Thursday Open Mike: Cubs Fans Morose (OT)

Chicago, USA—Fans of the Chicago Cubs are dismayed this morning that the team has broken one of the proudest and longest records in sports.

A hundred and eight years is longer than the lifetimes of all but 43 Cubs fans, of whom 17 were capable of understanding the latest perplexing development in the team's fortunes. "If they start not winning again right now, they'll only be at 71 when I'm ninety," wailed Jimmy Appledongle, 19, of Logan Square. "Why would they throw that all away? Why?"

Sid "Pap" Wikolsky, 89, reminisced about the first time he saw the Cubs lose. "Ah, it was grand, it was," he beamed. "They were ahead 10-4 at the seventh inning stretch, but still managed to flush it down the drain," on a series of quasi-comical infield errors. It was 1934 and Pap Wikolsky was seven years old. He cherishes the memory.

"The Cubs taught me how to deal with setbacks, with failure, and yes, even the inevitability of my eventual death," said an unidentified female fan of older middle age. "I've seen them shut out, I've seen them blow leads, I've seen them not come to play, I've even seen them lose on bad calls." Asked if there was a particular occasion she remembers best, she said there wasn't, then mentioned a time when the Cubs had two out and bases loaded and Ryne Sandberg was called out on a low and outside pitch that very clearly caught the corner. She was able to nurse the resulting sense of injustice for many years. "After 1985, the one thing we in Chicago could count on was the Cubs not succeeding."

Then she added softly, "All gone now."

Image courtesy of the Cubs Suck Club, and no, that's not a joke.

Many fans are distraught about the implications of the World Series win for their long-held superstitions. Dr. Darnwell Milkit, a psychologist, explained that those superstitions have been subtly integrated as an organizing principle of many Cubs fans' lives. He explained that it might take a while to sink in, but that many fans might wake up one day soon to a feeling of interior dread and alienation as the unnatural event starts to settle in as real—a sense that the world has somehow lost stable meaning. "I've advised them to become Libertarians for a while, to help ease the transition," Dr. Milkit said. He cited Ed Reszewski of Lake Forest, who has been working for more than three decades to influence the Cubs' fortunes by wearing the correct socks. "On Wednesday morning I didn't even pay any attention to the socks," Ed reported, shaking his head in amazement. "Wait, maybe that's it!"

Wrigley Field has always been a peaceful place, a place of only transitory exultation, a place where placid fans can go to get some reading done. Each time the Cubs won, those fans could take fatalistic solace in knowing it wouldn't matter in the end, that the wistful autumnal melancholy so many Chicagoans inevitably associate with Wrigley would always return. Pitchers used to sign with the Cubs so they could be assured of having Octobers off to rest their arms. Fans always enjoyed the self-flagellation and self-denigration they felt was their birthright. It's going to be different now, and it may take fans a while to adjust.

The city of Boston has sent an emergency team of veteran counselors to help distraught Chicagoans with the transition. "They'll be all right," said Ed Gaffney, a Red Sox fan who could only bring himself to watch Sox at-bats during their World Series in 2004, leaving the room each time the Cardinals were up. "You do get used to it. They'll see."

Then he thought for a moment. "...Although I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea that the Curse isn't real." Baby steps, Cubs fans. It takes time.

Mike

Open Mike is supposed to appear on Wednesdays, but yesterday the dog ate my homework.

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Kenneth Tanaka: "Very cute. But this Cubs fan isn't morose. This Cubs fan went to elementary school two blocks from Wrigley Field. This Cubs fan used to know an usher who would let a few of us kids into the park for free on home game days at bottom of the 7th (and after school). This Cubs fan used to clean sections of seats to get a free pass to the next home game (circa early 1960s). This Cubs fan used to wait patiently outside the old clubhouse entrance on Clark Street for autographs from Banks, Williams, Santo, et al.

