Two events that occurred last month have me thinking this could finally be the year the Chicago Cubs win the World Series and end a 107-year drought. The Cubs obtained outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Houston Astros in a Jan. 19 trade, and that was followed by the sad news on Jan. 23 of the death of "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks, at age 83.

I had the pleasure of meeting both in Japan; Fowler as a member of the major league all-star team that toured the country last November, and Banks who accompanied the Cubs to Tokyo when Chicago opened the MLB season against the New York Mets in 2000.

It was somewhat surprising to me the Astros would have traded Fowler who seems to be on the verge of stardom. Sure, the 28-year-old hit just eight home runs with 35 RBIs and batted .276 for Houston in 2014, but he played in only 116 games. While with the Colorado Rockies in 2010, he led both leagues with 14 triples, and he batted .300 in 143 games with the Rockies in 2012.