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My friend Pat, of Notre Dame fame, had a room mate in college named Gerard. Gerard was from Jersey, and as such, he was a fan of the Jets. Of course, it's not easy being a fan of the Jets, so whenever they (the guys living with Pat and Gerard) were watching Sportscenter or something, win or lose, whenever the Jets score came on the screen, Gerard would shake his head and simply say, "Fuckin' Jets."

I've adopted this with my own sort of twist to it.

Being a Cubs fan is not unlike being a Jets fan. No matter what, no matter how much love or disdain you give them, they end up breaking your heart in the end.

That's why I've started muttering under my breath "Fuckin' Cubs" whenever I watch the games or see the scores at the bottom of the screen. Win or lose, it's always "Fuckin' Cubs" (when my children are around, it gets censored to "Stinkin', lousy Cubs").

Here's an aside: The other day, while I was watching the Cubs put together a perfect season against the Marlins (9 games played, 9 losses), I dropped my head when Jacque Jones struck out with the bases loaded and the Marlins' relief pitcher unable to find the strike zone. I muttered "Stinkin', lousy Cubs". My daughter (the six-year old) Cookie (pseudonym; a clever person will be able to figure it out) said to me, "Daddy, when are you going to stop being whiney about the Cubs?"

Yep, that daughter of mine is one Smart Cookie (that's not the reference, but it fits).

I stayed up to watch the game last night (knowing full well the outcome well before the first pitch was thrown). I had to retreat to the upstairs because my mother-in-law is here for a visit, and I didn't want to have her overhear my habitual swearing. However, all I have to say about the game is this:

"Fuckin' Cubs".