海角大神

Yes, the thought actually occurred to Alan Herman.

A few years ago, on a deep-sea fishing trip with his boat caught in violent storm, Mr. Herman began to fear for this life.

鈥淚s this the way I鈥檓 going to die?鈥� he worried.

Then, of course, he thought about the Chicago Cubs.

He had never seen them win the World Series.聽

Beginning Tuesday with Game 1 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians, many Cubs fans are honestly beginning to contemplate the end of that one constant in their life: For better or (mostly) worse, the Cubs were always the 鈥渓oveable loser.鈥� The team has not won the World Series since 1908 and not even appeared in one since 1945, two years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball鈥檚 color barrier.

Yes, Cleveland has not won a World Series since 1948 (baseball鈥檚 second-longest drought). But it has appeared in a World Series as recently as 1997, and this spring, basketball鈥檚 Cleveland Cavaliers broke the city鈥檚 52-year title drought in any professional sport.

By Cub standards, their cup runneth over.聽

It is a prospect that, to some Cub bleacher bums, is terrifying.

鈥淚鈥檓 more scared of what happens if we win,鈥� says Justin Glawe, a Cubs fan in his 30s, in a text message. 鈥淲e know failure. We understand it. We know depression and sadness; some of us wallow in it. What we don鈥檛 know is success.鈥�

The simple joys of Cub fandom

It was the same prospect facing Boston Red Sox fans in 2004, when they ended their 86-year title drought. But while the Red Sox drought was characterized by angst and frustration, the Cubs鈥� last 107 years have been only occasionally punctuated with enough success to generate frustration.

In that way, being a Cub fan has been less about hope than the simple pleasure of the sport 鈥� and of Wrigley Field 鈥� without the burden of expectation.

鈥淟et鈥檚 play two,鈥� as Cubs great Ernie Banks once said, is about the joy of the game for its sake and the knowledge that, win or lose, you can give it another try the next day.

鈥淟ife is not a challenge as much,鈥� says Herman, who is in his 50s. The Cubs鈥� larger lesson is: 鈥渢here鈥檚 going to be another game in your life tomorrow.鈥�

Marty Behn, also in his 50s and a longtime season-ticket holder, remembers when there were so few fans at Wrigley that the team closed the upper deck. He鈥檚 not so worried about the existential angst over a potential Cubs win.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great question, but 鈥� I鈥檝e been waiting my whole life for this,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f somehow the mystique behind being a Cubs fan is lost 鈥� I don鈥檛 care.鈥�

Indians fans won鈥檛 be outdone. Cleveland鈥檚 economic struggles, together with its futility across professional sports, had become a part of the city鈥檚 identity. 鈥淭hey call [the city] 鈥榯he factory of sadness,鈥� 鈥� says Matt Theel, a longtime fan.

So the Cavaliers championship and the World Series berth have buoyed spirits, perhaps disproportionately. 鈥淭hese things have been alleviated,鈥� he adds.

What 'curse'?

It鈥檚 a reminder that the talk of 鈥渃urses鈥� is nothing more mysterious than making better sports decisions and changing an old mind-set.

Indians manager Terry Francona and Cubs manager Joe Maddon are cut from the same cloth in that way.

In an interview with the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Indians鈥� owner Paul Dolan said Francona has given the franchise 鈥渁 culture of winning, a culture of hope.鈥� And Maddon, asked about the concept of the 鈥渓oveable losers鈥� this weekend, shrugged it off.

鈥淵ou know that thing I鈥檇 always heard, about the Cubs being lovable losers, I never quite understood that,鈥� he ESPN, 鈥渂ecause that鈥檚 not how I was raised. So getting here and really not paying attention to all the nonsense, the superstition that really has dragged a lot of people鈥檚 minds down 鈥� to escape that is great.鈥�

For Herman鈥檚 part, he expects the Cubs to win. But he鈥檚 also prepared, as always, for disappointment. After all, he says, it won鈥檛 be the end of the world. 鈥淚t would just mean the beat goes on.鈥澛�

Glawe just hopes that, if the Cubs do win, fans don鈥檛 lose the simple joys of being a Cubs fan.

鈥淚 just don鈥檛 want us to become jaded and forget all the 38-degree opening days when we watched for love rather than an expectation of winning.鈥