A Dying Cubs Fan Last Request

Everday we get one day farther away from our birth, and one day closer to our death. A great Cubs fan, and one of my favorite folk artists (there's not that many of them that I like too much, I'll be honest), Steve Goodman, once wrote a song about how, while it was his great past time to watch the Cubbies, they only disappointed. Basically what he was saying was that, (said so many times by my grandfather whenever I'd mention the Cubs in postseason play) if you give a monkey a typewriter, eventually he's going to type a word.

Figuratively speaking, the monkey has been typing for 100 years now with a grand total of zero words. The Cubs World Series draught is the longest championship draught in professional sports history. I could go on and on about how close they've gotten, the great teams they've had, ranging from the era of hall of famer Ernie Banks, Banks' teammate Cub legend and color commentator for WGN: Ron Santo, hall of famer Ryne Sandberg, and the list goes on and on of the years where they'd show potential. But no year was more of a let down for getting so far, than the 2003 season. The Cubs were SIX outs a way from their first NL Pennant since WWII. In '04, they just didn't have the same chemistry, 2 of their great starters that returned from the 2003 season (Wood and Prior), weren't who they used to be with frequent trips to the disabled list. In '05, they were yet again a sub-par team, and watched their crosstown rivals win it all. In '06, they watched their biggest rival, the St. Louis Cardinals win it all as they finished LAST in the worst division in the MLB: the NL Central.

2007 came around. A good majority of Cubs fans (myself included), wanted Dusty Baker gone. The Trib fired him and after interviewing many capable candidates, gave the job to former Yankee/Mariners skipper: Lou Piniella. Billionaire Sam Zell bought the Tribune, and decided that he needed to sell the Cubs. The club still has yet to be sold. Later in the offseason, the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to their team, and he would prove to be a real team leader in the '07 season.

April finally came around. The Cubs looked like the worst team in the MLB, they didn't see .500 again until mid June. Meanwhile, NL Central division rivals; Milwaukee Brewers, got off to a FANTASTIC start, and they looked unstoppable.

Lucky for the Cubs that April is only one month of the baseball season. May wasn't much better though, then in June, Piniella and the Lovable Losers decided they were tired of losing. Things imploded starting with a June 1st scuffle between pitching ace, Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barret. Barret Just wasn't getting along with the pitching staff, and GM Jim Hendry made a wise move by trading him to the San Diego Padres. About a week later, there was a controversial call by a 3rd base umpire, a call the Sweet Lou didn't quite agree with. Well, after throwing his cap down and kicking some dirt on the umpire, it could've been assumed that Piniella would be suspended a few games. Lucky for Lou, that little bit of drama was what (for whatever reason) sparked the Cubs. The Cubs won 7 in a row starting with a sweep of the crosstown rival White Sox, and continuing on another sweep of the Colorado Rockies. After their sweep of Colorado, they were finally over .500... While the Cubs continued to do very well, Milwaukee slowly imploded. The Cubs finally gained on them and in September, clinched the NL Central, the first team in the Central to ever finish last one year, and then win the division the next.

October baseball did not go according to plan for the Chicago Cubs. They got swept in 3 games of a possible 5 game series.



So, you may be saying, "You've made your point, the Cubs have been a big let down, why is the majority of Chicago still Cubs fans...?" Besides fantastic memories people have of watching the Cubs, being at beautiful Wrigley Field, I have a theory as to why people don't give up, and it's truly very simple. We love the underdog story. It makes us feel good, that we imagine a team that hasn't won anything worth noting since 1945 (the NL Pennant), and hasn't won it all in 100 years, finally claiming the prize.

I won't make predictions as bold as Ryan Dempster did this offseason. I will say this though, the 2008 Cubs have the chemistry to be, at the very least a playoff contender. The last time the Chicago Cubs went to back to back postseasons, was the same 2 years they won the World Series back to back: 1907-1908...



Do they still play the blues in Chicago
When baseball season rolls around
When the snow melts away,
Do the Cubbies still play
In their ivy-covered burial ground
When I was a boy they were my pride and joy
But now they only bring fatigue
To the home of the brave
The land of the free
And the doormat of the National League

If only Steve Goodman could be around for the first time (that I believe) the Cubs will go to back to back posteasons since 07-08...






More articles to follow with news on the '08 Cubs, Cubs history, and anything Cubs.