There's hope for next year

It's hard for me to form a coherent sentence right now. Hell, it's hard for me to form an incoherent one.\nBut I must labor on.\nFor the umpthousandth time in my life, the Cubs have ripped my heart out of my chest and said, "Whoops, didn't know you'd be needing that." If there is anything positive to be taken out of this experience, it is this: at least we know who the true Cubs fans are now. The bandwagon jumpers will walk around as if nothing happened. You can tell a true fan from a mile away: slouched over, walking around as if they had just seen each and every one of their household pets run over by a garbage truck.\nOf course, there are the poor saps out there who are already upbeat about waiting until next year. Logically, it makes sense. For the first time in a long time (i.e. ever), the pieces are in place to make an even greater run next year. But logic also dictated that a team with a 3-1 series lead and two of the best pitchers in baseball playing at home would be a lock for the World Series.\nNot that I will ever give up on the Cubs. I need them like a junkie needs "smack." But I'm willing to accept the fact, like my grandparents and parents, I will be telling my young'ns stories of leads blown and curses and black cats without ever seeing the promised land.\nSo use your efforts on something more useful than hope -- like hating the Florida Marlins. Their star player, Pudge Rodriguez, listens to Yanni. What a fraud. He passes himself off as some sort of hard-ass, but he listens to Yanni. I could probably beat him up ... well, if he was sound asleep and I had a baseball bat. Maybe.\nEven White Sox and Cardinals fans, who were so giddy when the Cubs lost that they could have wet their pants (they probably did, the uncivilized lot) have to dislike the Marlins. This team has been around for 10 years, plays in a football stadium and has a fan base the size of Kate Moss. Worst of all, they wear teal.\nI won't say that you should give up on hope in sports all together, though. Because there is some hope to be had right here at IU. No, I'm not suggesting that the Hoosiers will win out and clinch a berth in the Motor City Bowl (as much as I would love to spend Christmas in Detroit).\nBut basketball season is so close that you can nearly smell it. In fact, if you go to Midnight Madness tonight, you'll be able to see it as well.\nMaybe the optimism will have to curb itself until next year, when the top recruiting class in the nation will arrive in Bloomington. There are a lot of questions about the Hoosiers entering this year. It's not likely that any of them will be answered at Midnight Madness. But much like pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, there is something permanently refreshing about Midnight Madness because of what it represents: the chance to start a new season.\nSo do yourself a favor. Grab a canned good and head to Assembly Hall tonight. See if Sean Kline can hold on to his title of slam-dunk king. See what freshmen Jessan Gray-Ashley, Errek Suhr, and Pat Ewing Jr. are all about. And don't forget about the ladies -- Cyndi Valentin is a proven three-point sharpshooter who beat everyone on the floor as a freshman last year.\nWe need something.