2015: The Back To The Future Season

[Brownie]

*Second-divison finishes doesn't mean as much today, with only 5 teams per division.  This year's Cubs team will be second-division, technically, so it's misleading.  Still, since 1995 they finished 4th or 5th or 6th in a 5 team ('95-'97) or 6 team ('98-present) division 12 times since the '95 realignment, with only 1995 (3rd out of 5) and 2015 technically being second-division teams that finished over .500.  For purposes of this exercise, I've excluded these 2 teams from the count.[/b]

Couldn't second division be interpreted to mean below the median league-wide? Thus any team that finished 5-8th in the NL from 1901-1961, 6-10th from 1962-1968, 7-12th from 1969-1992, 8th-14th 1993-1997, 9th-16th 1998-2012, and 8th-15th 2013-2015

Using that test, you can see that the Cubs have visited the "First Division" 18 times since the advent of Divisional play.
First Division teams:
1969-1972, 1977**, 1984, 1989, 1991*, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2003-2004, 2007-2009***, 2015

Second division:
1973-1976****, 1978-1983, 1985-1988, 1990, 1994, 1996-1997, 1999-2000, 2002, 2005-2006, 2010-2014

*Believe it or not, Jim Essian guided the Cubs for a tie for sixth-best in the NL
** The 1977 Cubs tied for sixth best in the league
*** The 2009 Cubs were eighth best in the league.
**** The 1973 Cubs finished fifth, but were just 5 games out of first.

One other thing to ponder: A Cubs' division rival has won the World Series eight times out of 45 series held since divisional play.
1969-1993
AL East: 7 (70 Orioles, 77-78 Yankees, 83 Orioles, 84 Tigers, 92-93 Jays)
AL West 7 (72-74 A's, 85 Royals, 87 Twins, 89 A's, 91 Twins)
NL East: 6 (69 Mets, 71 Pirates, 79 Pirates, 80 Phils, 82 Cardinals, 86 Mets)
NL West 5 (75-76 Reds, 81 Dodgers, 88 Dodgers, 90 Reds)

1995-present
AL East: 8 (96 Yankees, 98-2000 Yankees, 04 Red Sox, 07 Red Sox, 09 Yankees, 13 Sox)
AL Central: 1 ('05 W---- S--)
AL West: 1 (02 Angels)
NL East: 4 (95 Braves, 97 Marlins, 03 Marlins, 08 Phils)
NL Central: 2 (06 Cards, 11 Cards)
NL West: 4 (01 D-backs, 10 Giants, 12 Giants, 14 Giants)

[Brownie]

The road team has won four of six SeligCard games.

2012: Orioles over Texas in Arlington; Cardinals over Braves in Atlanta
2013: Joe Maddon's Rays over Indians in Cleveland; (Pirates over Reds at PNC)
2014: Giants over Pirates in Pittsburgh; (Royals won in KC)

The 2012 Orioles lost to NY 3-2 in ALDS; 2012 Cardinals beat Washington in 5 in NLDS, and lost NLCS in 7. 2013 Rays lost in 4 to Boston and the 2013 Pirates lost in 5 to St. Louis. And both SeligCard winners won their respective pennants last year.

[SKO]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

[Canadouche]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

I feel like their youth should be more of a story. We all know that teams with this many rookies rarely do anything but suck, which really makes this a huge accomplishment. There haven't been a lot of articles that I've read in the past few months to bring that up.

[Quality Start Machine]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

[PenFoe]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

[Slaky]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

Sorry you're wrong. No one will ever get injured and clearly Arrieta will have better seasons than this one every year until he dies. Literally every player will improved and no one will regress.

Sorry but I just owned you.

[PenFoe]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %)  

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely.  

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590.  
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

Sorry you're wrong. No one will ever get injured and clearly Arrieta will have better seasons than this one every year until he dies. Literally every player will improved and no one will regress.

Sorry but I just owned you.

That's just like, your stupid opinion, man.  

[R-V]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

This is just something Fork says anytime someone says the Cubs are good. I nominate it as the new Run Sets Up the Play Action Pass Forkism.

[CBStew]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %)  

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely.  

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590.  
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

Sorry you're wrong. No one will ever get injured and clearly Arrieta will have better seasons than this one every year until he dies. Literally every player will improved and no one will regress.

Sorry but I just owned you.

That's just like, your stupid opinion, man.  

Please.  No one reproduce this posting and let this image recede into history.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %)  

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely.  

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590.  
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

Sorry you're wrong. No one will ever get injured and clearly Arrieta will have better seasons than this one every year until he dies. Literally every player will improved and no one will regress.

Sorry but I just owned you.

That's just like, your stupid opinion, man.  

Nimoy's eyebrows live longer and prosper.

[CBStew]

D'oh!

[Eli]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

At least I wasn't the one to say it, for once. Thanks, Pen!

[SKO]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years.

At least I wasn't the one to say it, for once. Thanks, Pen!

When the 138 win 2018 Cubs win the Galactic Series you dipshits will regret doubting ol' Forklift

[Quality Start Machine]

Now officially the second winningest Cubs team of my lifetime (and really I barely count 89 as I was a year old). Can't believe this team's very likely going to finish with 95-97 wins.

And they'll be better for the next 5 years than they are now.

I certainly don't mean to be a buzzkill, and I totally understand that they should keep improving, but there's really no way in hell that they finish each of the next 5 years with over 96+ wins (~.590 winning %) 

I obviously hope I'm wrong, but the odds that any team wins at a >.590 clip for 5 straight years, in this age of baseball, is really unlikely. 

Even the Yankees amazing run from '98-'05 had 2 years under .590. 
Granted, they still won the WS one of those years. but that's fucking exactly what I'm going to be.