It’s going to be a long, hard summer. The US is done in the World Cup and if the Cubs were an English football team, they’d be ripe for relegation right now. I still have a few days of fleeting shots from Omaha and the College World Series to keep spirits high, but after that it’s just another birthday (no baseball thanks to the All-Star game…again), a dreadful move (because they all are) and wait for those autumn Saturdays to roll around. How did I get here?
It’s pretty simple. The Cubs have the third worst record in the majors and it’s time to start over which only means that it will be at least three summers before they can even talk of contending again. Meanwhile, the US Men’s National Team resembled a Landon Donovan cross throughout the tournament: searching. Even Head Coach Bruce Arena was left looking for a few answers, more excuses and probably another job after he essentially fired himself when he said he “had other options” to consider.
But what can I expect? When my two major rooting interests of the summer are 1) the Cubs winning the World Series, and 2) the US winning the World Cup I shouldn’t be surprised. Farm-raised turkeys have better chances of surviving November. Yet one of them has to happen eventually, right? They can’t both be red, white and eternally blue. Who gets there first? It’s a tricky and barely technical answer.
The Cubs started the season with unrealistic expectations and unrealistic odds. If they could just stay healthy, they might be kinda good. The Cubs were listed at 16-1 to win the World Series at the start of the season, just behind the Mets (15-1) who have the best record in the National League, and have since fallen to 100-1. That’s probably a bargain.
The potential fate of the US men’s soccer team, however, was a bit more problematic to pin down. They were listed everywhere from 32-1 on vegasinsider.com to 100-1 in the FIFA Almanack of World Football, depending mostly upon whether the source was based in America or abroad. (Gotta love that bravado from the American wise guys. Here we’re playing at true odds, there we’re as good as…well…the Cubs.)
The problems plaguing both current teams are easy to document. The Cubs are first in the National League in walks allowed (298) and last in the majors in runs scored (290). It’s tough to win when you cross the plate just about as often as you give a batter a free pass.
The US was just as underwhelming with four shots on goal, the lowest total in the tournament, and bested only Tunisia in terms of total shots, 21 to 19. (But “the Eagles of Carthage” put nearly half of their shots on goal, so even that’s a loss.)I watched all three of the US games in the World Cup, and honestly the best shots I saw came from the ‘A’ in AIG and the pointer for Motel6.com. This doesn’t bode well for US soccer, but it does wonders for capitalism. You have to pick your international battles.
Or do we? In the future, why can’t the Cubs and the US both be the best in world? It’s probably the most feasibly unrealistic proposition in sports. They’re both just good enough to contend, but there is so much history to overcome. Bartman. The Goat. A handball. Shots of Times Square during the game with fewer people than that afternoon’s TRL crowd.
In theory, which is where Cubs fans have been living since 1908 and American soccer recently moved in, both teams have about as good a chance at winning it all. Taking my biggest leap of faith ever thanks to mathematics, we can assume the Cubs have a 30-1 chance to win the World Series in any given year. FIFA currently ranks 205 teams in the world, but if we assume US qualification for future World Cups, the US is a 32-1 shot to take home the trophy every four years.
Now, according to this handy life expectancy calculator from the University of Pennsylvania, I should live to be 78.96 years old, which means that in my life time I should see 1.65 World Cup titles for the US and 1.76 World Series trophies for the Cubs. And that’s with everything being equal, which is never the case except for arguments sake. Factor in some ups and probably more downs, and I’ll forget the fractions and just pencil in one for each. When is it going to happen?
I say they tie in 2026. The US, still looking for its first win on European soil, wins its first World Cup in the newly independent country of Texas behind the sagacity of player-coach Freddy Adu, who wisely subs his 37-year-old legs for Eric Wynalda Jr. A few months later, the Cubs, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of Winnie the Pooh with a commemorative patch, beat the Las Vegas Wynns in six games on a walk-off homer by Darren Baker.
As Al Gore correctly predicted, Satan is suddenly cold and I’ve still got 30 years to live.
If not, I’ll just move back to Nebraska, add one more food group to my regular diet and, thanks to Penn, magically extend my life by about four years. That should surely do it.
Really well done. Good job of bringing the 2 struggling teams together in one great piece. I am also a Cubs fan and at this point find myself laughing more then crying so I have that going for me.
Really nicely done. This had a professional feel to it and nicely tied the similar histories of futility for the Cubs and Team USA together.
One thing for sure is that it goes beyond comprehension that it could take so long to be a champion, if ever. Sure the Cubs won in 1908 but what does that mean exactly to a fan like yourself? Nada. nada, nada...not a damn thing probably. I don't know when USA soccer will have a team good enough to make a run. If this was our best team ever we have a ways to go.
