It was a throw-away line in a pre-game interview on WGN radio a few weeks ago, but it sums up the feeling Cubs players and fans have had all season long.

“It’s been surreal,” said Cubs rookie catcher Geovany Soto, responding to a question about his unprecedented success and the team’s drive to the playoffs. “Let’s keep it surreal.”

Let’s keep it surreal.

That’s a pretty good slogan for a team that has won the division title in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 100 years. And that’s a pretty good mantra for a team that needs just 11 more wins to stop an even more significant 100-year drought.

Yes, the Cubs’ early clinching gave Cubs fans something they have rarely been accustomed to—breathing room. While we were sitting pretty in our Central Division Champs t-shirts and hats, the Cubs’ biggest rivals were struggling mightily for their own sip of the playoff champagne. I’ve got to admit that I took some pleasure in watching other teams play under the gun for once.

By closing the season against the Mets and the Brewers, an extremely relaxed Cubs team held the destiny of the Wild Card race in the palm of its hand. Kudos to Lou Piniella for fielding a decent team each night to keep things interesting (even though the Iowa Cubs and their expensive star, Kosuke Fukudome, filled most positions).

Nevertheless, we got to watch firsthand as the Brewers begged, borrowed and stole their way to the NL Wild Card. It would have been nice to prevent them from reaching the playoffs completely, but I see it as just one more beatable team standing between the Cubs and their World Series ring. I’d play the Brewers over the Mets any day of the week.

As an added bonus, we saw the White Sox collapse in an epic fashion usually reserved for teams like the 2004 Cubs. There is something sweet about the City of Chicago hosting a rally for the playoff-bound Cubbies on the same day that the White Sox will be grasping at straws in a winner-take-all match with the Twins. Again, a part of me is pulling for the Sox, since I would love to beat them senseless in a Red Line World Series. (Not that they’ll ever get that far. Don’t hate me, Sox fans. The facts are undeniable.)

Finally, Cubs fans—and indeed general baseball fans—should delight in the fact that neither the Cardinals nor the Yankees reached the playoffs this year. Indeed, the Cardinals were pretty much awful for the entire stretch run and clinching the division against the Redbirds was especially sweet.

Tomorrow the Cubs will begin the NLDS series against the Dodgers. Hopes are high, curses are lifting, Bartman is pardoned and victory seems imminent. Is this a dream?

Let’s keep it surreal.

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