As I was coming out of my comatose state this morning on my daily train ride into the city, a smile crept across my face. I don’t care if you’re a North Sider or from the South Side, a Chicago native or a displaced body residing temporarily in our great city. Something special is brewing, and the hopes are that it only can get better.
Chicago has always, at its core, been a baseball city. From Connie Mack to Comiskey, we’ve seen our share of ups and downs. But the recent (re)addition of Greg Maddux to the Cubs’ young pitching staff has baseball faithful across the country turning their shoulder to the wind and giving a quick fist pump of excitement.
This is where those team boundaries should cease to exist. You either have to be dead or cold-blooded not to feel a warm sensation rising through your body. The Cubs organization has put together a formidable squad this off-season and the future shines bright. The pitching staff has been considered admirable for the last couple of years, but with Maddux it has crossed over into another realm. Talk around baseball is of “the best.” The Astros have the Killer B’s and a very good pitching staff, but the Cubs have countered with their own punches.
I don’t put too much stock into curses, jinxes or what have you, but it’s beginning to look a lot brighter for baseball in Chicago this fall. Can you imagine–The Evil Empire vs. The Lovable Losers? Or better yet, Red Sox vs. Cubs.
