Are the Chicago Cubs Becoming the 1990s Atlanta Braves?

In the 1990s, there were very few certainties in professional sports.

Other than escalating contracts and the possibility of a strike-shortened season, the only thing you knew was going to happen annually was the Atlanta Braves winning their division.

The Braves had maybe the best starting rotation of the last 30 years, headlined by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. They brought players up through their organization, like Chipper Jones and David Justice, and mixed in quality veterans like Marquis Grissom and Terry Pendleton to create a dominating team for over ten years.

But, in that great decade of dominance, the Braves only won one World Series.

As we enter 2009, the Chicago Cubs have a solid pitching rotation built both from within and with acquisitions. The field is filled with home-grown talent and purchased power as well.

And the ball club has now won the division in consecutive seasons.

The issue for the Cubs is, will they even win that one championship?

The Cubs, under the guidance of GM Jim Hendry, have put together a team that looks to dominate their division again in 2009.

With middle market teams surrounding the Cubs trying to reload, having moved veterans to save money and having failed with prospects, the Cubs are in the enviable situation of being the leader from Day One.

Like the Braves for most of the previous decade, however, the Cubs haven't found a winning formula after the first of October.

The Braves roster in the 1990s mirrored that of the current issues facing Cubs in many ways:

3B: Chipper Jones - Aramis Ramirez

LF: Alfonso Soriano - Ron Gant

Rotation: Strong Starters

Bullpen: Lots of questions

1B: Fred McGriff - Derrek Lee

CF: A revolving door

SS: Walt Weiss - Ryan Theriot

Rookies of the Year: David Justice - Geovany Soto

Strong manager personality: Bobby Cox - Lou Piniella

Lead-off man: An annual search

But, above all, the Atlanta teams of the 90s were consistently as good, if not better, than those in their division. If the division got close at any point, the experience of having won the division before clicked in and the Braves showed their ability to close.

Similarly, the Cubs now have shown in two straight seasons that they know how to put away the division.

My concern is that we'll look back in ten years at a Cubs team that was really good, but never won anything significant, like many fans in Atlanta look back with empty wishes from the decade of dominance they saw from their Braves.