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Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Cubbies, Cubs, Indians, Nats, Sox, Thomas Boswell, Washington "Post", World Series
Photo by Ellen Miller
Great playoffs already.
Starting with two thrilling Wild Card games, moving on thru the losses of my beloved Sox and adopted Nats in their Division series, and to Indians and the Cubs deserved wins in the Championship series, we’ve already seen wonderful playoff baseball.
And tonight to the World Series, where along with the rest of the baseball world — except those who live in Cleveland and those who are related to the players and staff of the Indians — I too hope the Cubs win it all and give relief to all those who have suffered for the past 108 years.
(I know something about what it means to win the WS after decades and decades of failing to do so. Among so many other things, it means that no matter what happens in the next decade and beyond, the Cubs fans will not have to put up with the albatross any longer. The constant failure will be over, and they will never again have to be careful of sharp instruments and high places when/if the Cubs don’t make it to or through the WS. Although my wife would not agree, I find it much easier to ‘accept’ a Sox loss or failure to win throughout the playoffs — tho the fact that they won two more WS in the decade following their 2004 win may also have some impact on that ‘change’ in my behavior.)
If the baseball Gods are paying attention, then the Cubs should win because they’re the best team in baseball this year, and not (just) because of their long and tortuous drought.
And since baseball is about the fans as much or even more than it is about the players who come and go, then the time the Cubs fans have spent caring about their team will make this World Series win even sweeter than the Sox one in 2004, if that is possible. (Shades of the Little Prince caring for his rose.)
PS – After writing the above, I happened to see that one of my favorite sports writers, Thomas Boswell, has a good column in today’s WaPo on this very issue where in he writes the the Cleveland fans know about this too, having spent decades, 68 years to be exact, without a WS win. See: Cubs-Indians World Series Shows What Fans Long Have Known. Life Is Suffering.
Land Wayland said:
No, no, no. Life is Anticipation. There is often more pleasure in imagining the future than in actually experiencing it. And the longer the event is deferred, the greater the pleasure when it arrives. Why do you think restaurants keep you waiting before they serve dinner? Would you really want your meal served one minute after you ordered it? Of course, you wouldn’t want to have service delayed 78 years but there is a happiest medium.
And once the hoped-for event has occurred, it is over and cannot be anticipated again with the same fervor. Those who grouse about waiting rarely stop at STOP signs or do anything else to delay gratification. They drink the entire glass of wine in two minutes.
An event that occurs too easily is not appreciated; that is why Yunkee fans used to dis-appreciate the World Series; they treated it as if it was a right, not a privilege, and barely seem to notice that it doesn’t happen any more.
Life is suffering only if you do not know how to appreciate the perfect moments that are occurring around you ever day.
Richard said:
I’m not sure we disagree. You are just adding depth to my ongoing attempt to ‘justify’ my love for this so called game.
Jim Cooke said:
I’m rooting for the Indians for the simple reason that the Cubs are a club full of guns-for-hire, from the GM to most of the players on the field.
Richard said:
You make a good point, and unfortunately baseball has moved much to0 far in the direction to which you refer.