# Cubs Fans, WTF was THAT? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 2, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155 "2008-10-02T13:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/1 "2008-10-02T13:22:07Z")
I’ve been a Cubs fan since I reached the age of reason. I love my cubbies and I feel an intense kinship with the fans. What I saw last night though, was weak, horrible and pathetic. All of these supposed ‘cubs fans’ (which is code for idiots who could afford to plunk down $300 or better on the open market for a ticket, which is bullshit of the highest order and another rant altogether) sitting on their hands waiting for them to fail. Listen, you’ve got to stand up, you’ve got to make noise, you’ve got to show those boys the love they’ve come to expect from the friendly confines. Just sitting there, some of you dozing off, when this is ostensibly the most important series in the history of the organization shows you NOT to be true fans, but fairweather fuckheads who want desperately to a part of the Wrigley culture but don’t have the strength of spirit to actually BE a Cubs fan. I implore you, take that ticket you overpaid for Mr. Banker, Mr. business man, walk up to the first kid in a Cubs jersey you see sitting on the curb looking forlorn about not being able to see his heroes in person, and hand that ticket to him. Fill those stand with people who love the Cubbies and they will go all the way. If the stands are filled with far weather fans, (and they send Dempster back to AAA) they’ll make it, at least until they meet the Angels. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/2 "2008-10-02T13:52:09Z")
There sure was a weird energy in the park last night. I don’t know that it is the fact that these aren’t real cubs fans. I think it may be that they _are_ real Cubs fans. I came to the Cubs later in life, gradually over the course of years that I remember well. When you first become a Cubs fan, you have hope and energy and optimism. As the years grind by, you wonder if you don’t enjoy the hopeless chase more than any potential reward. Every person in that building last night was expecting a Cubs loss, on some level. Every single one. I am not a superstitious person, but lots of ballers are, and that kind of short-breathed, on-edge behavior in a crowd has to have some effect. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/3 "2008-10-02T18:53:15Z")
I would be the last person to defend a Cubs fan but . . . That’s the bane of playoffs. The regular fans (the people that would pony up to buy tickets for 5 or 10 games a year) can’t get tickets. The stands are filled with “suits” and people that are there just to say they were there, not because they love the game or the team. The season ticket holders are not sitting in the same seats that they bought for the year. A lot of the season ticket holders have sold their playoff tickets to recover their initial investment and mitigate the cost of next year’s season tickets. It happens in every arena and every ball park. The fans change for the playoffs. The atmosphere changes. Now if only the Cubs can get swept and sent home for another 100 years. ---
**Author:** ![mshar253](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@mshar253](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mshar253)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/4 "2008-10-02T19:50:09Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > (and they send Dempster back to AAA) they’ll make it I read what you were saying, and I was agreeing, agreeing, agreeing… and then you said that. Maybe you were caught up in the frustration of last night and that’s what came out, but c’mon: you’re going to call the people at the game fairweather fans, but Ryan Dempster, one of the Cubbies best pitchers throughout the year, belongs in the minors? :rolleyes: He had a bad game. He may have choked a little. But give me a break on the sending to the minors. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/5 "2008-10-02T20:54:36Z")
> [@mshar253](#): > > I read what you were saying, and I was agreeing, agreeing, agreeing… and then you said that. Maybe you were caught up in the frustration of last night and that’s what came out, but c’mon: you’re going to call the people at the game fairweather fans, but Ryan Dempster, one of the Cubbies best pitchers throughout the year, belongs in the minors? :rolleyes: > > He had a bad game. He may have choked a little. But give me a break on the sending to the minors. Yeah, I was pretty frustrated. Even though Dempster’s got a good record, I’m not sold on him and last night, when he NEEDED to be 100% he wasn’t. He doesn’t belong in the minors, but he sure as hell shouldn’t have started. I’m also a little miffed at Lou for keeping him on the hook that last inning. Never should have happened, and I stand by my comment, a solid majority of those in attendance were stuffed shirts. I’ve been to 10 games this year, in the bleachers 90% of the time, I knew what was happening, when, who and how and was charged up and engaged the entire 9 (and sometimes 12) innings. These wingnuts just sat on their hands and waited for the hammer to fall, and when it did, everyone’s shocked. Bah. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/6 "2008-10-03T03:48:53Z")
