Yes, I stayed up past my bedtime (oh, who am I kidding? I often stay up later than I should) watching the World Series, and yes, it’s exciting to see the Cubs win in the 10th inning. Though, to be honest, I feel more happy for all my friends and neighbors and everyone else who has loved the Cubs over the years, than I feel excited about the win itself.
And I was playing around with a clever title, something like, “Chicago wins its first sports championship since . . . 2015” – with reference to the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup win in 2015, which was preceded by wins in 2013 and 2010. Before that, of course, was the White Sox’s win in 2005, and the Bulls’ string of championships ending in 1998. So the 108-year drought is not a Chicago thing, but is Cubs-specific.
So why did it take 108 years? My pet theory had always been that it’s in part because of those fans, and because of the Wrigleyville atmosphere; the Cubs sold tickets year in and year old to fans who wanted to enjoy a day at the historic ballpark, and a night at the bars, whether or not the team won, or was having a winning season. And that’s a good thing, in general — better than a devastating drop in attendance for a poor team that they can never recover from — but can also mean that the owner can just sit back and collect the revenues rather than working at whatever strategy (and, let’s face it, this means trades for the right players, doesn’t it?) will bring about a better team, especially if the team’s fans seem to enjoy such stories as the Billy Goat curse and the more recent Bartman scapegoating.
But anyway, good for them! And it’s interesting to observe and think about baseball for a little while — a game so different from basketball or football or hockey, with a slower pace and with the equalizing factor that everyone’s in the batting order. And one thing that I thought was remarkable was the frequency with which there were extremely close calls, runner and caught ball making it to the base at so very nearly the same time.
Now back to work . . .
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