Bunting into the big weekend

And so with a bunt greeted with immediate silence and a groan heard all around Wrigleyville, the Cubs head to US Cellular Field in the most unusual of circumstances: an outright underdog, out-muscled in every facet of the game, including health, experience, and most importantly, talent.

Can we as Cubs fans stomach this?  Maybe the ones who actually had the digestion to praise the Sox for winning last year's World Series, saying they were happy to see a champion return to the city of Chicago.  Those fans might be the ones holding their stomachs as the series unfolds.

It hurts to think this way, but I'm not used to viewing my Cubs as an underdog, at least not since '96 or '97.  A year ago I'd come back from classes or work to check the box score of the game online, to see if we were extending our win streak or we could break the funk we were in (it was certainly that kind of season).  Now, evil has crept within me; I'm expecting blown saves, a ninth inning rally falling short, and 16-2 blowouts at the hands of teams owned by Bud Selig.  This is one of the worst times to be a Cubs fan, to be behind a team with a top 10 payroll, key injuries and fragile gameplay.  We think we have the second best manager in the city; we are crestfallen that Jose Contreas and Mark Buehrle are not only a better duo than Wood and Prior, but make the latter look like fresh prospects from Iowa.

And yet, baseball in Chicago still holds a taste for the bizarre.  Wrigley Field still brings sellouts, while US Cellular still struggles for a sellout during weekdays (although their attendance is improved from a year ago).  Cubs fans still stand for their team being the city's baseball identity...although I still can't over my Sox friends whispering "1908" behind me back.

This weekend will serves as a crossroads for Chicago baseball.  The White Sox domination of the 2005 playoffs was one thing; a similar domination in this rivalry will make it clear to the entire game who really owns this town.

As a Cubs fan, I seriously don't want that to happen.