Embracing the target for the Cubs involves ignoring history.
That becomes tricky considering Wrigley Field contains more history than ivy, a warehouse for tortured memories that conditioned many Cubs fans to hope their team avoids the Cardinals in the postseason.
As the dreaded rival from St. Louis descends into town for a three-game series beginning today with a wild-card spot still up for grabs for them, that ingrained local instinct urges the Cubs to apply the dagger and kill all Cardinal hope. Thump the Cardinals three consecutive games and enjoy their fall into third place to miss out on one of the two National League wild-card spots.
The rationale: Neither the Mets nor the Giants scare the Cubs as should the Cardinals, who traditionally turn into a different team in October. You have heard and read much in the city about the anybody-but-the-Cardinals sentiment since the Cubs clinched the NL Central title Sept. 16.
It has been harder to block out than a Ronnie Woo Woo cheer.
But why? That notion feels very 2014, a dated, pre-Joe Maddon concept conceived during all those years of the Cardinals flourishing and the Cubs floundering. Those concerns throughout Cubdom deserve to be put in a drawer, along with any irrational fears of billy goats or Bartman.
If fate somehow deals the Cards to the Cubs in the NL Division Series, the best team in baseball should feel good about it without having to bluff. Leading from the front means never having to look over your shoulder.
No, never underestimate the Cardinals. They merit respect and still have eight players who have hit at least 15 home runs, as well as clutch postseason pitcher Adam Wainwright, struggling or not. They indeed cannot be dismissed as World Series contenders, not given their collective resolve and the emergence of lockdown closer Seung Hwan Oh and righty Alex Reyes.
But this core of Cubs already has beaten the Cardinals in the postseason, last year, in a series that symbolized the shift of power in the division. That was no fluke, and neither is 2016, a season the Cubs dominated start to finish on their way to 100-plus victories. That's the most relevant history here.
The Cubs have a starting rotation on the verge of achieving legend status if the mastery continues in the playoffs, a potent offensive lineup that includes two MVP candidates and one of the tightest defenses in the game. They are the team nobody wants to play.
They have no reason to fear anyone, including the Cardinals, who have played them evenly through 16 games. They have no psychological hurdles to clear, no intimidation factors to overcome, nothing to prove to the Cardinals, specifically. They are loose and lethal.
Regardless of whom the Cubs play, the matchup will pose significant challenges impossible to anticipate given how dramatically the game changes in the playoffs. The Cubs appear most equipped to win a World Series, but it wouldn't be the first time the team with the most regular-season victories produced the biggest postseason disappointment.
Face it: The Cubs losing to the Cardinals in the first round wouldn't hurt any worse than losing to the Mets or Giants. If the Cubs lose in any playoff round to anybody, a depression will hit some parts of Chicago deeply enough that fans will feel like turning on Bears games to cheer up.
The best-case scenario for the Cubs involves the one ESPN.com addressed Thursday: a three-way tie for the NL wild card. That never has happened since the wild card's origin 22 years ago, yet the Cardinals, Mets and Giants headed into action Thursday night deadlocked at 80-72 with 10 games left.
FanGraphs gives the Mets a 68.6 percent of making the playoffs, followed by the Giants at 64 percent and the Cardinals at 63.1 percent. If the teams indeed tie and the Mets survive the three-day tournament to play the Cubs, their schedule potentially requires them to play Sunday, Oct. 2, in Philadelphia, Monday in St. Louis, Tuesday in San Francisco, Wednesday in St. Louis and Friday in Chicago.
The road to the World Series is long and arduous for everybody. And if it has to go through St. Louis for the Cubs, so be it for the team in the driver's seat next month no matter the opponent.
Sports on 09/23/2016