by Beverly Bochenek

Created on: April 24, 2009

Will the Cubs ever win the World Series again? It's a question as perennial is the roses in my garden. The past two seasons we've knocked on the door only to have it shut in our faces by being swept in the first round of the playoffs. Yet, here we are again in 2009 and the mantra has started again. 'They will win the division. They have all they need on paper. Lou Pinella is a great manager. Could this be the year the Cubs go all the way? Will the curse finally be lifted?'

There are those of us who breathe in Cubby blue and breathe out pinstripes. We are loyal to our team no matter how they've disappointed us. It used to be they disappointed us during the season when they hit the June swoon and fell off the flat part of the earth. But recently, they've made it eventful for the entire season and now into the post season. We love that.

We love to think about winning it all. We think Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins deserve it as much as Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano do. We want to forget about cats and curses and Bartman and have World Series Champion tee shirts and hats.

Or do we?

We talk a pretty good 'we want it all' game. We buy out every seat in Wrigley within hours of the tickets going on sale and then we travel to Wrigley North (Miller Park) and Wrigley South (whatever the Cardinals new stadium is called) and we buy out those seats, too. In the spring, we pile on the grass in Phoenix and all the while we say (for the umpteenth time) "This is our year!"

But what would we do the day after we win it? Being a Cubs fan is something of a religious experience so let me draw on the Bible to make my comparison. The disciples were the most loyal fans a guy could have. They left everything they had in order to follow their leader no matter where he went. All the time he told them the goal. He told them it wasn't going to be easy. But they cheered him on and promised to stand by him no matter what. And they did.

Until the reality got too close. One of them sold him out. Another denied his existence. When he came to Calvary the only ones still with him were women. (Another Helium article in the making.) The loyal fan base had disappeared only to regroup after it was all over and stand around and say: "What now?"

Now, I know we are not going to abandon our team and more people are likely to jump on our bandwagon should it look like we are going to progress past the first round of the playoffs. But should we win it; after we win it, after we talk about it for a week - perhaps two. What then?

We will have the answer to the question: Is this the year? YES. Is the curse lifted? YES. Will they go all the way? YES. Once we win it all; all of it changes. We will no longer be long suffering. We will be champions. We will have our knockoff rings and those tee-shirts. The Cubs will be World Series Champs.

What happens then?

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