Let me start off by saying that I've been a St. Louis Cardinals fan my whole life. Always have been. Always will be. 22 years and counting. My dad, who passed away 15 years ago this month, was a die-hard Cardinals fan, as is my older brother. It was inevitable that I too would be a fan of the St. Louis team, and I'm quite okay with that. I've always told people, jokingly but also kind of seriously, "I can't be a Cubs fan. My dad would strike me with lightning!" Never once did I think that I would be rooting for the Cubs - until now.
I just want to state a disclaimer: I'm not a bandwagoner fan; you won't see me wearing Cubbie Blue all of a sudden. For your information, I'm sporting Cardinals gear while writing this. I'm not just cheering on the Cubs because they've had a stellar season (way better than the Cardinals did) and my team didn't make it to post-season. No. I'm cheering for them because of my uncle (Sorry, Dad).
My uncle, the father figure in my life after my dad passed, was also a die-hard fan of baseball, but he was dedicated to the Cubs. He lived and breathed for the Chicago team. My uncle also passed away three years ago this month. In his obituary that he wrote, he said being a Cubs fan meant that you "exude a tremendous amount of patience and a great sense of humor." That was especially true for my uncle since he never got to see the Cubs win the World Series in his lifetime. Despite that, you couldn't find a more dedicated fan than him. He even had "Go Cubs Go" played at the end of his funeral. My family has always said that if the Cubs make it to the World Series, it's because he's pulling some strings up there. And by golly, after how baller they've done this season, I can't help but think of my uncle, and how elated he'd be that his Cubs finally have a chance of making it to the end.
And that is why I'm rooting for the Cubs to win the World Series. You Cards fans can hate me all you want, but I can't wait to see our rival win it all. They've had a tremendous season, and it's been great baseball to watch. As a fan of the game in general, I respect that. Even though my dad is rolling in his grave because his daughter is hoping the Cubs take it all, my uncle is rolling around in his in pure excitement that his team has a genuine shot of claiming the 2016 World Series Champion title. So with that, I hope for my uncle and all the others that were Cubs fans until their last breath, that the team will make history and win their first World Series since 1908.
