A Letter to the Chicago Cubs and Their Amazing Fans

Dear Chicago Cubs and their amazing fans,[1]

You’ve almost done it.

It’s almost here.

Tonight could be the biggest night in many of your lifetimes.  Tonight could be the end of 71 seasons of frustration.[2]

You have the better team.  Don’t stray from what got you here.  Don’t try to be heroes – just play the game the way you’ve played it all season.  Lay off pitches out of the strike zone.  Make the routine plays in the field.  If an error occurs, don’t freak out.  It’s not the end of the world.  Just make the next play correctly, and fans, trust that your players will do so.

Don’t fall into the trap that many star-crossed franchises fall into.[3]  Fans, if something goes wrong, don’t shriek in terror and then go silent.  Don’t moan and say, “Oh, here we go…”  No.  Keep cheering loudly for your team.  Stay behind them.  Pump them up.  If you had done that after the infamous foul ball, Mark Prior may not have imploded, and Alex Gonzalez may have fielded that potential inning-ending grounder cleanly.

If you don’t win tonight, that’s okay.  You’ll be facing Clayton Kershaw, who is currently the best pitcher in baseball.[4]  It won’t be the end of the world.  You’ll have one more shot at it, and your chances will be very good.  It won’t be like 1984, where the do-or-die game was on the road, or 2003, which was against a team that has never lost a postseason series.[5]

Fans, if the Cubs pull it off, celebrate passionately.  Cry your tears of joy – you’ll have many fans of other teams doing it with you.  Don’t riot – you’re better than that.  Bask in the moment and be happy.

All in all – relax and trust what got you here.  You’ve had the best team in baseball all season.  I believe in you, and so do many other baseball fans.

[1] The Cubs have the greatest fans in baseball.  Don’t listen to that “the Cardinals do” nonsense.  It’s easy to be a “great fan” when your team has 11 World Series championships, second only to the New York Yankees.  Cubs fans go through joke after joke regarding their team, and yet they are still as loud and as loyal as any fan base out there.

[2] For those who don’t know, the Cubs have not won the National League pennant since 1945.

[3] I am VERY familiar with star-crossed franchises.  My favorite basketball team is the most successful regular-season team in the Big Four sports leagues that has not won a championship, and my alma mater is the only school in the old Pac-10 to never make the Rose Bowl.  I am also friends with a Vikings fan and with a Bills fan.

[4] I will defend this stance until I am blue in the face.

[5] Yes, it’s true.  The Florida Marlins have only made the postseason twice – and they’ve won the World Series both times.