Yeah, they did

The Cubs did it again.  This year the they missed the playoffs altogether.  Will I be back in the spring?  Yeah.  I'm a Cubs fan.  Its what I do.

Like, Idunno Scoob...

"Like, Idunno Scoob..."  That's what Shaggy always said before something attacked them.  Then later, it turned out to be a guy in a mask.
Last year, the Cubs won a very solid 97 regular season games, and won their division for the second year in a row.  Then they lost three games in a row in the playoffs, and it was all suddenly over.  For the second year in a row, the Cubs failed to win a single game in the playoffs.
I thought something inside of me might have broken.  I was honestly not sure I could do this anymore.  Being out of market, I have years when I follow the Cubs more than others.  It depends how busy I am, and there were some really dark years in there too - and some of those I watched to the bitter end, and some I gave up in the middle.  But the last few years, I've been a pretty serious fan.  And I was not sure I could do that anymore.
But... after the winter months, the days get longer, it gets warm outside, you start to shake off the cold.  And you're just so damn happy to see a baseball game, even on TV, that you kinda forget what happened last year.
This year the Cubs are hanging in there.  Right this minute, they are two games behinds St. Louis for the lead of the NL Central, and two games behind in the wildcard race as well.  I want to be optimistic, but all I can think is "Like, Idunno Scoob..."

I thought I would do a comical season wrap up...

... but I simply don't feel like it. I really don't want to drop too far into politics, but let's just say that 2006 is the last time I pulled for a winner (the Carolina Hurricanes). So the Cubs collapsed like a cheap card table - I've seen this before, and right this second it doesn't seem all that unusual or new.

I'm just glad I didn't put a year on here. I can keep using it over and over.

Congratulations to the Phillies.

There is no joy in Mudville

The Cubs lost.  They lost in Cub-like fashion.  They were never in it.  I couldn't write about it last night.  I went to bed feeling like I simply can't do this anymore.  I'll be trying to find the humor in this and post again in the next day or two as though anybody is reading or cares.  There will be comparisions to a chronically abused woman who keeps going back to her abuser.  They will be in questionable taste.

The Cubs made the playoffs two years in a row, which hadn't happened in about a hundred years.  So its been fun watching baseball the last couple of years.  it would be nice if in two playoff appearances they had won one game.

Don't Ever Give Up

0-2. We've been here before. The NL Divisional Series, Cubs down 0-2. We were here last year, and it didn't end well. We were here in 1998, and it didn't end well. In general when you go down 0-2 in a Divisional Series in Major League Baseball, its bad. Only one team has come back from being down 0-2 since divisional play started, the Yankees did it in 2001 vs the Oakland A's. This should be a ray of hope, but I have long maintained that this series was fixed. I don't feel like explaining my reasoning. I work with a Yankee's fan who, while a good guy overall, can be a tad irritating when the Yankees are winning (this is like saying "it got a tad stormy in Galveston"). He was fairly quiet for most of the season this year.

Well, the key thing to remember is that they're 0-2. Somebody has to win 3 games. I say it is going to be the Chicago Cubs. Why would I say this?

• By my account, at least 6 times this year the Cubs lost 2 games in a row and then won at least 3 in a row
• Last night pitching didn't kill them. Stupid nervous mistakes did. Hopefully we're past that now
• The offense is bound to wake up at some point
• I see no reason not to be cocky. The worst thing that can happen is that they lose, and I turn my sports focus toward the upcoming hockey season. As Crash Davis said, "You gotta play this game fear and arrogance". The Cubs will win, all the sports radio talking heads who said it was over will look silly, but most will claim they picked the Cubs all along
• I believe

So, maybe its "fear and ignorance" rather than fear and arrogance, but I say the bandwagon is still rolling. No, I'm not a band wagon fan, I'm pretty diehard. But if you jumped on the bandwagon, stay with it. I say to all the people around the country who became Cubs fans through the years because they were on WGN a lot, and WGN was on every basic cable system in the country, "Come home old Cubs fan, the door is open".

In closing, I'll come back to the title, a quote from former North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano who during his famous speech in 1993, clearly weakened by cancer, stated passionately and believably, "Don't give up, Don't ever give up" (it wasn't the first time he said it, but this was probably the most famous speech). I used this quote for two reasons:

1. The Cubs are down 0-2. I believe they will come back and win the series. Last night's loss was depressing, but I am not giving up
2. Some people face real adversity. Sometimes there is karma involved. More often it seems to be random. Right now I'm sure some person who doesn't deserve it is battling cancer. I don't know why. Sometimes the only explanation that makes sense is "S*** Happens". This is just baseball. Its not that big of a deal

If you haven't seen it before, or haven't seen it lately, Valvano's speech is worth watching.

NLDS Game 1

Sigh - I don't have a good feeling about this. I'm going to step away from the ledge, and see what happens tomorrow.

Plenty to say, but maybe not here.

The Cubs.. are good. And have nearly clinched their division. There is much to say about them, but not here, not now. Its been a good year, they have not broken my heart.