The Crack Technical Staff and I finally made it to Victory Field for the first time this season to see the AAA Pirates’ affiliate in Indianapolis play the Chiefs. In addition to seeing Corey Patterson playing for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA team for the Washington Nationals (as if AAA wasn’t bad enough but for the Nationals??)) we also had about the cutest baseball-related encounter you can imagine.

As we sat in the left-field berm, a little tot, about 3-years old, walked up to Jon.
“You have boo on your hat,” the tot said to Jon.
Jon was wearing the red-C on black, not a bit of blue on it. “What’s on his hat?” I asked the little guy to clarify.
“Boo,” he said pointing to the wishbone C, “Boo Reds.”
About this time, I noticed the tot was wearing a Cubs cap. “Oh, I get it, you’re a Cubs fan, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Boo Reds,” he said, as cute as a freakin’ puppy.
“You’re doomed to a life of misery,” Jon told him.
“Yeah,” he said, not understanding, and wandered back to his family.
“I don’t know know where he gets it,” his father told us in mock ignorance, from his vantage 10 feet away.

Between the recent tear the Cubs have been on and the way the Cubs have played in this small fan’s younge life, it’s impossible to make him understand the 100 years of futility. But he’ll get his chance; alas, he’ll get his chance.