1908.
If you aren’t from Chicago, that number might not hold much significance. For Cubs fans, however, that number is a constant reminder of just how long it has been since Wrigley field has been a home to World Series champions. That’s right, the Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series in 107 years.
Jon Lester wants to change that. He’s a pretty damned good pitcher, and had a big part in the recent championship the Boston Red Sox enjoyed.
He’s so determined that he practically wants the extra pressure to prove his ability and consistency. See if you can pick that up from his tone here:
Whether people want to put more pressure on me or less pressure, I don’t care. It doesn’t change me. I’m going to prepare the same. My work ethic is always going to stay the same, so I have something to fall back on. As long as I’m prepared every five days, all the other stuff — all the pressure, all the expectations — will take care of itself.
All things considered, that’s a bit more than just saying that he doesn’t care about the pressure. He’s continuing to prepare the same despite the pressure. It doesn’t even matter to him. If that wasn’t convincing enough, he also said “They’re going to burn this city down again when we win the World Series.”
Yep, he said “when”. He may act indifferent to pressure, but that statement makes it look like he is taking the 100+ year losing streak almost as a casual challenge.
Time will tell if he can really take the Cubbies far. Can he do for Chicago what he helped do for Boston?
Hat tip to NESN for this story.
