10 Thoughts From Game 7 of the 2016 World Series

It only took 108 years, 19 U.S. Presidents including two Bush's and two Roosevelts as well as the country's first black President. There were a total of seven wars including two world wars, a fight against communism, a war on poverty, a fight against terrorism, the women's right to vote, equality in schools for both woman and African Americans and a civil rights movement before the Chicago Cubs were finally able to celebrate a World Series title again.

Damn that's a lot of time. The Curse of the Bambino missed seeing two Roosevelts in office and Obama.

Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs on defeating the Cleveland Indians, 8-7, in the 10th inning of Game 7 and winning their first World Series since 1908. The City of Chicago this is your day! This is your year! You deserve it! Go out and celebrate. Just learn from Red Sox Nation in 2004 - no tipping over of cars!

10 thoughts and reactions from Game 7 of the 2016 World Series:

1. Theo Epstein cemented his legacy in baseball and printed his ticket into Cooperstown breaking not one but two long-standing, historic baseball curses.

2. Nothing gives me greater joy than watching LeBron James cry and go home a loser. It was almost as sweet as Richard Sherman's face when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line. Sure the Cavaliers won the NBA Title this past season but it's just beautiful to see LeBron go down. So much for Cleveland being the new Title Town but hey at least you have LeBron and the Cavs as well as the recently acquired Jamie Collins.

3. If you're John Henry or Tom Werner what are you thinking right now? You just watched Theo Epstein and Jon Lester celebrate their THIRD World Series championship and at one point in Game 7 you had a battery of guys that played in the 2013 World Series. Lester on the mound, Mike Napoli at bat and David Ross behind the dish.

4. Jon Lester is the real deal! He is the mentally tough and is the guy who wants the ball in pressure situations. Since Lester made his major league debut on June 10, 2006, I knew he was going to be a big time pitcher. At the time baseball pundits were comparing him with Scott Kazmir and giving Kazmir the edge but the truth was they just did not give Lester the time. And when the dust settled he was the better pitcher. It's no different than the comparisons to David Price. David Price is the star. The #1 draft pick. The shiny toy. But Lester is the grizzled veteran that stands up to and faces challenges and adversity. Look no further than his battle with lymphoma in 2006 and he came back stronger. That right there should have been the reason to re-sign him because you know how he deals with adversity. John Henry must have Passenger's "Let Her Go" on repeat thinking about what he let go two years ago.

5. Rajai Davis' two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game felt like Aaron Boone's walk-off in 2003. Sure it was not a walk-off for the Indians but with the Cubs up for entire game it just felt like "this is it, this is how they are lose it." Especially since it would not have been a homerun in Wrigley Field.

6. The Cubs were unfazed by Davis' game-tying homerun. They just "ok we have to move on there's still baseball left to play." That's what ultimately won it for them. They did not let that little set-back get to them. They kept going.

7. The Final Out was reminiscent of the last out of the 2004 World Series. A slow-hit, infield chopper to a charging, smiling, Kris Bryant then threw on to first just like the bouncer Keith Foulke fielded off the bat of Edgar Renteria and underhanded to Doug Mientkiewicz at first.

8. Bryant was smiling before he even fielded the ball. All Cubs fans everywhere were holding their collective breathes but Bryant was smiling. That means he was so confident in himself and his abilities that he was completely calm and relaxed when the ball was hit in his direction.

9. About that Final Out Ball. After recording the out on Michael Martinez, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo put the ball in his back pocket for "safe-keeping." Is this going to be another controversy over who owns this ball like there was with Mientkiewicz in 2004?

10. David Ross: What a way to go out! This is the way Red Sox fans wanted to see David Ortiz walk away from the game and when Tom Brady finally retires - at the age of 50 - Patriots fan want to see him lifting the Lombardi Trophy for the final time.

Bonus Reaction: 
Baseball pundits all said it would be the apocalypse if/when the Cubs win the World Series. Quite ironic that the Cubs win the World Series exactly ONE week before the 2016 Presidential Election. It may very well be that the apocalypse is among us.