It’s an exciting time for my hometown team, the Cubs. They made it to the playoffs… then screwed up the first two games, losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Today’s game is their last chance, and a poll on ChicagoSports.com asked Cubs fans how they felt about being down 2-0. “Disappointed but not giving up,” replied 37.3%, while 29% were “crushed … with only a faint glimmer of hope.” And 33.7% fell back on the Cubs fan’s traditional mantra, “Waiting until next year.”

I have to admit that I don’t really follow the regular season - I get my Cubs updates from my dad. If I’m in Chicago and there’s a game, I’ll go with him. Sitting on the hot metal seats of Wrigley Field, with peanut shells strewn on the ground, plastic cups of warm beer being passed one way and cash the other, watching the numbers on the old-fashioned scoreboard being put up and taken down by the people inside - this is an experience that has stayed constant since my childhood.

Post-season games are the only ones I watch on TV, and definitely when the Cubs are involved. And what better meal with the game than Chicago’s own deep-dish pizza? Okay, this is an incredibly ambitious task. From what I’ve read, people have spent years chasing the perfect deep-dish pizza recipe. There were some promising leads on PizzaMaking.com’s forum, but I decided to use the one on ChefTalk.com that is supposed to be like Gino’s East, a pizzeria I like that’s close to my parents’ apartment building. Their crust is thinner and crisper than the other deep-dish pizzerias - like a flaky cracker.
Unfortunately, after leaving the dough out all night, it hasn’t risen much. I rolled it out and lay it in my cast-iron pan, but should I pick up a Vito’s calzone as a backup? Or will I be jinxing the Cubbies?