"There's no crying in baseball!"

There is a dark curse that looms over me. No matter how hard I try to shake it, the demons of my past haunt me constantly. This curse has survived my ventures in Oklahoma, Washington, and Chicago. The horror it brings me and those around me are frightening. What curse? The Curse of the Cubs.

I'm not talking about how the Cubs have never won a World Series while I've been alive, or anyone else in my family, for that matter. It goes without saying that something is wrong there and entirely external to my frustration for the moment. My beef with the Cubs is that they have never won a game I've attended. Ever. As in I'm starting to think I'm destined to never see them win.

I initially thought this was a general curse, where no matter what sporting event I attended, the team I root for would fall. Part of that problem was living in DC when where the Nationals don't know what winning means. But that wasn't the truth when I've seen the Orioles win over the Royals (like that game mattered to me, though) and then the Bulls victorious over the Pacer earlier this year. In fact, I've seen every team I root for win at least one game in my life. This includes the newly established Oklahoma City Thunder, and I've only been to one of their games!

When I lived in Washington, Baltimore was the nearby team early on. There was no real chance for me to see the Cubs unless I travelled to Chicago to watch them play. Then the Nationals arrived and my excitement grew. As bad as the Expos, the team moving to become the Nationals, were in Montreal it almost seemed assured that I'd not only get to see the Cubs play, but I'd see them win a game or two. That first February after the Nationals arrived in the Capital City I in front of a friend's laptop, waiting for single game tickets to open up. When they did, my fingers rapidly navigated through the windows to buy tickets to the first game of the only series the Cubs would play in town.

When that day came, I excitedly drove to Hill, meeting another friend for a quick bite at Tortilla Coast (which many Hill staffers and former interns will remember fondly and, yet at the same time with disgust.) While indulging in the "fine" food, the clouds began to gather and the thunder rolled through the city streets. By the time we were supposed to head to the stadium, the heavens let loose and there was no chance of making it to the game. We waited for a half hour before deciding to head back to Virginia and find something else to do, anticipating a rain out for the game. Two hours later, with the rain still falling, a group of us decided to watch a movie and call the night a wash. Afterwards, however, we find out that they decided to play after all (who plays after a 2 1/2 hour delay anyway!?) and the Cubs were winning. Angry at the officials for having the audacity to play the game despite the torrential downpour that deterred hundreds (because no one really went to a Nats game) of fans from showing up, I proceeded to buy two more tickets. I couldn't get seats for the Saturday game, but I scored a couple for Sunday's series finale.

Sure enough, the Cubs fell to Washington that afternoon, setting the streak at four. The next year, I organized a group of co-worker to go to the Independence Day game against Washington at RFK stadium. It was an exciting day, with patriotic energy flowing through the stands and people actually showing up for the game. It was energetic as fans cheered and yelled and celebrated a National's victory. Of the four games played that weekend, I went to the one where the Cubs lost. Later that summer, I took a trip to Chicago to watch them take on the Giants. Barry Bonds was playing, not that it mattered, and was vociferously booed during his only at-bat. Not that it mattered. The Cubs still fell to San Francisco and I still left without a victory.

Last year was my first year living in Chicago. I managed to grab tickets to two games for their amazing season. This was a season of great hope. The Cubs ended with the best record in the National League, far and away beating opponents with breath-taking talent. There was the first no-hitter since Milt Pappas by Carlos Zambrano in a road game against Houston played in Milwaukee. And there was a great chance for me to finally see a Cubs win.

The first game I attended was the second game of the season. The Brewers were the main team to watch out for all season and they proved it that day, as the Cubs didn't show up at all, falling to Milwaukee, taking my streak to nine. In the next month I tried my luck again, and the Brew Crew was again the opponent. After the game, where Chicago came from behind in the seventh and creating a glimmer of hope, I became a life-long enemy of Milwaukee. My streak was at eight and I didn't have an opportunity to see them play again that season.

Which brings us to last night. The Nationals were in town and I landed two tickets to the game from an alumni association of mine (not the OU alumni association but from an internship I was a part of in 2002 called The Fund for American Studies.) I know the Cubs have been playing poorly as of late, but the Nationals were the worst team in baseball. Plus their manager is Jim Riggleman, the guy who lead the Cubs to their 1998 postseason appearance and then fell to mediocrity the next year. It was destiny. I sat as Carlos Zambrano gave up the first run of the game, feeling a little let down. I grew excited as Zambrano tied it up with a home run over the left-field ivy, just a few rows above the basket. Then the fifth inning arrived and I witnessed my first even grand slam. Unfortunately, it was off of a Zambrano pitch and put the Nationals up for good.

Nine games, no wins. Nine times. I can hear Principle Rooney right now, saying one more and I'll have to repeat my senior year. They are the Lovable Losers, I realize this. But there is no way that any person could possibly make it to this many games and see one team lose. It wasn't even in the same season, at the same ballpark, against the same opponents. There was variety to ensure that someone, anyone, would fall to the Cubs with me watching. But, sadly, I am a dark mark. Another plague that curses the Cubs.

