From Baseball to Football, loyal fans must remain true

Usually by the time October rolls around, I stop being a

baseball fan and start focusing more on football.

Whether it is rooting for our Rams or the Denver Broncos, or

hoping that the Colorado Buffaloes and Oakland Raiders lose,

football highlights the sports schedule.

But this year is different because the Chicago Cubs are in the

playoffs. Not that I don’t love drinking Bloody Mary’s and watching

the Broncos add on to their undefeated record, but the Blue and

Orange are part of a Sunday ritual that can’t carry over for a

whole week. And as far as the Rams go, the feeling that came about

after two depressing losses in a row cannot be cured with

overanalyzing or finger pointing. So while we continue to devote

our weekends to football, baseball can fill in the rest of the

week.

For the first time since I was six years old, the Cubs won their

division and are giving me a reason to hope.

I remember when they made to the playoffs in 1998, but a quick

three-game sweep by Atlanta ended their run before I could even get

excited about it happening.

This time it is different because the Cubs actually have a

pitching staff that knows how to throw the ball.

Kerry Wood and Mark Prior finished first and second respectively

in strikeouts in the majors for a combined total of 511. The

starting pitching rotation averages just over 25 years in age, but

can shut teams down offensively as they did in game one of the

Division Series against the Braves.

The victory over Atlanta was the Chicago’s first playoff win on

the road since 1945 and has made me think that the Cubbies might

actually have a chance this year.

No one expected it and most Cubs fans still can’t believe it,

but maybe patience and persistence wins in the end. Maybe it’s

true, if you wait around long enough, good things are bound to

happen. The last time the Cubs won a World Series was in 1908 and

their history is full of last place finishes and being the laughing

stock of baseball.

Being a Cubs fan has not always been easy, but maybe this year

it will finally payoff. The chances of them making it to the World

Series are slim and I would just be happy if they beat the Braves,

but at least it is fun to be a fan again.