Today is a very frustrating day as a Cubs fan. Every day is, frankly. Most of the days of my life since I made the choice to become a fan of the Cubs have been frustrating when it comes to baseball.
I don’t need to get into the back story about Ryan Dempster because if you’re reading this, you know all about it. If you need catching up, here’s a great place to go ahead and do that. While we wait for some kind of resolution to the Ryan Dempster trade saga we are left to deal with our own feelings. And here’s where I have a problem.
We know that a trade has not been finalized, I suppose. The deal still may happen and this gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands could end up moot. My problem is with the people who impartially cover baseball for a living. They who don’t care if the Cubs win or lose, mounted firmly on their cloud of judgement shooting ice-cold daggers of scorn at anyone who dare act annoyed that the Cubs might be missing out on a 22-year-old pitcher who could help out the team for years.
So what’s the issue? Why can’t we be annoyed at Dempster? It’s not about rationality, is it?
There’s nothing about being a fan of a sports team that is rational. It’s a bunch of rich people, some of them much younger and better looking than you, that live quite comfortably running around in costumes chasing a ball. You chose, at some point in your life, that whatever these rich people do matters to you. The outcome of their contests can decide your entire mood for a day or a week or an offseason. Somehow you’re supposed to pause and ignore all of the absurdity behind the very idea of why you’re following this news story in the first place and respect Ryan Dempster’s 10 and 5 rights?
When I became a Cubs fan I wasn’t given 10 and 5 rights. The Cubs have been average or below it for a long, long time. With a few exceptions that had testicle-destroying conclusions, things have not gone well in my lifetime as a fan. I don’t get to choose what team I want to root for next. This is it for me. So when a player whose major contributions to the team I love have been getting paid a lot of dollars and walking the entire Los Angeles Dodgers lineup one night in 2008 decides to exercise his right to stick around, I exercise my right to act annoyed.
