Meet my friend Dave, and find out why the Cubs should bring him on their road trips

Let me preface this with the obvious: The presence of any particular fan at a Cubs game has exactly zero influence on the outcome. This is just for fun.

Nevertheless, I want to tell you about my friend Dave’s remarkable run of seeing Cubs wins on the road this year. Dave is a fellow bleacher season-ticket holder and a retired college professor. In his retirement he travels all over the world, mainly to Europe, but also plans out several Cubs road trips every year.

He saw 15 straight wins on the road in 2017 until the Diamondbacks beat the Cubs last Saturday. Overall, he’s got a Rick Sutcliffe-like 16-1 record this year in Cubs road games, and the Cubs have actually been pretty decent overall away from Wrigley this season. They’re 32-29 on the road, one of just three N.L. teams (Dodgers, Nationals) with winning road records.

But that means the Cubs are 16-28 when Dave isn’t at an away game. Here are the road games he’s attended:

April 4: Cubs 2, Cardinals 1
April 6: Cubs 6, Cardinals 4
April 8: Cubs 11, Brewers 6
April 9: Cubs 7, Brewers 4
July 14: Cubs 9, Orioles 8
July 15: Cubs 10, Orioles 3
July 16: Cubs 8, Orioles 0
July 17: Cubs 4, Braves 3
July 18: Cubs 5, Braves 1
July 19: Cubs 8, Braves 2
July 26: Cubs 8, White Sox 3
July 27: Cubs 6, White Sox 3
July 29: Cubs 2, Brewers 1
July 30: Cubs 4, Brewers 2
August 11: Cubs 8, Diamondbacks 3
August 12: Diamondbacks 6, Cubs 2
August 13: Cubs 7, Diamondbacks 2

His streak actually went back to last year, when he saw the last two Cubs wins over the Dodgers in Los Angeles in the NLCS, so he saw 17 consecutive Cubs road wins before last Sunday’s loss to the D-backs.

He’s got plans for four more road games this year: at Tampa Bay September 19 and 20, and at Milwaukee September 23 and 24. Do you think the Cubs should make sure he attends more road contests?

Dave realizes this is all just happy coincidence. He told me: “The rational side of me knows I played no part in the wins, but I'd still like to believe they wouldn't have won without me.”

Oh, and I’ve got a streak like this going myself. I was also at those April games in St. Louis, the three in Baltimore, and the two against the White Sox on the South Side for a 7-0 away mark. Maybe the Cubs should send me along on the road, too.

As I said, this is just for fun. What’s your personal record attending Cubs games this year, or all-time?