A veteran of the Chicago beat reporting scene, David Schuster regularly writes about the sights and sounds of Chicago sports from the press box and locker room for MOUTHPIECE Blog.

A century and counting. What the heck, Cub fans have only waited a mere 100 years, so what’s a few more going to hurt? But hurt is the operative word, and as I write this passage from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, I’ll bet there are countless Cub fans who are feeling the pain.

That being said, you might be interested to know that though the Cub players said all the right things about how they were hurting it wasn’t your typical losing (and eliminating) clubhouse. They analyzed it precisely right saying that they didn’t hit, field or pitch well enough. But, there weren’t any players with their heads in their hands. Nobody busted or tore anything up. And for the first time in my memory, nobody cussed or even took umbrage with any reporters questions. It was almost as if they were prepared for what was going to happen or experienced at it, which they were.

If you’re keeping score at home, that’s six playoff games under Lou Piniella in two years and they all ended in losses. And only 12 runs in those six games.

And check this out Cub fans. Derrek Lee and many of his teammates want the entire team to return next season to try it again. Do you people want to be teased with another 97 win regular season only to be embarrassed in the playoffs? I didn’t think so.

So it’s another off season of misery on the North Side with the most used cliche in sports still applicable: “There’s always next year.” Or in the Cubs case now … next century.