Back in my Army days, I was wearing civies, and ran into some basic training troops who’d been isolated from the outside world. One of them asked me, “How’s the baseball season going?”

“Why are you asking me?” I replied.

“Because you’re wearing a Cubs hat.”

“Cubs?” I replied, “What the (expletive) has that got to do with baseball?!”

I’m not a gruff guy. You’re supposed to talk to trainees like that.

Now that the Cubs are out of the running, it really doesn’t matter who wins in the playoffs. Sour grapes? Of course not. No matter how well the cubs do in the season, every Cubs fan knows it’s like watching Lucy Van Pelt hold the football for Charlie Brown to run up and kick. You know ahead of time that Charlie Brown, and the Cubs, will wind up flat on their backs.

They always lose their mojo in the playoffs.

It’s the Curse of the Billy Goat. In 1945, the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern used to take a billy goat with him to Wrigley Field to root for the Cubs. During a World Series game, he was asked to leave, because the goat’s odor was offending other fans. Outraged, he blurted, “Them Cubs, they aren't gonna win no more."

He was right, but so what? Being a Cub fan has nothing to do with winning. Anyone can root for a winner. You have to be tough to be a Cub fan.

When I was a kid a lot of other kids had Oakland A’s or Cincinnati Reds shirts and hats. Why? Those teams were winning. But when the streak ended, so did the loyalty. A lot of local Reds hats were put away with Pete Rose.

But Chicago fans are different. They’re resilient. They’re loyal. They’re consistent, just like the Cubs.

If you were a ball player, would you want fans who only love you when you’re winning, or would you want fans who loved you no matter what? Stick to your guns Cub fans, and be the kind of fan you would want if you were the one standing on the field.

It’s not about baseball.

Mike VanOuse

Lafayette