Welcome to Nearly Next Year! I hope this blog will help Cubs fans gain a deeper appreciation for their team, their fellow fans and the traditions and culture associated with bleeding Cubbie blue. After all, this is the year! And if not, there's always next year. (But so far, so good!)

To kick things off, I want to delve into an issue that has been bothering me since the beginning of the baseball season.

During the past few months, there has been a nearly non-stop assault on that humblest breed of baseball disciple, the Chicago Cubs fan. First Cincinnati Reds announcer Marty Brennaman called Cubs fans "the most obnoxious fans in baseball."

Then Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey insinuated that Cubs fans are no better than fair-weather New York Yankees fans.

Finally, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti threw salt in the wound by decrying Cubs fans as "fickle."

I was initially insulted by all of this mud-slinging. The Cubs finally see a little success and suddenly everyone starts passing judgment on the passion of a fan base that has been waiting a century for a World Series win. How can you look a true Cubs fan in the eye and question his commitment? The Cubbie faithful wrote the book on loyalty to a sports team.

But something is rotten in Wrigleyville. Sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley Field a few weeks ago, I was disturbed by what I saw. I encountered fellow patrons who could only be considered "obnoxious" (among other choice adjectives). Worse yet, I saw fans booing in disgust as the Cubs failed to score. An overbearingly vocal segment even booed Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. That just doesn't happen. Were Mariotti and Co. right after all?

One of the predictable consequences of the Cubs' recent success is the phenomenon of the Bandwagon Cubs Fan (BCF). The BCF was born during the 2003 playoffs, when the Cubs came so infamously close to the World Series. A perennially subpar Chicago team was on the verge of making history and everybody wanted to be a part of it. As the Cubs have continued to be moderately successful in recent years--and Chicagoans have realized how much fun it is to be a Cubs fan--the BCF contingent at Wrigley has grown significantly. Unfortunately, most of these fans weren't around for the endless decades of Cubs futility and therefore can't possibly understand what it takes to be a true Cubs fan.

Lest these newer fans further soil the reputation of all Cubs fandom, I proudly offer the Five Laws of the True Cubs Fan. These laws are implicitly accepted as the Cubs Fan Credo and are in no way negotiable. Read them carefully, learn them well and live them constantly. If you object to any of the following statements, there is another baseball team in Chicago that is more accustomed to your brand of half-hearted support. And you'll have no problem getting tickets to their games.

Cubs Fan Law #1: Lay off the boos.
You can boo the umps, you can boo the other team, you can boo the rain delay, but you never boo the Cubs. This doesn't prohibit you from becoming frustrated with certain Cubs players who hit leadoff homeruns one day and injure themselves while striking out three times on pitches in the dirt the next day. That's human nature. But don't publicly ridicule the player whose replica jersey you're wearing. If you're booing your own team, why are you at the game?

Cubs Fan Law #2: The Cubs will win tomorrow.
When you've lost for a century, one tough night game shouldn't irrevocably dash your dreams. You have until the first pitch of tomorrow's game to vent your frustrations over tonight's loss. After that, let it go. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but you need to maintain perspective.

Cubs Fan Law #3: Know your Cubs history.
A good Cubs fan is a knowledgeable Cubs fan. The team has a long history that began before 2003. Look into it.

Cubs Fan Law #4: Don't be a hater.
What separates Cubs fans from other baseball fans (and our Southside counterparts) is the ability to remain positive in the face of annual adversity and the insults hurled at (and about) your Lovable Losers. The Cubs have fantastic rivalries with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago White Sox and several other teams. Fans of these teams will try to engage you in a derisive shouting match, but don't fall for it. Just root for the Cubbies and bask in their inevitable victory. Be secure enough in your love for the Cubs that chants of "1908" simply don't faze you. Please Note: With both Chicago teams somehow in first place and the White Sox coming to Wrigley, Cubs Fan Law #4 must be carefully observed this weekend.

Cubs Fan Law #5: If necessary, wait ‘til next year.
Cliché? Yes. Foolishly optimistic? Perhaps. But the defining characteristic of a Cubs fan is the sunny optimism that the team can win against all odds, and one of these years they will go all the way. Believe or leave.

Any laws I missed? Leave 'em in the comments.

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