Countdown to Opening Day
There are few things in life that get me as excited as the opening day for the Cubs. It means I get to put away the painful memories from the previous year (and believe me, they're always painful) and greet the new season with optimism that can only be found inside the hearts of Cubs fans. Of course, most people see the optimism of Cubs fans and confuse it with delusional paranoia. I say people can differ on the definition of delusion.
Unlike last year, the Cubbies are coming into 2005 without the "World Series or Bust" expectations of last year. In fact, many "experts" are picking Chicago to finish third in their division behind both Houston and St. Louis. Of course, these are the same "experts" who picked the Cubs to win the World Series last year, only to see them finish third behind St. Louis and Houston in the division.
No, this year the Cubs don't have the weight of the world on their shoulders. The expectations are like those for Austin Powers 3. After the first Mike Myers spy spoof was such a colossal success (like the 2003 Cubs), there were incredibly high expectations for the sequel. Those expectations were not met, but that movie did give us Heather Graham, so it wasn't a total flop. Likewise, the Cubs didn't meet expectations in 2004 (though they did win one more game than in 2003), but 2004 did give us a chance to find out just how good Carlos Zambrano really is.
Now comes this year. After a down year last year, people are overlooking the Cubs as contenders. AP3 was fairly disappointing and many people are expecting the same from the Cubs this year.
Without the pressure, I think the Cubs are going to excel. With the distraction of Sammy Sosa or Moises Alou, I keep reading that the team's chemistry is good. ESPN barely mentioned them this year, except to say that Sosa and Alou were gone and Wood and Prior were hurt. If it weren't for being in the third-largest media market, we might not have heard anything about them before the season started. It'll be a lot like 2003 when they came out of nowhere to make it within five outs of the World Series (see, I told you they were painful memories.)
Maybe a better analogy would be to compare opening day to your wedding day. You spend months preparing, reading different publications and trying to make sure everything is just how you want it. As the day draws near, a sense of nervous anticipation begins to grow. The big day comes and goes quickly, but you're a changed person. You've made a commitment and you'll see it through to the end. You can only hope there are more good days than bad days.
So I've only got five more days until my commitment kicks in. I'll watch too many games on television, follow even more over the internet, and obsess over why we didn't go to the bullpen when it was obvious our pitcher was tired. I'll probably neglect Yes Dear at some point, my work will suffer, and I'll get to emotionally involved for my own good. I can't wait!
On Deck: Why do I care so much?
Unlike last year, the Cubbies are coming into 2005 without the "World Series or Bust" expectations of last year. In fact, many "experts" are picking Chicago to finish third in their division behind both Houston and St. Louis. Of course, these are the same "experts" who picked the Cubs to win the World Series last year, only to see them finish third behind St. Louis and Houston in the division.
No, this year the Cubs don't have the weight of the world on their shoulders. The expectations are like those for Austin Powers 3. After the first Mike Myers spy spoof was such a colossal success (like the 2003 Cubs), there were incredibly high expectations for the sequel. Those expectations were not met, but that movie did give us Heather Graham, so it wasn't a total flop. Likewise, the Cubs didn't meet expectations in 2004 (though they did win one more game than in 2003), but 2004 did give us a chance to find out just how good Carlos Zambrano really is.
Now comes this year. After a down year last year, people are overlooking the Cubs as contenders. AP3 was fairly disappointing and many people are expecting the same from the Cubs this year.
Without the pressure, I think the Cubs are going to excel. With the distraction of Sammy Sosa or Moises Alou, I keep reading that the team's chemistry is good. ESPN barely mentioned them this year, except to say that Sosa and Alou were gone and Wood and Prior were hurt. If it weren't for being in the third-largest media market, we might not have heard anything about them before the season started. It'll be a lot like 2003 when they came out of nowhere to make it within five outs of the World Series (see, I told you they were painful memories.)
Maybe a better analogy would be to compare opening day to your wedding day. You spend months preparing, reading different publications and trying to make sure everything is just how you want it. As the day draws near, a sense of nervous anticipation begins to grow. The big day comes and goes quickly, but you're a changed person. You've made a commitment and you'll see it through to the end. You can only hope there are more good days than bad days.
So I've only got five more days until my commitment kicks in. I'll watch too many games on television, follow even more over the internet, and obsess over why we didn't go to the bullpen when it was obvious our pitcher was tired. I'll probably neglect Yes Dear at some point, my work will suffer, and I'll get to emotionally involved for my own good. I can't wait!
On Deck: Why do I care so much?
posted by Luke at 4:08 PM
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