Something is missing from the Quad this year.

Lincoln Hall is still decaying.

The Altgeld bells still chime “Illinois Loyalty.”

The preachers telling me I’m heading to hell still yell in front of the English Building.

Students still throw Frisbees, hitting other students.

Students, that’s it.

Where have all of the baseball fans gone? The playoffs are here. The pennant races went by without a whisper. I thought the Midwest was full of die-hard baseball fans?

Last year, every other person wore a blue-and-red Cubs T-shirt or hat. The other half of campus wore Cardinals red, retro White Sox gear or “CubSuck” shirts.

Something other than the Chief debate divided the campus.

“I think (interest) will pick up as the playoffs get going,” said Cardinal fan and Illinois senior wide receiver Mark Kornfeld. “The Cardinals kind of ran away with it so fast and so long ago, so it really wasn’t like it was last year. The race was tight till the end and the Cubs hadn’t been there in so long.”

Cardinal fans, you’re off-the-hook for the pennant races, but where have you gone for the playoffs?

Three people watched St. Louis dismantle Los Angeles 8-3 on the big screen TV Tuesday afternoon in the Illini Union.

A few other people had Cardinal hats on near the TV but they were too busy talking.

But don’t blame them.

It’s not like the game was close at that point. The Cardinals had a commanding 1-0 lead.

In Cardinal fans’ defense – and I’m not talking about Jim Edmonds in center – Kornfeld’s phone rang throughout the game.

Cardinal fans watched the game. They just spent cell phone minutes congratulating each other. They didn’t go wild over one postseason win. That would be a Cub fan – inexperienced in the ways of the postseason.

“People who are Cardinal fans come to expect greatness out of the Cardinals,” Kornfeld said. “They have been so good for so long. With the Cubs: ‘Oh my god, they are good this year and have a chance.’ Cardinal fans come more to expect (good seasons).”

But the Cardinals haven’t won a World Series since 1982. Some people on campus were too young to remember the hysteria of the last Cardinals championship – most weren’t even alive.

This could be the Cardinals’ year. They have a modestly-priced lineup that George Steinbrenner envies and the best bullpen in the National League.

Seasons like this don’t come along every year. Everything is lined up for a St. Louis postseason run.

Show some excitement.

Cardinal fans should be running through the Quad like Frank the Tank after being reintroduced to the beer bong.

Speaking of tanking, Cub fans disappeared over the summer. At the end of last year, Cub banners hung out of apartment windows. Students skipped class to watch the opening day game at Murphy’s.

Next year was this year.

Did all of the over-the-top Cub fans graduate in the spring?

The Cubs were in the most entertaining postseason race of the season. Five teams fought for the wild card, including the hated Barry Bonds, the Bartman-loving Marlins and rival Astros.

Every day, there were games that started in the afternoon, evening and late night – games that impacted the Cubs’ playoff chances.

Murphy’s should have been open 24 hours. Cub fans could have slept on pool tables, skipped class and sung along to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” after wins.

It could have been Cubstock 2004.

Instead, “Hail to the Orange” echoes over a dormant campus.

Bobby La Gesse is a senior in communications and can be reached at [email protected]