Will the Chicago Cubs ever win the World Series again? (Part 3 of 3)

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we looked at the history of the Chicago Cubs up through the early 1990s. In the conclusion of our three-part series, we'll look finish with a look at the Cubs up to the present season.

In 1995, the Cubs finished third in their division with a record of 73-71, under new manager Jim Riggleman. The strike was finally settled, but Major League Baseball had to set "Opening Day" back three weeks. It was decided that the teams would play a 144 game schedule that year. No matter, 1995 would not be Chicago's year. Slugger Sammy Sosa, who joined the team in 1992, hit 36 homeruns with 119 runs driven in that 1995 season. He batted .268 for the season.

In 1996, the Cubs went back to their losing ways again, by finishing fourth in their division. Their record for the year was 76-86.

In 1997, they finished dead last in their division with a record of 68-94. Again, slugger Sammy Sosa led the club in homers with 36 and 119 runs driven in.

But 1998 would be a different year all together for the Chicago Cubs and baseball. As for baseball, it would re-establish a connection between the fans and players, that was lost due to the unpopular strike in 1994. You'll see the new connection in a moment.

Under manager Jim Riggleman, the Cubs didn't win their division in 1998, but they did come in second along with being the wild card winner. Their record for 1998 was 90-73.

The year 1998 was the year that Mark "Big Mac" McGwire would break Roger Maris' single season homerun record of 61 by hitting an incredible 70 homeruns. That was completely awesome.

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were instrumental in bringing fans back to the ballparks, due mainly to their homerun chase of Roger Maris's single season homerun record.

Chicago Cubs Sammy Sosa also broke the same record by hitting 66 homeruns. Now isn't that unreal? Two men breaking a record like that in the same year. It's hard to believe that a man that hit 66 homeruns in a single season would come in second in the homerun race.

The only thing that spoiled the season for Cub fans, was Chicago being swept by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the playoffs, three games to none. Sammy Sosa was totally ineffective in the playoffs. He didn't hit a single homerun or drive in a single run. He batted a freezing .182. So, the Chicago faithful would yet have another year to wait, to see if their beloved Cubs could return, much less win a World Series title.

In 1999, they finished dead last in their division. Their regular season record was a poor 67-95 under manager Jim Riggleman. Sammy Sosa again hit more than 60 homeruns in a single season. He hit 63 homeruns with 141 runs driven in. Can you believe Mark McGwire beat him again with 65 homeruns for the homerun crown?

Would a new millennium bring forth change for the hard lucked Chicago Cubs? Don Baylor, once a great player in the major leagues, took over as manager in 2000. He finished no better than the previous managers. The Cubs finished dead last in their division with a record of 65-97.

Slugger Sammy Sosa had a fantastic year by hitting 50 homeruns and knocking in 138 runs. His batting average for the year was .320.

Now the year is 2001. Maybe this is the real beginning of the new millennium for the Chicago Cubs? The Cubs are playing some exciting baseball this year. As of August 2nd, the Cubs currently are 62-44 and leading the N.L. Central by 4-1/2 games over the Houston Astros. Can they hold that lead? Yes, if their starting pitching continues as it has. Chicago's pitching staff currently ranks second in the N.L. with a team ERA of 3.71. Trailing only the Atlanta Braves.

I'll tell you this, the 2001 squad looks a lot more impressive than the 2000 squad. First baseman Mark Grace, a longtime Cub, was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the off-season, but he doesn't seem to be missed very much.

Slugger Sammy Sosa hit his 400th career homerun a few weeks before the All-Star break. Way to go Sammy. I blow you a kiss. Sammy made the All-Star team and participated in the popular homerun derby. He did not win this year. He was beat out by Arizona's Luis Gonzalez.

Slugger Sammy Sosa currently leads the team with 35 homeruns and 99 RBI's. He is tied with second baseman and teammate Eric Young in hits with 110. He is batting .299. The Cubs hitting has been anemic to say the least. They currently ranks twelfth in hitting in the N.L. Sammy has provided most of the offense for the team.

The Cubs recently acquired Fred McGriff from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to give some added pop to their offense. He had a no-trade clause in his contract, but he finally decided to come to the pennant contending Cubs. Also, the Cubs acquired outfielder Michael Tucker from the Cincinnati Reds. Outfielder Delino Shields is new to the team also.

Third baseman Ron Coomer is starting to contribute daily with his bat. He has six homeruns with 40 RBI's. He is batting .274. Shortstop Ricky Gutierrez has nine homeruns and 41 runs driven in, outfielder Rondell White has 13 homeruns and 36 RBI's, ex-Oakland Athletic Matt Stairs is starting to contribute on the offense, with 11 homeruns and 43 runs batted in. Second baseman Eric Young has hit six homeruns and driven in 30 runs. Catcher Todd Hundley is struggling at the plate. He is batting a cool .185. He has five homeruns and 21 RBI's. There are many other players contributing on this team like Gary Matthews Jr., Robert Machado, and Miguel Cairo.

Their starting pitching has been very respectable like I stated earlier. The pitching staff is led by starters Jon Lieber, who's record is 14-5 with an ERA of 3.46, Kevin Tapani is 8-8 with an ERA of 4.00, Jason Bere is 7-5 with an ERA of 4.04 and Julian Taverez is 8-6 with an ERA of 3.83. Fireballer Kerry Wood leads the team in strikeouts with 174. He has recovered well from his "Tommy John" surgery. He is 9-6 with an ERA of 3.64. Relief pitchers Felix Heredia is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.50 and Todd Van Poppel is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.98.

Their closers ex-Red Sox Jeff Fassero has 11 saves to his credit and Tom "Flash" Gordon has 21 to his.

In closing, the Chicago fans can only hope this will be the year that their team returns to the World Series. Remember, they haven't been in the World series since 1945. But, most important is the fact that they haven't won one since that famous Cubs team did it in 1908, by defeating the Detroit Tigers.

Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. I think its safe to speculate that most fans across this great country of ours secretly long for the Chicago Cubs to return to the World Series. Even the Red Sox fans. Of course, they would like to see their own team win a World Series too, since they've been waiting for so long themselves.

1918 was the last year the Boston Red Sox won a World Series. Nevertheless, both teams are way overdue. Wouldn't it be great if they had to face each other in the World Series? That would spark some real interest. Chicago is one of the greatest baseball cities in America, along with St. Louis, Boston and New York.

Enjoy the rest of the season. See you at the game.