As a lifelong Cub fan, I have run into countless Cub naysayers since I was a kid. My uncle Fred renounced the Cubs in 1933 when they traded his favorite ball player, just because he was nearing the end of his career and was losing his skills.
A lot of baby boomers stopped being fans after the 1969 season -- saying the team broke their hearts when they collapsed before making the playoffs.
Then there were those in the RoadRage generation who stopped being Cubs fans after the 1984 season because the Ryne Sandberg-led Cubs lost in the playoffs, one game before making it to the World Series for the first time in 39 years -- again, they said that their hearts were ripped out.
I never understood that -- if you are a "Die Hard" Cub fan, you're a fan for life -- like marriage, you're in it through good times and bad. How can you turn your back on the Cubs?!
After the Cubs latest collapse, I think I finally understand those disillusioned fans. This summer, I spent literally hundreds of hours watching the North Siders. I saw them change from a mediocre club to the team with the best record in the league -- then in just three short games they get eliminated, yet again, from another run at the World Series.
Right now, I can't even think about watching them next season, and that's what I am hearing from most of my friends.
That's what's different this time around ... in 2003 our hearts were ripped out, but we barely made the playoffs (with 88 wins) and went a lot farther than expected -- and we had a great team to build on for the coming years. Then in 2007, we played a much better team in the playoffs when we met the Arizona Diamondbacks, and were swept. Again, we had the nucleus for a great team to build on -- so Cubs fans were angry about losing, but hopeful for the future. Now, for me at least, that has all changed.
With this latest debacle, I have lost all hope -- hope that the Cubs will ever make the World Series and that they'll ever field a team that has any chemistry that will play for the good of the team and not themselves.
I'm hopeful that I'll get over this and will be able to turn the Cubs on next year without thinking about this season, but right now I can't even think about wasting my time to watch another Cubs team fail miserably.
At least I can take solace in the fact that Reinsdorf's White Sox lost their World Series bid today.
RoadRage
1 comment:
Welcome to the club, my man! I was one of the Boomers who lost the faith back in '69. I tried to get it back but it was just never the same. So I lost the passion. But the good news is, you will now be able to shake your head and laugh at the remaining Cubs faithful and their devotion to the Team That Never Wins. From the outside, that behavior is most amusing. Sorry for your loss, but you'll be better for it. You'll see. Go Bears.
Post a Comment