August 24, 2009

We Should All Be Cubs Fans

Friends,

Yesterday, I listened to a little WGN radio during my breaks at work to keep an ear on the Cardinals/Padres game they were updating. The Cubs had already won, and the Cardinals were struggling to put away the Padres in the bottom of the ninth.

The Cubs sports host guy said, with honest glee and hope, that if the Cardinals were to lose then the Cubs would only be 7 games back from first. The way he said it, made it seem like it was a half-game lead for the Cards, at best.

And it was right then that I understood how beautiful it is to be a Cubs fan.

That kind of childlike hope and optimism that tomorrow will be better that just one more day that this year, yes, will be our year. I like that. I really do.

I could do without all the doom and gloom and the "front office lies," and "the season is over" chat that dominates Cardinals talk unless they are winning.

After the Cardinals won the game, meaning their lead on the Cubs remained at 8 games, the Cubs host delved into making excuses for the Cubs poor performance on their recent road trip, like how the last-place Padres are a decent home team, and the Dodgers, well the first-place, best record in the league Dodgers are good. And, to be honest, I was a little annoyed at that because in the back of my head I was like, "Come on! Be honest!" but, what's wrong with me that I was upset at a guy looking for reasons to hang onto what he wants to believe in? How bad is my situation where I need to take a shit on someone else's hope?

And when the guy started talking about the Cubs favorable schedule for the final 41 games of the year, with a lot of home games against .500 or below teams, and again, you could feel that rising swell in the radio guy's voice. If they could just get it together. Just one more break. Then, his partner sniped in there, "Yeah, but the Cardinals got an easy schedule, too." And that pissed me off. Relax guy, I wanted to say. Just enjoy the moment. Just keep your head above water. Why wallow? Believe.

I know that not all Cubs fans are like this. There's the beer-throwing douchebag bleacher bum type of Cub fan. And they have plenty of sourpuss "Our season is over" and "Fuck you, Goat!" and "BARTMANNNN!!" type of people. But those eternal optimists? Love'em. Wish we could all be more like that.

viva el mustache

2 comments:

Jorge said...

This season for the Cubs is just about over. Their schedule isn't easy and the Cardinals schedule is, relatively, easy. But, still somewhere in the back of my head, when I see that they're 8 games behind, I think there's still a chance. But, I also realize that if they do pull it out of their ass and somehow win the division, they're still in the worst division in baseball and really don't stand a chance.
And even with that, I still reserve a little hope.

DeWolf said...

Pat Hughes is the shit.

The Cubs are just shit. (15-6 Lost to the Nationals?)