I still have hope, and will still continue going to games. Because one of these days, they'll win. I can only hope.

"Baseball has been very, very good to me."

Last night, after the Vikings were unsuccessful to stop Donovan McNabb and the Eagles (and landed me with goose egg in the playoffs this weekend), I watched Saturday Night Live's sports special. Later, a friend posted his choices for the Baseball Hall of Fame, which will be announced later this month. Coincidence? I think not...

He had some good insight, but missed the ball on a couple of others. Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly on Ricky Henderson's election this year. This man was great, no matter where he played, and his stats back it up. Even if you don't believe in real statistics, and opt for the old "BA, HR, RBI, SB" line - which is completely outdated, Henderson's numbers are beyond measure for entry into the HOF.

I also think Alan Trammell would make a wise choice, as well, and not just for sentimental reasons. It's rare to see a ball-player spend his entire career with one team anymore. Even Kerry Wood, who finally started showing some resemblance of promise last year, parted ways with the Chicago Cubs after 10 seasons. But Trammell also has been rated as one of the 10 best shortstops in baseball and has offensive and defensive accolades to back him up. I doubt he'll get in this year, given his numbers are notoriously low to jump up to the requisite 75 percent from voters to enter.

With these good choices, and strong arguments, it is no wonder many turn to him for conscientious baseball advice in the spring and strong conversation as the season rolls on. However, my friend overlooked two glaring issues in the remainder of the ballot. First is a personal one; his exclusion of Andre Dawson from the ballot. While his batting can be considered average in some degree (.278 Career BA), his HOF Monitor is about the 100 mark for the average HOFer and his stats are highly comparable to many other members. His age comparisons rate with Dave Winfield for his later years and to Reggie Smith during his youth. His overall stats are not all that off from Billy Williams and Tony Perez. But while his offensive stats are hurting him, his defensive stats are what should put him through. An eight-time Golden Glove winner should never be ignored during HOF voting and I hope that most of the BBWAA will see this, as well.

Taking obvious bias off the shelf not - because even I am willing to admit a lot of the previous argument was made simply because Dawson was a Cub - I need to look at another problem I have with my friend's ballot. I am in complete disagreement with him over the election of Steroid-Era ballplayers into the HOF. This soon after the era has, hopefully, passed, there will be a higher degree of scrutiny over who should be elected into the Hall of Fame from the array of players who spent most of their career during this time. Mark McGwire is Suspect No. 1 in this regard, since his testimony to Congress during the investigations of 2005 pretty much implicated his steroid use during his career (even though he never outright stated so).

True, he had a couple of amazing years as a slugger, breaking Roger Maris' seemingly insurmountable 61 home run record in 1998. But despite his 583 homers, he managed fewer than 1,500 hits and a low-263 Batting Average. I'll grant his high OPS+ numbers, since he hit so many home runs during the end of his career. His high slugging numbers, however, are linked to serious questions about his use of performance-enhancing drugs that not only cause irreparable damage to the body but also send the worst kind of message to aspiring athletes from little league on up to the minors. Why should we celebrate those who decided to jump ahead of the line to steal a few moments of glory towards the end of a celebrated career as a defensive giant? Instead, we should use him, and all the others who bulked up on the sly, as an example of what happens when you don't follow the right path. If we ban Pete Rose and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from the Hall of Fame, then we should do the same to the likes of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and, regrettably, Roger Clemens. Well, maybe not Clemens since he had crazy numbers before steroid use, but we'll see in a few years.

I think McGwire will increase his numbers from last year as many writers will move on from their one-year protest. But I don't see his election coming so quickly. Maybe in another two years, or 2010 if he's lucky, but I doubt 2009 will be the year of McGwire for the HOF.

So, my ballot this year for the Hall of Fame, if anyone from the BBWAA wants to know, includes:

1. Mark Grace - He didn't put up crazy numbers for a short time, nor did he lead the league in "flashy" statistics. But you cannot argue against his consistency. No one hit more than he did throughout the 1990s, connecting for 1,754 times during the decade. No one also doubled more than he did during the same time period, with 364. Rose is the only other player to achieve the decade hit's title without entering the HOF. (I'll even grant the obvious Cubs-bias factor a bit for this, but you can't argue against consistency.)

2. Bert Blyleven - When your numbers compare to Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry and Ferguson Jenkins, your place in the Hall should be assured. Throw in your ERA+ and your WHIP and I'll treat it like a Chicago Election (vote early and often).

3. Ricky Henderson - For reasons stated above.

4. Andre Dawson - See No. 3.

5. Alan Trammell - See No. 4.

6. - Dale Murphy - His numbers in the 1980s made him Mr. NL in my book. He led the Senior Circuit in runs, hits, RsBI, runs created, and total bases throughout the Reagan Era - and all without use of illegal substances. Despite playing for the Braves, he is a quality player and deserving of entry into the HOF. To add on top of that, he has the character and integrity deserving to gain entry into Cooperstown (something they actually ask people to consider on the ballots).