T.J. Maxx, mugshots & baseball

It’s easy being a baseball fan in St. Louis. You have a team that’s made it to four straight National League Championships Series (NLCS), a stadium that has never seen attendance fall out of the top five in the MLB and you’re constantly reminded that you’re surrounded by the self-proclaimed “best fans in baseball.”

It’s not so easy being a Cubs fan in St. Louis. The team you love last tasted the playoffs in 2008, plays in a half-finished, 101-year-old monument which features the finest collection of drunks in the Midwest and can seemingly do no right.

Don’t get me wrong; I love my Cubs. Sammy Sosa, despite his criticisms, could not have been a better genesis for my baseball fandom in the midst of the steroid era. I chose Sosa over McGwire not to be a contrarian, but for the simple reason of the name we shared. The Cubs were my first team, and you have to commit to your first team. And that I did. I had books, stuffed animals, baseball cards, two shirts and, the crown jewel, a Kerry Wood jersey from T.J. Maxx.

But it’s the same every time. I tell someone who I root for, they look at me funny and think I’m kidding. I tell them I’m not, leading to another look and a grunt of displeasure. I get flack every time I wear my gear. Earlier this year, Holden Foreman, entertainment editor, laughed at my Wood jersey, and not because it’s much too small at this point. Mr. Olderman, history teacher, asked if I lost a bet when I rolled into his classroom donning a shirt emblazoned with the chubby ‘80s logo.

The thing about being a fan of such a team is you learn to accept defeat. You don’t cheer, you mockingly clap because you already know the outcome. You’re left dreaming of the “ifs” instead of celebrating the now. What if Alex Gonzalez didn’t butcher a routine grounder in the 2003 NLCS? What if the Cubs would have made it past the D-Backs in 2007 or the Dodgers in 2008? What if Carlos Zambrano didn’t beat the life out of his own catcher, Michael Barrett?

That’s where the Cardinals distance themselves from their once rivals. Despite how many “ifs” surround the team at the beginning of any given season, they somehow find a way. And I hate it. The Astros had all but popped the champagne in the 2004 NLCS, but they overcame. The Mets had a juggernaut of a roster in 2006, but that didn’t matter. The Rangers had them down to their last strike multiple times within the same, potentially series clinching game, but David Freese erupted with two clutch homers. They were supposed to be doomed after Pujols bolted and La Russa walked away, but they weren’t.

I can’t watch the Cubs everyday; I lose track of what channel WGN (their equivalent to the now unused Channel 5 in terms of amount of televised games) is and they can only play the Cardinals on ESPN and FSN so many times per year. Unfortunately, I can watch the Cardinals on a daily basis, and no matter how much I try to avoid it, I hear about them every cursed day. Dan McLaughlin’s voice should be broadcasted at child-care centers during naptime, but to give him some credit, I absolutely love looking at his charming mugshots from his various DWIs. Over the years, however, I have grown a liking to a handful of birds. Fernando Vina, Ray King, Hector Luna, Troy Glaus, Anthony Reyes, Woody Williams, Tony Womack and Reggie Sanders all captured my interest like most others could not. Plus, for a solid decade, the Cardinals’ bullpen spearheaded by the likes of Jason Isringhausen, Ryan Franklin and pre-successful Jason Motte raised my spirits in the wake of a Cubs defeat. While I’m at it, 307 players in MLB history have played for both franchises, notably including Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Cesar Izturis, Jason Marquis and Jim Edmonds.

Watching Jon Lester’s lackluster performance on opening night really served as a metaphor for my time as a Cubs fan. There have been years where those paid to analyze baseball prophesized the North Siders to not only win the division, but make a sturdy push into the postseason, and each time the quest concludes all too soon. Everyone knows they haven’t won a championship since 1908, and not since 1945 has this franchise, driven by history, even played a role in the World Series. I would love to see them win in my lifetime, preferably sooner rather than later, but any time will suffice. To be the best you have to beat the best, and even though the Cubs are situated comfortably at the first NL wild card spot, they would only be kidding themselves to think they wouldn’t have to go through St. Louis on their ascent to the peak.