For all the Red Sox and Yankees fans out there who make up the most conspicuous fan base at Brown, this article is to remind you that you guys are not the focus in baseball this year. This year in the Majors, one team has dominated (and rightfully so) the nation's attention more than any other, and that team is called the Chicago Cubs.
Most people know the long history of the Cubs - the 100 years of waiting for the Next Year. But if you are not a Cubs fan, you don't understand what it means to be one. Since 1908, the perennial hope of reclaiming World Series glory has only resulted in a century of broken hearts. An entire generation of loyal Cubbie fans have never had the chance to see the Cubbie Blue win the World Series. Yet the Cubbie spirit lives on, both in this life and the next. Bohemian National Cemetery of Chicago is replicating Wrigley Field's center field wall to serve as a resting place for truly die-hard fans.
And for all the enduring Cubbie fans, the hope has been reignited brighter in 2008 than ever before. To dispel the disbeliefs among the doubters, let this year's numbers and records speak for themselves. The Cubs are the No. 1 team in the National League with a record of 86-58. The team sent eight players to the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, setting a Cubs record. The team is among the league leaders in nearly every statistical category. The Cubs lead the National League in team batting average, hitting an impressive .280, just five-thousandths of a point behind the MLB-leading Red Sox. As for pitching, the team has the fifth-lowest ERA in baseball at 3.86, led by Cy Young Award candidate Ryan Dempster (15-6).
The depth of the team wears down any opponent. Just when a team thinks it has clinched a game, the Cubs, who rank near the top of the Majors in comeback victories, will find a way to come back if a mistake is made. While the team has experienced some struggles in the last few games, it is not atypical for a good team to slip into a short period of funk in September. The Cubs got things working again after a similar funk following the All-Star Game, and they will heat things up again as they get closer to October.
Some people might disregard my words as too optimistic, and I won't say they are wrong, but that's what I've learned to be as a Cubs fan. When my father first taught me the game, he made it explicit to me that being a Cubs fan ain't gonna be easy. But when the time is right and victory appears to be within reach, you gotta just go with the ride and enjoy it. The fans have given their all to the Cubbies, and we are confident this year that the Cubbies are going to do the same back. Next Year is finally here.
Han Cui '10 sleeps in a Cubbie shirt.
