and 100 Approaches

red sox, white sox and tigers. oh my! in the past 5 years, some of baseball's most tortured franchises have broken through their various respective "curses" to earn a birth in, and eventually win the world series. the 2004 boston red sox won after having not won since 1918. the chicago white sox last year won after waiting since 1919. and this year, the detroit tigers have earned their spot in the fall classic after a 22 year absence.

only 3 seasons ago, the tigers were 1 skinny "L" short of setting an all-time mark for futility. now, they're on the verge of winning one of, if not the most, prestigious title in team sports. the 22 year drought since their last title sure enough must have seemed like a century. and while my fandom lies elsewhere within the MLB, my hatred of the st. louis cardinals and the new york mets are enough to compel me to root on the tigers to a championship, since "the d" was my home for 5 years.

but while 22 years pales in comparison to the 80+ year struggles of the others, all three fail to record a blip on the radar of my beloved chicago cubs, whose world series title drought will enter it's 99th year when spring training breaks in march of 2007.

each spring brings renewed hope and excitement that "this is the year." each fall ends in utter disappointment as my team turns in another lackluster, uninspired effort. i resort to the practice sports polygamy, the legal loophole to real polygamy, where i foresake my undying love for my cubs and adopt a "b" team for whom to root. as 2006 ended with another gallactically unsuccessful cubs effort, i went against conventional wisdom and the rules of beinga a fan and actually adopted 3 "b" teams. and against my better judgement and purist view of the game, i picked 3 american league teams: the A's, the Twins, and the Tigers--collectively known as "anyone but the yankees."

more importantly, having chosen 3 out of the 4 teams in the AL as my "b" team, i stood a 75% chance that my new team would make it to--and win--the world series, so i could experience the thrill of being a winner, since my real team doesn't seem much inclined to gift me that sensation themselves.

as i sat in the (smoke-free) bar this afternoon with my die-hard tigers fan friend watching magglio ordonez belt a walk off, series-winning home run, my enthusiasm and excitement for the win were tempered by the eternal knowledge that my beloveds were watching it too....from their couches.

i'm looking past 2007 and into 2008, which will mark the 100th anniversary of the cubs' last world series. it would be a magical and memorable moment if, for once in my and others' lifetimes, i didn't have to root for someone else. in the interim, i'll be watching the fall classic as i do each year, living vicariously through another fan base, and cheering with 50% of my heart for the motor city kitties to bring home the crown. go tigers.