A Game Worth Waiting For
I'm going to be honest. I'm not a baseball fan, not really. I'm not a Cubs fan, not really. But in these past 10 days, I've found myself caring an incredible amount about a sport I'm lukewarm towards and a team I never thought would break its curse.
Maybe that's just the inner sports lover in me. Maybe it's because I had the privilege to witness these world champions in person at Wrigley Field when I visited Chicago in August. Maybe because I'm still smarting from that Cavaliers win over the Warriors last season. Whatever it was, I found myself cheering for a team with the longest championship drought in major league sports.
And when they went down 3-1 in the series, I told myself, it's never over until it's over. Cleveland as a city should know that better than anyone. So I hoped. And I prayed. And I paid more attention to a World Series than I ever have in my life. Then they won game 5. Then they won game 6. And on November 2nd, I watched in anguish for 5 hours, a basket case of emotions, riding a roller coaster of hope and despair, as the Cubs went up 1-0, then tied 1-1, then up 5-1, then 5-3, then 6-3 (David Ross' historical home run during the last game of his career), then 6-6. At the bottom of the 8th I couldn't believe what had just happened. A 3 run lead blown with two outs and their closer on the mound. The ninth inning went scoreless. There was still a sliver of hope. And then the rain delay. I don't know what happened in those 17 minutes, but whatever occurred brought about something amazing. In the top of the 10th the Cubs pulled through, going up 8-6. This was it. All they had to do was hold onto their lead. For a brief moment, when the Indians brought the game to a one score difference, I was terrified. But then came the final play of the night. The bat connected, the ball grounded between second and third, Bryant rushed towards it, and he smiled. In that moment, as the ball left his hand on its way to Rizzo's glove at first, I realized what he had realized seconds before as he fielded the ball. The Cubs were going to win the World Series. It was an incredible end to an incredible night of an incredible season.
I know deep down that I don't really deserve to celebrate this win. Not the way that real Cubs fans do. I didn't wait years for this to happen. There's no Cubs legacy in my family. I'm just a bandwagoner who happened to pick the right team in the right year. But nevertheless, that moment felt extraordinary, as if I had been waiting for this my whole life.
There is something beautiful in this story, 108 years in the making. The Cubs always losing was something so fundamental to kids growing up watching baseball. The chances that anyone who had witnessed the Cubs' victory in 1908 was still alive were extremely slim. To see how a wall of support at Wrigley Field turned into a memorial that honored loved ones who passed away before they were able to witness this historic win is something that brought tears to my eyes. For one night, the whole country held its breath to see which one of these forlorn MLB teams would take home the title, and for the first time since the presidential race kicked off, we all forgot about the decision that lay ahead of us on November 8th. No one talked about leaked emails or sexist comments. No one fretted over which lesser evil would sit in the oval office next year. No one cared. For one beautiful evening, all that mattered in the world was this spectacular game of baseball. What could be more American than that?
During the game, I kept thinking, "Why do I care so much? Why am I putting myself through this anxiety?". But seeing the jubilation on the players faces as they made the final play, seeing the sheer joy brought to the eyes of Bill Murray and so many fans alike, reading the incredible story of a son keeping his promise to his deceased father that they would listen to the Cubs game together when the team won the World Series, I realized this is why I put myself through it. Nothing can unite us the way sports can. The emotion, the community, the togetherness you feel in that one epic moment with so many other people around the country, friends and strangers alike. In that moment, our differences are not important because we're all family.
So congratulations to the Cubs for a win that's long overdue. They say that the more years you wait, the more satisfying the win. I hope that's true because you have waited a really long time. And hats off to the Indians for making this series a wild ride. I'm sure your time in the sun will come soon enough. And lastly, to the real Cubs fans out there, I hope you don't mind this bandwagoner coming along for the ride. If you let me, I promise you I'll be a Cubs fan for life.
Maybe that's just the inner sports lover in me. Maybe it's because I had the privilege to witness these world champions in person at Wrigley Field when I visited Chicago in August. Maybe because I'm still smarting from that Cavaliers win over the Warriors last season. Whatever it was, I found myself cheering for a team with the longest championship drought in major league sports.
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| My first game at Wrigley, August 17th, vs. Milwaukee Brewers |
I know deep down that I don't really deserve to celebrate this win. Not the way that real Cubs fans do. I didn't wait years for this to happen. There's no Cubs legacy in my family. I'm just a bandwagoner who happened to pick the right team in the right year. But nevertheless, that moment felt extraordinary, as if I had been waiting for this my whole life.
There is something beautiful in this story, 108 years in the making. The Cubs always losing was something so fundamental to kids growing up watching baseball. The chances that anyone who had witnessed the Cubs' victory in 1908 was still alive were extremely slim. To see how a wall of support at Wrigley Field turned into a memorial that honored loved ones who passed away before they were able to witness this historic win is something that brought tears to my eyes. For one night, the whole country held its breath to see which one of these forlorn MLB teams would take home the title, and for the first time since the presidential race kicked off, we all forgot about the decision that lay ahead of us on November 8th. No one talked about leaked emails or sexist comments. No one fretted over which lesser evil would sit in the oval office next year. No one cared. For one beautiful evening, all that mattered in the world was this spectacular game of baseball. What could be more American than that?
During the game, I kept thinking, "Why do I care so much? Why am I putting myself through this anxiety?". But seeing the jubilation on the players faces as they made the final play, seeing the sheer joy brought to the eyes of Bill Murray and so many fans alike, reading the incredible story of a son keeping his promise to his deceased father that they would listen to the Cubs game together when the team won the World Series, I realized this is why I put myself through it. Nothing can unite us the way sports can. The emotion, the community, the togetherness you feel in that one epic moment with so many other people around the country, friends and strangers alike. In that moment, our differences are not important because we're all family.
So congratulations to the Cubs for a win that's long overdue. They say that the more years you wait, the more satisfying the win. I hope that's true because you have waited a really long time. And hats off to the Indians for making this series a wild ride. I'm sure your time in the sun will come soon enough. And lastly, to the real Cubs fans out there, I hope you don't mind this bandwagoner coming along for the ride. If you let me, I promise you I'll be a Cubs fan for life.
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