Good Sports

                                      by Budd Glassberg

Reprinted with permission from the Zionsville Times Sentinel on October 25, 2006

The Charlie Brown Syndrome

 

 “As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.” – Bible: Hebrew Proverbs, 26:11

           

            It is the Detroit Tigers playing against the St. Louis Cardinals in this year’s World Series.  It is also the 61st consecutive year in which the Chicago National League team is not a part of the fall classic.  For that matter, after the 2006 World Series the Chicago Cubs will have notched their 98th year in a row without winning a World Series.  Three years ago, the last time I wrote a column about the Chicago Cubs, there were two other teams claiming long futility streaks in baseball.  Since then, both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox have reached the pinnacle of the baseball world.  Now the Cubs stand alone wearing a banner of futility, laughably far ahead of the next team, those so called “long suffering” Houston Astros (formally the Colt 45’s).  The Astros have not played in a World Series now for two whole years.  They have gone a total of 44 years (their entire existence) without winning it all.  Big deal.  Give the Cubs another fifteen years or so and they will lay claim to the bragging rights that there will not be a person alive on this planet who was around the last time they won a World Series.  Now that is ineptitude.

            “There’s always next year,” is an overused phrase used when referring to Chicago baseball.  I called a friend in Chicago to tease him about the September slide the White Sox were experiencing.  He retorted with a very low blow to me, “There’s always last year,” in reference to his White Sox world championship in 2005.  When will I be able to say that?  Soon.  That is according to newly hired Cub manager and tough guy Lou Piniella.  And why should I believe him?  Because all Cub fans are prone to what I call the Charlie Brown Syndrome.

            I am sure many of you remember the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schultz featuring Charlie Brown and his friend Lucy.  The Charlie Brown Syndrome refers to an ongoing, often repeated scene where Lucy is holding a football upright between her finger and the ground.  Charlie Brown is invited to kick the ball field goal style.  Charlie runs up to the ball to kick it and Lucy always removes the ball just before Charlie gets to it, causing Charlie to kick at the air and fall on his back.  Because Lucy has done this so often to Charlie, he becomes skeptical of her assurances that she will not pick up the ball.  Each time, knowing she has always picked up the ball, Charlie tells her that he will not fall for that trick again.  Lucy finds a clever ruse to persuade Charlie that this time she will hold the ball until he kicks it.  Alas, Charlie Brown and we Cub fans never learn from our past mistakes.

            In 1966 the Cubs hired tough guy Leo Durocher to manage the team.  He came in saying, “This team is not an eighth place team.”  He was right.  His first year with the club, they came in tenth.  In 1969 the Cubs held the football for me to kick, Charlie Brown style.  They were ten games in front of the pack in late August.  As I went to kick the ball, they picked it up and finished eight games behind the Mets.  In 1984 they came within a game of going to the World Series needing only one win in the last three games in San Diego.  They once again grabbed the football and we Cub fans ended up on our backs.  1989? Again so close and once again we are looking up at the sun with our feet in the air.  In 2003 the Cubs picked up the football with the help of a fan.

            So now I am supposed to believe that Lou Piniella will hold the ball and let us kick it?  Come on Lou, it happens every time.  Since their last pennant, I have seen the following managers, Charlie Grimm, Frankie Frisch, Phil Cavarretta, Stan Hack, Bob Sheffing, Charlie Grimm (again), Lou Boudreau, the college of coaches (Verdie Himsl, Harry Craft, Elvin Tappe, Lou Klein), Charlie Metro, Bob Kennedy, Lou Klein (again), Leo Durocher, Whitey Lockman, Jim Marshall, Herman Franks, Joey Amalfitano, Preston Gomez, Lee Elia, Charlie Fox, Jim Frey, John Vukovich, Gene Michael, Frank Lucchesi, Don Zimmer, Joe Altobelli, Jim Essian, Jim Lefebvrie, Tom Trebelhorn, Jim Riggleman, Jack Mckeon, Don Baylor, Rene Lachemann, Bruce Kimm, Dick Pole, and Dusty Baker.

            Lou Piniella will be the 37th different Cub manager in the past 60 years, or roughly one new manager every year and a half.  The last Cub manager to win a World Series was Frank Chance (who also played first base on the victorious 1908 team) was born during Ullysses S. Grant’s term as president.  But say, didn’t Lou Piniella manage the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series victory in 1990?  Isn’t a hard nosed manager just what the Cubs need to turn around their 66-96 record?  Wouldn’t it be great to go from worst in the National League to first?  Sweet Lou wouldn’t pick up that football.  He promised to make the Cubs a winner.  I think I just may finally kick that football.  He seems like someone I can trust.  There’s always next year.

           

           

            Budd Glassberg is a resident of Zionsville who is active in the local running community.  Visit www.runz.com for reprints of all his columns.   You can reach him by email at budd@runz.com.