COLUMN: Trying to understand

     We were sitting at a local establishment, in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby, and the screens had shifted over to the Yankees-Cubs game that was just getting started at Wrigley Field.

     The Yankees got to Cubs pitcher Brett Anderson right away, knocking him around for five runs in the top of the first. Anderson left the game having recorded just one out and with the Yankees leading 5-0.

     As Anderson was glumly walking to the dugout, it was hard to hear, but there it was, and the sound was unmistakable.

     Booing.

     Let me repeat that. They were booing him. Cub fans, at Wrigley Field, booing a Cubs player.

     My jaw nearly hit the table.

     Granted, Anderson is a new acquisition, having been signed as a free agent last winter after pitching last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

     Still. This was a Cub, in a Cubs uniform. At Wrigley. Have these people forgotten, already, what this team did for them? The 108-year championship drought, all “curses” forever wiped out…and you are booing? Ever, for any reason?

     This season, Cub fans should be rising as one and giving standing ovations every inning, both when they take the field and when they come in to hit.

     Granted, I have very little experience with this. The last time a team won the title in a sport anyone around here cares about was in 1991, when the Twins won the World Series for the second time.

     I don’t remember much about their 1992 season, but it’s hard to imagine I would have felt anything but gratitude for the Twins for their previous title, let alone booing them if one inning went badly.

     I’m not sure I’ll ever understand Cub fans.

Congrats to Always Dreaming

     There are several cool things about Always Dreaming winning the Kentucky Derby Saturday. First, the horse and jockey John Velazquez managed to stay shiny-clean despite the slop they ran in, which they accomplished by racing near the front all the way around. Second, it was a win for yours truly, as the “all others” futures bet I made in January paid off.

     Maybe the best part, however, was that Always Dreaming is the son of Bodemeister, who ran in the 2012 Kentucky Derby. That remains the only Derby I’ve ever attended. I had my money on Bode that day, and coming out of the turn, he looked for all the world like he was going to romp to an easy win.

     But then came I’ll Have Another, who swooped by and took the race, leaving Bodemeister second.

     So Always Dreaming’s win more or less provided vindication for his daddy on Derby Day. Which made me smile. Best of luck in the next leg, A.D.