Chicago Cubs

When the goal is to snap a World Series championship drought that's existed for longer than Wrigley Field itself, it's best to leave as little as possible to chance.

That pretty much explains the 2016 Chicago Cubs.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks left Saturday's National League Division Series game against the San Francisco Giants after taking a line drive off his arm.

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The Chicago Cubs have no shortage of burgeoning stars.

Toss a fungo bat during Chicago's pregame warm-ups, and you're likely to hit a young stud: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell—the list goes on.

CHICAGO — To understand the psyche of Chicago Cubs fans is not to be a team historian.

Steve Bartman and the Curse of the Billy Goat are integral events in the long-suffering organization's history. As are countless postseason disappointments.

If the Chicago Cubs have their way, 2016 will be the year they finally end a 108-year World Series championship drought and send the Curse of the Billy Goat the way of the Curse of the Bambino.

With Major League Baseball's playoffs just days away, the first 100-win season since 1935 doesn't mean a thing for Chicago Cubs starter Jon Lester. 

After locking up president Theo Epstein, the Chicago Cubs are keeping the rest of their dynamic front-office trio together with extensions for general manager Jed Hoyer and vice president Jason McLeod.  

According to the Cubs' official Twitter account, Hoyer and McLeod each received five-year extensions through 2021. 

Through the first two months of the MLB season, it seemed as if Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jake Arrieta was cruising toward a nine-figure contract and recognition as one of baseball’s best at his position.

There's a saying in baseball: "A team never wants to lead the league in meetings."

The implication being that when a club holds a meeting, it's almost universally to discuss what is going wrong and how to repair it. But teams rarely find themselves where the Chicago Cubs stand, having already clinched the NL Central and preparing for the playoffs.

It looked like a heck of a party at Wrigley Field, and why not? It's not every day the Chicago Cubs can spray some champagne.

Hey, Chicago hadn't clinched a playoff spot in about 12 months, and that's a long time to go without a party. The Cubs hadn't celebrated a division title in eight years, and that can feel like a lifetime.