The Shocking Decline of the Cubs' World Series Core 

Had to trim out about 30 seconds around 4:20 due to copyright issues. Apologies for the awkward cut there.

Still can’t believe Rizzo has been playing with a concussion for so long. Hopefully that doesn’t lead to any long-lasting, or permanent damage.

As a guy that cheered so hard for the Cubs to finally break the curse, their declines truly sadden me. Thanks Jolly!

Those guys are all Cubs heroes, and will live forever in the hearts of Cubs fans around the world. Having said that, it was absolutely unequivocally the right decision by the front office to move on when they did and cash in on those guys when they still had some trade value. I love them so much, and I will miss watching them forever; I’m so grateful to them for breaking the curse, and bringing some pride and respect back to this franchise. They did the impossible, and no one will ever take their place in this town. They are Cubs legends. Now, new legends are being born on the Northside, and hopefully this group, with some help, will be able to do what those guys did, bringing us another championship.

That 2016 World Series is the greatest World Series I’ve ever watched. Neck and neck all through game 7

I hope Rizzo can recover and come back to be the player he is. Really like Rizzo he's a quality ball player IMO and the kind of guy you need for a winning team.

I grew up watching the likes of Lee, Soriano, Zambrano on those late 2000s early 2010 years. The fact the cubs won in 2016 still feels so surreal. It was like a lightning in a bottle (and a bit of a rain delay) victory

Even to this day, I’m truly convinced that Ellsbury was a secret undercover agent for the Red Sox during his tenure with the Yankees

Thanks Jolly. As a lifelong Cubs fan who was heart broken to say goodbye to those boys, this video was surprisingly therapeutic

Rizzo might be having a rough 2023, but that hasn't changed how us Yankees fans feel about him. He's an amazing clubhouse presence and a joy to watch. Hope you get better soon, man

As a Sox fan I don't mind Rizzo until he obviously joined the Yankees. But the fact that poverty franchise kept playing him knowing he had concussion is just sad and I feel bad for him. Cubs fans, I know you're sentimental with this core group but you should be ecstatic that you dealt these guys while they still had somewhat of a value and got some promising prospects. Also, banners fly forever.

I will always admire and respect these three. While 2016 feels like a lifetime ago given how much has happened in the world, in baseball and at large, Rizzo in particular will always be my favorite Cub. Despite growing up watching Sosa and Grace, who were my favorites. I'll wear my World Series branded Rizzo jersey proudly for the rest of my life.

it hurt a lot when we traded the core away, but it was in hindsight the best option and i was happy that we sent them to where they wanted to go. i will always cheer for their success and i hope they all bounce back. they are great ball players and even better humans. cubs legends for life. thank you for the video jolly.

Mad respect for the …Like Clockwork poster. My personal favorite QOTS album.

Rizzo was the hardest to see go. He just seemed like such a great person and his story of coming from back from cancer and becoming an amazing player for us was so fun to see. Also, there was a lot of Cubs fans who had soured a bit on Javy. He was such a fun player to watch but you couldn't help but see that the swinging at everything was going to be bad so much worst as his body aged. He was a highlight defender but he'd also try to do much and cost the team badly at times.

Cubs fans know the 2016 World Series was the greatest sports moment ever

Not Mentioned: Kyle Schwarber might end up being the best piece of this group. The funny thing is Kyle didn’t get his contract picked up/tender for 2021

I don’t care what they’re numbers are these days. I’ll always love these guys.

I respect the edit with the updated information on Rizzo. That is very professional.

Concussions are fascinating and scary. I hope Rizzo gets the rest and treatment he needs and that his family hasn’t suffered too much with him.

Love your ‘…Like Clockwork’ poster in the back!

Thanks for the video. Such a special season and I really enjoyed that group. I got to attend the game where they received their Ringss. It was so disappointed to see the team broken up. It has been sad to see the struggles that the Trio has gone through. Especially the health issues. We will always have 2016.

It would be epic to see at least some of the magical core return to Chicago someday. That was such a cool time in Cubs history. Unforgettable!

As a cubs fan it still hurts that these boys couldn’t get it together for one last run at it. I wish em all the best tho. Hopefully they all can get it together. Always wanna see these guys succeed.

