It's been more than 24 hours since the biggest, quickest and most pathetic letdown of my sports fan life, but the anger, pain and confusion are still as fresh as they
were when Alfonso Soriano ended the Cubs' World Series chances with a half-hearted half swing. (Give him some credit, though. I'm pretty sure it was the first pitch of
the NLDS that he actually tried to take.)

Unfortunately for all of us, we now have a painfully long
offseason to nurse our wounds and decide what can be done to make a team that won 97 games more successful in October.

But let's not think about the future just yet. Let's wallow
in self-pity and linger over the questions a bit longer. It's our Cub-given right.

Though the Cubs may finally end their 100-year World Series drought later this month, it’s Mayor Daley’s seventh inning dry-out that concerns most tavern owners in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighbo

You can't have a legitimate sports blog during the playoffs without making a few predictions. It's just not allowed.

It was a throw-away line in a pre-game interview on WGN radio a few weeks ago, but it sums up the feeling Cubs players and fans have had all season long.

“It’s been surreal,” said Cubs rookie catcher Geovany Soto, responding to a question about his unprecedented success and the team’s drive to the playoffs. “Let’s keep it surreal.”

Let’s keep it surreal.

That’s a pretty good slogan for a team that has won the division title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 100 years. And that’s a pretty good mantra for a team that needs just 11 more wins to stop an even more significant 100-year drought.