Can Chicago Cubs Fans Be All that Disappointed?

As I was driving to school tonight, the NPR broadcast broke the news to me that both of the Chicago baseball teams had lost their respective bids for a spot in the World Series. An erstwhile fan of baseball, I listened, not altogether uninterested, as an account of the fans' reactions was told. It is the reaction of the Cubs fans that caught my interest.

Apparently, the Cubs have been in a winning slump - for the past 100 years. But this year was looking extremely hopeful. The best of the league, the Cubs sat out front with a 97-64 win-loss rate and a .602 percentage, with twice as many wins at home than losses. Now, I have to admit, it's been a while since I've really followed baseball and rooted for a particular team. But I have a hard time not rooting for a team whose stats this year look like the Cubs' stats. What an spectacularly amazing season it must have been!

But all of that went down the drain when they choked during the playoffs. According to the radio report, the Cubs fans apparently built a memorial to the team outside of the stadium, letting the team know in no uncertain terms what they thought of the loss. Scoop Jackson of ESPN writes, "The town has officially given up on the Cubs. For the first time in 100 lovable losing years, the love affair is over." And he goes on to explain about the heartbreak the fans have had to endure over the years.

Sorry, Chicago, but you don't have my sympathy. I've been in Atlanta long enough to remember the 1991 Braves team and its worst to first drive. The fans who enjoyed that year the most were those faithful few who rallied behind them every year before that, knowing that hoping for a win like that was asking a lot, but hanging in there each year because the boys were doing everything they could to deserve that love of their fans.