It’s the 7 inning we are down 7-0 FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/7 "2008-10-03T04:27:43Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > I’ve been a Cubs fan since I reached the age of reason. If reason in choosing a team to like is defined by the satisfaction of watching your chosen team win the World Series, the people with the most reason are Yankees fans, and the least would be Cubs fans or some such. Just sayin that Cubs fans must be masochists. (I’m neither a Cubs nor Yankees fan.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/8 "2008-10-03T04:34:16Z")
You guys can come back. We did in both our championship postseasons (down 0-3 and 1-3), and you can too. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/9 "2008-10-03T12:22:27Z")
Oddly, I feel more confident now than I did before they went down 2-0. It has seeped into my DNA. I am a Cubs fan. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/10 "2008-10-03T13:00:39Z")
What bugs me most about postseason fans are the ones they show on TV looking terribly solemn or in prayerful poses during tense moments, like when the home team is down but has runners on base. Clap, yell, stomp, make noise, create some positive energy. You’re not in church. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/11 "2008-10-03T14:36:36Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > If reason in choosing a team to like is defined by the satisfaction of watching your chosen team win the World Series, the people with the most reason are Yankees fans, and the least would be Cubs fans or some such. Just sayin that Cubs fans must be masochists. (I’m neither a Cubs nor Yankees fan.) Not that it matters in any conceivable way, but by that proposed logic, the Phillies would have the least fans (which, um, is possibly true). By just about any standard they’re the losing-est team in MLB history. They’re the oldest team to not have won at least two Series titles. They have pure numbers on their side, as they have lost more games than any other MLB team. And what the hell is this choosing a team? If you’re from Chicago or NYC or LA you get a choice: Cubs or White Sox, Yankees or Mets (least of two evils, there), Dodgers or Angels. Beyond that it’s geographical: If you’re from Ohio you’re an Indians fan, if you’re from Boston you’re a Sox fan, etc. You can’t just _pick_ a ball team. goddamnit. That’s just the way things are. (Am I a slightly bitter Phillies fan? That’s not wholly outside the realm of possibility.) ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/12 "2008-10-03T14:48:07Z")
It strikes me as I read this thread that you Cubs could use Manny or someone who has a personality like him. You guys need some idiot who isn’t affected or doesn’t care about the situation to keep the clubhouse loose in the playoffs. Or maybe it’s the coach, I don’t know, but something ain’t working. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/13 "2008-10-03T15:00:31Z")
Ain’t working ain’t the half of it. I’m starting, for the first time in lo these many years to actually BELIEVE in the curse. I’ve watched them make that ramirez-derosa-lee double play a dozen times if I’ve seen it once, yesterday DeRosa bobbles an easily catchable ball and we watch the slide into oblivion. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/14 "2008-10-03T15:40:55Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And what the hell is this choosing a team? If you’re from Chicago or NYC or LA you get a choice: Cubs or White Sox, Yankees or Mets (least of two evils, there), Dodgers or Angels. Beyond that it’s geographical: **If you’re from Ohio you’re an Indians fan** , if you’re from Boston you’re a Sox fan, etc. You can’t just _pick_ a ball team. goddamnit. That’s just the way things are. I can’t help but think there are some Cincinnati Reds fans who might have a slight beef with that statement. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/15 "2008-10-03T16:27:19Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > I’ve been a Cubs fan since I reached the age of reason. Does Not Compute. 😉 > [@](#): > > Just sitting there, some of you dozing off, when this is ostensibly the most important series in the history of the organization shows you NOT to be true fans, but fairweather fuckheads who want desperately to a part of the Wrigley culture but don’t have the strength of spirit to actually BE a Cubs fan. I’ve gotta say this isn’t consistent with what I know of Cubs fandom. “Strength of spirit?” What happened to the whole “loveable losers” thing? Granted, I think the idea of loveable losers is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in sports, but I thought the thing that allegedly made Cubs fans special was that they didn’t bother with this kind of angst. I thought they were fine with the fairweather fans who show up on Addison before the games and turn the street into a frat party and that stuff. > [@](#): > > Fill those stand with people who love the Cubbies and they will go all the way. Only if the stands are filled with lefties who can hit and people who can field their positions. