The Lovable Losers won their 10,000th game last night. That's right, the Chicago Cubs have won 10,000 games in their history... dating back to 1876. During that time they have won 16 National League Championships and 2 World Series titles. Only the New York/San Francisco Giants have won more games as a franchise.
The 2008 Cubs have the best record in all of baseball right now. They are legitimate contenders to win the World Series. But of course to say that is to open yourself up to laughter and scorn... and that's from Cub fans. Sportswriters cannot even write a column in the paper about this very good Cubs team without devoting four paragraphs to goats, black cats, Steve Garvey, Will Clark, and that martyr left on the altar of the so called Cubs myth: Steve Bartman.
Personally, I'm more of a baseball fan in general than I am a Cubs fan. My heart will always belong to the Milwaukee Brewers even though they now play in that monstrosity called Miller Park and somehow ended up in the National League. But I did take in hundreds of Cubs games on WGN as a child. I chose to listen to Harry and watch the beautiful game of baseball played at Wrigley on summer afternoons on television instead of going out and actually playing the game with my friends. No regrets here. So I do understand the Cubs somewhat.
But I will never understand or accept this curse stuff. And quite frankly it makes my stomach turn. The Cubs teams of 1907 and 1908 are worth celebrating. And the history of the team is something to be proud of. I know I wear my replica of a 1908 Cubs hat with pride.
I hope last night's 10,000th win will remind those who love the Cubs of this team's great history and that they should not be afraid to embrace this year's team. Don't say "this could be the year" with a smirk and chuckle. Say it with pride. This team is good!
The world did not implode when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, nor did it happen when the White Sox won in 2005. Neither of those teams are anywhere close to winning 10,000 games (of course the Cubs had a 24 year head start, but let's not go there). The World will not implode when the Cubs win the World Series. It's just going to make the sportswriters' job all the more difficult because they'll have to find something else to say in those 4 paragraphs that always end up in columns about the Cubs.
Now the faith angle to all this. Today is what you make of it. We have been given great freedom and responsibility through Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross. Freedom to embrace the blessings of today and the responsibility to live our life as a response to grace. When we allow the failures of our past to keep us down we miss out on too many of life's blessings and we continue to fail to be the people we can be. That is sin. Sin handcuffs people and even baseball fans. Sin takes innocent men and animals and blames them for 100 years of losing.
10,000 times fans have screamed "Cubs Win! Cubs Win!" There are no curses... only people unwilling to embrace God's grace.
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