CUBS AND RED SOX
I really enjoyed this series. In fact, I’ve really enjoy all the Cubs series of late. Okay, not so much Toronto, but after winning 6 of 7 in SoCal (while I was there, no less), I’m not going to complain. But this weekend’s series was fun, if a little weird. See, last post-season, I grew very attached to the Red Sox. They were my surrogate Cubs. In fact, I got so wound up by the whole experience that I couldn’t watch game seven of last year’s ALDS. It was like the 2003 Cubs playoffs all over again. Big difference, the Red Sox rewarded, and that felt great. In the off-season, Stuart O’Nan and Stephen King’s book FAITHFUL was a wonderful fix for my baseball junkie and I grew even more bonded to the team. And so, this weekend, as a diehard, no-exceptions Cubs fan, it was kind of hard hoping for the worst from players I like to see do well.
I listened to the first game, the game the Cubs whupped up on with 20 hits and a 14-6 win. This game was not so weird: all those runs were pure fun for my inner Cubs fan, and while listening over the radio, the names of the enemy were just that, names.
Saturday’s game was when it got weird. The game was on Fox (boo! hiss!), which meant I muted the television and listened to Pat and Ron through the internet, resulting in a 15 second delay between the visuals and audio. So that was weird. The visual stimuli made it weirder. When David Ortiz would come to the plate, my first response was to relish his angry face and dangerous demeanor the way I had when he stuck it to the Yankees and Cardinals. But now he was battling the Cubs, and suddenly, I was afraid, very afraid. Or then there would be Johnny Damon. This guy makes me smile whenever I see him, but now it’s a close game with runners in scoring position and smiling is not an acceptable response.
And the game was close. Down 4 when I started watching, I saw the Cubs close to within one, tie it, get a go-ahead run, then two more insurance runs, before the Red Sox rallied back in the top of the ninth closing the gap to one again. Ever notice how much more enjoyable close games are when your team wins?
As a Cubs fan, Sunday’s game was a bit of a stinker, but ah, no biggie. The Chicago Cubs have been treating me fine. And no confusion exists about this next series against the Marlins. I want the Cubs to pulverize those fish. Filet and gut ‘em, and serve them with a can of Old Style.
I listened to the first game, the game the Cubs whupped up on with 20 hits and a 14-6 win. This game was not so weird: all those runs were pure fun for my inner Cubs fan, and while listening over the radio, the names of the enemy were just that, names.
Saturday’s game was when it got weird. The game was on Fox (boo! hiss!), which meant I muted the television and listened to Pat and Ron through the internet, resulting in a 15 second delay between the visuals and audio. So that was weird. The visual stimuli made it weirder. When David Ortiz would come to the plate, my first response was to relish his angry face and dangerous demeanor the way I had when he stuck it to the Yankees and Cardinals. But now he was battling the Cubs, and suddenly, I was afraid, very afraid. Or then there would be Johnny Damon. This guy makes me smile whenever I see him, but now it’s a close game with runners in scoring position and smiling is not an acceptable response.
And the game was close. Down 4 when I started watching, I saw the Cubs close to within one, tie it, get a go-ahead run, then two more insurance runs, before the Red Sox rallied back in the top of the ninth closing the gap to one again. Ever notice how much more enjoyable close games are when your team wins?
As a Cubs fan, Sunday’s game was a bit of a stinker, but ah, no biggie. The Chicago Cubs have been treating me fine. And no confusion exists about this next series against the Marlins. I want the Cubs to pulverize those fish. Filet and gut ‘em, and serve them with a can of Old Style.
posted by Erik at
4:03 AM
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