Great food for thought and it didn't even feel like I was being fed, which made it that much better.
Good luck with the judges although it's tough to root for either you or Moore Sports over the other. You are both very worthy.
Hi Plains: Truly a great read!!! I have enjoyed all your posts and your style of writing. "Good things come to those who wait" has to be the mantra of a Cubs fan, but being the true Cubs fan that you are, it will be worth the wait. Best of luck to you in the final judging and I look forward to your future posts!!!!
Good post. I don't know where to start with my poor sorry Cubs. This season is over, what they need to do is change the team drastically so that they are ready next year. First person to trade is Wood, he will never pitch 100 innings with the Cubs because he'd hurt himself sitting on a couch. 2nd person to trade, and its hard to say this, Greg Maddux. He's not getting any better, and you could get good value out of him. In theory, the lineup should be good, but I might need a tweak too. Keep Nevin in case Lee gets hurt again, and maybe find a young 2B to replace Walker soon, he's ageing. Hopefully, Murton and Cedeno turn out good. Then the pitching, you'd have Zambrano (Actually good), give one more change to Prior, a better Marshall, and maybe bring in someone in the offseason.
Extremely well-written. Great use of humor. Hard for a non-Cub fan to feel the same pain, but the pain (and passion) came through in your writing. Nice job. Good luck.
rivjo: Not only does 1908 not even register, I don't remember any of 1984, either. Ohhh, Cubs. I don't even read the recaps anymore, just give me the score.
While 06 was a disappointment, I think US soccer has fewer hurdles in their path, simply by the set-up. As long as they keep qualifying, which seems fair given their competition, it will all come down to the group stage. Survive that and it's sudden death the rest of the way through. Crazy things can happen...and almost did in 02.
Ora: Seeing as how I've seen it happen here in Boston, I should be a bit more of a believer. But with stats like the abovementioned, it's tough. Thanks for the comment.
MrNFL: I honestly believe I could write a post a day about the latest arm to fall off, or the newest way to lose a game, or what to do next with the Cubs. Just rotate the topics, they're always changing and always pertinent.
After last year, I thought the 4 players the Cubs had to build around were: Ramirez, Lee, Z, and Prior. Now, I'm not sure anyone should be safe. This team has to get younger. We didn't win it in 2003 and that team's not going to win it in 2006 or 7 or 8. Blow it up. Start over. I think your right in regards to Maddux, which makes me sad. My sentimental side says stick with Prior. I may become a Sox fan if they lose Zambrano, and Lee...well...he's damn good but if the right offer came along who knows?
ed: I do enjoy me some Kurt, althought I haven't read his work in a couple of years. I keep meaning to pick up his latest, it just hasn't happened yet.
As for the Reds, if that's what it takes than I'll break out the pom-poms. As long as somebody beats the Cardinals, I'm happy.
Well done once again. I always enjoy your humor- you really do know how to get your agony and frustration across- and I appreciate the different feel of this assignment from your last (I thought both were excellent). It's nice to see you showcase your different writing styles. Best of luck in the contest. You deserve the best.
Drifter once again great job with this post. After reading your stuff from this contest all the way back to the first NGS competition I think the one thing that has stood out to me above everything else is that your writing (all the different styles) attracts so many different people and shows a great deal of longevity! Great work once again, and boy are the Cubs bad!
Enjoyed it, I liked the ending about celebrating the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh. But I've got to tell you as much as I enjoy your stuff, I was expecting a little bit more. Not everyone can really relate to the Cubs and especially not soccer. How does that draw anyone in--well, besides your writing, which is phenomenal in style. Good luck...
Hi Plaims - I loved this post. I do not claim to be a Cubs fan ... but I did have the opportunity to attend a game at Wrigley Field about 15 years ago. Now I claim to be a fan of Wrigley Field. I cannot think of a more relaxing sporting event that I have ever attended and I attribute that to the atmosphere of the "old" ballpark. Unlike the new stadiums I have been to there was room to sit in your seat and stretch out. You did not even have to "stand up" for people to pass through for concessions ... there was room for them to pass in front of you. And Harry Carey leaned out of his booth and led the fans in "Take me out to the ballgame". Though Harry Carey has moved on and the players have changed many times over, I would love to go back just for the atmosphere. Thanks for stirring the memories!!! I wish you the very best in the judging and congratulate you on your fine posts throughout.
Great job throughout the contest. This piece was really interesting, with an original take on the two teams. "In theory, which is where Cubs fans have been living since 1908 " - was right on the mark. And now my drink is all over the floor, from the resulting spit-take. Best of luck!
