Bernstein: Aroldis Chapman Addition Changes Cubs Experience
By Dan Bernstein--
CBSChicago.com senior columnist
(CBS) Perhaps it's the new validation of real competitiveness, the decision to make fans less comfortable rooting for their team.
Winning eventually matters more than any previous, empty words about character and makeup, and we can't be too surprised or angry about that, considering our demand that professional sports teams do all that they can for championships. So it goes, and it's just a matter of when that reconciliation must occur.
For the Cubs, that time came late Monday morning upon the completion of the deal to acquire Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who was suspended 30 games this season by MLB for violations of its domestic violence policy last October. He was accused of pushing his girlfriend against a wall and placing his hands around her neck, then firing eight shots with a handgun inside his garage. Police didn't press charges due to what their report called "conflicting stories and a lack of cooperation from all parties involved." Chapman didn't appeal his suspension, apologized for the incident and admitted only that he "should have exercised better judgment."
He's back in good standing with the league, back throwing 105 mph and has been brought to Chicago to further optimize the Cubs' chances of winning the World Series.
With our football teams, we always assume that we're pulling for at least a couple of genuinely bad guys, considering both the inherent violence of the sport and the effect that it has on neurological health. We know the pernicious mix of nastiness, declining impulse control and substance addiction sadly endemic to the NFL, and we've largely baked it all in as part of an increasingly conflicted fan relationship.
Not as much with baseball, though, and certainly not with this particular Cubs team. From the transparency of ownership to the foresight of management to the benevolent, perpetually upbeat presence of manager Joe Maddon and a roster full of likable and charitably active youngsters, the Cubs have made it more than easy on their fans to feel only good about their allegiances. It would seem that was rare and special in this day and age, and it was only a matter of time before the pursuit of a title made life more complicated.
It won't be for many fans, certainly, those already able to switch off the part of the brain that thinks at all critically when it comes to their sports teams, unable to process more than one thought at any given time. Not everyone will have to deal with the cognitive dissonance Chapman's presence causes for those soured by having to hope he succeeds.
This is what happens when contention gets real, and we're reminded that being the hardest thrower in the history of baseball is more important to a team than violent mistreatment of a domestic partner and reckless use of a gun. Even to these Cubs.
As this season began, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein described the feeling in spring training as "a great vibe -- good people brought together for a noble cause."
Sometimes circumstances force that to change, however, and we know it. Chapman's arrival marks the moment that it became true here, a point after which such grandiose mission statements can never be heard the same way.
Chapman may be standing on the mound, wearing a blue hat, throwing a final strike that cements one of the great sports stories of our lifetime. And for some that might make it all a little less fun.
Dan Bernstein is a co-host of 670 The Score's "Boers and Bernstein Show" in afternoon drive. You can follow him on Twitter @dan_bernstein and read more of his columns here.