I remember crying at the deadline when all of my favorite players got traded away. It really felt like the end of an era that I wasn’t ready to let go of. Of course in hindsight, it may have been the best thing they could’ve done but it absolutely sucked seeing them all go at once.

I was so glad you added that update in Rizzo

I had known that the core wouldn't last since the 2018 season. Their bats were too inconsistent from that year until 2021.

As a cubs Fans it hurts to see Rizzo and baez struggle and Bryant struggle with injuries, even schwarber still struggling with a low batting average 2016 was so amazing and the it took 5 years of Theo just building up draft picks to get the offensive talent

As a lifelong Cubs fan, I was more than devastated when 2021 came around. It wasn't the firepower of 2016 but it felt like we still had a chance. That month long drop from 1st place to multiple consecutive sweeps to selling off fan favorites made me feel like wtf were we doing?! But in hindsight boy does it look like the right moves all around. Rizzo is really the only one (maybe Kimbrel too) who is on a typical aging trajectory but everyone else, Willson Contreras included now this year has COMPLETELY shit the bed

The curse was broken but Rizzo, Baez, Bryant, and others have each taken a piece of that curse with them.

Much as we can talk about the core I think it also comes down to the pitching too. Arrieta had only a brief window of dominance, Lackey was in his twilight, Hammel was on the decline, Jon Lester had his best season and only one more great one after that, and even Kyle Hendricks has struggled since the pandemic. That whole rotation was great that year, but for a multitude of reasons was never gonna recapture that magic.

Good sh*t Jolly!y!! Many thanks for the hard work!

We had game 7 of 2016 and that’s a top 3 moment of my life (and it’s not 2 or 3 on that list) Just super sad that this was our only title, or even WS appearance :(

Even though I'm a Sox fan, this still really saddens me.

Love this video. I was sad to see them go but I’m loving this 2023 team.

Well atleast we finally got answers on Rizzo, dude got a concussion in MAY and it took NYY medical staff this long too get him on the IL which is funny because I was just talking about how suspect NY team doctors seem to be. MLB tonight showed split graphics since the head injury and before and its scary how opposite the stats are

Most talented World Series team I had ever seen in my lifetime.

Glad you caught that Rizzo note...I was about to post it.

The most amazing part about the aftermath of the 2016 Cubs is that pretty much every one of them got worse after the WS win - they had so many young players and it seemed like better years were ahead for most of them. Unfortunately, the only players you could argue had one/two better years following the WS Title would be Baez, Contreras, Schwarber and Soler - and that's only because they had next to no MLB experience prior to 2016, with the majority of Scwharber/Soler's success coming while playing for other teams.

Great video bro

It's truly sad to see how bad they got

Another banger from Jolly Olive.

I absolutely hated the breaking up of the World Series core, but even I can admit it was the right move despite not liking it at the time

Liking for the QOTSA poster

Love the QOTSA “Like Clockwork”poster Jolly!

I’m glad they got a title for their fans. It is a bit crazy how steep some of these guys have fallen in their post cubs careers

100% was the right move. It sucks it had to end that way but I really feel like they made the right move cutting ties with everyone. My heart wishes Rizzo was still a Cub though.

Cubs video with Ellsbury cameo ??? Easiest like I have ever given. Thank you sir

I'll always support these boys no matter who they play for

With what we know about concussions now i’m shocked more protocol wasn’t taken the moment that played had occurred. More than anything i’m disappointed in the way my Yankees are being run right now because it does not at all seems like a healthy environment to be in. The reports about German and Rizzo from the last few days need to remembered for the off-season and an overhaul from Cashman down to Boone needs to happen. Also shoutout Jolly for the video, really like your explanation for what went into each players decline

You should do worlds largest immaculate grid that would be sick

Here in April 2024 it looks even more prescient that the Cubs let these guys walk.

You should do one for the 2015 Royals (Hosmer, Cain and Moose) for when they left after 2017

Wanted this vid forever

I think is very common for a team to have a great core, and not win a single championship or just one overall. I think of the Phillies, Braves, Rangers, and Dodgers. Overall, is very hard to win a World Series. I’m just grateful the cubs were able to win at least 1 with the group of guys they had. Hope this time they can win multiple. Go Cubs!

