August 7, 2021: Take It Like A Man

Well, this is going pretty much how everyone thought it would go. One of the best teams in the AL vs a AAA team in the NL is playing out as Vegas predicted with the Sox winning the series by taking the first two games; they will go for the sweep on Sunday at Wrigley.

I remember another time the Sox were going for the sweep in Wrigley. I can’t recall what year, and I’m not going to look it up, but it was one of the last Cubs Sox games I was in attendance for. They were great to go to… it was like a playoff atmosphere, well, at least what we thought it would be like; the playoffs had been rare occurrences for both teams. (Side note: The Cubs just got through their best stretch in my life; I guess that’s why they dumped everybody) In fact, I think I heard something on the broadcast on Saturday saying the Sox have never made the playoffs in consecutive years; that’s just nuts. That will change this year. But back to that series finale at Wrigley… I was in the bleachers. There was about 4 Sox fans who decided it was a good idea to bring brooms into Wrigley; I guess they were allowed to do it? They got there really early, and had front row seats in the bleachers; they must have really, really wanted to get noticed. They did. When I was returning from getting some beers, they, along with a few Cubs fans, were getting escorted out of the bleachers… faces covered with blood. Unfortunately, there will be people trying this again tomorrow; I’m guessing the results could be similar…

This Cubs Sox stuff isn’t for the faint of heart, let me tell you. I’m not going to put it in the same category as Red Sox Yankees, Giants Dodgers… teams who play each other on a more regular basis. You need to play each other a lot to build up this sort of animosity between the fan bases. Honestly, the animosity feels more one sided in this matchup. As a Cubs fan, I really don’t care what the Sox do; I know many Sox fans who would much rather see the Cubs lose then their team win… I guess being the red-headed step child in your own city has its effects on a fan base. The Sox have another chance to grab some more of the interest in town with the recent predicament; they will… those won’t be true fans, but they will. At this very moment, I feel like I would react the same way I did in 2005 if they got there; I wouldn’t watch it.

Back then it was different… the Cubs were fresh off Bartman; the Cubs hadn’t got theirs yet. I was very bitter. I thought the next time the Sox got good, I would react differently; maybe I will. But after the Cubs blew up their golden era core, I’m back at that bitter stage; not like I just drank a Keystone competitor, but just flat out pissed. As each Rizzo, Baez, and Bryant highlight pass through my timeline, I get more pissed. As I read through the no-name Cubs lineup each day, I get more pissed. Like I said, it’s not going to get better any time soon, even with the rays of sunshine that are Pat and Ron.

But, you have to take it like a man; what other choice is there? We have to stand tall and take our beating; we have to take all the shit talking that comes with it. The guys in charge of the Cubs have put us in a really shitty place; they’ve given me a 2nd reason never to forget them… this one the polar opposite of the first. Yet, it will make for some good blogs… It’s stuff like this why I started my writing therapy. I think… today is not exactly April 24, 2014… it’s worse…