Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

The NFL and college football seasons have begun, which can mean only one thing: Time for IU students to shed their cream and crimson and throw on those lovely Cubs hats that have been sitting in their closets gathering dust since October. With the National League wild card race heating up, Cubs fans are growing nervous and eager all at once. Though half of all Cubs fans can't name more than six players on the team, they fully believe that "this is the year."\nWhat intrigues me, though, is how nobody has made any mention of the North Siders recently. Could it be because they have slipped out of the wild card lead? Could it be because, as of Monday, they were 17 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central?\nThe last big news to come from the Cubbies was back in late July when they acquired "Nomah." This, I will say, was perhaps the best move I have seen a baseball team make in recent years. Many Cubs fans will remember the team stealing three players from the Pirates last year -- Randall Simon, Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez -- all of whom contributed a great deal down the stretch. However, if you're one of those bandwagon riders then you have no idea what I'm talking about.\nLike any other team in Major League Baseball though, the Cubs have had their ups and downs this year. They've been extremely injury plagued, losing Sammy Sosa, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior for large portions of the season. Guys like Ramirez, Moises Alou, Glendon Rusch and LaTroy Hawkins have contributed as much as possible to keep the team afloat. \nBut while all of this may look very good and strong on paper, that's exactly what the Cubs are to begin with. Just as they do with the New York Yankees, baseball fans become entranced by the roster of the Cubs. They see guys like Sosa and Alex Rodriguez and automatically assume the team will perform. In both cases though, the teams are underperforming -- the Yankees especially, with their AL East lead dwindling to three games. Yet throughout all the chaos and intensity of the playoff race, the Cubs and Yankees always seem to be the two main teams talked about. While neither team has yet to even clinch a spot in the playoff race, two Major Leaguers who are not even on either team should be giving fans a reason for them to divert their attention.\nMariners' outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and Giants star Barry Bonds are using their bats and left-handed swings to do great things this season. Ichiro is chasing George Sissler's record for most hits in a season and Bonds is one home run away from eclipsing the 700 career home runs plateau. \nIn my mind, both of these feats are bigger than any Yankee or Cub playoff appearance. Rather than looking ahead weeks in advance, fans should focus on these two players' feats, which are both once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.\nUnfortunately, baseball as a sport is dwindling. But Ichiro and Bonds represent something that can bring the sport back to life. Back in the day, fans supported and cared about players on the brink of hitting milestones. Cal Ripken Jr. had all baseball's attention when he completed his streak and Joe DiMaggio captivated the entire nation with his. Everyone needs to stop worrying about the Cubs and Yankees and start focusing in on what needs to be done to revive the sport.\nDon't get me wrong, I'm from Chicago and would love to see the Cubs win the World Series eventually. But for now, I'm still a Steve Bartman fan.