Game 7 Relfections

My wife said I should do a quick blog post the day after each World Series game to kind of recap my feelings since there's no documentary crew following me around as the Cubs go for their first championship since 1908. So here we go on Game 7.

Next Year is finally here! This is the year Cubs fans have been waiting for and it's really, actually here.

The best thing about the Cubs winning (8-7 in 10 innings for those who somehow missed it), is that the Cubs won.

The unexpectedly awesome thing about the Cubs winning is hearing from friends from high school and college who messaged me on Facebook or Twitter to congratulate me. Being a Cubs fan in South Georgia meant I stood out in that regard, which, to be honest, is the only way I ever stood out in school.

My facebook feed was flooded with congratulatory messages and likes from people I haven't really seen since either high school or my 10-year reunion, which was about 10 years ago. A guy a four years younger than me (meaning I was a senior when he was a freshman) messaged me to say he was in Chicago and wanted to know if he wanted him to get copies of today's paper for me.

Those are the kinds of moments that make sports special. Yes, the games themselves are captivating and tense and dramatic, but the fact that nearly 20 to 25 years later, people still remember that I was a Cubs fan in south Georgia and not only thought of me, but took time out of their lives to send me congratulations, well that's awesome.

That connection to friends and friends who have drifted off to become acquaintances, is special. And few things in life have the power to create that. I've never taken the time to congratulate my friends when their favorite singer wins a Grammy or an Academy of Country Music award (though maybe I should). But my team wins the championship and I'm hearing from people from throughout my lifetime.

But sports also allowed me to become friends with people I've never met. People on Twitter that I couldn't pick out of a lineup but who are baseball fans and rode the ride of the playoffs with me. People who inexplicably liked my dumb jokes and who watched the games and cheered along with me. (It was probably easier for a few of them who are Royals fans and won last year when I took the journey with them.) It's awesome.

So thank you to everyone who reached out over the course of October to either wish me luck or to congratulate me or just to say you were thinking about me during the Cubs run to a World Series title or even if you just read this blog post. The championship is awesome, but the friendships, both of people I've met in person and who I've only met in the digital world, made winning a World Series more special.