Why the Chicago Cubs Will Win the World Series in 2009

A century is a long time to wait for a championship. The Chicago Cubs have now reached 101 years. After much waiting, 2009 will finally be their year. Here's why.

The Cubs of the last few years have been excellent teams for stretches of the regular season. Two years ago, after a horrible start, they were one of the two best teams in baseball after the All-Star break. Last year they had a consistently great regular season despite injuries that claimed Carlos Zambrano, Kerry Wood, and Alfonso Soriano for various stretches.

Unfortunately, the Cubs have failed in the playoffs for two years in a row, bringing back memories of the Atlanta Braves of the 1990's. The Cubs simply have not had the killer instinct necessary to get past the first round of the playoffs. This year will be different. The addition of Milton Bradley as the combustible member of the team is a welcome site. The Cubs have been full of very good players, who happen to be nice guys, but who need to be complemented with someone with fire. Now, granted, Carlos Zambrano is crazy, but it's tough for someone who isn't an everyday player to bring fire when he's not pitching. Bradley will do that and will pay big dividends come playoff time.

When you have a team that's comprised of the easygoing Alfonso Soriano, the guy who just likes to play, Aramis Ramirez, the quiet leader, Derek Lee, the limited English skills, Kosuke Fukodome, and the extremely humble, Geovany Soto, you need someone like Bradley to mix it up. I like the addition, and I think it will help greatly come playoff time.

By adding more lefthanders to the team, the Cubs will help to fight the occasional slumps that have hit them at the wrong time against quality right-handed starters. I hated to see Mark Derosa go, but Mike Fontenot, the little lefty second basemen, has proven that he can hit. He has surprising pop and along with Milton Bradley will bring urgency to the everyday lineup.

Lou Piniella will be different too. He has won more than one World Series, so he knows what to do, but he has also been way too complacent come playoff time over the last few years. He has trusted the team too much at critical times, and it has come back to cost him. Piniella has shown he can embrace change, though, and I think he'll be much different at the end of this regular season and during the playoffs.

The pitching of the Cubs will continue to be strong, and they have shown they have the depth to deal with the inevitable injuries that will come. The Cubs should have no problem winning the National League Central Division even if injuries strike a major player. Their challenge is to use the regular season to determine the best way to get through the playoffs and on to the World Series.

Through the addition of some more fiery players, a line-up with more everyday left-handed hitters, and a different approach by Lou Piniella come playoff time, the Cubs will be able to carry over their great regular season play through the playoffs and the World Series this year. 2009 will finally, finally, be the year of the Cubs.