"But this Cubs fan never saw the Cubs in a World Series game, let alone win the Series. Until last night. And this Cubs fan cried like a baby last night, for all the losing efforts. For all his boyhood pals that didn't make it to see this unbelievable game. For his long-gone grandmother who listened to every Cubs game on her gray Motorola radio. No counseling needed here. Just some time to absorb the experience of the Chicago Cubs winning a World Series. Just some time."

Mike replies: Wait, you were at the game last night? In person? In all seriousness, that has the be the #1 game to have seen in person of any game in baseball history, or at least since about 1927. A mortal lock for the top 10.

Ken: "Nope. I watched the game on tv. I doubt I could have survived seeing that game in-person. Wow."

Mike: Good to know. You know there are already more than 40,000 Chicagoans telling their friends they were at the game in Cleveland, a number that is sure to swell as the years go by. (Progressive Field seats about 35,225 people.) Me, I just need to move up to TV.

Darlene: "Kenneth Tanaka's post makes me smile."

Norm Nicholson (partial comment): "Around 1990 there was an article in the New York Times stating that left-handed people didn't live as long as right-handed people--that put me in a funk. My wife said that I had to do something to snap out our of it. So I took my 15-year-old daughter to Indonesia.

"Everywhere in Bali, kids were riding on mopeds wearing T-shirts that said, 'Take Me Out, The American Baseball.' My daughter and I wondered, what in the world does that mean? A few days later we were in a cafe, and there was Harry Carey on TV leading the crowed in 'Take Me Out to The Ball Game,' and all of the fans were standing and singing and holding hands and swaying. WGN was a TV superstation and the Cubs were carried worldwide on satellite.

"Because of Wrigley, the people I met in Bali thought America was this wonderful place where everyone got along. It must be true, they saw it on TV.

"I learned patience being a Cub Fan, and I learned that fans of opposing teams were well tolerated at Wrigley. I also learned that there is a fine art to the game; it has grace, skill, luck, an awareness of the passing of time, and so much more.

"I'm 83 now, still photograph a lot, and have steady hands. I'm thankful that I have lived to see the Cubs win the World Series. The Cubs are no longer 'lovable losers.' They are 'lovable winners.' It's a new era. Baseball is on an upswing. May the country benefit.

"Take Me Out To The Ball Game."

Thomas Turnbull: "Thanks, Ken, so very much for sharing such a wonderful facet of your life with us! I was late to the party, myself, but I'm there wholeheartedly now—enthusiastically, hopefully, nailbitingly there—as I was via TV for every game of this Series!

"The reason I made it to the party at all was knowing and watching my brother, Warren. He started rooting for the Cubs in 1948, when he was six years old, and he kept at it, steadfastly rooting for the rest of his life. He died three years ago, so he never saw them win the World Series, but that didn't stop him.

"I was impressed and curious, so a year or so before he died I asked him why he'd picked the Cubs. 'I liked their uniforms,' he told me! I laughed, of course, but still just had to watch this Series in his honor. Now that I have, I've found my team! I hope I can carry his torch with something approaching his unassuming flair and faithfulness...and Faithfulness. 'Go Cubs' and all the best, Tom Turnbull."

Chris Y.: "Best line I've heard so far: 'The last time the Cubs won the World Series was [looks at watch]...seven hours ago...."

Comments

[emptyspaces]

Red Sox fans went through this in 2004. We got "Sweet Caroline," pink/green hats, and the Wally mascot out of the deal.

On the plus side, if the Sox took the lead while you were getting a beer, you no longer felt compelled to stay in the kitchen until the rally was over.

[Jeff]

Turns out Theo Epstein is pretty good at ending long curses, and cultures of losing.

Boston....86 years....Theo as GM.

Chicago....108 years....Theo as President

Next stop, Cleveland? (68 years and counting)

[Herman]

As a young Detroit Tiger fan (1930s),
we would recite:
How do you spell Chicago?
Chicken in a car, and the car won't go.
That's how you spell Chicago.

