Thanks, Cubs!

While monitoring both the Cubs-Reds and Brewers-Padres games last night, I couldn’t help but think back to the way this baseball season started for our family — that cold, snowy outing at U.S. Cellular Field and the slightly warmer game under the roof at Miller Park a few days later … a game between, yep, Chicago and Milwaukee.

Not being much of a prognosticator when it comes to these things, I didn’t really have an opinion back then on how the season would go for any of the teams, least of all the hard-luck Brewers and star-crossed Cubs. Hope springs eternal, of course, especially when it comes to the Cubbies. But I certainly didn’t imagine that Milwaukee would be in first place for 133 days this season, that Chicago would start so slowly and finish so strong (kind of a reverse of the usual pattern), or that both teams would be involved in such an exciting stretch run.

Now the Cubs get to play in October, the Brewers get a much-deserved tip of the cap, and a fun cross-border rivalry between teams from cities 90 miles apart gets a little stronger.

You’ve got to love it.