Cubs On The Prowl.

By now, everyone knows about/has finished celebrating/lamenting the epic Red Sox collapse, where they squandered an AL Division and Wild Card lead so large, there was no possible way they COULDN'T make the playoffs. But due to some timely controversy and a clutch home run by Evan Longoria on the last day of the season, a very cold, lonely winter kicked off early in Boston, MA. As a result, ownership all but vacated management, with dugout whiz Terry Francona playing the role of sacrificial lamb and front office genius Theo Epstein turning tail and running to the Cubs.

In return, Epstein showed how the more things change, the more things stay the same, and fired Cubs short-lived manager Mike Quade in the first move of what is expected to be a bustling offseason. Quade was 95-104 during his limited tenure as manager, which is considered to be a spectacular record in Chicago. In a slightly more surprising move, Epstein called longtime fan favorite Ryne Sandberg...to tell him he was not in consideration for the open spot this time around (there were rumors he might replace Lou Piniella after he retired before the end of the 2010 season). So, just like his contemporary/old underling in Boston, Ben Cherington, Epstein finds himself in need of a new leading presence on the field.

One interesting rumor is that Epstein could be toying around with the idea of bringing back his good buddy Francona, with a few caveats regarding clubhouse etiquette. Hey, the two managed to revive the Red Sox organization and bring them 2 World Series titles after the team had suffered 86 years without one, who's to say they couldn't turn around a franchise that hasn't sniffed the World Series since 1945, and hasn't won it all since dinosaurs roamed the earth? If they could, they would go down as the greatest GM/manager tandem in history...and, as a Yankees fan, it pains me to praise anyone from the Red Sox, let alone 2 of the men highly responsible for turning them into a contender after decades of glorious Bronx dominance, but it's true. Epstein and Francona are both highly intelligent baseball men, and any organization would be lucky to have them. If Larry Lucchino is too busy partying on his yacht to realize that, maybe it's time the long suffering Lovable Loser Cubbies get a shot at glory. It's never too late to make history.

Maybe that history might involve a certain Greatest Player Of This Generation as well. Let's say, hypothetically, that the Cubs happen to throw a huge amount of dollars at a particular first baseman who has spent the first 11 years of his already-HOF-worthy career with their biggest rival, a specific team in St. Louis that just completed one of the most miraculous championship runs in the history of this sport, and then had the man who led them through it retire suddenly a few days ago. Wouldn't it just beat all if that man...let's call him Albert (purely hypothetical, mind you), led this franchise to an amazing postseason like the one he just played a huge part in, and won like he has done frequently in his career? Could it be possible that this might happen?

Yes.

Folks, if you didn't believe before this season that literally anything is possible in baseball, you hopefully have seen the folly of your ways by now. We're to the point where even a 100+ year championship drought seems likely to end within the next 5. And Theo Epstein could possibly be the man who presides over it, sitting atop a float in Lake View, Chicago at the end of October, 2014. Anything is possible.