[Dan Gorman]

I'm a lifelong White Sox fan myself, but even I can be happy for my friends who love the Cubs. Enjoy the moment! You lifelong Cub fans have certainly earned it.
The two teams are now tied with one WS championship apiece during my lifetime - we'll just have to break the tie in next year's Series!
Congratulations, Cubs! Go White Sox!
Cheers,
Dan

[steveH]

This life-long Dodgers fan (first noticing them the last year in Brooklyn, before they moved west to where I could attend games), is pretty happy for the Cubbies and their fans.

Now I live in Minnesota, and have no idea who, or if, I'm going to follow in the future...maybe it will be the Cubs.

[David Bateman]

Who would have thought Back to the Future 2 was only off by one year. Instead of 2015, the Cubs pulled out in 2016.
Maybe Marty and Doc are here today.

[Mark Kinsman]

I guess Hell froze over last night. Uh oh............

[Jim Henry]

Mike, your writing is always good, but this is priceless. It should be on the Onion's front page. It is better than 99% of their writing. Thank you!

[Gordon Cahill]

Baseball..... Americas answer to Test Cricket.

:)

Well done the Cubs. Even this Aussie was a Cubs fan yesterday.

Gordon

[Chris]

Interesting... but I haven't a clue what this was about, and the NY Times article I looked at for some information was if anything even more opaque! I guess some things don't travel... :-)

[mike plews]

I guess I have to retire one of my favorite jokes about Old Style being the beer you drink to soothe a broken heart (they serve it at Wrigley).
That's OK. Last nights game was worth the loss of a joke. The whole series was spectacular.

[William Lewis]

I'm not a baseball fan, never have been. I'd far rather watch Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur in a derby match.

All that said, last night at work at the hotel, it was a quiet night and I found myself sitting in the lobby watching the TV closely rather than sitting behind the desk attending to paperwork or cleaning the swimming pool.

There are moments you don't want to miss and I'm grateful that I didn't. Had to dust the lobby afterword - too much dust getting into my eyes.

[MJFerron]

As a Red Sox fan it is normal for me to cheer for the American league in general. But!! How could one not feel for the Cubs here? Congrats to Chicago. (Just don't mess with my Celtics, Bruins and Pats)

[Nathan Redshield]

Greetings from Boston but originally Pittsburgh.

(Hell froze in 1942--Erie RR common stock paid a dividend, first in 69 years; next year Hell froze solid enough you could square dance on it: Erie common went on a quarterly basis.)
My family is from Pittsburgh; born there. 1927 to 1960 with no World Series but 1960 was spectacular; thence to Boston in '62. The 1967 American League season was the Best Pennant Race Ever so the Series loss didn't matter as much. Then there was '75 and '86. The Sox were often enough after 1967 respectable contenders (7-game World Series; the Sox were in the only 8-game Series) and it was obvious they'd eventually succeed. The Curse of the Bambino? In 1968 an old Red Sox fan told me Babe Ruth's first wife had died in a fire in their home in Watertown MA--that turned out to be the key to the curse. The Babe's residence in Watertown was demolished in 2004 (the photo made the front pages of the papers) and the rest is history. Chicago, you'll get used to it; why the younger set around here doesn't seem to understand that Titles don't grow on trees even if it seems like they do. How many now remember the Boston Celtics' six straight Titles? The Patriots are bent on Revenge but I got mad at the NFL and suspended the NFL for 4 games--and have continued the suspension over Colin Pumpernickel so I'm not watching the NFL until the kneeling stops. So Chicago, you got other teams that have been good; so get used to the Cubbies' winning ways; besides they could lose next year...just like the 1961 Pirates.
Only question: are there still no lights in Wrigley Field, and thus no night games? If Wrigley Field has lights that are used then I take everything back. Baseball must have some traditions and no night games at Wrigley Field should be one of them.

[MikeR]

I at first thought that Dave Barry was guest blogging for you, but no. Mike Johnston is a humorist! Who knew?

Good job.

