The Chicago Cubs used to be the Susan Lucci of baseball. Now they're looking more like Meryl Streep. As a fan, how do you become accustomed to winning? Scott Simon has written a memoir about his life as a too-devoted Cubs fan and how he's adjusting to life as a winner. Simon is also the host of Weekend Edition Sunday from NPR.

In the Spiel, we bid farewell to a beloved, deeply tender jerk.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices