OK, it has been a long time since I have graced the pages of Homerun Derby (a subject to be addressed in a subsequent post), but as the resident Pale Hose fan (and by default Cub hater) on this site, I thought it would be nice to take Richie’s post on 99 years of North Side futility a bit farther.
First, let me start off by saying I am really rooting for a Rockies World Series title. Think about it. The Chicago Cubs haven’t even sniffed the World Series since 1945 (2003 - 5 outs away, nonwithstanding). However, 3 of the last 4 expansion teams will have won a World Series (Arizona, Florida twice, and hopefully now the Rockies).
Let take a look at the list of expansion teams that came into existence after the Cubs last appeared in the Fall Classic and have won the World Series:
- The Marlins (expansion year 1993 & Series winner 1997, 2003 *ouch*)
- The Diamondbacks (exp 1998 & Series winner 2001)
- The Royals (exp 1969 & Series winner in 1985)
- The Angels (exp 1961 & Series winner in 2002)
- The Mets (exp 1962 & Series winner in 1969 (ouch) and 1986)
- The Blue Jays (exp 1977 & Series winner in 1992 and 1993)
Also 21 different teams (Yankees (16), Cardinals (5), Dodgers (5), A’s (4), Orioles (3), Tigers (3), Reds (3), Pirates (3), Twins (2), Mets (2), Marlins (2), Blue Jays (2), Diamondbacks, Royals, Red Sox, Phillies, Giants, Braves, Angels, Indians, and White Sox) have won the World Series since 1945, meaning over two-thirds of the 30 teams in baseball have won a World Series since the Cubs last played in one (12 of 30 have won multiple times). The Rockies could make that 22 of 30 teams. To add insult to injury, the Astros, Brewers and Padres, while not winning the title, have made it to the Series since then meaning that 25 of 30 teams have at least been to the world series since 1945.
That brings me to the other club of MLB, the losers. So who hasn’t been there since 1945? The unfortunate five are made up of the Texas Rangers (exp 1961), Seattle Mariners (exp 1977), Tampa Bay Rays (exp 1998), Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos (exp 1969), and the Cubs (founded 1876). Meaning the other 4 teams weren’t even in existence in 1945. Nice company for the Cubs. One might even argue that Cubs are in a league of their own given that they are the only non-expansion team on that list, adding at least 16 more years of futility to any of the other teams in the loser club.
Of course, there is one more upside to the Colorado Rockies winning the World Series, the HRD conversation that will follow on how the hell they did it with Clint Barmes down in the minors?
Entries (RSS)
October 17th, 2007 at 9:26 am
For those not in the know … Clint Barmes is HRD’s favorite whipping boy.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Richie,
You may need an “about Clint Barmes” link at the top, so we don’t need to explain it every four months.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
You should worry more about your own team and not the revel in the failures of another.
October 17th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Typical…
just havin’ a little fun at my buddy richie’s expense. Really just finishing a thought he started anyway. You have to admit, regardless of the white sox vs cubs family fued side show, the statistics are staggering. The cubs have more in common with the devil rays, nationals, rangers and mariners then with many of the old time teams like the red sox, giants, reds, a’s, dodgers, tigers etc. Is it bad luck and curses, or poor organizational identity/strategy? The fact the 83% of teams in the majors have played in the world series and 70% have won one since the cubs last played in one is significant.
I think I need to take a look at some of the more recent stats, say the last 20 years, and see what kind of story it tells.
October 17th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
It is not something to be ignored.
The fact that more than 83% of Major League baseball teams have won a pennant since the Cubs hoisted on in 1945 (and that three of them have been around for 14 years or less) is just f-ing staggering.
And depressing.
October 24th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Every time I vist HRD, I find a new reason to love it more than I already did.
October 24th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Hey Paul …
Thanks for reading!!
March 28th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
[...] of course, there’s all the fans of every other team in the world ribbing Cub fans. Of course, even non-sports fans feel free to take a shot once in a while. And for as bad as some of [...]