Cub Fans Still Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

I sat listening to my beloved Cubbies playing the Giants on Friday afternoon. It was a close game, literally there was no score going into the bottom of the eighth. So I figured this one would go down to the wire.

In the ninth, Kerry Wood came in and gave up an RBI single to Bengie Molina, making it a 3-1 ball game. We went on to win this game by that final score. Despite the win, Cubs fans were not happy.

Listening to the post game report on WGN 720 with David Kaplan, I think there were more calls about how we will never be successful in the playoffs if our closer can't make three outs than there was praising Jason Marquis, who threw a gem. Marquis only allowed three hits, struck out four and walked only two in seven innings pitched. Oh yeah, he also didn't allow a run.

But instead of talking about that, we Cub fans decided to lay in on Kerry Wood. I can list a number of teams who would love to have Kerry Wood be their closer.

He has 24 saves out of 29 save opportunities. He has 55 strikeouts to 13 walks.  He's not going to be perfect, you can't expect him to be perfect every outing.

But this guy has come a long way. There was a point a few years back where, along with Mark Prior(who is out for the season, again), I thought he would never pitch again.

This guy is loyal to the Cubs organization, his teammates and the fans. He was offered more money by many other clubs, yet he chose to stay here, for the fans, for their loyalty and commitment to him.

As a life long Cub fan I have had high hopes for a great many years, and I have had my heart broken many times.  But I still 'root, root, root' for the Cubbies, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

As a Cubs fan we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, with every injury to one of our key guys, we hold our collective breath until we hear otherwise.

In years past maybe multiple injuries to Soriano, and Reed Johnson and Aramis Ramirez would begin to get me worried. But not this year. We have battled through broken bones, back spasms, and blisters. And we're still in first place.

Now I know there is a long way to go and we are not a perfect team.  We have our weakness with Marmol going through a rough patch, and struggling on the road like we have. But this team is the best team in the National League and some would argue the best team in baseball.

So fans need to relax.  Not every bad outing means the end of what could be a championship run. Not every loss means the Cardinals or Brewers will win the division and not every win means we're going all the way.

We need to enjoy the ride. Stop freaking out, stop calling for us to trade Marmol and Wood after rough outings. Or to drop Soriano in the lineup because he doesn't get on base. It is what it is.

This season is long, you can't win every game. Players become physically and mentally exhausted.  When you play in a park like Wrigley Field, where the fans are on their feet from the first pitch to the final out, that in itself can become overwhelming.

But the way things are going so far, the only disappointment we might feel come October is watching this season come to an end.

So calm down Cub fans. Enjoy the ride. Root for your favorite players, be disappointed when we lose a game. But let's see how this one plays out.

As a Cub fan you go all in, every pitch, every out, every inning, every game. That is how it goes. Every year we expect the worst and usually end up falling short. It's all or nothing.

But this Cub fan is all in.