CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 02: The Chicago Cubs celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

I’m still processing that game.

If you’ve followed me at all, you know I’m a Cubs fan. As such, today’s Cheat Sheet isn’t going to be that long, because I think I was legally dead about 6 times during last night’s game.

Was that the best game 7 in sports history? Maybe one of the best games in sports history? Considering everything at stake, both teams and their histories, the events of the game, and how it ultimately finished, it’s not a ridiculous question. It’s too close to really say for sure, and I’m probably too close to it to be the definitive voice, but wow. Just wow.

Cubs win World Series in one of the best baseball games ever

CLEVELAND, OH - NOVEMBER 02:  Anthony Rizzo #44, David Ross #3 and Jason Heyward #22 of the Chicago Cubs celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years.  (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 02: Anthony Rizzo #44, David Ross #3 and Jason Heyward #22 of the Chicago Cubs celebrate after defeating the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game Seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field on November 2, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cubs win their first World Series in 108 years. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Holy shit, the Cubs won the World Series, beating the Indians 8-7 in 10 innings. I’m still processing that. In a cruel twist, my plan to watch with my parents and brother was nearly foiled by a major thunderstorm. We added my uncle to our crew when his power went out. Our lights were flickering. DirecTV went out for the majority of the first 5 or 6 innings.

The game itself managed to exceed the considerable hype. Dexter Fowler (personally one of my favorite Cubs, who may very well have been playing his final game with the team) led off the game with a bomb to center.

Javy Baez and David Ross (playing in his final game ever) also went yard.

Ross also delivered some sage advice to Anthony Rizzo, captured as Ross was mic’d up for the game:

Kris Bryant ran the bases incredibly well to score from first on a Rizzo double and to tag from third to score on a shallow fly to left. They took a 6-3 lead into the 8th, starter Kyle Hendricks and starter-turned-reliever Jon Lester combining to mostly hold Cleveland in check.

Then, with a man on and two outs, in came Aroldis Chapman, and he was not missing any bats. I don’t think he had a swing and a miss, as Cleveland either squared him up or fouled him off.

And then, with the lead down to two, with two outs in the eighth inning, Rajai Davis choked up about four inches on the bat and did this:

I wish I could remember my exact reaction. I believe I just buried my face in my hands, and I may have literally pulled some hair out.

But then, after Joe Maddon inexplicably sent out an obviously exhausted Chapman to pitch the ninth (which he did successfully), there was brief rain delay and a Jason Heyward-led team meeting before the start of extra innings. Extra innings! In a Cubs/Indians game 7!

And then, the Cubs came out and scored two runs off of Bryan Shaw to take a two-run lead to the bottom of the 10th inning.

Carl Edwards Jr. started the bottom half, getting two outs before walking a man and giving up a run on a subsequent hit from Rajai Davis, meaning the tying run was on base. Maddon went to Mike Montgomery, the lesser-heralded left-handed trade acquisition, and he located a perfect curveball for a called strike one.

And then, this happened:

Listen, I’m not really sure what else you could ask for from a baseball game. The stakes, the action, the twists, the turns. Just an unbelievable spectacle, a resounding reminder of what the sport can offer. It’s a real shame that Cleveland and their fans were left hanging, because they had a fantastic postseason run, pushing the consensus best team in baseball to extra innings in game 7.

But the Cubs came back from a 3-1 series deficit, winning three in a row.

I wrote about the game earlier yesterday, and my anticipation thereof:

What does that feel like?

What does it feel like if you spent the year consciously trying to absorb as much of this particular season as time and circumstances allowed, because you thought something special might happen? And if it did, you wanted to remember as much of it as possible for as long as possible?

What does it feel like if you get to watch it happen with your die-hard fan parents, who have been waiting longer than you’ve been alive for an answer to the same question?

What does it feel like to watch it with your younger brother, who grew up sharing your own passions?

To watch it while texting or talking to your friends? While tweeting to and with your virtual community of friends, with whom you’ve experienced the ups and downs of an entire franchise rebuild?

What does it feel like?

I don’t know. I’m sure it feels different for everyone, and I have no idea what it would feel like for me. In a few hours, I might know.

No offense to anyone on the other side of this. I hope it’s a fantastic game. But I really want to know.

Well, now, in theory I know. That knowledge is somewhere inside me, even though I’m not sure I’ve been able to process it to the point that I could accurately verbalize it.

But if I were to try, I’d say that what makes me feel the best is the certainty of the Cubs having won a World Series. They did it. It’s fact, and I witnessed it. I’m going to wake up tomorrow, and it’s going to be true. And it’s going to be true the next morning. And the morning after. I’ll run out of mornings before it stops being true, and after I do it’ll still be true for someone else.

When you consider the entire picture, that very well may have been one of the best games in the history of sports.

We were all lucky to see it.

Quick Hits

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-Here’s a post assembled without my knowledge that tracked fellow TCB editor Matt Clapp and me as we tweeted the Cubs game. If you’re interested in that sort of thing. I think I died multiple times.

-We have a few other great posts collecting key moments, and I couldn’t recommend them enough. Especially that last one, which collects as many versions of the final out call as possible.

-Tom Brady hasn’t ruled out being traded.

-Steph Curry says Ray Allen is best shooter ever.

-The Baylor story just keeps getting worse, and worse, and worse. What a disaster of an athletic program.

-New Jersey is still trying to make legalized sports gambling happen.

-Where the hell does the sports media get their clothes? A pressing issue that Ben Koo just had to get to the bottom of.

-Joe Buck says Curt Schilling exaggerated a few moments during the 2001 World Series because Bob Brenly was mic’d up, which is just shocking given what we know about Curt Schilling’s commitment to the truth.

-The NFL Network suspended Brian Baldinger 6 months for saying the Eagles should put a bounty on Zeke Elliott.

-Oh, and some jamoke broke into a car just to steal a Kit Kat, leaving a note in the process. For God’s sake, people.

Fake news headline I wish was real

Entire Electorate Agrees to Just Name Theo Epstein President

One last glorious moment of procrastination

Just try not to smile watching this. I dare you.

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.