16-7

And with that, the new season of Chicago Cubs baseball is underway. I don't know what this year will bring, except for more of the usual.

I have mentioned time and again that the entire Cubs lineup, with the exception of a few pitchers, has less time on the team than I do as a fan. This wouldn't be much of an observation coming from a lifelong fan, but I have only been a fan since Sunday May 4, 2003. That was the day I went to my first Cubs home game. They played the Colorado Rockies that day and won, and my life was forever altered. I traded in my Cincinnati Reds for my Cubbie Blues. I would later move just two blocks south of Wrigley Field and listen to the cheers from the stadium from outside of my front door. I would be as heartbroken as a die-hard at the Steve Bartman interference, and just as sick over the injury plagued pitchers ever since. I was elated when Nomar Garciaparra wore our number 5 and conflicted at the departure of ol' number 21. Yes, I have lived to see my team win a World Series, but that was before my team was the Cubs.

This year, there will be injuries. There will be losses. There are already players who cause me to ask, "Who?" There will be smug Southsiders and defected Cubs fans. There will be ridicule. There will be enjoyable Old Style beer and expensive peanuts! I am prepared for it all. What I cannot prepare for is the seemingly inevitable heartbreak. If we toil the entire season in last place, I will still find myself in disbelief come September. Could we have made better off-season trades? Is Dusty Baker really the right fit (he's now in the 4th year of his 3 year plan to bring a Championship to the North Side)? Should we have stuck with the pitchers we had or focused our attention more on offense?

16-7 is a great win! Last year, the Cubs set a franchise high with 16 runs on opening day but wound up in fourth place. But whereas last year's 16 runs were scored mostly by homeruns, this year's 16 were due in large part to "small ball". The Cubs played great small ball in 2003 and wound up only 5 outs from the World Series. Maybe this year they can get those five...and another 108 after that. But they're not going to do it by giving up 7 runs a game!

But I remain optimistic. Go Cubs!