So my good fiend and RtB citizen RD and I used to work together, see? I was his secretary many moons ago. We’re talking 20+ years past. Once in a while, there’d be the odd joke about the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians battling it out in the World Series someday — after which there’d be laughter, or saying something akin to shyeah right, or references to pigs on the wing.

Well, whaddya know.

This year, the Fall Classic will be played in two hardscrabble Midwestern cities that have sunk to terrible depths and somehow survived; two cities that, until 2016, have struggled to put out championship pro sports teams. I must admit it’s nice to experience it twice in one year (likely the last time in my life) with both the Cavs and Tribe getting to the final rounds, but I say it’s about time both US coastlines take a rest and watch the Rust Belt take a swing, savvy? It’s our turn.

Sports championship droughts are a “thing”; a title no one wants, but an “accomplishment” that’s often on the minds and lips of many. Chicago and Cleveland are semi-pros in this category, to wit:

MOST RECENT CHICAGO CHAMPIONSHIPS: Baseball (White Sox, 2005 — Cubs, 1908); Football, 1985; Basketball, 1998. Only the Blackhawks, with three Stanley cup wins in six years (2010, 2013 and 2015) can claim any kind of consistency. The Cubs haven’t been to the World Series in 71 years.

MOST RECENT CLEVELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS: Baseball, 1948; Football, 1964; Basketball, 2016.

A little thin on the dynasties, obvs. And of course, there are those who poo-poo pro sports as a whole, on account of the endless cash grab mentality on the part of owners, the violence of the hits, the vulgar salaries that push ticket prices ever higher, and the poor example many pro athletes set for kids. I know all that, too. It’s an argument for another day.

Today, we celebrate. Cubs or Tribe — matters not. Have I mentioned it’s our turn? Go Great Lakes!