By Marty Gangler

I am having a hard time remembering a season like this one for the Cubs. Sure, they’ve never had these types of young guys before, but it’s still different beyond that. And while there is no doubt that the Cubs certainly have not had too many winning seasons moving into the second week of June, they’ve had a handful over the years. I think it has to be the fact that this roster is so fluid. From day to day the only thing you can bank on is Rizzo at first and Fowler in center. And even then you aren’t sure where Rizzo will bat in the order.
There’s a second baseman who didn’t start the year at second and could be the starting shortstop, and a third baseman who looks great but could easily be moved to the outfield for the rest of the year by next week – not to mention a shortstop who could be traded, and a handful of outfielders who could be out of baseball next week, or starting every game the rest of the season. It’s kind of madness.
And now with a handful of interleague games on the way, they could bring up someone completely different from the minors to play. I’ve mentioned a flawed and unfinished roster in the past, but maybe this is just what happens with a manager like Joe Maddon? I don’t even know. Not to mention the closer role is up for grabs now. Is there even a 6th, 7th or 8th inning guy now? Does Joe even know? Is this by design? I don’t know, but I do know that this isn’t even close to the end of what is going to happen. It’s really been an interesting season.

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Posted on June 7, 2015

By Marty Gangler

This week seemed like a test. And not one of those standardized tests that you can opt out of or are unfair for quite a few of the test takers. It was a test to see if this 2015 Cubs team is for real real. Sure, you can look at the standings and see that they are in the mix, but what do your eyes say when they play the division-leading Nationals and the World Series runners-up Royals? Can the Cubs truly hang? And the verdict has to be, yeah, I guess so, maybe. This truly is the Cubs’ Year of Maybe. There’s just no other way of answering questions like:

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Posted on June 2, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Reality is a bitch.
After a season-changing 6-1 week two weeks ago, the Cubs came back to reality last week by going 3-3 – and then they lost the first game of this week to the Nats on Monday. The trend is not our friend.
Sure, the Cubs are still in this mother, but it’s not gonna be simply a case of riding a sweet wave to the playoffs – even if you are looking at this season in Joe Maddon-Colored Glasses.

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Posted on May 25, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Well, that escalated quickly.
Just seven days ago, the Cubs had fallen back to .500 after a losing week. Then they ripped off six of seven and now it looks like this season is legit.
I mean, this doesn’t mean they are going to win anything or they won’t completely fall apart, because who the hell knows. But now they have the opportunity to actually blow it.
Like, there is something here to blow.

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Posted on May 17, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Okay, I know I vowed to just enjoy this ride but Cubs Anger is starting to rise to the surface. I truly believe that Joe Maddon is getting the most out of these guys, but some of these guys are just not good enough, and Theo and his Wonder Boys surely knew this going in. This team is still rebuilding more than it is competing.
And as much as a lot of fans might be cool with this, we here at The Cub Factor are not. I mean, there are going to be people hit by buses this year who will not be around for 2016 and beyond. Think of the Bus People!

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Posted on May 11, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Despite what many Back to the Future enthusiasts think is destiny, it may be a good time to pump the brakes on the 2015 Chicago Cubs.
Which got me thinking, if the Cubs were a car right now, what kind of car would it be? It would certainly be the first model of a new car company and you probably wouldn’t want to buy it right now. But it would look great in your driveway and that one neighbor from the other side of the street would come over and be super jealous of your car. And then he’ll ask you to pop the hood. And the engine looks great. Then he’ll ask you to start it up. And despite a ton of horsepower the timing wouldn’t be right and all the cylinders wouldn’t be firing at the same time. And it’s so new and has so few road-tested miles that oil doesn’t even get to all parts of the engine. So it just doesn’t run that great and sputters a lot. And then he’ll ask to take a ride, but there would be an issue with the steering as all the linkage just isn’t quite right. So you would have to fight to keep it in the correct lane. Not to mention the transmission – it’s a stick and getting it into the middle gears isn’t easy to do, and sometimes the car just sits in neutral and makes a lot of noise but doesn’t go anywhere. It’s got a sweet new stereo system but it’s probably too big, and it can only seat two people as the back doors don’t open and the back seats are just metal frames right now. And you could have rented a car from just over the border for a while to make everyone a little more comfortable in the short term but you were a little too proud of your car to do that.
So yeah, you can get what I’m talking about with this Cubs team and this great looking car. Oh, and your garage doesn’t have a roof and is under construction.

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Posted on May 5, 2015

By Marty Gangler

If you followed The Cub Factor at the beginning of the Ricketts and then Theo Era, you know that we were never real fans of the rebuild. A deep-pocket large-market team didn’t have to do business like they were the Twins or the Marlins – or even the Royals, whose 30-year plan is finally paying off. But that is all over now. And boy does Cub Nation not care about the recent past.
And I get it; deep down I’m a fan as well and trying not to get completely giddy about what the present and long-term future has in store for this team. It’s like I’ve crawled through a half-mile or however long that sewage pipe was in the Shawshank Redemption and have come out on the other side, basking in the rain as prospects pour down on my smiling Cub-fan face. But there seems to be a dingleberry hanging on me as I assess this team’s construction. It’s still not built to win now.

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Posted on April 27, 2015

By Marty Gangler

Meet Kris Bryant.

• He knows where Clark the Cub’s pants are.
• He can Woo better than Ronnie Woo-Woo.
• He can still see home plate from any rooftop.
• He can turn Budweiser into Old Style.

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Posted on April 20, 2015

By Marty Gangler

It’s amazing what one good decision can do. It can wipe out a lot of bad ones. Like a lot. And at this point in the Ricketts regime as keeper of the Cubs, Tommy Boy has made one correct decision and pretty much everything else has been horrendous: He hired Theo Epstein. And then Theo hired Joe Maddon.
If you remember, we here at the Cub Factor haven’t agreed with the punting of multiple seasons, but we are here now and the Cubs have a puncher’s chance this season and aren’t trying to punish your baseball sensibilities. With this being said, there is a real distinction between the baseball side and the business side.
Tell me this conversation hasn’t happened:

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Posted on April 13, 2015

By Steve Rhodes

What was your favorite part of the Cubs’ season-long celebration of Wrigley Field’s 100th birthday?
I know the Ricketts’ favorite part: The end, when they begin putting the final nail in the coffin of the only untraded long-term asset that kept this franchise not only viable, but in tall cotton at the bank for decades.
Here are some of mine:
* Theo’s 100th flipped player.
* The team’s 100th version of its renovation.
* The 100th rerun of the Undercover Boss episode where Todd Ricketts throws away a bunch of hot dogs – on camera – and then lies to his boss (actually, his employee) about it by pretending he sold them.

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Posted on September 22, 2014