This Year Is Here?

Cubs- 2 Astros- 11

Ouch!

As I sat watching my beloved Cubs get embarrassed by a 3-8 Houston Astros team, I was comforted by the fact that the World Series favored-to-win Boston Red Sox lost again, sliding to a 2-9 record. That matches the team’s worst start ever. How does that happen?

Baseball, long considered America’s pastime, is truly unpredictable from the start of Spring Training, from the start of the season, and even from the first pitch of any given game. While the Cubs seem to have had bad luck for the past century of professional play, other teams seem to pour millions of dollars into what amounts to losing teams on the field. It’s an enigma. The game, meticulous in every sense, requires a great deal of patience and a hell of a lot of practice. Each pitch is crucial, and one play can have an effect on an entire season. 162 games.

For me, I can assume that it’s going to be another long season of losing. History is against the Cubs winning anything, and has been for 103 years. But since I understand the fickle game that is baseball, there is still hope. If the Red Sox are off to their worst start ever, then who’s to say the Cubs can’t compete. A man can dream right? I can label this game as a fluke (and it really was- two of our best pitchers are injured, so we had to start an inexperienced relief pitcher who set a miserable tone to the game). There’s no real excuse, though, for the committing 3 errors in the field. That’s just bad baseball.

There’s still a long way to go, but by the time October rolls around I’m sure I’ll remember games like this. Oh the misery of being a Cubs fan. Red Sox fans, you once knew the feeling- may your 2 and 9 start remind you what it means to perpetually lose.

-Eric Hawkinson