North-side Gods

[douglas9]

Now is the time that tries the souls of Chicago Cubs fans everywhere. But rather than suffer openly, I prefer to indulge in superstition—superstition that, naturally, is intended to help the Cubs win the National League pennant.

Over and over, I’ve told my friends and family that I don’t care if my team wins or loses the World Series because all I want is for them to get into the World Series. My ambitions are limited, I say.

Never again will I succumb to the hubris I experienced in 1969, when manager Leo Durocher’s squad of overachievers, hampered by a thin pitching staff, led the Mets in the old Eastern Division by 9.5 games on Aug. 13, only to lose the pennant. I won’t make reference to the insane giddiness I felt when I attended the first game of the 1984 playoffs against the San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field, when the Cubs won 13–0 without seeming to break a sweat (at the time, I thought third baseman Ron Cey was the second coming of Christ). I won’t mention the moment of quasi-religious communion I enjoyed with Randy Hundley, who was the Cubs catcher during their 1969 collapse, in a bar after that 13–0 victory. In short, I won’t do anything that might provoke the gods—Greek gods, I presume—to hurl the Cubs to earth from their remarkable ascent this year.

I confess I’ve been unfaithful recently. So insulated had I become from the pain of Cubs fandom—and from major league baseball in general—that I didn’t even understand the wild-card rules. For most of this season, I kept a healthy distance. Then, one day, I couldn’t help myself anymore. I began to peek at the standings, the box scores and the next day’s pitching form.

http://harpers.org/blog/2015/10/north-side-gods/