These Cubs destined to make history … for better or for worse

Welcome to Wrigley Field, which these days is history's drawing board.

The significance isn't nearly as serious as it was at Ford's Theater or the Watergate Hotel.

But nobody knew at the beginning of the day that Nixon eventually would be forced from office or Lincoln wouldn't enjoy the play.

Just as nobody knew Tuesday which landmark the Cubs would reach by October -- their 100th season without a world championship or their first world championship in 100 seasons.

All anybody knows for sure is something is happening here, starting with Monday's 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Brewers.

Everything in the game became a historic chapter -- from Carlos Zambrano's cramped forearm to Kosuke Fukudome's auspicious debut to the bullpen's conspicuous collapse.

This was so much of what we have seen of the Cubs for nearly a century: Terrific individual performance, terrifying defeat.

The media didn't even have to bring up the century mark before the season's first pitch. Lou Piniella did it for them.

The Cubs manager said of alleged experts picking his team to win the National League Central, "It's probably in vogue because this is the 100th year."

Then he added concerning the drought, "It seems rather improbable."

Improbable? My goodness, it's impossible. No baseball franchise could go a century without winning a World Series.

Except that's what the Cubs are verging on. It has become their most compelling number, more so than Ernie Banks' 512 home runs or Fergie Jenkins' 6 straight 20-victory seasons or anything else.

The sign on the roof across Sheffield Avenue reads "006299." Just a reminder that even after last year's NL Central title, the Cubs have gone 62 years since their last league pennant and 99 since their last world championship.

Cleaning out the tray on my desk last week, I found a faded photocopy bearing the Cubs' logo and the message, "The Cubs will shine in '79."

The franchise's slump was only 70 seasons old back then. Who would have thought it would reach this point?

Banks came up with stuff like that -- stuff like the Cubs will thrive in '95, the Cubs will soar in '84 and the Cubs will be in heaven in '77.

They never won anything significant, yet a fan still showed up at Monday's unveiling of the Banks statue with a sign reading, "It's gonna happen," generally a prelude to "Wait 'til next year."

During his two spring trainings as Cubs manager, Piniella has concocted terms like "Cubbie swagger" and "Cubbie occurrence."

How appropriate considering the last 99 seasons have been Cubbie swagger colliding with a Cubbie occurrence -- and swagger always wound up staggering.

"I mention 100 years," Piniella said, "because that's all I hear."

Neither he nor anybody else with the Cubs truly understands. They have been here for a blink.

Fans have been here for decade after decade.

"It's a long time," Piniella understated. "Let's see if we can do something about it."

Clearly everything has to come together at once to overcome a century of futility.

For openers … oops!

"Too bad we lost," Zambrano said, "but we have 161 to go."

To go where? To the Cubs' 100th straight season without winning a World Series? Or to their first world championship since 1908?

Either way history will be written at Wrigley Field this year.