Being A Cubs Fan Is Hard Enough

But when your owner is working against the baseball people that are trying to make the team better, and against a fan base that has forgotten more baseball than the owner will ever know---it makes it a lot tougher.

Being a Cubs fan is hard. It's moments of childhood happiness sprinkled into years of heartbreak and emotional letdown. And if you take into consideration that they haven't won a World Series since 1908, you'd have to agree.

Then there are the players. "Can't miss" prospects flop, and then the prospects that end up being good leave and prosper elsewhere. Then there are the players that come past their prime and steal money as they play out the final years of their careers.

Where am I going with all of this? You'll find out in a minute.

Yesterday, the Cubs attempted to trade outfielder Jacque Jones (along with cash considerations to pay for the remaining two years of his contract) to the Florida Marlins for a minor league pitching prospect.

Jones is a malcontent and borderline "clubhouse cancer" who doesn't fit Lou Piniella's baseball plans.

However that deal fell through for two reasons:

• The Commissioner vetoed the trade. Why? No one knows, but the Commish's office must approve every trade that involves over $1 million worth of cash.
• Prospective owner Sam Zell nixed the trade as well. Zell, who bought the Tribune Company (who owns the Cubs) in April, is the real culprit here.

Technically, the sell has not completely gone through, so technically Zell doesn't own the Trib (or the Cubs) just yet. But he's got the balls to veto a trade of a player on a team HE DOESN'T EVEN OWN YET!!!!

This is an absolute travesty, not only to Cubs fans but to baseball in general. According to Sun-Times columnist Gordon Whittenmeyer, the Commish's office might be trying to get back at the Cubs for their spending spree that the league didn't appreciate.

Really?!?! But the Yankees can buy who they want when they want? The Red Sox can pay $50 million just to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka? Do they get "punished?" Of course not!

Don't even get me started on how Barry "BALCO" Bonds and Jason Giambi get a free pass even though they both admitted to "unknowingly" taking steroids.

It's an absolute damn shame that the Commish can manipulate moves such as this.

On top of that, we've recently learned that John Canning Jr. is the top choice for Bud Selig (the commish) to buy the Cubs. Canning also has a small ownership in...THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS! Formerly owned by Bud Selig and the Cubs division rival.

I, for one, do not trust Bud Selig's judgment whatsoever. His other "cronies" that own teams aren't high on my (or that fan base's) happy list.

The Marlins have spent extravagantly to win two World Series and then dismantled each team in order not to pay the high salaries. The KC Royals were great back in the day with George Brett--now they're a laughing stock of baseball. Selig has handpicked those owners.

And with 100 years of futility around the corner, it won't get easier.