While Sherman and Mr. Peabody have set the machine for 1998 (again), I’ll try and refrain from the corny puns. Earlier this year, there was some debate as to whether the similarities between the ’98 and ’23 Cubs are real or imagined.
It’s worth noting what made the backdrop of the 1998 season as something bigger and more important than the great steroid-home run chase. When looking back twenty-five years it’s easy to just look at the numbers and contrive a story to fit the facts rather than examine the context.
As I pointed out in a much earlier post about the ’98 Cubs, there was nothing about a rebuild. The Cubs hadn’t been good in years and were coming off a dismal 1997 season. Like the current team, GM Ed Lynch went out and supplemented the lineup with a few veterans like Mickey Morandini, Jeff Blauser, and Gary Gaetti. Blauser never provided the “Braves championship” bump that they expected and are getting from Dansby Swanson.
The 98-season coincided with the last of the Bulls’ six championships. There might not have been complete overlap between the two fan bases, but the air was filled with the sweet smell of success. Little did any of us realize that last title would hang over the city like the 85 Bears.
More specific to baseball and the Cubs, 1998 was an important season for the game. With the addition of two expansion teams, the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays, the makeup of the leagues changed dramatically. Arizona and Milwaukee were added to the NL-boosting the number from14 to 16 teams with the AL maintaining only 14 teams. Furthermore, everyone was not on board with the idea of limited interleague play. It’s hard to fathom, but the rivalry between the Cubs and Brewers wasn’t an established fact. The Sunday game between the Cardinals and Brewers at County days before the Brant Brown drew over 7,000 more fans as the Brewers-Cards was a bigger rivalry. The Cubs only played 12 games against the Brewers that year and went 6-6.
After Sosa hit 20 homers in June, his act went national and most of the locals ate it up. As was the case a couple decades earlier with Dave Kingman and Reggie Jackson, Sosa’s at-bats at Wrigley were must-see. To this day, emotions run high among former teammates and coaches about Sosa’s schtick and contributions to the team’s success. At the time, all wasn’t unicorns and rainbows within the clubhouse. I never bought the crap-unless a homer contributed to a much-needed win and was among the minority of never-Sosa among Cub fans.
I don’t buy that White Sox fans were cheering on Sammy and the Cubs, nor did I expect them to root for his success. However, all of the Cubs fans were all in on either Sammy’s pursuit or the Cubs playoff push. We weren’t worried about the rest of the league. I’ve heard several people state the ’98 Yankees are the best team in history. I’ve seen other New Yorkers claim they are among the best (ever). Whether hyperbole or bar talk, no Cub fan was thinking of the Yankees during the season. The Yankees
