Insanity of Cubs Fans

By: Andrew Johnsos

Insanity - 1) lack of reason or good sense - extreme foolishness or an act that demonstrates it 2) legal incompetence or irresponsibility because of a psychiatric disorder.That is the only way to describe the scene here in Chicago on one brisk February day. The perpetual 45-minute line to get wristbands weaves around from Clark and Addison to Murphy’s Bleachers. These people (discloser: I am one of these people) are more than willing to wait in the cold shadows of Wrigley Field with smiles on their faces and with hopes of getting the proper wristband so they can wait in line again the next morning to purchase tickets for games that are played in far away places like July and August. Whole summers are being planed here.

The Cubby Bear is filled with fans comparing their wristband numbers and making alliances with friends and strangers in order to improve the odds. With 12,000 wristbands distributed over two days, everyone figures that only the first 3,000 people will score the alliances that offer confidence and bonds the people of Cubdom. Many of the fans here have the Cubs clinching the division sometime in late August.

Who cares about the Houston Astros and their all-star pitching staff? Forget about the Killer Bees of Berkman, Biggio and Bagwell. Don’t worry about the age and durability of Moises Alou and Greg Maddux. Just assume that Kerry Wood and Mark Prior will make every start and cheat long-term injury. Discard the fact the Cubs only beat Houston by the slimmest of margins last year, and they may have improved more in the off-season than the Cubs.

Will Michael Barrett, the Cubs’ new catcher, be able to handle the pitching staff with the same success as departed Damien Miller? Can third baseman Aramis Ramirez hit more home runs than the number of errors he will surely commit? Will Cory Patterson be able to return to his pre-injury form? Is Mark Grudzielanek going to hit .310 again? Can Sammy Sosa come back to his form from previous years?

The answer here at the Cubby Bear is “Yes” to all of the above. But these are fans that are blinded by their inebriation, caused by a combination of $1 pints and ivy flavored cigarettes. And to top it all off, the Bartman ball was blown up on national television. A chore that will, without a doubt, excise the demons that have cursed the Cubs for longer than most can remember.

It takes a lifetime of following the exploits of the Cubs to realize that all of these assumptions will make an ass out of you and me. The team has not had back-to-back winning seasons since the early 70s, and although things do look promising this year, there are 162 games left to play, so predicting a World Series is just as demented as cheering for baseball explosions.

Nonetheless, Harry Caray’s was sold out for the Bartman Ball Destruction, bars around Chicago watched on television, and people did cheer when it blew up. The Cubs sold over a half of a million single game tickets in one day after the season ticket base evaporated into a waiting list. This is all being done with the new ticket prices that rival those of New York and Boston.

But those of us that were around in 1985 and 1990 know that Destiny is a luxury that few Cubs fans can afford. Time will tell if this team is destined, but until then, the insanity will continue from the beginning of spring training to the end of summer. It will be a wild ride that will end in heartache or exhilaration.

That is why they play the games.

E-mail this article to a friend | Printer friendly format

Tags: , ,

Share This Article

No Comments

No comments yet.

Comment On This Article