Next year is here.Break the curse.I BELIEVE.I’ve heard these phrases far too many times in my life. In fact, I spout them aloud ad nauseum every spring. It is part of the yearly rhetoric for every die-hard Chicago Cubs fan. Every year begins with the optimism of fall greatness and ends with gut-wrenching disappointment.The annual dejection of cheering for a team commonly known as ‘The Lovable Losers’ has left me as nothing more than a jaded, cynical and pessimistic sports fan.I don’t believe losing franchises become winners. And I don’t believe in storybook endings.The sports gods have snatched certain victory from my hands too many times for me to have any more faith. For that reason, I have not and still do not believe in the New Orleans Saints’ recent run at glory.The city, state and nation were all aboard the Saints Express as they won their fifth, sixth and seventh games in a row to start the season. I, on the other hand, waited patiently at the station and waited for the Sx.O.S (Same Ol’ Saints) to pull in. It took Sean Suisham missing a 23-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ Week 13 game against the Washington Redskins for me to entertain the idea of the Saints possibly being destined to win a title. But as soon as I believed, the Saints pinched me back into reality, squeaking by the Atlanta Falcons, 26-23, in Week 14 and losing their final three regular season contests.So as the Saints limped into the playoffs with the top seed in the NFC, the visions of my haunted past with Cubs crept into my mind.I couldn’t help but envision 2003, when the Cubs won the National League Central Division and were a mere five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945. I saw Moises Alou drifting toward the brown, padded left field wall, jumping in an attempt to catch a foul ball, only to have the ball deflected away by a fan in a navy blue sweater and a 1980s Walkman headset. Steve Bartman — yes, the name still makes me queasy. The Cubs lost the game that night and were eliminated from the playoffs the following night. The Cubs again made a push at the title in 2008, and if any season was meant to be, it was this one.That season marked the 100th anniversary of the Cubs’ last World Series title in 1908. The Cubs won 97 games in the regular season, best in the National League — they seemed to be an unsinkable ship.They had three starting pitchers with more than 10 wins — Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano — and ranked third in the NL in team batting average. Despite the stats and the story line, the Cubs were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yet again, I was left devastated. The Saints’ history is far too similar.It was the fall of 2006, and the Saints were playing their first season in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The team went 10-6 and won the NFC South Division championship. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-24.The Saints were now just one win away from the team’s first Super Bowl appearance. It seemed to be a done deal. How could the Saints lose? The story was set, and all of America had fallen in love with the Saints.Then, the Chicago Bears crushed their dreams on a cold, dreary day at Soldier Field.I want to believe, I truly do. But my heart just won’t let me. Even though I don’t have faith in the Saints, I do have some words of encouragement for all the Who Dats out there.Wait ‘til next year.——Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]