Well, the Brewers lost their final two games. The 2010 season is in the books at a middling 77-85. Another losing season. No playoffs this year. Manager Ken Macha was fired today. And Prince Fielder’s 50-home run swing will likely be traded away over the winter. Trevor Hoffman isn’t coming back. The starting pitching is still woefully thin. The team doesn’t seem to be in win-now mode anymore.
But I’m ok with that. Because at least they beat the Cubs (75-87).
Nothing against those poor, poor Cubs. I used to watch Harry Caray call their games after school when I was a kid. I cheered for Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson and Shawon Dunston. I even went to a few games at Wrigley Field and sang along to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch.
But when my beloved Brewers clearly aren’t playoff-bound, I set a secondary goal. It gives meaning to otherwise meaningless September games. This year’s pennant race substitute was beating the division rival Cubs. After all, most of the league managed to. It’s good to know that my favorite team can, too.
Rooting for bad teams can teach important life lessons. This year, I learned that it’s hard to be disappointed when you have low expectations. One wonders what next year’s lesson will be.
Inertia Wins! 