October is around the corner, and frankly I cannot wait for
playoff baseball. Even though my beloved Indians have long since
been out of contention, I still love the atmosphere. The smell, the
sounds, the jubilation that accompanies playoff baseball is around
the corner, and I sit here, waiting with baited breath.

The playoffs put people in the seats. Even Stanley Cup playoffs
are a huge television draw, and no one likes hockey. People like
the World Series. Kids dream of pitching in Game 7, or hitting the
walk-off grand slam before Little League. They like to see what the
people who made it can do in those situations.

That being said, I am extremely unexcited to hear all the talks
of curses that are bound to come about during this postseason. If
the postseason started today, Boston would make the playoffs, but
the Cubs would not.

The Cubs are only one-half game out of winning the wild-card
race, and the Red Sox are five and a half games ahead.

I vehemently hope that neither the Cubs nor the Red Sox make the
playoffs. To be blunt, I cannot put up with another year of having
to hear about the curses that have plagued these third-world cities
since the dawn of time. I think we should all sit back and commend
them for being so courageous through all these hard times.

Year in and year out announcers drone on about all the
misfortunes that have happened to these crestfallen cities. Enough
is enough! People love to thrust the blame of last year’s playoff
failure on Steve Bartman going after a foul ball during the
National League Division Series. Get serious!

Any Cubs fan that says he would not try to catch a foul ball in
the playoffs, I trust him no more than William Jefferson
Clinton.

You people stalked this man’s home and work, and ruined his
life, all while ignoring the innumerable errors committed by your
gold-glove defense. As for my comrades from the northeast, enough
talk of this Bambino and his curse. Have you not noticed that you
consistently let players walk to the Yankees? You could have easily
had Alex Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez, as opposed to bonehead
Manny Ramirez and Mrs. Nomar Hamm.

Over the weekend, the Sox and their rival Yankees met up for
another meaningful series. A sign was held by a fan that read,
“BoSox you’re not cursed, we’ve just always been better.” Now, it
hurts me to support the Yankees; but I just cannot tolerate any
more whining.

The playoffs would be that much more enjoyable if neither team
makes it. Then we, as fans, can focus on what really matters:
Baseball. Every year at least one star emerges from the playoffs.
Last year we witnessed Miguel Cabrera and Josh Beckett mature for
the Marlins right in front of our eyes.

Those are the types of things that should be focused on every
year during this time, and not how the curse of the goat will
squash the hopes of Cubs’ fans across the country. When will these
people finally realize that they are not cursed, and just do not
field teams good enough to win it all?

These cities have no room to talk about being cursed; they only
have one team that happens to be cursed. Look at the Bulls’ run of
championships in the 1990s or the Patriots winning two out of the
last three Super Bowls.

Yes, your baseball team may not have won a World Series since
the North won the War Between the States. I encourage all
Bostonians and Chicagoans to discuss curses with me, when they have
three free hours.

Sometimes I wish that the Cubs and the BoSox would meet in the
World Series. What would happen?

Oftentimes I wish they would both just win the World Series,
that way we could stop listening to all of this rubbish.

I am excited for the World Series. I would love to see the Cards
win it all, and if not them, then hopefully Oakland.

Either way, I want the postseason, especially the announcers, to
focus on the baseball and not some figment of Dan Shaughnessy or a
goat owner’s imagination.