But he also famously took the Cubs to within five outs of the World Series in 2003, and then turned around and won more games in 2004, but missed the playoffs. He became the first Cubs manager to bring the Cubs back-to-back winning seasons since Leo Durocher in 1971-2.

In any case, I have mixed feelings about Dusty’s tenure with the Cubs. On one hand, I think he did great things for the Cubs. He brought excitement and cultivated a lot of young players who are now important parts of the Cubs or other teams. I never questioned his resolve to win, either.

But what I liked least about his reign, unlike most fans, is that he oversaw what happened on the field to cause demand for tickets to go through the roof. Even in 2003, it was easy for me to go to any game I wanted. Sure the Cubs were a good draw, but you could get tickets to most any game (some required more planning than others), and even the popular games weren’t sold out the first weekend they were on sale.

Now people line up twice if they want tickets on the first day of sales: first to get a wristband and second to convert that wristband to tickets. Naturally, with such extreme demand, ticket prices have skyrocketed. And now, if I want to go to a game, I have to plan carefully. Yes, several losing seasons cooled demand, but it is still a way more popular ticket than it used to be. And prices keep on going up, more and more advertising is inside the park, even within the playing field, and the culture of Cubs fans feels a bit different, a bit more business-like.

If Dusty hadn’t taken the team so close to the promised land in 2003, the commercialization of Wrigley probably wouldn’t be where it is at today. I don’t really begrudge Dusty for anything, but I am left saying…

…thanks, and no thanks, Dusty.

Theriot to DeRosa to Lee may not roll off the tongue like Tinkers to Evers to Chance, and Harry would mangle Kosuke Fukudome every time, but all I can say is…

Go Cubs Go!

Anyhow, the latest edition linked to a Slate article by Neal Pollack, who visited the Dodger Stadium All-You-Can-Eat Pavillion. And while I won’t spoil the end, I’ll say that it is worth reading to the end.

“Tonight,” I [Pollack] wrote in my notebook, “represents everything that’s wrong with America. Then again, this is one of the most multicultural experiences of my life. All branches of the human family are slowly poisoning themselves happily, together, communal. I’m privileged to be witnessing the mass suicide of a species.”

This post may not be about Asia (we are in Vietnam; visited Saigon, now beachside in Nah Trang), but it does remind me of a very good reason we are here.

Not that I’m completely igoring the fact that the Cubs are again starting ’slow’ and have too many players injured…

It’s true, I’m sorry to say, I once was a Sox fan. Now I think that Dad is mentioning this because he, an avowed Cubs fan, defected to the South Side by about mid-April. Although maybe that’s the hallmark of a Cubs fan — an ability to recognize quickly when the season is toast.

But back to me. I was a Sox fan. I had a Sox jacket and some Sox posters. But I attribute that to two things. One is that Frank Thomas was pretty much The Man in every way in those days. And secondly, in a different way, Dad was “the man,” and I had to go against him. It might not seem like much, but to denounce the Cubs in g.o.d.’s house (that’s “good old dad” for those scoring at home) was not small potatoes.

So there you have it. I absolve myself of all blame or responsibility for being a Sox fan in my formative years.

But in my defense, my earliest most vivid baseball memory was the 1989 LCS pitting the Cubs vs. the Giants. Greg Maddux on the mound, the ball coming out of his hand and dancing over the plate, foiling the Giants lineup all night long. It was amazing. And still is.

“After 88 years, the Chicago drought is history. Na-na, Na-na, Na-na, Na-na, Hey, Hey, Hey … Good-bye.

“And just in time, really. If they had waited any longer, you wouldn’t be able to buy your commemorative championship shirts at Marshall Field’s before the store changes its name to Macy’s next year.”

At least we weren’t saying “wait ’til next year” on June 1. Which brings up another question.

Will White Sox fans cheer louder for their team playing in October or for the fact that the Cubs’ won’t be? Don’t bet against signs at Comiskular pointing this out come playoff time.