Waiting for the next, next year.

Hope DIES eternal. [posted by Troy] I skipped work and went to the Cubs game today. We all knew that it would take a miracle for the Cubs to take the wild card, but couldn't they do it? Sure, they'd been playing AA ball against the Reds and the Mets, but somehow this team would come together.

Well, by the 5th inning it was 5 to 1, Braves were winning. Everyone, including the Cubs, knew that the season wsa over. This was it. Mathematics had come home to roost. Elimination.

But then, it was the bottom of the 6th, and thanks to a hit and missed fly ball the Cubs had two men on base. Up to the plate walked Sammy. He swung his bat crisply as he warmed up, and we all did some quick math...it was 5 to 1 but a homer here would make it 5 to 4. It was only the bottom of the 6th. Maybe, just maybe this season wasn't over yet. This was Sosa. Surely, Sosa could do it. If anyone could, why not Sammy? Hadn't he done it in the past. Yes, and he could do it now. Just a homer. The wind was blowing out. If it could be done, this would be it. After a few pitches the count was full and Sammy fouled off balls defending the plate. We ground our teeth and clutched at our beers. This would be it. We knew it. Hope had returned. The season where Maddox returned. Nomar stood in the line up. Wood. Prior. Even Zambrano. Hope is what it meant to be a Cubs fan.

But a cold wind blew in from somewhere around Rockford. Winter was on the way. Somewhere out there across autumn was winter, and everyone knows that Cubs hibernate in the winter. With the next pitch, Sammy chopped at it. The ball screamed off the bat. Way, way, way, way, UP. SO FAR UP. Couldn't the wind just push it? Couldn't it just tap it out of the park? No. No. It couldn't. With the slap of leather, the ball fell into the outfielder's glove. The score remained 5 to 1.

We sang the 7th inning stretch. Rounded up one last drink. I looked around Wrigley and thought about how nice this park was. I took it in one more time as I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn't be here again until it was 2005. The 8th inning passed, and then top of the 9th. The score remained 5 to 1. The bottom of the 9th came up, and we all sighed and grunted as the Cubs took to their bats. This could be the last time I saw them this year.

But Nomar led off with a hit, and then even pinch-hitting Walker ended up on base. Two men on? But it was still 5 to 1 in the bottom of the 9th. Grieve pinch hit. Grieve? Who the hell is Grieve? But some how he found a double. A double? 5 to 3, the Cubs were coming back with one out. Then Macias came to the plate and BLOOP!!! Bloop? Yes, Bloop, a single, it was 5 to 4 and the crowd was going crazy. CRAZY!!! This could be it! This could start the sweep of the Braves. The miracle Cubs of 2004, that's what they'd say. Sweep the Braves. Take the wild card. Then you never know. The world series? It could happen, and here we were watching it start. This was it! The entire season came down to this. 96 years of losing would end this year, and here we were watching it end.

But hope dies eternal at Wrigley Field. For all the ivy, red brick, Ron Santos, and rooftop parties can only ease the stinging stab of reality. Lee came to the plate and with a swing the 3rd out rang up, and that was the end. The season was over. The hope was gone, and we smiled at the effort. They tried for us, didn't they? As hearts broke, we were happy that we weren't sox fans and we were happy that we could walk home from the game. Some fan from Iowa was at this game, and it was his first game. He traveled all the way from Des Moines. You see, with Cubs fans all hits conjure hope. Each win is a step toward the big show. And each loss is only another piece of history. We may suffer, but we suffer together. Next year is just up ahead.

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