CLR, Kady, DJWV: Thanks for the kind words. It'll be exciting to see how things play out.
drake: I'm glad you liked the piece, sorry you didn't like it as much as you wanted to. I think the appeal for any type of column like this, detailing a persons reaction/interaction with a team, is that everyone can probably relate to the feelings if not the teams. So while many are not Cubs fans, many have felt the same way at some point.
At least I hope that works, it's a helluva a theory and if it's false I'm back so square 1.
That's so depressing. I was just thinking the other day that it was highly unlikely I'd ever see the United States win a World Cup in my lifetime, but to have it mathematically proven hurts worse. Great post, though.
Drifter: You can go ahead and keep Aramis. Bay is basically the only good thing that the Bucs have going for them. But they have a habit of sending their best players away, so it might as well be to the Cubbies. But for now, I'm closing the button box...No Deal!
Drifter: What makes a person root for a team that is thousands of miles away from where you live? Is it that your family likes the team, the colors, the team logo, the city, the ballpark, a certain player that you admired when you were young? Would you be as loyal to the Cubs if they had won 4 pennants in the last 20 years? You seem to be drawn to the "underdog" role. The Cubs? US Soccer? I understand the hometown theory but what draws us to a team thousands of miles away?
What do you think Drifter? I am anxious to hear your reply. I would enjoy reading anyones take on this. Your article has peaked my curiosity.
Bernee, I will take the bait on this question if no one else is willing to. I also have grown up in Nebraska (like the Drifter) and for me it was that I only basically had two teams to choose from the Braves or the Cubs. In no way shape or form was I going to be a Braves fan so I then was left with the loveable Cubs. My grandma (god rest her sould also lived with me here in Nebraska and she was a die hare Cubs fan) I personally think she had a thing for Harry Carey but it was a great bonding experience with my grandma. I like the US in soccer also but that one is pretty easy to understand (although I am questioning if I was actually born in another country). Great questons though.
Drifter great job and we would love to have you speaking sometime soon back here in Nebaraska.
Drifter you have amazed me yet again and I think this piece points out the strength you have as an individual for the simple fact you are a Cubs fan. I know from personal experience that it seems like forever and a day before your team can finally break through. I waited for the Red Sox a few years back and I am 60. Good work!
HPD: I liked this article, but I've loved your previous ones--see what happens when you set your own bar so high?? As a fan tracking this competition from Day One, I've got my money on you. If FoxSports disagrees, I reckon it'll be their loss... -almost as bad as a certain team's recent trip up to the Metrodome, eh? ("We're gonna win, TWINS, we're gonna score! We're gonna win, TWINS, WATCH THAT BASEBALL SOAR!"--sorry, I've had nothing to cheer or laugh about from the Northland since I first caught wind of the Vikings' boat cruise last fall.)
I always love to hear my Cubs pain shared by another person. It lets me know I'm not the only one. As a frequenter of Wrigleyville, it's lonely when it comes to passion for the home team, everyone just drinks to have fun, I do it to ease the pain.
Good luck to you in the competition and either way I hope and expect to see more great articles in the future.
Drifter, I have enjoyed your NGSII submissions immensely. You have provided some terrific reads. Even more, you have found a way to sharpen (define) your voice throughout the competition. Is it bankable? You bet it is! Why? Style and substance, baby! Style & substance.
Congratulations on making it to the Final Two. You deserved as much.
However, what the future holds would be most ‘unfair’ for me to speculate. Nonetheless, as your fellow blogger, I read your article again and again. I wanted to truly feel your flow. In the end, as it was in the beginning, your voice continues to resonate with me.
It is said that a gentleman should always be able to say exactly what he means. After your NGSII display, you qualify as both a gentleman and a scholar.
CarolynT: And I have enjoyed your writing throughout. You're my morning line favorite for NGS 3.
ShooterB: No deal, huh? I'm sure the "brains" behind the Cubs can find somebody else on their last legs in exchange for prospects.
I had the good fortune of attending the Neb.-Pitt. game a few years back in Pittsburgh, and while I didn't get in to PNC, looks like a beautiful park. Heinz is quality as well. They've done good work down there.
Bernee: It's all about WGN. I actually wrote an entire post on this very subject (how people choose a team when there's no obvious choice) it's from December, I believe. Check the archives.
cdh14: Thanks for the support throughout. The Cubs were predictably woeful amongst the 10,000 lakes. What did the score, 2 runs the entire series? I guarantee you they walked more batters than that. I can't even get mad anymore.
George1: One of the first things I ever remember writing was a 3rd Grade essay answering the question: If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I chose the apartments behind Wrigley, and I still feel that way although I'm not sure it's even a possibility any more.
