Dingus

Actually, "Dyngus Day" is a Polish tradition, or so I've been told, so I should call this post "Dopus" or "Doofus," or just "idiocy."

My Chicago Cubs should no longer be mine, because they offer no love back. They have the second-worst record in baseball, despite having one of the highest payrolls. They have an okay batting average, unless it's in an important situation, and that's where they fail to deliver. Their starting pitching has been a travesty all year. They are one of the slowest teams in baseball; they have the worst defense in baseball. Their pitchers walk more than any team; their hitters take fewer walks than any team.

And yet, they are refusing to make any moves. As if they are happy with their current club. Seriously. Gm Jim Hendry claims that practically everyone on the team is a "keeper." There's rumor that the Cubs are deliberately keeping anyone, so that they look "Competitive" to Prince Fielder in hopes of signing him as a free agent next year. This team is competitive? Only the Astros have a worse record, and they just traded two of their best players for some nice prospects.

We all know about their history of not wining the World Series, let alone the pennant, so I won't rehash that here. All I know is that the organization has so many things to change, and I don't see how they'll ever do it. The easier thing to do would be for me to change allegiances.

So I'm trying. It'll be hard not to have a vested interest in the Cubs, so I won't give them up completely. And I won't allow myself to just pick a perennial winner, or hop on a bandwagon.

I think I'll pick the Nationals. This is an easy move for me, even though they're in a tough division. They play where I lived for six years. They have a great stadium. They have Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. That makes sense to me. A Nats fan I will start to be.

For the American League, I think I like the Royals, because they're always behind as a very small-market team, but their farm system is loaded. They also have a great park and there's something about the blue of their uniforms that's even more appealing than what the Cubs offer. I suppose if I wear a Royals cap, I might look a little bit like a gangster. Already have a Nats cap somewhere.