Disclaimer: I won't pretend to be some baseball expert, because frankly, I'm not.
But what I am an expert on, is my love for the Chicago Cubs. I am a born and raised Cubs fan, and I've loved them for as long as I can remember.
It hasn't always been easy being a Cubs fan. There have been many losing seasons in my lifetime, and even more in the lifetimes of my Dad and Papa, who are the reason I love this team so much.
But the losing seasons made the winning ones so much more worth it. It hasn't always been easy, but it has always been worth it.
Cubs fans are a unique blend of resilience, pride, and loyalty. There's a reason Wrigley Field is never empty. Even amidst the taunts from Sox fans we brush off the insults and proudly wear our Cubby blue.
Cubs fans don't waver, and we are far from fair-weather fans. Sure, there have been some seasons where it felt like we hardly won any games, but we watched all the same.
Some of my earliest and happiest memories involve the Cubs. For me, it's not just a family interest, it's a family lifestyle. Significant others have been subjected to usual interrogations, all of which include, "Cubs or Sox fan?" Father's Day presents almost always come in packages of blue and red, and the best kind of quality time involves grilling out and watching the game.
There's a solidarity among Cubs fans that just doesn't exist anywhere else. It's entirely unique to the North Siders. I challenge you to find a group of more hopeful people anywhere. We've withstood 107 years of devastating defeat, sometimes coming so close it hurt, and yet, we still turn out every season, ready to cheer our boys to victory. Even in the worst seasons, I've seen signs in the crowd "This year is our year." We are fans of faith in a team that has been woven into the very fabric of our lives for as long as we can remember.
With the season so close, the anticipation that's been with us since October is almost reaching a breaking point. We're ready for this year. Many of us feel that this year, finally, may really be it. We're fresh off the best playoff run in years, we have a kick ass roster, and the best manager in baseball. Holy cow. It certainly feels different than it has in the past, and we're all anxiously awaiting April 4th (and perhaps even more anxiously awaiting the home opener on the 11th).
But even if this year isn't our year, I can guarantee you this: the Cubs fans will continue to be the best fans in baseball, we will still proudly wear the red and Cubby blue, and our hearts will still beat in rhythm to "Go Cubs Go."
To capture what it really means to be a Cubs fan, I'll leave you with the wise words of our wonderful first baseman:
(Never forget the slide!!!!!)
