Well I am sure many of you are familiar with the second half of that saying, but nothing sums up my feelings in regards to the beloved Cubs this Memorial Day weekend more than that. I have spent a good deal of time reading all of the articles and the posts on this website in the past four weeks and I am spent. 5-20, the Cubs are an unbelievably atrocious 5-20 since April 28th. That makes me want to throw up in my mouth, and more than just a little. I am done getting angry, I am done pointing fingers, this just happens sometimes. This is the direct opposite of 2003, and that is all I am going to say about that. I cannot get mad anymore, I do not want to be sad, and I sure as heck don’t want to be so friggin ANGRY! As I watched some no name kid blast a ball over Pierre’s head on Tuesday night, I just started laughing and then watched the end of 10.5 Apocalypse on NBC. To be honest, the movie was more of a joke than this season’s Cubs. I mean, it was so bad, my brain started to hurt, not kidding. Anyway, I may have said that I would never take a break from the Cubs just last week, but we can all change our minds, right? Now don’t get me wrong, I am still going to go to the games and watch on TV, but my emotions will be left at home. I will watch for things to get excited over next year and maybe even after the All-Star break, but win or lose, it will not be a big deal.
I urge you to take a similar approach. There has been so much anger and frustration in the posts and I can empathize with everyone, but it is time to stop letting this detract from you and your life, day in and day out. After all, this is the Cubs and it is just a game. We can all sit here and discuss our thoughts and ideas, as we did with the “If you were the GM” column. We can fire away emotionally and Hendry and Baker and suggest Prior may be a wimp, but it will not help, none whatsoever. The problem is that most of us agree with each other on what should be done or what should have been done, but it has not helped, nor will it.
My fellow members of the Faithful, it is time to move forward, leave April and May behind and come with me. We have exhausted our anger, emotions and opinions; it is time for a different day. This day I speak of is next year, or 2008 or 2011. Watch a game, don’t focus on the final score, but focus on Matty Murton, watch his unbelievable mature patience at the plate. Take a gander at Ronny Cedeno over at short, giving a 120% on every play whether he just fielded a ground ball in the hole or grounded out to second, all heart, all effort, ALL the time. Don’t look now, but public enemy number 1, Mr. JJ, is the hottest player on this team since the end of April. He is younger still, seems to have found his stroke and is a vacuum in right. I have mentioned my excitement with Sean Marshall in previous articles, and though Rich Hill may prove to be a bust, I have a little optimism when it comes to Angel Guzman.
I am off to my new happy place, the place where I just enjoy watching baseball and rooting for my team, even though I know what is going to happen. I am off to the place where wins and losses don’t matter, but just good ole baseball. You can tell me I am an idiot, or say that I am letting the Cubs’ brass off easy, and maybe I am in both occasions, but it does not matter to me anymore. It is summer in Chicago and the Cubs are not in first place….is that really a shock to anyone? So go against me if you will, but with all that being said folks, in the great words of Dennis DeYoung and his fellow members of the band Styx, if you would like, “Come Sail Away with me,” to my happy place.
Thanks for reading, feel free to contact me at brian@chicagocubsonline.com, and until next time….
Stay Classy Cub Fans!