Someday you'll go all the way...

With the baseball post season in full swing, I found myself rubbing elbows with many Brewer's and Cub's fans while in Wisconsin this past weekend. This became quite the juxtaposition considering we were at a sports bar in Milwaukee with 200 Brewer's fans just after their game 3 victory and then to a home with 6 die hard Cub's fans during their post season collapse. I found this interesting because it's obvious I am a devout Cardinal fan. I didn't care too much about the Brewer's fan. I understand why they were so happy...it was their first post season appearance since 1982. Guess what happened in 1982? Cardinals beat the Brewers in the World Series! Ever since then the Brewers have done nothing...all they have is Laverne & Shirley, Jeffrey Dahmer, and some beer. The Brewers still have a lot to prove. One post season appearance in 26 years is quite sad. Now, on to the Cubs. So after the sports bar we drove across town to Curtis' house (Jen's brother). He along with 5 other Cub fans were watching what would become the Cub's 9th straight post season loss. The second straight post season of being swept out of the division series. It was a depressing and lifeless environment. Jen and I thought we made a wrong turn and crashed a funeral. "Lou Pinella is the worst post season manager ever!", cried Curtis. It's what you would expect from die hard fans watching a pivotal game and screaming at the TV, "Noooooo!", "Swing the bat you [expletive]!!", "Oh my God!!!", "You suck, you can't even hit the ball!" This went on for an hour while the Cubs once again threw away one of their best seasons ever as well as the best record in the National League. Another moratorium for the Cubs..."next year!", as Cub fans say. With every strike and out building against the Cubs, the expletives and anger overtook their vernacular which provided a possible glimpse into what hell might be like. Being a Cardinal fan it was so hard to bridle my amusement and merriment. I respect Curtis, I didn't want to rub it in, pour salt in the wound or add insult to injury but I did stand back in the shadows and shouted to the heavens and thanked the baseball gods in silence. Once the final out was called against the Cubs I thought a riot would ensue. Curtis let out a scream as if he were giving birth to the spawn of Satan. He knocked his miniature Cub's helmet and bobble heads off the TV. Derrek Lee lost his head but Zambrano lost his feet and head!(no cats or dogs were harmed) Shortly after the mini-riot; the anger, expletives and the self-injurious behaviour took a back seat to a somber and dispiriting moment of song. While holding his iPod and his right arm raised high into the air, Curtis played a song which bellowed from the speakers and throughout the house. A song that all Cub fans know all too well; "Go all the Way" from Eddie Vetter. Here are the depressing lyrics...

"Don't let anyone say that it's just a game
For I've seen other teams and it's never the same
When you're born in Chicago you're blessed and you're healed
The first time you walk into Wrigley Field
Our heroes wear pinstripes
Heroes in blue
Give us the chance to feel like heroes too
Forever we'll win and if we should lose
We know someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way

We are one with the Cubs
With the Cubs we're in love
Yeah, hold our head high as the underdogs
We are not fair-weather but foul-weather fans
We're like brothers in arms in the streets and the stands
There's magic in the ivy and the old scoreboard
The same one I stared at as a kid keeping score
In a world full of greed, I could never want more
Than someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way

And here's to the men and the legends we've known
Teaching us faith and giving us hope
United we stand and united we'll fall
Down to our knees the day we win it all

Ernie Banks said "Oh, let's play two"
Or did he mean 200 years
In the same ball park
Our diamond, our jewel
The home of our joy and our tears
Keeping traditions and wishes made new
A place where our grandfathers, fathers they grew
A spiritual feeling if I ever knew
And if you ain't been I am sorry for you
And when the day comes with that last winning run
And I'm crying and covered in beer
I'll look to the sky and know I was right
To think someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way"

For those you who have been hiding under a rock, the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908. One hundred years!! 100!! They haven't even been to the World Series since 1945! Depressing, isn't it? Here is a quote from a Cub fan, explaining why the Cub fans are the greatest..."We thrive off of the hardships. Part of the joy of being a Cub fan is the pretense that you expect the worst and cheer your lungs out anyway. We're just along for the ride regardless if they take us off a cliff or into the promised land. Either way, we don't care." I can respect that, even as a Cardinal fan. But...as a Cardinal fan, we have higher expectations. The Cardinals have a winning tradition. We've won 10 World Series (only 2nd behind the Yankees), 5 since the Cub's last WS appearance. The St. Louis Cardinals have been to the post season 27 times and the Cubs have 16 appearances under their belt. The Cubs have 2 WS trophies in the modern era and to their credit they did appear in 3 consecutive WS's...way back in 1906-1908.

I was motivated to write this after being surrounded by Brewer's and Cub's fans this weekend in Wisconsin. These two franchises have a lot of bitterness, sadness, despair, disappointment, anger, frustration, and hopelessness. I've taken my share of punches from these fans so I feel justified in giving it. I also understand your teams made the playoffs and we did not...this year. But the bottom line and the big difference is...winning; and no one in baseball does it better (ok, the Yankees have done it better) than the St. Louis Cardinals. We love our team just as much as you do, through the winning and losing seasons. Our team is built on tradition and legends, the uniform is worn with pride and sense of history. This winning tradition is passed down from generation to generation. The passion of Cardinal baseball is embedded into our DNA. We don't thrive off of hardship, we thrive off our players playing with pride, hustle, and grit...and ultimately winning. Watching a game at Wrigley is like being at a frat party on steroids. There seems to be more concern over the number of beers being consumed during the game and what bar in Wrigleyville everyone is meeting to consume more beer. Cardinal fans certainly enjoy their beer, however, we get involved, we watch and listen. Busch stadium is a family oriented atmosphere, we teach the game to our kids, nieces and nephews. I'd be hesitant to take Hannah to Wrigley. I've been there once during a Cardinal/Cubs game. A lot of beer being consumed and a lot of bitterness leads to a lot of aggression. Sure, you have friendly banter between rival fans but it can get quite ugly and unforgiving. I will also admit, Wrigleyville is a place like no other. It is a great place to be after a game, to people watch and to partake of the festivities, but if you're a Cardinal fan, you better not be sporting the red or cardinals on the bat.

So Cub fans, I wish they would win. I'm beginning to think you love their losing ways because it keeps the mystique alive and you may thrive off of the lime light and hardship. You love being a part of those lovable, losing Cubbies. You love walking down the street sporting your Cub's gear and people pointing and saying, "Oh look dear, a Cub's fan. Awwww, losing is so cute. Maybe next year."

Cub fans, this is what winning looks like...


This is what it looks like to be a Cub's fan...



If losing was a candy, it would be a sour jawbreaker for Cub fans. Someday you'll go all the way. Until then, you still have your billy goat and curse, Bartman, your "close enough", and the best one of all, "next year!"

To think someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way
Yeah
Someday we'll go all the way
Someday we'll go all the way...



(Disclaimer; this post is for entertainment purposes only. no one should take this post serious or literal. or should they?)