Sweet QOTSA poster and sweet video!

Can we just talk about how amazing the 2016 World Series was. I mean coming back from 3-1 to win a game seven in extra innings after a rain delay. Both teams historically known for not winning it all for so long. You had Dexter Fowler hit a lead off homer in game 7. You had David Ross hit a game 7 homer. You had Aroldis Chapman “who at the time was one of the only 100+ mph arms” give up a 2 run homer in the 9th to tie it. And you end the game with a Kris Bryant to Rizzo ground ball. That was the greatest World Series in history I think.

As a Cubs fan, That deadline hurt us. But then again, rebuild was necessary anyway so it made sense. Seeing how these guys are doing? Glad we let them go. Jeez. They haven’t been the same.

Sick QOTSA poster

My workplace is filled with cubs fans, all they would talk about was their potential “dynasty” back then, it’s crazy how it all changed so fast.

Need one of these for the 2019 nats someday

Kingda Ka is 20 minutes away from me. I went on it regularly throughout my teens. In my opinion, going up is more exciting than going down! That initial launch on flat ground is the best part of the ride. It is actually responsible for sending you up. There is no additional mechanism pulling or pushing you up once you get to the vertical track. Sometimes the car falls back down! Once you get to the top, you just sort of enjoy the view. The descent is really not much of a shock after the takeoff. The funny part is that Kingda Ka is probably only the third-best rollercoaster there.

people forget one of the biggest reason cubs won the world series was because of addison russell, for two or three years he was arguably one of the top 3 best shortstops defensively and really turned it on offensively in the world series run.

YOOOOOO!!! Jolly, loving that Queens of the Stone Age poster. Are you gonna see them on their tour this year?

Could be worse, you could be Cleveland and not only NOT win a World Series but squander yet another playoff contending core.

Honestly best baseball channel on RU-vid

Got to love seeing the sponsorships coming in.

great video

@Jolly Olive I know we haven't seen eye to eye over the years but your analysis is spot on here. I haven't said it yet but congrats champ, you earned it!

Can’t wait til Jolly drops the off-season vid about how weird the cubs season was

I really wish they wouldve at least kept rizzo, he was the new mr cub. He wouldve been a good consistent vet to have around

Another interesting fact about the cubs 11 game losing streak, it came after a combined no hitter against the dodgers. Then it was downhill from there

Babe wake up Jolly Olive dropped!!!!

Fun fact: the day before the Cubs traded Anthony Rizzo, they had a record of 50-53; the same record as the eventual World Series Champion Atlanta Braves. Ultimately, they made the right decision to sell, but man, that hurt to find out. Also: the last day that Rizzo and Bryant spent on the Cubs roster (a Cubs home game at Wrigley right before a long road trip), none of them were in the starting lineup or got a chance to make an appearance in that game when there were plenty of opportunities to do so (including a plate appearance taken by a relief pitcher when they could’ve been used to pinch hit). I’ll always have a chip on my shoulder for David Ross and Jed Hoyer for not allowing either player to have that moment… or at the very least, letting us all know that that moment wouldn’t occur before that game was played. Such a sobering end to an era of greatness for Cubs fans.

Props to the Cubs for trading all of them . They look smart now

6:41 like clockwork… is such a dope album

King da Ka is one of the best roller coasters I have ever been on

as a die hard cub fan it hurts to watch our World Series hero’s Fall this hard 🥲

It’s kind of crazy, considering how everyone thought the Cubs were ahead of schedule winning the WS in 2016. It was a young team but little did we know that the championship window was already closing. Also, let’s not forget about the former #1 prospect in baseball, Addison Russell, who is out of the game completely now and Kyle Schwarber, aka Babe effing Ruth, currently batting under.200.

You’re missing out on king da ka Jolly. That rides awesome

It took me a while to realize that they needed to be traded. I denied it for so long because I was so attached to them that I couldn’t see the fact that the Cubs were never going to make it out if they had continued rolling with the old core. I’ve come to now appreciate the time we as fans had with those guys and can only hope that we have just a great if not better memories with the current set of players.

Even as a Cardinals fan, I feel bad. As much as I wanted to see the Cubs lose the World Series, I still respect these players.

They cashed in and their incentive to excel dropped like a rock.

