If you know me at all, you know I am a Cubs fan. Not a “jump on the bandwagon” this season fan. I’m a true Cubbies Blue, T-shirt for every day of the week, Die Hard card-carrying Cubs fan. I have followed them for more than 30 years. I know that isn’t so long compared to some, so I am not claiming the record!

I have been known to sway minor children over to my side. I admit to bribing them with Cubs shirts, and in the case of our youngest son, taking him to his first ball game. I also have sent Cubs shirts to San Diego where my son and family were stationed. He proudly wears all his Cubs gear in Padres territory.

In the spring, hope blooms in my heart as the spring flowers are poking their heads aboveground. The first sign of spring to me is not the robin hopping around my yard, it is the day the pitchers and catchers report for spring training in Arizona. In the fall, I watch every game until the last leaf falls, and hopefully they are still hanging on!

I have told many Cardinal fans that rib me for being so faithful to my hapless team that if you have a Cubs fan for a friend, you have one of the loyalest friends in the world! Notice the empty fields of the baseball parks of some teams that are not in contention. I was watching the Cubs and Pirates and thought the stands looked like they had more Cubs than Bucs fans!

I will watch each season game, get updates of scores on my cell phone, and text my kids while the games are on. I am looking forward to seeing a slimmer Zambrano, a revised infield, and new batting order. I am counting down the days till the first pitch of the first game.

I do have some questions. Why isn’t Ron Santo in the Hall of Fame? What will happen when we actually do have a World Series Team? Will Ryne Sandburg ever manage in the big leagues? Will they have a Championship Ring in my lifetime? Will we ever see baseball in October at Wrigley Field?

It would be great to be watching baseball and seeing the ivy turning brown on the walls of Wrigley Field. See fans bundled up in Cubs stocking caps with Cubs blankets thrown over their knees. Chicago and many other cities around the United States will go crazy.


But fellow Cubs fans, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we can finally wear a shirt that proudly proclaims us as World Series Champs? I am eagerly waiting for that wonderful day! Meanwhile, I will enjoy the season, hold my breath sometimes, cheer and clap more often I hope, and watch my beloved Cubbies for one more season. Could this be the year? I hope so!