They didn't win -- it's a shame

Column originally published Oct. 11, 2007

Do they still play the blues in Chicago when baseball season rolls around?"

Songwriter 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 fourth annual column wrapping up a recently concluded Cubs season, the first for Times readers. To the surprise of a few folks, this year's column had to wait a week for the Cubs to totally wash out of the postseason. Usually the washout is complete by Labor Day, if not Memorial Day.

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.

The 2007 team was a nice combination of all three -- an expected contender, a near-fatal meltdown at the end of the year and, on certain days, seemingly one of the worst teams in recorded history. I'm thinking specifically of the three playoff games against Arizona.

Every year since 2003 has been a disappointment in one way or another. At 28 years old, I think I can pretty much safely say that only four Cubs seasons in my lifetime have been even remotely satisfying. I guess I should add 2007 to the "remotely satisfying" list because there really were a lot of high points. But getting the sour taste of the disaster in the desert out of my mouth will take a while.

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