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/16 "2008-10-03T16:46:12Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And what the hell is this choosing a team? If you’re from Chicago or NYC or LA you get a choice: Cubs or White Sox, Yankees or Mets (least of two evils, there), Dodgers or Angels. Beyond that it’s geographical: If you’re from Ohio you’re an Indians fan, if you’re from Boston you’re a Sox fan, etc. You can’t just _pick_ a ball team. goddamnit. That’s just the way things are. Bullshit. Most people don’t live within 200 miles of the nearest Major League team. The nearest team to me, the Toronto Blue Jays, are over 150 miles away. The Indians are around 250 as are the Pirates. The Phillies, Yankees and Mets all clock in at 330. Are you saying I have to be a Blue Jays fan because they’re closest? Fuck that. As long as you stick with the team you pick, you’re golden. In fact, the only allowable excuse for swithing your loyalty is if the MLB drops a team in your backyard. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/17 "2008-10-03T16:53:50Z")
My name is Sarah F., and I am a Cubs fan. [QUOTE=Marley23] Granted, I think the idea of loveable losers is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in sports, but I thought the thing that allegedly made Cubs fans special was that they didn’t bother with this kind of angst. I thought they were fine with the fairweather fans who show up on Addison before the games and turn the street into a frat party and that stuff. [/QUOTE] No, Cubs fans hate fairweather fans. The thing that makes Cubs fans special is that they keep hoping, _despite_ the angst. A lot of us have 3 generations of angst built up, and yet we keep coming back, and we keep believing that this time it might be different. It _is_ true that when the team well and truly sucks, we still have fun at the ol’ballpark, and we still love them. But believe me, we want them to win. ---
**Author:** ![mazinger\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mazinger\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazinger_z)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/18 "2008-10-03T17:07:25Z")
I think the “fans” were that way because beer gardens are supposed to be closed during the fall and winter season. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/19 "2008-10-03T17:38:34Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I can’t help but think there are some Cincinnati Reds fans who might have a slight beef with that statement. 😉 :smack: You’re right. And that demonstrates why any attempts at communication prior to the morning caffeine hit are bad ideas. (Though in my defense, my mother’s family all lives in Cleveland, so “Ohio” tends to .) > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Bullshit. Most people don’t live within 200 miles of the nearest Major League team. The nearest team to me, the Toronto Blue Jays, are over 150 miles away. The Indians are around 250 as are the Pirates. The Phillies, Yankees and Mets all clock in at 330. Are you saying I have to be a Blue Jays fan because they’re closest? Fuck that. > > As long as you stick with the team you pick, you’re golden. In fact, the only allowable excuse for swithing your loyalty is if the MLB drops a team in your backyard. Argh. Once again my Philadelphia upbringing continues to distort my perception of the world around me: you have a valid point. I guess in my mind there’s a certain area around any given team-having city, and if you grow up there, that’s your team (eg, if you grow up in Pittsburgh but end up moving to St. Louis and become a Cardinals fan, I will wonder what’s up with that). If you don’t have the luxury of growing up or living within a reasonable distance of a team, I can’t really question you if you just pick a team (unless it’s either of the New York teams, but that’s just my own personal grudge). So whoever your loyalty lies with, you have my blessing, **Justin**. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155/20 "2008-10-03T19:11:46Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And what the hell is this choosing a team? If you’re from Chicago or NYC or LA you get a choice: Cubs or White Sox, Yankees or Mets (least of two evils, there), Dodgers or Angels. Beyond that it’s geographical: If you’re from Ohio you’re an Indians fan, if you’re from Boston you’re a Sox fan, etc. You can’t just _pick_ a ball team. goddamnit. That’s just the way things are. Not entirely true. My roommate grew up in San Diego and is a Braves & 49er fan. I don;t understand it, but there it is (although the Niners were good in the 80s and the Braves were probably on TV as often as the Padres were). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubs-fans-wtf-was-that/466155.md?page=2)