The dust has settled. A week removed from my first trip to the Baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville, I am already looking forward to next years meetings in DC. There were no dull moments to be had at the Winter Wonderland, otherwise known as the Opryland Hotel. The energy in the air was palpable. Great baseball minds coming together to inform through workshops, honor those in the "family" and make moves to improve their teams. Media broadcasted live, making sure all bases were covered. The trade show showcased the best of the best, everything from apparel to equipment to educational programs to mascot services. Baseball 24/7, my version of heaven.
Lots of moves went down. However, like most years there was a clear cut winner, a team that
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On October 13th, The Cubs won a postseason series for the first time ever at Wrigley Field when they punched their ticket to the NLCS by beating the St. Louis Cardinals. However, in a fiery matchup against the New York Mets, the Cubs fell flat. The Mets were in control, their offense pummeled the Cubs pitching, scoring a total of 21 runs in 4 games.
It wasn 't the time for the Cubs. The Mets caught fire, the Cubs were missing something. The Mets got a taste of their own medicine when they lost in the WS to the Kansas City Royals. Over in Chicago, long-suffering Cubs fans looked to next season.
Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein was brought to the Cubs in 2011 with one mission in sight, to bring a WS to a franchise that has not won a WS in 107 years. Not a tall order for a man that did similar with a Red Sox team that won a WS after an 86-year drought. Epstein went to work, with a focus on the farm system.
A couple years ago, while sitting in a popular LA restaurant, I overheard a Cubs executive speaking about the condition of the Cubs. During a conversation with another male diner, the executive spoke of Epstein. He spoke of why Theo was brought to the Cubs and the trust they had in him. The executive conveyed that it would take some time, however, it was clear he had all the faith in the world that Theo would bring the Cubs to the promised