Why it's tough to be a Cub fan

I'm a Chicago Cub fan.

Being a fan of a team that is known throughout the sports world for its reputation as losers flies in the face of sports fandom. Think about it- most people pick teams to cheer for because they are good. See Kentucky, University of. People that don't go to and have never attended U.K. love "their Cats". Something about a long history of winning will do that to fans. Make them jump on the bandwagon, if you will.

But, what about a Cub fan? How the hell does someone decide to cheer for a team that loses? Always loses. Always, always.

Most are brought into the fold the same way they pick their political party or their religious beliefs- because that's what their parents were. And others, like me, are converts. Through some kind of "road to Damascus" awakening, some people get wrapped up in a team.

Maybe when you were a kid, you saw NC State make an improbable run to a national championship in basketball led by a 5-4 point guard and a shooting guard that drained 6 or 7 25-footers per game in an age where the three point line was still just a gimmick for the idiotic NBA. Maybe that made you follow the Wolfpack the rest of your life. That's a good conversion story.

For me, it was marriage. This is not a good conversion story.

I married into the Cubs. My in-laws have been Cub fans their whole lives. My father-in-law has been suffering heartbreaks for the past 60 years. Time and time again, he's gotten his hopes up only to see them smashed into eleventy billion pieces. Like a zealous convert to Branch Davidiansim, I jumped in with both feet after I got married and got lost in the team. And I've subsequently been heart-broken by a dork in headphones that stole a sure out in 2003 and wrote another chapter in the Cubs sorry history.

I'm telling you that story so I can tell you this one-

The Cubs clinched the NL Central last night. It was a division of bad teams, but they won it. And now that they're in the playoffs, anything can happen.

So, this should be good for me, right?

Wrong.

I had tickets to that game last night. The Mrs. and I packed up for a rare night out. We left for the game and hit a traffic jam on I75 that can only be described as a disaster of biblical proportions. We travelled 5 miles in roughly three hours. By the time we even reached an exit to get off the interstate, the game was entering the third inning and we were still 75 miles away.

At this time, we decided to give it up, eat our 30 dollars worth of tickets, and go to a sports bar and at least watch the game. So, since the Cubs aren't a guaranteed television selection at Lexington bars, we opted for Trumps on Southland. A sports bar with a satellite and 30 t.v.s

It was closed. Like permanent closed.

We finally got to watch the last three innings, but there is somthing poetically ominous about our misadventure. Even when things go well for a Cub fan, it still sucks.

Meltdown in the 'Ville

For a UK fan, things just keep getting better and better. Last night I had the opportunity to spend a couple hours in the 'Ville. Listening to the meltdown on UofL talk radio was worth the trip in itself. After being arrested for the 25th time on marijuana possession, Willie Williams, UofL's version of Michael Vick, has finally been dismissed from the Cardinal squad. The loss of Williams won't help Louisville's porous defense. Loserville's defensive unit has been criticized all season for allowing opponents to put up ridiculous numbers. Things will only get worse as the Cardinals hit the road portion of their schedule, as twenty percent of UofL's defensive players cannot cross the state line due to legal issues.

In other news, Rich Brooks added to next years incoming class by snagging a big-ugly from the 'ville. Dave Ulinski, a 280 lb. offensive lineman , chose the Wildcats over the Cardinals.

Let the Madness Begin

The era of Billy Clyde has begun. Today was the first official day to get in line for Midnight Madness tickets. A slew of tents popped up in front of Memorial Coliseum early this morning. Cornhole tournaments and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements will follow for the next 72 hours. Tickets go on sale at 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning at the Coliseum and online.

The legendary Woooooooo has been drafted, and it wasn't by the Polish army. The big guy was taken in the 6th round of the CBA draft by the East Kentucky Miners.

Quick Football Update

The UK football team has been named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. After hearing of the news, University of Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe commented by saying, "The award really shouldn't even count, the were holding Harry Douglas the entire week."

Linebacker Wesley Woodyard and offensive guard Jason Leger were named SEC players of the week. Woodyard currently leads the SEC in tackles per game. This is the second time Leger has been honored this season, and the first time two Wildcats have been named in the same week.

Last night in Loserville, the University of Kentucky held a pep rally at Fourth Street Live. University of Kentucky head football coach Rich Brooks was in attendance, along with President Lee Todd and Mitch Barnhart. Several members of the UK Football team tried to attend; however, the players could not gain admitance into Fourth Street Live because they were wearing their football jerseys.

Anatomy of a Loss

It has been a week now since one of the biggest wins in the history of Kentucky football. Fans of the big blue have celebrated, gloated to the little guys in red, read the articles in the newspapers, and watched the replays on ESPN. But what about 'lil brother, where does Louisville go from here. Last year there were aspirations of playing for the national title. This year, the Cardinals could not even beat lowly Kentucky. I have heard one UofL fan proclaim that the loss was one of the top three most embarrassing things to ever happen to the 'ville. He didn't tell me what the other two were. However, I have to assume one was the UofL cheerleading episode of Girls Gone Wild. The other is probably the hiring of Rick Pitino.

The loss for UofL was a confirmation. The game confirmed what I had thought to be true once Mr. Petrino left town to referee dog fights. Louisville's tryst with football fame and fortune is coming to a close. And honestly, there is no reason to be ashamed. Last year the Cardinals were an offsides penalty away from playing for the national championship. However, there is something Louisville fans have to realize. To be a dominant program on the national level, the school has to be a destination for coaches, not a stepping stone. Not that being the football coach of the Cardinals is a bad job, but it's also not Notre Dame, USC, Alabama, or Florida. Coaches do not aspire to be the coach at UofL; coaches take the job as an opportunity to better their coaching resume. Kentucky faces a similar dilemma.

Luckily for fans of the blue, Petrino is gone and things are back to normal - two programs battling for bragging rights in the commonwealth.