When I think about the Cubs and Red Sox, brotherhood comes to mind. I think about all the similarities between these two storied franchises. Both have had their share of heartaches, both have incredibly passionate fan bases that span the country, both have bitter divisional rivals, both play their home games in historic ballparks, and both have had to deal with so-called ?curses?. When the Red Sox improbably over-came a 3-0 deficit to the Yankees last year, to complete the best comeback in sports history, Cubs fans had mixed emotions. On one hand, Cubs fans wanted to see the Red Sox win the World Series and break the curse. Cubs? fans have endured a lot of similar pain through the years. Seeing the Red Sox celebrate was the next best thing to the Cubs celebrating. On the other hand, there is only one ?cursed? team left. There is a feeling of abandonment. The Cubs are now the only team that hasn?t won a World Series in nearly a century. That common thread of heartache and futility is gone, now that the Red Sox are World Champions. Call it jealousy or resentment, but the fact is, most Cubs? fans struggled a bit seeing the Red Sox pouring Champaign last year. Red Sox fans can go to sleep at night knowing they will not die without seeing their beloved team win it all. The same can?t be said for Cubs fans. This weekend, the two brothers will square off at Wrigley Field for one of the most exciting series in regular season baseball history. It?s Red Sox Nation vs. Cubs Nation. The two teams haven?t met since the 1918 World Series, which the Red Sox won 4-2. Babe Ruth started game 1 for the Red Sox and won it 1-0. Yes, that Babe Ruth. The season was cut back 6 weeks that year, due to the raging war in Europe. World War I. Talk about history. This is why inter-league play is great. It brings a level of excitement to the game that wouldn?t be achieved with a normal schedule. Wrigley Field will be packed this weekend for a chance to see a piece of baseball history. If you have even just a shred of baseball in your blood, you are excited for this series. The players are excited, because it brings a play-off atmosphere to the ballpark in the middle of a very long season. Just to make things even more interesting, both these teams have post-season aspirations. That makes these games very important. This is certainly not an exhibition. The Cubs are right in the thick of the Wild Card race, and not completely out of the picture for the N.L. Central. The Red Sox are creeping up on the Orioles for the A.L. East crown. It may be friendly before the first pitch, but these teams will get after each other once the Cubs hit the field. The Cubs and Red Sox will add to baseball?s great history today and their two die-hard fan bases will converge on one of baseball?s grandest stages: Wrigley Field. Their will be electricity in the air on Chicago?s North Side. After the game, you can bet the neighborhood will be bustling with discussions over which team has been tortured worse. I can just imagine a Red Sox fan and Cubs fan arguing over what was worse, Bartman or Boone. Maybe that discussion will continue at Fenway in October.