light of the fact that they were trying to reverse a 108 year drought was so genius. But unfortunately he lost sight of that. I think the criticism he got for his mis-management in the World Series really ate at his pride but the fact that he ultimately came out on top made him even more stubborn. Still love Joe though no matter what!

[@mike15280]

Hey Dawson I hope you’re going to do a video about Kevin Cash Pulled Blake Snell Early In game six Look forward to seeing it thank you

[@DawsonWright]

Aight boys who is winning the World Series?

[@bzbaseballandbasketball]

Braves. It’s been there’s since 2017.

[@picher1042]

I think the dodgers are gonna come back and beat the braves, and then beat the Astros in the World Series, and yes I think the astros are gonna beat the rays

[@person44107]

Rays

[@sizzledan31]

Tampa Bay

[@barackobama5009]

Rays

[@TqxicNuke]

Surely do the Detroit Tigers from 2011 to now downfall plz I have been asking for this vid idea for 5 different KZbin's like you but none have done the vid ideas been tho they all like the comment.

[@coreyrowe2598]

It's amazing how they had Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello together for a decent amount of time and still couldn't break through.

[@kevinryan8592]

@@coreyrowe2598 The tigers didn’t have a bullpen, which really matters when you get to the playoffs. They did have a great starting staff and Miggy, but the bullpen did them in unfortunately.

[@bobbydyne]

Their young players peaked too early. No more drive or desire after winning the WS

[@coreyrowe2598]

The likes of Bryant, Russell, and Schwarber rose quickly in 2015-2016 and fell off even quicker in the years that have followed.

[@dennisccook]

Nice work

[@MGAF688]

The Cubs should have won 2 or 3 WS titles. But they regressed horribly.

[@mcmagiccracker]

Josh Caray (grandson) is the play-by-play guy for the Rocket City Trash Pandas. I'm ready for their first game!

[@antoinebracy5718]

No HOMEGROWN pitching development says it all...

[@NicCageCDXX]

I have no way to confirm it, but I've suspected for a while that ownership pulled the rug out from under the front office regarding future payroll flexibility, especially once the Wrigley renovations started going way over budget. Another issue was that guys like Gleyber Torres got underrated, as I suspect prospect evaluators started getting burned out on the number of top prospects coming through the Cubs system, as Torres skyrocketed in prospect rankings once he was out of the system that had been so jam-packed with guys like Bryant, Schwarber, Happ, Jimenez, Dylan Cease, and so on; and this lessened their ability to get maximum returns on those prospects. While the offense has talented players, they also fell into the trap of having nearly everyone be a mediocre contact/high power/high OBP/high strikeout profile player, which while good when hitting well, is also the sort of roster that you can easily see fall into a collective slump. Doesn't help that CF and 2B haven't been held down consistently for more than 2 of the last 4 years, either. The biggest issue has been the absolute inability to develop in-house pitching. The only homegrown arm who looked decent in 2020 was Alzolay, beyond him it was guys having a rough go of it, or ones brought in from outside the organization, and there's only so many times you can get a Jake Arrieta or even just an Alec Mills from another team. can't forget the baseball decline and revelations of being an absolute scumbag that were the Addison Russell saga, either

[@lulbaby_1626]

"while the cubs is going to be competitive in 2021" u sure abt that 😂😂

[@digitalutopia1]

I'm just really amused at you calling this "the fall". When, before 2015, the Cubs had only made the postseason 6 times in my lifetime. I was born back in 1977, but the real kicker here, is that would be the same number for anyone born after 1945. I've *seen* what a fall is - making a playoff appearance in 4 out of 5 years, is not a fall.

[@DawsonWright]

True, but sadly it does seem they are headed that way. I just titled it this way since it fits into the series, and after they were eliminated by the Marlins it was a good time to make it.

[@jasonmilly3320]

To be fair, it kinda is the fall for this core's championship window, which actually probably started after 2018 because positive changes weren't addressed. But I definitely see what you're saying. To me I think it's pretty cool. I'm 27 and started watching in 2001. I didn't get my grandfathers Cubs. Since then, they have a top 10 record, 4th in the NL, with a handful of division titles and LCS appearances and a World Series. So to see people react to the current day Cubs, it's just cool to me. Like yeah, people expect even better now, not "just" another division title I guess.

