MLB all-time hit leader Pete Rose said some things recently that may upset Chicago Cubs fans.
Pete Rose popped up in the news recently because of his comments regarding Ichiro Suzuki becoming the all-time hit leader when combining his hits in both Japan and America.
Rose has a point, although he did not deliver his thoughts in the best manner. Suzuki has now passed him in total hits from his career in Japan and America, so the debate of who the true hit king is will reign on for years to come.
Rose gave his thoughts on another matter earlier this week when he discussed the Chicago Cubs and the team’s quest to win its first World Series since 1908.
He appeared on Fox Sports Radio and offered up his take:
"“The Cubs right now no question have the best team, but I can’t root for a team that hasn’t won since 1907. The Cubs will find a way to screw it up I think. They’ve got a good ball club, probably the best ball club in the league right now. They’re playing like it, but again, they can be pitched to, their pitchers can be hit. It’s just a matter of who’s going to give them a fight at the end of the season, in the playoffs. The Cubs, are they going to play good all year like last year when they won 97 games and then got swept in the playoffs? We’ll have to wait and see, because in the playoffs, you’re a different animal.”"
His comments appear antagonistic toward the Cubs at first, but it is clear that his comments could be applied to any team who doesn’t have a history of playoff success.
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The Cubs had a great shot last season and got swept in the National League Championship Series by the New York Mets, so Rose’s views have some foundation upon which to stand.
The Cubs have not even been to a World Series since 1945, leading to Rose’s point of the playoffs being a different animal.
Baseball is unique in that the playoffs are a wide open competition where anyone has a realistic shot at winning, unlike the NBA where two of the best four teams in the league usually find a way to the Finals.
Next: Ichiro Suzuki passes Pete Rose's hit record
Cubs fans may see what Rose said and get angry, but he is simply pointing out that the team is not the surefire favorite to win the title. He just put it in a way that makes him seem like, for lack of a better term, a hater.