In the early weeks of the 2003 season, less than a year after the Chicago Cubs had finished 30 games out of first place in the National League Central, new manager Dusty Baker was asked who he thought who would represent the league in the World Series.
He leaned back in his chair in his Wrigley Field office and thought about it for a moment.
"Why not us?" he said.
Well, there were plenty of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the Cubs hadn't won a World Series in nearly a century and they hadn't even showed up for one since 1945.