Wait Till This Year

You’re probably thinking I’ve gotten over being a Cub fan, living twelve time zones and 30 years removed from Chicago. Or maybe you’re thinking, who wouldn’t cheer for a team that hasn’t won for 100 years?

Me, I’m thinking of that great quote from Paul Farmer, the advocate for health care among the world’s poorest:

I have fought the long defeat and brought other people on to fight the long defeat, and I’m not going to stop because we keep losing. Now I actually think sometimes we may win. I don’t dislike victory.... We want to be on the winning team, but at the risk of turning our backs on the losers, no, it’s not worth it. So you fight the long defeat.

In 2008 I actually think we may win. You have to have noticed the streaks. This year’s Cubbies have been stringing together five and six in a row, especially at home. And how about the three Cub players—two playing their first year of major league ball—who top the National League All-Star voting at their position? Maybe best of all, let’s not forget Fukudome, the best Japanese import since the Toyota Prius.

Sure, we’ve been disappointed often. Some percentage of the patient sufferers around the globe who call themselves Cub fans may even expect to be disappointed. But that doesn’t stop any of us from saying, “This is the year.”