Survey Says....

I was not given a thank you for plopping down yet another significant chunk of my salary into the hands of the Cubs. When I walked into the office, I had my hopes partially raised because the fat dude wasn't the one in the booth, it was a pleasant-looking woman.

I waited behind a couple of people and tried to hear if they got thank yous, but all I could hear was the customers' ends of the conversations.

The moment of truth arrived and she asked if I had my invoice. I said that I did not, but I had my account number. She typed in the account number, confirmed me as the owner of the seat and went to print off something. She then took my check, wrote the account number on the back, stamped it and said, "OK, you're all set."

Then I said, "Thank you," and headed on out.

It was reflex. I couldn't help it. But I quickly realized I had just thanked them for the opportunity to hand over money from which I most likely will get no return.

Why would I do that? After paying the Cubs I went to Taco Bell to get a couple of tacos for lunch. The cashier thanked me. Then the woman who prepared and gave me the order thanked me. I am a larger individual, but I did not spend anywhere close to $3,000 at Taco Bell, but I got two thank you's from employees that make minimum wage.

I let a woman turn left in front of me on the way home. I got a thank you wave. Imagine if I had handed her a check for $3,000.

But I was the one who thanked the Cubs. I think I was thrown by the woman's pleasant demeanor. That was new. The fat guy always seemed pissed that I was making him do actual work by paying for my seat. So this was an improvement, but she would have had to actually put a knife to my throat as I walked in the door to make it a step down from the previous experiences. But it is a baby-step in the right direction.

I am just hopeful that the team's performance on the field improves by a larger increment this year, because if not, they still won't win a game in the post-season.