"Do they still play the blues in Chicago when baseball season rolls around"
Steve Goodman asked that eternal question before his untimely death in 1984. He continued by asking "When the snow melts away, do the Cubbies still play in their ivy-covered burial ground?"
Sadly, yes. This is my third annual column wrapping up a recently concluded Cubs season. To the surprise of no one, it’s pretty much exactly the same as the first two. The 2004 season was supposed to end in a trip to the playoffs until a meltdown in the final week. The 2005 collapse came a bit sooner, but the 2006 Cubs were one of the worst teams in baseball, a glorious throwback to the teams of my youth in the 1980s and 1990s.
Only two teams finished with a worse winning percentage, the always abysmal Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals. The Cubs have returned, as Goodman sang, to "the home of the brave, the land of the free and the doormat of the National League." With a new manager and team president coming before next season, who knows what to expect?
Every year since 2003 has been a disappointment in one way or another. In fact, at 27 years old, I think I can pretty much safely say that only four Cubs seasons in my lifetime have been even remotely satisfying. Of course, for someone born in 1939 instead of 1979, the number of mildly satisfying seasons increases from four to five, so it’s not like I’m alone in this wretched boat.
Continue reading "They didn't win — it's a shame."
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