I wasn’t sad to see Baez go. He’d go cold when the Cubs needed him to hit, and would get hot when everyone else cooled down. He would freely admit he wasn’t going to change anything, while whiffing at strikes at a record pace. I thought this core would make a dynasty.

Ya gotta know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. As a Cubs fan since the early '80s, I think I speak for a lot of us when saying that we're not heartbroken over the loss of the core 3. It was always about the money, and that's ok.

Best QOTSA album indeed. Sweet poster bruah

This video breaks my heart

2016 is both a short time ago and a long time ago.

I'm gonna have to say the Rizzo thing is either being extremely medically cautious or saving some face while buying him time off. I've had at least a dozen concussions and brain surgery, and while everyone reacts differently and I'm not the authority on how anyone is going to feel, I can for certain say that collision was a noticably low grade hit. My evidence? -Tatis was not moving at a dead sprint, which in humans maxes out around 20mph -The contact was not between hard points like knee or head to head, but rather a more fleshy area of the upper thigh and hip, reducing overall impact. -Rizzo was prepared for impact and not blindsided, as such a lot of the impact was softened by positioning and reaction. -There was no noticeable reaction of "oh fuck my head" or the classic "trying to figure out where I am and pretend i'm fine." -He did not attempt to go to sleep on the bench -He did not get angry at everyone around him and either yell at them in his underwear or chase them around with a bat for not letting him go to sleep on said bench. Its not a contest and im not here to wave around my "look at me i'm so cool" list of stories, because they really arent cool at all. I'm sharing to give you an idea of a small selection of the head trauma I have had: I have been knocked out after bad snowmaking created a solid ice sheet leading me to hit a tree on a snowboard, been knocked out on a steering wheel hitting another tree going about 50mph, smashed my head right above my right eye on a tile gym floor as a way to find out I had a brain tumor, had someone slam into me sprinting head down blindly as I caught a pass in flag football, absolutely destroying my lips and teeth with the impact from the crown of his head to the point I was throwing up blood for several hours, and many more awful incidents. The ability to rebound from hits that significant was not actually that bad, most of them I was in school the next day. I dont want to say "tough it out you're fine get back in there" because that's not right and people should take their health seriously after a traumatic head injury. But, the collision with Tatis was orders of magitude less traumatic than most low speed fender benders where the persons head doesnt even hit anything. Nothing about it even compares to any of the "serious" incidents I listed above, 2 of which rendered me unconscious and the other two required people to carry me to the nearest first aid station to be carted off to the hospital. Rizzo appeared to be significantly better off than that. Basically, to me, if it were a collision to the degree it was showing significant symptoms reducing his hand eye, motor and cognitive skills two months later, he would either have been hit very hard or have a level of CTE where he needs to quit baseball today to save his life. It seems fairly clear that neither are the case, so I hope the rest serves him well.

Yoooo Like Clockwork is a killer album!!! Just saw QoTSA in concert at Sonic Temple about a month ago

As a cubs fan this video hurts my heart, but in hindsight I’m very exited for the future

The combo of Baez, Rizzo, and Bryant contained something special that can't be recreated on any other team, esp. divided

Another certified Jolly banger! #OneDot

Non baseball related but love the QOTSA poster in the editing room!

As a Cubs fan, the purge of our roster in 2021-22 was heartbreaking, but was needed.

How on Earth did the Yankees’ medical staff not realize that Rizzo had a concussion for 60+ days? The PA should be livid.

The Cubs knew what they were doing fosure 😂

The decline of the core of the '16 Cubs wasn't surprising to people who were paying attention. That team peaked as soon as that last out was made in Cleveland. To a man, they knew it was never going to get better than that for the rest of their careers. The championship hangover lasted all the way up until they were all traded away. Yes, they made the playoffs after winning it, but they were never a real threat, stumbling out of an awful division followed up by brutal playoff performances.

As a Cubs fan the only one I still wish we would’ve kept is Rizzo. He could have been a good veteran leader and should have been a Cub the rest of his career. But all of the trades certainly seem they’re gonna end up in our favor

The Cubs are on a good late-season run. I wish my Yankees made their recent moves earlier in the year, aside from the injuries they had. I wish the best for the Cubs for the NL this year.