October 9, 2008

I am going to get something straight from the beginning. I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan. I am a baseball fan – I will applaud a good play, even if the opposing team makes it. But, first and foremost, I am a St. Louis Cardinals fan. True Cardinals fans root for the Cardinals and anyone who plays against the Cubs. That being said, this week’s entry is about the (gasp!) Chicago Cubs and their lost dream.

The pinnacle of baseball is a World Series Championship. Playing in October is the goal from the first day of spring training in February. Every player that makes it to the big leagues dreams of playing in the Series and winning the ring. Little leaguers dream of making it to the big leagues and winning a championship.

For 100 years, the Chicago Cubs have not achieved their American Dream of winning the World Series. You may have heard all the different reasons why the Cubs are cursed - the cat, the goat, the Bartman ball. After bowing out early in the 2007 playoffs, 2008 was supposed to be the year that the Cubs won it all. This year, the Cubs led their division most of the year and clinched a playoff berth early. The dream was becoming a reality. Three games into the post-season, the dream turned into a nightmare.

An Associated Press article published by the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Sunday, October 5, 2008, introduced me to Al Yellon. Mr. Yellon is a Chicago Cubs fan who has his own website, www.bleedcubbieblue.com. I’ve never met Mr. Yellon, but I can respect and appreciate his passion. On October 3, 2008, the Cubs lost game 2 of the National League Division Series to the Dodgers. After the game, he posted these words at the beginning of his blog, “Put away your dreams, everyone.”

Now, my first reaction to that statement is, “WOO-HOO!!! The Cubs have lost!” and I have begun the happy dance. But, after I catch my breath, I realize how sad Yellon’s statement is. What if we gave up each time one of our dreams didn’t turn out the way we thought it would? What if people quit dreaming? We can play the “what if” game as long as we’d like, but we all know we can’t give up our dreams. How we react when a dream has been dashed is what defines us. Do we give up? Do we keep plugging away? Do we come up with a new dream?

Yellon continued his October 3rd entry, lamenting the loss and feeling sorry for himself and his team. However, some sliver of hope must have come to Al - the last words of his entry were, “Go Cubs.” If you read his October 5th entry (the day after his team was eliminated), you’ll find these words, “Will I quit? Hell no; I'm a Cubs fan.” Yes, Al Yellon has rediscovered his dream and it will come alive again in February 2009 when the first player reports to spring training.

We can learn a lot about dreams from the way we react when they don’t come true. Step back, reevalute and try again. Never give up. Keep hoping.

And, until next week, keep dreaming.