A Century's Not That Long, Right?

Well it happened again... I got swept up in the hype; the Cubs got swept in the first round. Despite my best efforts to avoid it all, I couldn't get away from the excitement. I was so hellbent on the magic of the 100 year anniversary, that all rationalism got pushed aside. I stubbornly chose to ignore my friends who told me that the Cubs would choke and naively thought, "This is definitely the year." It wasn't. Being the arrogant, obstinate, unrealistic fan, I got sucked into the atmosphere. It happened in '98, it happened in '03, it happened in '07, and it just had to happen this year. I was mesmerized by the comebacks, the big rallies, and even the ambiance; I should have known better.
So many Cubs' fans believe in a curse. I don't. I personally think that G-d has much better things to do with his time than put a hex on a baseball team. So, once people get over their theories of curses, they look for scapegoats, or even regular goats (the pun just fit). People lay blame on these symbols just to ease their sorrow, whether it be a billygoat, a black cat, or some guy from Northbrook (Bartman has since moved).
This time there wasn't anything to say except that we simply played terribly come playoff-time. During the regular season, they played phenomenally, winning 97 games. But the team that walked off the field September 28 was not the same team that walked on it October 1. They forgot a lot of things in a mere 3 days. They forgot the crucial nuances of baseball and keys to the game that helped so much this season. They forgot that a playoff team can't walk people. They forgot that a playoff team can't make 4 errors in a game and expect to win. They forgot that a playoff team can't strand 9 runners on base (4 of them in scoring position). They simply forgot that the playoffs is different that the rest of the season; gameplay needs to be precise and mistakes are irrevocable.
I feel frustrated not because the team let me down in an abysmal playoff performance, but more because I allowed myself to believe that this year would be different than other years. I chose to believe that somehow this year had to be the year. I feel like I was on a hidden-camera show where everyone else knows the truth, and I'm the only sucker oblivious to it. I feel frustrated that I got duped again, despite the myriad of previous failures. But the most depressing thing of all is that I invested so much time and energy into the long baseball season, when all that resulted from this great Cubs' season was a schedule being extended to 165 games, instead of 162. If I had the choice between this year's season and a regular, average season, I choose the latter. That way my heart can stay calm right where it is... instead of being ripped out from my chest.