Dodgers Eliminated, Who Should You Root For?

Oct 10, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) looks on in the dugout during the first inning in game two of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are so fun, man.

I’ve never actively been on the “fire Mattingly” bandwagon. If there was a better coaching candidate out there, I would absolutely be cool with the Dodgers parting ways with Mattingly, but right now there isn’t.

Last year there was. In the offseason, Joe Maddon was available. It was quite the logical fit. Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman was the GM in Tampa for much of Maddon’s tenure there. Maddon also has a home in Long Beach, so him coming to coach in LA seemed like a solid fit. Except the new front office decided to stick with Mattingly. Had they gone the other way and brought in Maddon, I would have been elated. They didn’t and he went to the Cubs.

I’m not sure if this is an argument for or against the Cubs. The Cubs going all the way could be an ugly reminder of what could have been for the Dodgers. The Cubs are one of the best teams in baseball, and it’s not all because of their manager. They brought up three players this season that would have been the top prospect on damn near every team in baseball (Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber) and Jake Arrieta turned into 2014-Clayton Kershaw. They won 97 games and finished in third place in their division, yet they’re the only team from the NL Central still standing.

A Cubs World Series win this year also was predicted in 1989 by Back to the Future II. It seemed laughable back then and it seemed laughable in April, but here we are and they have a 25 percent chance of winning it. That’s wacky. The Cubs winning their first World Series since 1908 would be something.

Next: Root for the Almost Dodgers?