O.K., I was wrong, again!  The Cubs win streak did not get to 23.  It didn’t even get to 7!  The 1935 Cubs 21-game game streak didn’t happen until September, so there is still time for the 2017 squad to equal that record.  The 1935 Cubs managed to win seven straight games in the month of July, exceeding the 6-game current steak that just ended yesterday.  All was going well until the top of the 8th when the Cardinals suddenly erupted for 9 runs and an 11-4 victory.  The Cubs somehow outhit them and had two fewer errors, but “relief” pitching was hardly comforting.  It was a real momentum killer! (See Post #181)

The battle today against the arch-rival Cardinals had the right outcome, but the ending was equally disturbing.  It had a happy ending, but the Cubs pitching once again failed in the 8th, with John Lester giving up two solo home runs.  He had a one-hitter through 7, and maybe that extra inning of work was a mistake.  Who could blame Madden for sticking with him after yesterday’s relief debacle?  The Cubs rallied in the bottom of the 8th with 3 runs to take the lead, and Wade Davis finally shut down Yadier Molina, after back-to-back walks.  (See Post #174)  We were once again on the edge of our seats, getting out the Rolaids! (See Post #174).  Rolaids offered an annual “Relief Man Award” from 1976 to 2012.  Cubs winners included Bruce Sutter in 1981 & 1982 and Randy Myers in 1993.  “R-O-L-A-I-D-S spells relief.”

It was a similar scenario that we saw at the All-Star Game.  Wade Davis was on the mound with the game on the line, and Yadi was at the plate – this time with a bat.  The two things that were different : Yadi was not wearing his obnoxious, gold plated amour and Davis did not give up a game-deciding home run.  It started a streak of one for the Cubs, with the series-deciding game tomorrow night.  Jose Quintana will make his Wrigley Field debut for the Cubs after a sterling 12-strikeout performance in Baltimore.  Quintana was traded from the cross-town White Sox, so finding a new home won’t be a problem.  He may also get to face his old teammates next week.

The White Sox continue to struggle, losing their seventh straight game since the All-Star break.  The wrong kind of streak!  In the course of this disastrous run, they are beginning to build for the future.  Yoan Moncada, their brightest new star, tripled in yesterdays loss showing-off some of the power and speed he displayed in the minors. White Sox fans are excited to watch him play, with little else to look forward to this year.  Although, the team will probably quickly rebound, if only for the short-term, just in time for the Cubs series next week.  It’s why they play the game!

I always struggle with these Sox-Cubs games every year.  It’s like my conscience splits in half, with the 10-year old me rooting for the Sox, and the retired me pulling for the Cubs.  Normally, I would be content if they split the series, but the Cubs need to sweep to maintain any chance to win the Central Division.  Given the talent they have, the White Sox will have their chance in two more years.  I will say that if I had become the Cubs fan that my dad wanted me to be, I would have had to wait an additional 11 years for a World Series victory.  As luck would have it, I was running an NBC affiliate in Illinois during the 2005 World Championship season, and was able to attend both games in Chicago, featuring home runs by Jermaine Dye, Joe Crede, Paul Konerko, and Scott Podsednik.   Two great victories set the stage for the sweep in Houston.  I made the decision to become a White Sox fan in 1959, despite their World Series loss to the Dodgers.  I was able to tell my dad that I made the right choice 46 years later.  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t live long enough to see the Cubs win in 2016. (See Post #25).

I can’t imagine the mind-struggles I would have and the Rolaids I would need if the Sox and the Cubs played in the World Series.  It hasn’t happened since 1906, so don’t buy me a case yet!  I had the same problem when the Bears and the Colts met in Superbowl XLI.  I grew up a Baltimore Colts fan, following the aging Johnny Unitus.  It was his replacement, Earl Morrall, that eventually pulled out the victory in Superbowl V, following a rib injury to Unitus in the second quarter.  I was much more a baseball than football fan, with White Sox catcher Sherm Lollar a much bigger sports hero to me than Unitus,  (See Post #5).   Maybe my dad had the same influence when he convinced me to move my allegiance from the New York Yankees to a team closer to home?  For some unknown reason, I began to follow another Chicago team, the Bears, and temporarily abandoned the Colts.    When I moved my family to Indianapolis in the mid-80’s, the Colts moved there as well.  My job involved selling for the Colts radio network, and began to get to know the coaches and players quite well.

The teams you associate with in childhood always seem to win the battle of allegiance.  Even though I watched the Bears win the 1985 Superbowl, and was a huge fan of Dick Butkus, Walter Peyton, and Jim McMahon, I drifted back to the home-team Colts and Peyton Manning.  I was living in Decatur, Illinois, the original home of the Chicago Bears, when Superbowl XLI in February of 2007 happened.  I was miserable trying to decide who to support, electing not to attend in person.  The people in Illinois were for the Bears, and my friends back in Indiana were for the Colts.  I was like a ping-pong ball – talk about the need for Rolaids!

I’ll write more after tomorrow nights Cubs vs. Cardinals game.  In the meantime, hopefully the White Sox will get it together against the Kansas City Royals and stop the bleeding.  As you can see, there are a lot of emotions that come into play for me in the world of sports fan-hood.  It’s Young Me vs. Old Me, Cubs vs. White Sox, and Bears vs. Colts.  You need a program to follow-along, while I just need a couple of Rolaids!  “R-O-L-A-I-D-S spells relief.”