Columnist Jim Slusher: Covering a pennant race has its own appeal - and you can take part
This editorial is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.
As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs own a 76-64 record on the 2023 MLB season and hold magic numbers of 19 to make the playoffs and 25 to win the National League's Central Division. With 23 games left to play, they're close to a lock on getting a wild card spot and just a game and a half behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the division title.
This is an impressive position to be in for a team that had been expected at the start of the season to barely achieve 70 wins. (Drawing an uncomfortable but inevitable comparison to their South Side rivals, who began the season with almost universal expectations of making the American League playoffs, likely going all the way to the World Series, and now, well, to be kind, won't.)
But there's also something else in the air. Something that feels different in the memory of longtime watchers of Chicago Cubs fandom.
Primary to 2016, one could expect to see Cubs fans at a juncture such as this excitedly dreaming of a trip to ultimate baseball glory but secretly steeling themselves for the impending choke. Now, there's not only no bracing for disappointment but serious, realistic hope of finishing the season among the elites.
A trip to the World Series? OK, let's not get ahead of ourselves, but going into the playoffs after a strong finish to the regular season? Even lukewarm fans sit up and take notice and start planning their afternoons and evenings around the game times.
Such a pennant race is especially fun to cover, as you could sense in the controlled eloquence of sports writer Mike McGraw's account of the Cubs' exciting 11-8 come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. When every game, every pitch, every at bat, has meaning, suddenly the emotional element that gives professional sports such appeal infuses every story.
And, it also begins pushing the coverage beyond the Sports pages and onto Page 1, where soon, news writers will get into the act, finding angles that tap into the welling local fan spirit and help build it further.
Our editors are starting now to develop ideas for these stories, and we welcome contributions from you for topics that extend beyond the stats and the ball diamonds and help you better understand and appreciate this time of year. Feel free to send suggestions to me or to Managing Editor Lisa Miner at lminer@dailyherald.com.
And we'd also like to capture the communal spirit of this time and share it with Daily Herald readers. Tell us your thoughts and feelings for a special project we'll carry in the coming week or so. Send us by next Wednesday your letter of up to 300 words to fencepost@dailyherald.com. Be sure to include your full name, hometown and a phone number (not for publication) where we can reach you if necessary.
The atmosphere of a pennant race is always something to savor, never more than for a team that has shed the "loser" from its label and is attracting attention for more than just being lovable. We look forward to reading your reactions at this time and sharing the excitement with the rest of the suburbs.
• Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on Twitter at @JimSlusher.