For me and other baseball fans across the country, our version of Christmas comes twice a year. The first is just as winter breaks into spring and baseball fans celebrate Opening Day and the start of a new season. The second just came to a close with the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.
The offseason is always so hard for people like me. You watch your team for six months out of the year and all of a sudden, it ends. There’s always Spring Training that seems to start earlier and earlier every year because the players hate the offseason even more than the fans do.
But there is something so special and magical about Opening Day and the postseason. Opening Day comes with such hope and promise because for the only time all year, every team is equal. Yes, some teams have more promising offseasons than others where they acquire high caliber players, but you don’t get to see how that translates until the first game.
The postseason is even more special. We’ve been spoiled the past couple of years with teams that haven’t made it to the postseason in years having a chance to win it all. Because let’s be real, who isn’t sick of seeing the San Francisco Giants winning every other year?
Being a Mets fan, last year was rough for me. I really thought that they were going to win the World Series after the showing that they put on against the Cubs in the NLCS. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in the cards for them. So Indians fans, I feel for you and I want to give each and every one of you a hug. That is if you’re still alive after one of the most intense Game 7s ever.
Cubs fans, man, do you have something to be proud of. Enjoy every moment of it, but just remember, you never know who it could be next year.
So long baseball season. Thank you for providing yet another incredible season for America. See you in April.