Don’t drink the Cubbie Kool-Aid.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
As many Cubs followers have done many times, Smith got caught up in the scene instead of the team. He lingered with a bachelor party less interested in the game than in getting a pair of fake pink testicles signed by every young woman in the bleachers. He befriended bleacher bum Fred Speck, who told Smith, “Winning or losing stopped making me happy or sad years ago—I just love to be here” and also gave him the cover quote: “If they win it all, I’ll cry like a baby and laugh like a hyena for a week.”
No word, however, on whether this year’s Cubs actually deserve to make Speck cry like a baby.
The Cubs may yet be betrayed by this. Even Steve Bartman, locked into the game with his headphones on, turned out to be a symbol of that it’s-all-about-me attitude: I’d rather have a souvenir foul ball than keep my head in the action, pay attention, and avoid anything that could prevent my team from making a play. You think fans in New York and Boston need to be reminded?