[David]

I grew up in Mass. in the '60s and remember the 1967 AL pennant race and the World Series. We thought this was going to be it. My junior high school math teacher (Mr. Perry? You still out there?) even brought a TV to school so we could watch the game instead of our math lessons!

But it was not to be until 2004.

And now, it seems like it never really mattered at all. Cubs fans will learn how to move on, too.

[Geoffrey Heard]

You know, Mike, any Australian who paid any attention to anything like an internal US league came called "World Series" (ROFL) would have predicted that if Chicago was going to break the drought, this would be the year.

In our two premier football codes, the Australian Football League and the National Rugby League, two total outsider teams got up to win the premierships this year. In the AFL it was the Western Bulldogs, Footscray (as it used to be known), winning for the firt time in more than half a century, and what's more, doing it the hard way, scrambling up through the finals series. In the NRL, it was a team that had never won before.

In sport, looks like a year for the outsider.

[Norm Nicholson]

I was born on the Northside of Chicago in 1933, so I'm a Cub fan by birthright. Growing up the team was always there, even though my Dad only took me to a few games over the years, we were still fans.

I remember listening o the radio to the 1945 World Series, of course they lost. I was a fan of Bill Nicholson, an outfielder-- the rumor was that he was 4F in the draft. Most of the best players were in the service at the time.

Jack Brickhouse was the Cubs announcer on WGN for many years. He used to call Wrigley Field "The Friendly Confines." And, I think I remember him calling the team, "lovable losers." it was true that you would go to a game just for a day out, and it was great if the Cubs won. It was also true that many of the Cubs fans would clap when a player on the opposing team would make a really good play.

Around 1990 there was an article in the New York Timse stating that left handed people didn't live as long as right hand people--that put me in a funk. My wife said that I had to do something to snap out our of it. So I took my 15 year old daughter to Indonesia.

Everywhere in Bali, kids were riding on mopeds wearing T-shirts that said," Take Me Out, The American Baseball." My daughter and I wondered," what in the world does that mean?" A few days later we were in a cafe, and there was Harry Carey on TV leading the crowed in "Take Me Out to The Ball Game," and all of the fans were standing and singing and holding hands and swaying. WGN was a TV superstation and the Cubs were carried worldwide on satellite .

Because of Wrigley, the people I met in Bali thought America was this wonderful place where everyone got along. It must be true, they saw it on TV.

I learned patience being a Cub Fan, and I learned that fans of opposing teams were well tolerated at Wrigley. I also learned that there is a fine art to the game, it has grace, skill, luck, an awareness of the passing of time,, and so much more.

I'm 83 now, still photograph a lot, and have study hands. I'm thankful that I have lived to see the Cubs win the World Series. The Cubs are no longer "lovable losers." They are "lovable winners." It's a new era. Baseball is on an upswing. May the country benefit.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.

[Gary]

Headline in the San Francisco Chronicle sports section this morning:Hell Freezes Over.

[Dr__Nick]

Let's see how long it will take for the Cubs fans to turn this feel good story into douche baggery, the way the Red Sox fans did in short order.

[Steve Biro]

Mike, you still need to move up to TV? Did you listen to the game on the radio? If so, I hope you caught it on either WSCR out of Chicago or at least WTAM in Cleveland. The local broadcast teams are much more exciting than the ESPN coverage. If you just read about it in the paper the next morning, well, then you really do need to move up to TV. :)

[David Lonsdale]

Maybe somewhere in the ether, Steve Goodman is enjoying the moment. "Dyin' Cub Fan's Last Request" is so poignant; recorded when he was suffering from leukaemia. Have a look on YouTube and raise a glass to a great songwriter.

[Herman]

It looked like Wrigley supplied free gum to all the Cubs.

[PDLanum]

I did notice the pigs flying in formation overhead dragging a goat on the 3rd. The formation was clean, tight and the goat looked a little "frazzled". ;)

[René]

As an almost-completely-American-football-ignorant bluddy foreigner, I thoroughly enjoyed this write-up