Breathe, breathe in the air

I have been listening to a lot of Pink Floyd lately and have, as always, followed our Cubbies almost pitch by pitch all year, so I thought it would be fun to combine the two in - Cubdom as defined by a verse from "Breathe" off Dark Side Of The Moon.

Breathe, breathe in the air - Let us all take a deep breathe today, because our beloved Cubbies showed us that they are in it to win it, AGAIN.  They have proven more often then not this year that they can overcome adversity.  The Soriano injury, the Zambrano injury, the musical chairs of starting and relief pitching, coming back and winning after a 9-1 deficit, and now losing a 7 run lead and still winning after their hearts were torn right out.  It was also a huge breath of fresh air seeing Harden dominate through 6.  Breathe in this winning tradition we are trying to convey and give our hearts a little rest during the all-star break as well.
Don't be afraid to care - On BCB we tend to argue with quick witted comments, and stick to our guys no matter what happens to them, thus causing much debate.  Some will say that we don't need all of this negativity while our team is on top of the world, others will say it is because we care so much and have every right to be critical.  For example, after todays heart wrenching victory, Lou, Marmol and Theriot have become the targets of BCBashing.  Whether this is deserved is up to each individuals interpretation of fandom, cubdom, and how they interact with each other.  There is no problem with that.
Leave but don't leave me - We can leave performances behind us, like the game 3 smashing of Lilly and our bullpen against Cincinnati, as well as the self-imploding 9th inning of our entire team from coach to bench player today, and say that the 2008 Chicago Cubs are a team much better then what they put in front of us in these particular games amongst many others, but the fact of the matter is that these games shape good ball clubs.  How the Cubs respond to poor performances will show how much they are willing to leave on the table.  Leave em in the back of our minds, but don't let it take away from the team and how they respond.
Look around and chose your own ground - I love it.  The Theriot hatters and lovers, the Soriano bashers and supporters, the Jason Marquis disgust and sympathy, the Carlos Marmol escapades, trade rumors etc etc...  BCB is full of knowledgeable baseball fanatics willing to fight until their point is proven or diminished.  Thanks to a great ball-club, although we all chose our own ground, we have the common thread of cheering on a contender, the best team in baseball in the first half of the 2008 season.
For long you live and high you fly/And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry/And all you touch and all you see/Is all your life will ever be - 100 years, my grandma is 90 and STILL to this day watches or listens to every single game.  My grandpa died at the age of 92 a few months ago and never had the chance to celebrate in the greatest city in the world with the greatest fans in the world, but sure loved his Cubbies.  From walk-off home runs, home run records, winning streaks and losing streaks, goats, black cats, ivy walls, old style, flying the W flag and everything else that has made us cheer or cry over the past 100 years, the Cubs have touched generations and generations of people shaping the Cubdom of our lives right now.  WE ARE THE BEST CUBS BALL CLUB WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE FIRST HALF THIS YEAR, Let us embrace this for the 4 days we have off, because the 2nd half is going to make our hearts fight, our eyes will be glued to the television sets and turned away during tight situations and our baseball integrity will be put to the test.  This has been one hell of a ride so far, us fans deserve a break as well.

SO, HEY CHICAGO WHAT DO YOU SAY?