Muller: Baseball's Offseason Can't Come Fast Enough For This Chicago Sports Fan

By Shawn Muller-

(CBS) With college football starting last weekend and the NFL officially getting underway last night up in Green Bay, we are nearing that time of year when we put away the shorts and flip-flops and begin preparations for another cold and miserable winter in the Windy City.

But putting on the sweaters and parkas isn't such a bad thing if you are a Chicago Cubs fan.

You see, for as much as I despise the snow and ice Mother Nature so graciously bestows upon us every winter, I will take the fall and winter Chicago sports scene any day over the same old crusty summer months watching the Chicago Cubs—once again-- fall short in their quest to win a World Series.

I am tired of hearing about "1908."

Don't get me wrong.  I will always love the Cubbies no matter what, and I never expected the club to compete for a playoff berth or a World Series title this season….but enough is enough.  The team had no starting rotation.  The bullpen was razor thin.  Mike Quade was beginning his first full season as a major league manager.  Carlos Zambrano was still a head case and a locker room problem.  And so on and so forth.

The funny thing is….in actuality; none of that stuff mattered anyways.

All I had to do was look in the mirror and remind myself that I was a Cubs fan.  The team had not won the World Series in over one hundred years….so why would I—or should I-- have expected 2011 to be any different?

I'm just tired of the baseball season….so thank the lord there will only be sixteen more games left until we can officially close the book on yet another disappointing Cubs baseball season.

But instead of being bitter like I had always been in the past, this time around, I want to thank the Cubs for their play this summer.  This season served as a chance for me to take some time away from the club and refresh my baseball battery for Cubs baseball seasons moving forward.  The breather was much needed.

So for that, I do say thank you….

Fortunately now, I can switch my focus towards the Chicago teams that actually compete in their respective leagues, and I am going to enjoy the all of the splendor that being a Chicago sports fan in the fall has to offer.

The Chicago Bears are the defending NFC North champions.  The Chicago Bulls are the defending Central Division champions. The Chicago Blackhawks made the playoffs once again last season and were one game away from beating the eventual Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks in the1st round of the NHL playoffs.

Three teams playing simultaneously in one city that are all relevant in their respective leagues.

I like the sound of that!

Yes….the thought of winter weather puts me in a bad mood, but as far as sports in Chicago are concerned, there is no better place to be in the country than right here on the western shore of Lake Michigan during the deep freeze.

I fully expect the Bears to contend for a spot in the playoffs once again.  The Chicago Bulls will once again be a favorite to win the Eastern Conference and contend for the franchise's seventh NBA championship.  And the Blackhawks should be back in the playoffs once again as well.

Of course, as winter begins to thaw and the Bears have disappointed, the Bulls get eliminated earlier than expected, and the Blackhawks fall flat on their faces, I will have the good old Chicago Cubs to look forward to in the spring of 2012.

After all…next year is the year, remember?

Shawn Muller has lived in the great city of Chicago for 7 years. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, in October of 2010, Shawn received his certificate in radio broadcasting. In his free time, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife Melissa and 3 year old daughter Ava, catching any live sporting event, and traveling. Check out his radio show, Grab Some Bench with Muller and Bangser" every Thursday night at 8:30 P.M., at www.blogtalkradio.com/spmuller24. Read more of his blogs here.