Hey hey, holy mackerel, no doubt about it, the Cubs are on their way

Old people, like me, will remember that as the anthem of the 1969 Cubs. My sister actually bought the 45.

I listened to a couple of Cub games that year on the radio, too, but I felt dirty and ashamed and I never did it again.

OK, I did watch the 2003 NLCS -- but it was the NLCS, please, and Ozzie Guillen was the Marlins' third base coach.

Anyway, maybe Cub fans wouldn't want me remembering their theme song from 1969. Things didn't turn out so good for them that year, now that I think about it.

There is one thing, however, I must make abundantly clear. I am certainly not jumping on the Cubs' bandwagon. Still, I think this could be their year.

I like Lou Piniella; I liked him when managed Seattle and Tampa Bay. I think he's a good manager and the Cubs are lucky to have him.

And, in the weakest division in baseball, it looks like he's going to bring his team, with its gazillion-dollar payroll, in ahead of the Brewers.

Cub fans are suspicious when White Sox fans, like myself, don't spew hatred in their direction. There is, of course, the good-natured ribbing that we give Cub fans, like in these words to the pub song, "South Side Irish":

And when it comes to baseball, we've got two favorite clubs:
Our beloved Go Go White Sox -- and whoever plays the Cubs.

But, sure now, that's just for fun. We Sox fans aren't trying to jinx the Chubbies by saying they're going to hold on and win that division.

Even though they lost last night.

To the woeful Marlins.

And Milwaukee won.

Hey, nobody seems to have clinched yet in the entire National League. (I think I looked at the NL standings this morning for the first time all season.)

I have no rooting interest either way. If Philadelphia gets in, of course, I'm rooting for Aaron Rowand. White Sox fans remember him fondly.

But I'm much more interested in what happens in the American League.

Dr. A, Fran, 74WIXYgrad, and Misty Dawn will be pulling for Cleveland. Ralph will be pulling for the BoSox, and so will Patti and Ben and Bennie and RDL. (Rhea is in Boston, but I don't think she has ever mentioned her undying allegiance to the Carmines, which is kind of unusual for folks in that part of the country.) I don't think I have any Angels fans among the regulars here. But I will root for any and all of these... against the Yankees.

I will root for the AL club in the World Series as long as it's not the Yankees. If -- heaven forfend -- the Yankees do make it to the World Serious, I would then root for the NL club... unless... unless....

The prospect is simply too awful for a White Sox fan to contemplate. But I wish them no ill.

Honest.