Commentary

Cubs still OK even without Schwarber

Once upon a time, Kyle Schwarber hit prodigious home runs farther than the eye could see.

They called them Schwarbombs. One of them plopped into the Allegheny River against the Pirates in a winner-take-all National League wild card game. One of them landed on the top of the scoreboard at Wrigley Field against the Cardinals in the National League Division Series, and they encased it in glass. One of them shattered a windshield during spring training in Arizona, and they auctioned the damaged car part for $900. Exactly 16 Schwarbombs last summer, several of them Ruthian, plus five in the postseason, helped make the Cubs one of the most alluring stories in baseball and Schwarber part of the lore of Wrigleyville.

When will Schwarber blast his next legendary home run?

To the chagrin of Chicagoans, nobody knows for sure after Friday's deflating news -- except it won't be in 2016. North Siders have squirmed since the Cubs confirmed Schwarber tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee, requiring surgery that ends his season after two games and four homerless at-bats. The Cubs indeed will miss the electricity of Schwarber's bat and the majesty of his home runs. Everybody will miss feeling one swing away from another epic story every time Schwarber, 23, stepped to the plate.

Instinct will tempt Cubs fans who recognize the feelings of despair to fear the worst. But even without Schwarber, they still can expect the best season of their lifetimes.

The Cubs might be slightly less fun to watch without a player who came across as the pro athlete you most wanted to share a beer with, but they won't necessarily win any fewer games. The Cardinals won 100 games last year after losing ace Adam Wainwright in April, and that still represents a realistic regular-season goal for the Cubs, whose roster offers enough versatility to withstand even a loss as great as Schwarber's.

Wainwright and the Cardinals offer a recent, relevant historical reference. Only baseball masochists will look deeper into the Cubs past for cues.

This has no parallel with Rick Sutcliffe getting injured in 1985, the beginning of the end of a season with similarly high expectations. This has nothing to do with curses, billy goats or black cats. This is neither ominous nor foreboding. This is simply but painfully the latest example of sports happening. Sometimes sports suck, as much as the T-shirts say the Cubs try not to. Injuries occur. Adversity strikes. From developing a surplus of young talent such as Jorge Soler and Javier Baez to re-signing Dexter Fowler, at least the Cubs can feel good about their ability to overcome it. They prepared for a problem such as this.

Soler could blossom. Or Baez can play second base and Ben Zobrist, Mr. Super Utility Man, can shift to left. Or Kris Bryant always can move to the outfield and Tommy La Stella can play third base. Or Matt Szczur might stay hot. Or somebody else could emerge. Whatever they are and whoever they involve, good options exist for the Cubs. Joe Maddon, the MacGyver of baseball managers, has a knack for doing more with less. Anthony Rizzo, Jason Heyward and Bryant have gone nowhere. Nor have pitchers Jake Arrieta or Jon Lester.

What this setback does for Schwarber's future as a catcher remains more uncertain. Catchers can recover from major knee surgeries. Wilson Ramos of the Nationals tore his ACL and meniscus in July 2012 at the age of 25 and returned as Washington's regular catcher. Victor Martinez of the Tigers, who caught 853 major league games from 2002-11, missed the 2012 season after ACL reconstruction surgery and came back as Detroit's designated hitter. It all depends on the individual player and team. A Yankees rookie named Mickey Mantle once tore his ACL and returned to have a pretty decent career in the outfield.

"Thank you all for the encouragement," Schwarber tweeted Saturday. "This is a test of character and plan to attack it head on. This team is special and fun to watch."

The future of Kyle Schwarber still can have a happy ending.

And so can the Cubs season.

Sports on 04/11/2016

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