My sports fandom went through the gamut of emotions yesterday. I started with the joy of anticipation, as the baseball season was starting. And when PCA singled, giving the Cubs their ever-so-brief lead in the 2nd, I thought they were on their way to a victory.
But then the top of the 3rd happened. Matthew Boyd got knocked around, and Ben Brown served up a home run to cap a disastrous inning. There were signs of a potential comeback, as the Cubs kept getting their leadoff hitters on base. But they simply could not get the big hit – either situationally or out of the ballpark. Meanwhile, the lowly Nationals slugged 3 home runs into the wind.
Losing on opening day just hits harder, mostly because of the level of anticipation, as we’ve been waiting for a baseball game that counted since that sad October night in Milwaukee. Wins by the Brewers and Cardinals, only deepened my bad news.
And then we got news of the Nico Hoerner extension, completely flipping the script. Having a player like Nico for the next 6 years will be fantastic. I think he would have commanded quite the contract on the open market, due to his defensive acumen and unique hitting profile. I wrote a couple fairly long pieces on his last year, and I think they still hold true.
Obviously, I’m ecstatic. The Cubs now have infield continuity for the next several seasons, as well as being set in Centerfield with PCA.
To top off my improved mood, my Alma Mater, Illinois, took it to Houston in the Sweet 16, and will be playing Iowa for a chance to go to the Final 4. I’ll let Ice Cubs take it from here:
Cubs in 7 
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