The World Series The Cubs Haven't Won Yet Is Already Ruined
Several years ago, I was at a game with a few buddies. The Cubs had already started to change. Instead of trying to win through a solid farm system, scouting, and patience (see Texas, Tampa Bay, and Epstein’s Red Sox), they started going after high-priced free agents like Alfonso Soriano and big-name managers like Lou Piniella. The team had one of the top payrolls in the league, but it wasn’t translating into victories.
That’s when I heard it. I’ve been to literally hundreds of games at Wrigley Field, but never heard this sound before.
“What is that?” I asked my friend.
“Boos,” he answered.
Ugh. Print this article out, crumple it up and shove it. Chicago isn’t special.
And that’s the first time I realized the Cubs were changing. Wrigley Field used to be a place to be part of something unique. There was honor to being a Cubs fan. We might not have been rewarded by World Series victories, but what we got was more valuable. We got optimism. And perseverance. We believed that even though the Cubs didn’t win this year, maybe they would next year. And that was enough to keep us going.
Again – Chicago isn’t special. Neither is New York. Or Boston. Or Kansas City, Kansas. Wherever you live or root, it’s awesome to win and it sucks to lose. If you haven’t won in a while, it will never get better! If your favorite team is currently successful, a lot of people probably dislike you. Get over yourselves.
If the Cubs win the World Series, it would probably be pretty fucking sweet for Cub fans. The fact that the Red Sox would be mentioned isn’t going to make it any less so. Guess what? The White Sox are probably going to be mentioned too. It doesn’t matter whether Theo Epstein is involved or not.