As a Cubs fan for close to half a century who’s running out of “next years,” naturally I was hoping for them to crush the Dodgers as a prelude to eventually winning the World Series. However, if they're going to lose a series, I would much rather see them lose by being blown out right from the start, thereby removing any doubt about their chances early on, than have them suffer a heartbreaking collapse after seeming to have it all wrapped up the way the 1984 and 2003 teams did. If you feel crushed and bitter after this series, just imagine how much worse you would have felt if they had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at the last minute by coughing up a four run lead in the ninth inning of Game 5, or as the result of some sort of fluke, or a blown call, or a devastating error on a routine play. From an emotional standpoint, I'll take the blowout any time. Sure, their dreadful, lackluster play in this series was disappointing and even pitiful, but there is at least some small consolation in knowing it could have been a whole lot worse.