The current MLB season feels a lot like most NFL seasons. Even the best teams have survived losing streaks and endured critical injuries. As a fan of a couple teams battling for postseason spots every game is mattering no matter what the front offices tell us.

The Cubs completed a 7-game road trip in St. Louis and Houston. Heading into the trip fans were assured that the trip would be a success whether the team went 4-3 or 3-4. For a team that was cruising through the first couple of months, neither result is especially encouraging-no matter the flowery words. The Cubs erased the first two loses against the Cards with two shutouts (8-0 and 2-0) but followed that up with a series loss to the Astros. And just when it looked like the Cards were heading south for the season, they responded by sweeping Cleveland.

Because I don’t track the Mets in the New York papers, I don’t know exactly what they were saying about the Mets getting thoroughly spanked by the lowly Pirates in a three-game series. The red-hot Cards then lost to Pittsburgh last night 1-0 while the Cubs were beating the Guardians 5-2. We don’t expect this offensive juggernaut to be so inconsistent at this point in the season. The Cubs record in June was the worst in the division which means their inferior rivals all gained ground.

While the specific outcomes might be unusual, the ups and downs of a 162-game season are exactly what we sign up for as baseball fans. The media both encourages the anxiety and criticizes fans for having doubts.

For those of us that grew up backing mediocre to bad teams, we developed the ability to criticize while still loving a team. Not everyone is comfortable with jumping on a bandwagon. I loved the Cubs of the 1970’s and was completely aware of all of their many blemishes. I’m enjoying the 2025 version very much, but am willing to note their shortcomings.