Chicago Cubs fans, you can dare to dream big

For just a second, get that song out of your head. The Chicago Cubs (94-65) and Pittsburgh Pirates (96-63) will meet in Wednesdays National League Wild-Card Game to determine who will face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS.

The fan, whose image was splattered on tabloid back pages as a villain, changed address and took to hiding to avoid threats.

Eric White decided this morning that he wanted to bring a goat to his bar in hopes having the Cubs win a World Series, a game the team hasn’t won since 1908. You’re right. Both managers have kind of intimated they wish it was at least a three-game series. “And if the Cubs do make it, then I’m a visionary”. We’re going to give our best.

Do you get it Cubs fans?

What’s that, you say?

The unstoppable Will Clark, Durham’s error, Garvey’s homer and September of 1969.

Each year the Cubs are among the baseball’s most-bet teams.

And just enjoy the show.

The Cubs can feel confident with their ace, Jake Arrieta, taking the mound. This is better that Dusty Baker’s “why not us” or Piniella’s “There are no curses” statements. Game 4, if necessary would be at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. It’s hard to imagine a casual fan not rooting for the team that wins that game.

Listen to what he said at his wild-card game news conference when asked about dealing with the pressure of a win-or-go-home game. “It’s not try to become a better team all of a sudden or try new things and become this great, creative force”. What the (bleep) am I supposed to do, go out there and let my (bleeping) players get destroyed every day and be quiet about it? And yes, in a few ways, it’s predictable that the Cardinals made it this year, but if you dig down to the details, they lost half their roster over the course this season.

Arrieta, Jon Lester, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon, Fernando Rodney, Travis Wood, Clayton Richard, and Neil Ramirez/CJ Edwards/Trevor Cahill. Pittsburgh pitchers have struggled to contain rookie third baseman Kris Bryant.

There’s one exceedingly exhausted, incredibly predictable Cubs cliche that hasn’t been mentioned yet.

The point is not to prep you for a loss on Wednesday but rather to not think so much about the possibility of one.

“WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?”: The Cubs arguably had their best team since winning three straight NL championships and back-to-back Word Series at the turn of the last century – sluggers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo, pitchers Fergie Jenkins and Ken Holtzman – and were 9 1/2 games ahead of the Mets in mid-August when the tailspin began.