Did you hear the one about the grumpy old neighbor? How about the Elmer or gold brick sundae that started to crumble?

If you’re a Cubs fan, you can’t help but notice that David Ross’ demeanor is cracking, and the team appears to be crumbling under the pressure of a playoff push. Nobody in the local media is criticizing him or the team. In fact, they’re making excuses because they remain the only hope in town (until the Hawks skate for real). I’ve already posted about Ross’ stupid comments and apology for what he said about the Pirates after losing 2/3 last week. His assessment of the Pirates wasn’t wrong, really, just poorly timed. If he believed what he said, he should have said the same thing about the much worse Colorado Rockies-either after getting swept in Colorado or sweeping at Wrigley. You might say that stuff inside your clubhouse to motivate your team, but don’t selectively criticize your opponent or get honked off when your team is criticized.

Earlier this week, I shared the importance of the Brant Brown game in my personal history with the game. I didn’t expect the Cubs would reenact the game some 25 years later, almost to the exact date. The ’98 Cubs would rebound from the loss and Brown’s error to secure the only wild card spot. I did have the opportunity to interview him over the years. The ’98 game was never the subject, but I did bring up the game and its significance in my life. He appreciated my story but didn’t quite appreciate how important that moment was to Cub fans. So when Seiya Suzuki botched an easy fly ball at a critical juncture in the season (almost to the date), the Brant Brown game was replayed in a lot of our minds. The Cubs still can bounce back, but the poor effort they have given since that miscue has been exhausting for all of us. All of the excuses and explanations won’t be beneficial for any of us.

Any fan or media member that criticizes their favorite team or players is immediately branded a hater. If you don’t support the team despite their best efforts and stinking up the joint, one’s fandom is called into question. The Cubs starting pitching hasn’t been able to finish off starts cleanly in recent weeks and it’s not because they are pitching record number of innings either. Quite the contrary, they can’t get out of a game without giving up runs in their last innings. They can’t effectively pitch through the bumps and a taxed bullpen has been mediocre at best.

Heading into the season, Cub fans were sold the bill of goods that they had a strong 40-man roster when in reality it was as creaky as 28 other teams. Unfortunately, other teams have done a better job of manipulating the roster over the course of the season. Everyone makes mistakes about players abilities to perform under pressure, but we tend to focus on the team(s) staring us in the face. The Cubs have a stronger and deeper minor league system than the White Sox, but that doesn’t absolve the Sox from not making necessary moves during the season. No matter when and where the Cub season ends, I’ll argue to Dick Drago’s death, that one of Ross’s greatest failings was his lineup construction over the course of the season.

For the majority of the season the Cubs were playing an entertaining brand of baseball and doing things the right way. They are strong up the middle with Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Yan Gomes. Justin Steele has become their ace but has faltered lately-when it matters most. The prospects appear to be assets rather than apparitions. However, most have shown they need more development.

Due to some tech issues, this post has taken three days longer to complete and a lot has happened since I started. Mea Culpa.