You should check out the book "Wrigleyworld." I had some writerly qualms about the book, probably just job envy, but overall it was an enjoyable read about a summer in the neighborhood.
Mean: I'm not sure how much there is left to say. Your obvious passion for writing has been a valuable asset not only for me, but for many other writers on the site as well. Thank you for sharing.
I've always felt like this contest was majorally about voice. Without the access of the pros (primary source interviews, STATS Inc., so on and so forth) can the bloggers come up with something interesting and intriguing? I think we receive daily affirmation of that.
Which reminds me, check out the book "To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever." It's about the UNC-Duke rivalry. I read a lot of sports books, but this was one of the new ones that succeeded for me on a literary level as well as the surface, sports level. Really engaging stuff, carried on the strength of "voice."
HiPlains, great article. Even though I am not a Cubs fan or a soccer fan, I read and enjoyed this. As people have been posting, I think your voice is what allowed me to continue reading even though the topic really was of no interest to me. I could feel the pain you feel because I, being a sports fan too, can relate. The New York Knicks. Enough said. Great job and good luck to you.
Plains - I really enjoyed this. It read really well and your life expectancy calculator paragraph was great. You really don't get a lot of chances to see them win, do you? Good luck to you with the contest.
I love the conclusion to this piece HiPlains. Very nicely done. Both you and Moore have done such a great job this final week, best of luck to you.
As bad as the Cubs have been, they are only just a little worse than the Atlanta Braves right now. The Braves did a great Cubs impression by losing 18 of 20 to start the month of June. I think the Cubs did that back in May. Tough break for us both. At least you guys get Derek Lee back.
It will be interesting to see if Adu can mature into the all-world talent that many say he has the makings of. If so, US Soccer could get a heck of a lot better before 2026.
Mr. HPD: Great article. I enjoyed it immensely. In reading your post I could feel your pain in being such a devoted Cubs fan. That is success as a writer, to make your reader feel. I have always chosen my favorite writers, whether it be a novelist or a sportswriter, by their ability to make me feel their passion for what they are writing about and the art of describing a place or surroundings in such a way that I can visualize being there. You have done just that in your posts. Thank you and through the two NGS competitions you have become one of my very favorites. Good luck in the judging today and my very best wishes in all that you do.
P.S. Loved the life expectancy calculator. I'm predicted to live into my 90s so I had better heed George Burn's advice and take better care of myself!!
HiPlains - This post spoke to me as both an embattled Cub fan - I was there in person to witness their latest drubbing last night and as a huge soccer fan. The Cubs will win the world series some day, they will. I believe that.
The US winning the World Cup? Well, I am actually more optimistic about the Cubs. We just don't have the coaching yet - until Adu settles in that is.
Great post HiPlains, loved it for it realism and sadness. 'Tis a plight that plagues us all that root on the Cubs and believe that American soccer has a chance.
gud, gcoach, gbrent & luckee: Thanks for the feedback. It's been a nervous day of waiting so I appreciate the kind words.
Northside: Over/Under for Cubs runs scored from now to the All-Star Break: 20. Just when you think it can't get worse. At least Z's going tonight, which means they should lose 1-0 after the 7th.
Did you ever make it to the bullriding in Chicago? I know I agreed to babysit the Cubs, but I was skateboarding at the mall instead.
How said is that fact for Zambrano? The guys does everything he can and then they blow it for him... The Cubs are just so bad right now. 20 runs by the All Star break? Uh uh. I'll go under - maybe 17.
I missed the rodeo in Chicago, work of course. I am hoping to find one coming around here soon, Indy, St. Louis, Milwaukee!
HiPlains - I am a big fan of MooreSports. I say that to add credibility to this statement: With what you have consistently brought to the table, in my estimation, you have won this competition and rightfully so.
NSF: Doubly sad for Z and for me as he's on my despised fantasy team. He may be the only piece of this team worth keeping, but how long before the frustration causes him to totally lose it? (Does Z get frustrated or is he just so amped he doesn't care?)
The dream trip I have yet to take is still the PBR World Finals. Bulls, Vegas...well, you really don't need anything outside of that!
I'm a big fan of MooreSports as well, and I couldn't be happier competing against him in the finals. I have no idea how it will turn out, but I appreciate the confidence.
Congrats, HPD! Looking forward to reading your work on the frontpage. Bonus points if you make a nod to your fellow bloggers with a random ####y chicken or "cowbell" reference. Whatever that means.
It’s going to be a long, hard summer. The US 
The potential fate of the US men’s soccer team, however, was a bit more problematic to pin down. They were listed everywhere from 32-1 on 
I say they tie in 2026. The US, still looking for its first win on European soil, wins its first World Cup in the newly 
