Oh Happy Day

What a fantastic day to be a baseball fan.

A bit of background. I was born in northern Chicago. Every year that I played baseball in my town's park league, I was hoping to be on the Cubs. My first professional baseball game was above the ivy in Wrigley. I am a born Cubs fan.

Also when I was very young, I lived in Connecticut for a while, where I have my first memories of trading baseball cards and learning players' names. Which team was I learning there? The Boston Red Sox. As I moved back to the Midwest, I still had family in New England that helped me grow my interest in the Sox, especially my uncle. Finally, after graduating high school in hated Wisconsin (don't get me started on the Packers, football will have to be a different post), I moved back to New England and my membership in Red Sox nation became official. Plus, I have the distinct pleasure of living a couple miles from the Red Sox's AA team, the Portland Sea Dogs.

I am now proud to say that I am a full-fledged fan of both the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox. Now some of the uninformed might be concerned of a conflict of interests if the two teams play. Not to worry. You see, the Cubs are in the National League, while the Red Sox are in the American. So, the only opportunity for these two to play is in interleague play or the World Series. When it comes to interleague play, I root for the team that seems to need the wins the most (usually based on my perception of how they are doing in their division). In the World Series...ok let's face it, these are two teams who are historically averse to playing on that grandest of stages. But, if they were to both make it, I would have to root for the Cubs simply because the Red Sox won their last World Series in 2004, its been since 1908.

So, why am I so happy? Because last night, September 28, 2007, both the Red Sox and the Cubs won their respective divisions. For the Cubs, they clinched the NL Central for the first time since 2003. The Sox, who had already clinched the playoffs, won the AL East for the fist time in 12 years. Just as importantly, they ended the Fucking Yankees string of division titles at 9.

Every year, 8 of the 32 Major League Baseball teams makes the playoffs. I can't say how excited I am that I have a 1/4 chance of one of my teams making the World Series. Damn good odds if you're a baseball fan. And I am a baseball fan.