By Jake Hamar (Follow me on Twitter @ktikjake)

This might be the year.

Of course, the Cubbie Faithful at Wrigley have been saying that since Charlie Chaplin was in silent movies. Generations of Chicago baseball fans have come and gone since the days of Tinker to Evers to Chance (if you have never heard of them, look it up). All they asked for in this world was for their beloved National League club to overcome “The Curse of the Billy Goat” and the tragedy that was Steve Bartman. A World Series championship has eluded this group of long suffering citizens since 1908.

1932 was supposed to be their year, but Babe Ruth had somehow developed the power of ESP, and called his home run shot in the World Series. 1945 was supposed to be their year, but they couldn’t overcome the hitting power of Hank Greenberg and the Detroit Tigers. 1969 was supposed to be their year, but they self destructed and despite being in first place in the NL East most of the season, collapsed in September and allowed Tom Seaver, Tug McGraw, Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones and the rest of the “Amazin’ Mets” to take over the division, and eventually, their first World Series championship. 1984 was supposed to be their year, but they fell to Tony Gwynn, Goose Gossage, Steve Garvey and the San Diego Padres. 1989 was supposed to be their year, but the San Francisco Giants put a fork in their road. And we all know what happened in 2003 with Bartman.

Need I say more?

It’s been a series of calamities that makes you wonder if the baseball gods are playing some kind of cruel trick on this championship starved franchise. In fact, since the Cubs last won the World Series, all of Chicago’s major league sports teams have won a World Championship in their respective leagues. The Bulls three peated twice; from 1991 to 1993, and again from 1996 to 1998. The White Sox have won two World Series titles, once in 1917, and again in 2005. The Chicago Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup six times, including three in this decade, and the Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffled their way to a Super Bowl title in 1986, trouncing the New England Patriots 46-10.

And yet, Cubs fans stay loyal to their team.

You know why? It’s because Chicago, along with St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit and San Francisco support their teams no matter what. It is a passion that goes beyond winning a title or being on Sports Center 10 times a night. It’s a love affair with the team that has been in their city for decades, and that love affair has been passed from generation to generation.

And for those fans who root for their Cubbies?

They might not have to wait much longer.

For the first time in a long time, I can say with confidence that the Chicago Cubs have a legitimate shot at a World Series championship. The only other time where I had that feeling was 2003, but the Florida Marlins doused water on that prediction.

Fool me once, shame on me. But fool me twice?

Hell, I’m a sucker for a feel good story.

I’m a Dodger fan, and have only witnessed one World Series championship (I was born in 1981, and while the Dodgers won that year, I was only a few weeks old, so 1988 is all I remember), I guess I can say I’m much more fortunate than the fans who fill the seats at Wrigley. But since the Dodgers always seem to lose in the playoffs, I’ll root for the Cubbies just in case Carl Crawford decides to hit .210 in the Divisional Round and no one on the LA pitching staff besides Clayton Kershaw can stop the Mets or Nationals.

This year seems different for the Boys From Wrigley.

First off, Theo Epstein has completely changed the culture of this club, by selecting blue chippers like former Boise Hawk Kris Bryant, who was an All-Star in his rookie year in 2015, and is batting .284 with six homers and 24 RBI’s. Another nice pickup has been Anthony Rizzo, who struggled in his sole season with the San Diego Padres, but has realized his potential with Chicago, making the All-Star team in both 2014 and 2015, and has 10 homers and 29 RBI through the first part of this season.

And I would be committing a sin if I didn’t mention the heroics of Jake Arrieta, who has been a consistent winner since coming over from the Orioles in 2013. The last two seasons, Arrieta has pitched no-hitters in each year, and right now, is 6-0 with 44 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA. That’s an average of over 7 strikeouts per game.

Epstein is a genius.

“If Theo wins the championship,” Peter Gammons told the New York Daily News, “I’ve told him he should have a plane waiting at Midway (Airport) to take him straight to the Hall of Fame.”

This of course, is a man who helped break the Curse of the Bambino.

Perhaps the cherry on top of this wonderful sundae has been the hiring of former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. In an era where baseball managers are thought of more as babysitters than masters of the game, Maddon knows how get the absolute most out of his players, and bring a winning attitude to a dugout that hasn’t seen many winning seasons. He took the Tampa Bay Rays, a franchise known more for their ineptitude since they were born in 1998, and made them an AL Champion and constant playoff contender.

Without him, this team might not be so good so quickly.

So rejoice Cubs fans. Grab your old Ryne Sandberg or Shawon Dunston jersey out of the attic, and put on your two sizes too small Cubs ball cap that you bought at K-Mart in 1985.

Your team might just reverse the curse this year.