The Young Cubs Fan

A lot of people have followed me to Colorado over the last 30 years.  Don't blame them, it is a wonderful place to live.  However a downside to this growth occurs when one goes to a Rockies game because fans of the visiting team are there.  These fans range from the obscure, The Nationals and Marlins, to the obnoxious, the Yankees and the BoSox.  Phillie fans get a special rating because of their drunken, rude and obscene behavior.  What I find amazing about the Phillie fans is, Who knew there were any in Denver until a few years ago?  Lousy fans.  If you aren't going to turn out and be obnoxious when your team is bad then don't turn out when they are really, really good.  Or at least turn out with some class.
My favorite fans are the Braves, Reds, and Cardinals.  Those fans respect the game, respect the Rockies, and are fun.  They don't show up drunk. They aren't foul mouthed. They aren't sore losers.  The Dodger fans aren't that great, but aren't that bad. Padres fans are always quiet. Giant fans typically look like death warmed over, but generally behave themselves. I have yet to see a Diamondback fan except in the playoffs in 2007.
All of the above was background for a brief discussion of Cub fans.  Simply put, they are cute.  Used to loosing they turn out in their colors and cheer the Cubs.  They don't seem to be bothered by a loss and get really excited over a win, but don't really seem to pay attention to the game.  They just come to the park and hang out.  Now this isn't a bad thing, but it is different and, I suppose, a result of not winning a World Series in over 100 years.  They are just different.
A classic example of how different is this.  Recently I attended a Cardinals/Cubs game in St Louis.  Watching batting practice before the game a young father and Cub fan kept yelling, "Carlos, my son's attending his first Cub game. Give him a ball."  The father/Cub fan was holding and pointing at a young toddler.  Eventually Carlos tossed a ball to the father who excitedly handed it to the son.  The son looked at it and threw it back onto the field.  The whole section exploded with laughter as did a few of the Cubs shagging fly balls. One Cubs player reached for the ball and tossed it back to the father with a smile.
Now that is a Cub fan in the making. When he moves from St Louis to Denver in 20 years or so, the Cubs still will not have won a World Series and they will still be cute and still doing dumb things.