CHICAGO — To understand the psyche of Chicago Cubs fans is not to be a team historian.
Steve Bartman and the Curse of the Billy Goat are integral events in the long-suffering organization’s history. As are countless postseason disappointments.
But almost universally, fans of the team are not a group that dwells on its heartbreak. Cubs nation is not depressed, like a person in mourning. The World Series-starved fanbase is more giddy, like expecting parents.
The tenor around Wrigleyville, the appropriately named area that is home to Wrigley Field, is somewhat a result of the group of young players president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has brought to the club.