[@digitalutopia1]

@@jasonmilly3320 Sure, I get it- and really, people aren't acting differently than the ownership said they wanted them to. But even from that viewpoint, "the fall" is a bit sketchy. Even in 2016, the Cubs weren't a team that would crush postseason caliber teams- often scraping out wins due to amazing pitching and great defense, to compensate for better than average hitting. They would crush bad and average teams, and took full advantage of great teams' five-man rotation, but the NLCS is the only time they dominated Joe Buck's boyfriend Kershaw, and that was mostly due to Kershaw's postseason struggles. What I'm saying is that 2016, while not a fluke, wasn't the mark of a dynasty. Just a great team realizing their potential. Now, maybe if they kept Arrietta, and Fowler, and Chapman, they might've had a chance to at least make another WS appearance - but, they'd *also* have to get some better bats.

[@katherinemadden5856]

But MLB’s social media still thinks they’re the best team in the league 😂

[@matthewbartlett9105]

Cough padres

[@brianwidner9832]

Aroldis Chapman.....that was the difference....and how its not talked about is almost criminal, Cubs maybe don't make it out of NLDS without him, for sure not NLCS, and most definitely don't beat the Indians.....the dude for a long time was such a different level than any other closer in baseball, and when they lost him, and didn't basically have a 5-6 out cheat code, the other kinks showed up.

[@truthteller4442]

Without Chapman, I highly doubt they win the World Series. Guy was lights-out back then. He was the key.

[@shoukatsukai]

They replaced Chapman with Wade Davis. Too bad it didn't pan out longer.

[@cardinalsfan9610]

Do a vid on their division rival, the Cardinals. St. Louis was once a major destination for players, but it hasn't been the same for free agents since Albert Pujols left after the 2011 offseason.

[@firstnamelastname-up6ni]

So regarding the pitching... many of us were insisting they should've sold high on Schwarber to get pitching... Cubs fans were so blinded by his power they said he was untouchable. That still bites them in the ass to this day.

[@bartplays3392]

Nice video Dawson as a Sox fan I love this!

[@davidmartinez52420]

Hey now......be careful that your White Sox don't have the same thing happen and we're watching a Dawson video talking about their collapse in a few years...lol

[@davidmartinez52420]

For real though......I'm glad your Sox are finally good. It's rare that both the Cubs and Sox are good at the same time. If the Cubs can at least stay competitive for the next few years, Chicago baseball will be fun to watch. Good luck to your White Sox.

[@bartplays3392]

@@davidmartinez52420 that is true

[@SleepDrifter69]

As a white sox fan, I am obligated to share this video with all of my cubs fan friends.

[@austinmurphy1970]

Good video, but would have been much better if extended to 15-20 minutes. The shorter video length didn't give you enough time to discuss the failures of prospects like Addison Russell and Almora Jr. You also weren't able to mention the power shift that took place in 2015 when Chicago beat St. Louis in the NLDS, then proceeded to sign Jason Heyward and John Lackey away from them. All in all, still a solid video but it missed lots of potential.

[@yomo7]

Might want to update this lmao

[@lebronthel]

Quintana trade fucked us up

[@robertlasher9246]

Honestly when you peak as world champions. Is that really bad?

[@adamaizenberg756]

This video aged well…

[@dafritts2012]

Good video

[@jars_3945]

Wow you watched this 13 min video in 1 minute

[@davidmartinez52420]

@@jars_3945 He probably hates the Cubs and was just going off the title

[@logalogalog]

More content, please!

[@ryanmack7781]

As a Phillies fan this timeline is nothing new

[@Firelord-lp3mi]

I was wondering when this video would come out.

[@sovietdoge3458]

Watching this video after the 2021 trade deadline.. poor cub fans

[@loganb.313]

Pain.

[@cooperk4436]

This hurt