CUBS POST SEASON PRIMER

     HERE we are, breathing the rarified air (the RARE rarified air) of the post season. October baseball is not something this city has been familiar with over the years. By now we are usually prepping for hockey and the Hawks, our only real shot at post season glory. But this year the boys of summer play on into the fall and it might be a good time to go over some procedural rules for the fans so that going forward, (and there are many post season years ahead for the Cubs), we will not act like Toronto Blue Jay fans.

1. Let's update our wardrobes! Let's wear jerseys with the names of current players, if we must wear a jersey with a name on it at all. I mean, come on, Fukudome
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????????? Can't we confine ourselves to the many star players currently toiling to bring the north side its first title in 108 years? And that means no SOSA as well.

2. Be humble. The fact is, the Cubs are a very good team that has won nothing yet. Trash talking at this stage is unbecoming and boorish. 

3. If you're at a playoff game and a ball comes your way, run as fast as you can in the other direction. This can't be emphasized enough.

4. Do not take a picture with Ronnie Woo Woo. He is not a Cub, he is not on the Cub payroll- he is as much a member of the team as you are. Don't encourage him.

5. Avoid Jim Belushi. It's time for celebrities to trek to Wrigley Field to attach themselves to the glory that is the Cubs post season run. When the Hawks won the Cup, Belushi actually lifted it up on the ice , calling attention to himself as if he had scored one of the goals. John Lackey isn't here to get a haircut but he is also not here to share the Cubs accomplishment with a glory hog either.

6. Don't talk Curse.
    There is not a curse,there never was a curse...don't look silly. Don't buy goat related merchandise. (My grandmother gave me that advice when I was 2 years old but it had nothing to do with the Cubs)

 7. Celebrate Responsibly. When the Cubs win the world series it is likely to be a celebration like this town has never seen,affecting everyone in the area in one way or another. It will be a story worldwide because of their record of futility. The world will be watching and while there will be parades, tears, thousands of videos, people in the streets, Cub decorations in cemeteries and flowing champagne, there is also the potential for wanton destruction.

We've seen it in other cities and none of the teams in those cities had the history  and the heartache the Cubs have had over the last 108 years.
Be respectful at the parade, be judicious and sane  the night Aroldis Chapman throws up his arms on the mound and is mobbed by the 2016 champions. You've seen something so many never had the opportunity to witness.

7.Take a loss without whining.
    Winning the World Series is not easy and the Cubs just might fall short this year after a spectacular season. The playoffs are a different breed , not formulated to necessarily crown the best team but the one that played the best over 11 games. But the Cubs are built for sustained success. They won 103 games with Schwarber who is likely to be in the lineup and pop 30 plus homers next season. Remember the fun we had singing "Go Cubs Go" and watching those talented young athletes perform to a very high level all summer? That is going to happen again and then it's going to happen again. And one of these years, if not this one, the Cubs are going to be World Champs because it isn't a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when."