What a year 2016 has been. Not just in baseball but America. Many, many ups and downs from the presidential race, black lives matter campaigns, and Steph Curry hitting more threes than I can count. As if times weren’t already changing enough, let’s throw the Cubs in the World Series.

First the first time in five years, the Cardinals are taking in this post-season from the couch. And to add insult to injury, they get to watch their arch rival Cubbies play in the fall classic and try to win their first championship since 1908. The year that was once the punch line to so many anti-Cubs jokes is slowly becoming a memory rather than an insult.

The series is tied 1-1, Cleveland winning game one 6-0 and the Cubs winning game two 5-1. Corey Kluber absolutely dominated the Cubs in game one, striking out eight of the first nine batters he faced. Jake Arrieta decided he’d do his best Kluber impression in game two as he silenced Indians bats for five and two thirds innings. The teams head to Chicago this Friday with the series now being a best-of-five.

The Cubs are scary. With the presence of Schwarber being felt across the country, and a team built to win a world series, we’re getting closer to finding out if Theo Epstein’s creation lacks any pieces, or is wired like a true champion.

As much as this fall hurts the city of St. Louis, it definitely helps revive the previously dwindling away fierce rivalry that the Birds and North-Siders share. Let’s face it, the Cubs aren’t going anywhere for the next few years, they’re going to continue to be at the top of the central and challenge Mozaliek to make more moves, and not fall asleep like he did last year. The Cards have primarily dominated the Central for most of the past decade or so, but their run could be over, if Mo doesn’t build his team to win like Epstein did.

Time will tell if the Cubs are true champions or not, but they’ve definitely made their point and Epstein has built a powerhouse that the Cardinals are going to have to figure out how to compete with over the next several years.