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There has never been a better time to be a Cubs fan than right now.

The team has one of the best records in baseball, a sizable lead in the NL Central and a wholly likable team coached by a quirky and also-likable manager who wears shirts that say things like “Try Not To Suck.”

Things are really good over at Wrigley Field, with both long-suffering lifers and newcomer fans buzzing.

Even as a die-hard lifer, I realize my fellow fans are not immune to being jerks—especially myself. Whether you’re new to the team or a lifelong supporter, you can succumb to the pitfalls of being the worst kind of fan. To help the cause, I’ve compiled a list of Cubs-specific do’s and don’ts to make the Friendly Confines a little more friendly. If you’re thinking, “Wait. Why should I listen to this jagoff telling me what to do?”, congrats on already being a White Sox fan. Anyway, read the do’s and don’ts below.

Do: Learn about your team’s storied but often sad history.

The Cubs have not won a World Series in 108 years, which is not only the longest championship drought among the four major North American sports leagues, it’s also been so long that the NBA, NFL and NHL didn’t even exist when the Cubs last won in 1908. Unequivocally, that is one of the best stories in all of sports. It’s one of disappointment, still-optimistic fans and a whole lot of losing. Every Cubs fan should know about the baggage that comes with loving this team, and every Cubs fan should know the important dates, the “curse,” the players, the history and why Wrigley Field has ivy. They should also have a solid Harry Caray impression that’s not an impression of Will Ferrell’s Harry Caray impression.

Don’t: Be superstitious.

At the same time, while the so-called “Curse of the Billy Goat” is essential in understanding the mythos and history of the Cubs, please shut the hell up about it. There’s no curse, only a self-defeating, self-fulfilling prophecy of perpetual mediocrity (historically from fans, players and management) that’s paired with a convenient excuse generator/coping mechanism when things go wrong. Sure, it is amazing that the major-market Cubs haven’t won a World Series in so long, but when you look at a “curse,” it’s not mythical forces at hand, just plain incompetence.

Don’t: Be one of THOSE fans about the Cubs’ winning season.

Yes, the Cubs are having a great 2016 and are arguably the best team in baseball. That’s exciting and you should be excited about it! But there is a line between being genuinely hyped and being a sore winner. Keep in mind, as I’m sure you remember because you’re a fan of this ballclub or read the previous paragraphs, that the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908. While we now have Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and a fantastic, seemingly endless supply of talented prospects, braggadocio trash talk isn’t our strong suit. Optimism is the move! At the same time, acting like the sky is falling when something does go wrong, like if Kyle Schwarber is injured for an entire season or a mid-June skid strikes, is just as worrisome. Relax.

Do: Find a section and get to know the regulars.

Obviously this is not exclusive to Cubs fans, but as someone who’s been splitting season tickets for a few years, getting to know the people in my section has been one of the best parts of being at a Cubs game. Sure, there’s baseball, there’s Wrigley, there are the players, but it’s the people in the stands who make the trip worthwhile. It’s the shared experience of having a ton of hope for the new season, of experiencing the same heart-wrenching losses (I see you, Game 4 of the 2015 NLCS) together that forges lifelong friends. Even if you’re not a season ticket holder, I’d recommend trying to find tickets in the same section. After a few games, you’ll see familiar faces.

Don’t: Be a drunk douchebag.

I’ve never seen an episode of “The Walking Dead,” but I can pretty much tell you all the plot points because I’ve walked down Clark Street from Racine to Sheffield after midnight. If there’s one nagging stereotype about Cubs fans that too often rings true, it’s the situation critical amount of plastered people roaming around Wrigleyville. Besides a few oases of great bars in the neighborhood (GMan Tavern, Nisei Lounge), the place is teeming with loudmouthed bros who at a certain time of night want to throw hands (R.I.P. Clark McDonald’s). Granted, this plagues all sports teams (shoutout to Buffalo Bills fans and the city of Philadelphia as a whole), but there’s a certain breed of douchebag whom Cubs fans are associated with, and it isn’t a good one.

Do: Get to know your beer vendor.

That said, if you hold your alcohol well and don’t overindulge, one of Wrigley’s finest joys is its wealth of knowledgable, friendly and passionate beer vendors. Shout out to Loren, from whom I either get an Old Style or, now, a Goose Island Pils, one of the park’s most welcome and recent beer additions. Even if I don’t want to drink, I have to stop in and say hi.

Do: If you’re a die-hard fan, chill out about the bandwagoners.

Die-hard fans can be annoying in the same way people act when they have their first beer, but shouldn’t you want an unsuspecting newbie to feel the same gut-wrenching lows and euphoric highs you’ve experienced as a direct result of loving the Cubs? I write about this more here, but the only thing worse than a bandwagon fan is someone who feels like their lifelong fandom is threatened by the uninitiated.

Don’t: Pretend like you aren’t a bandwagon fan (if you actually are a bandwagon fan).

Most die-hard fans will leave you alone if you’re new to the team, because as they see it, misery (and amazingly, this year, ecstasy) loves company. But, and this is a huge but, you gotta be chill, bro. There are Cubs fans who’ve seen it all, who were there for arduous rebuilding periods or just extended bouts of mediocrity along with postseason collapses in 2015, 2008, 2007, 2003, 1998, 1989 and 1984. These long-suffering people have paid their dues, and as much as being a bandwagon fan is understandable and something everyone is at some point, you have to show respect and quietly let the long-sufferers have their moment.

Do: Relax about the White Sox rivalry.

I admit that many Cubs fans are going to find this next take a piping hot one: Excluding the zero people still alive to be salty about the 1906 World Series, there are only four to six games a year where it’s super cool for a Cubs fan to hate on the White Sox, and that’s during the Crosstown Classic. While the majority of South Siders are completely and unabashedly against the North Siders and what they represent, even going so far as one bar offering free beer for every home run against the Cubs during the 2015 postseason, most Cubs fans don’t feel the same way about the Sox. It’s probably because from 1906-97, there were no regular-season matchups between the clubs, and besides their 2005 World Series win, the Sox have been largely as irrelevant, if not more so, than the Cubs.

Do: Hate the St. Louis Cardinals.

A wise man who’s also the fun-guy-who-shows-up-to-places and actor Bill Murray once called St. Louis Cardinals fans “Satan’s messengers on Earth,” which, to be completely fair, is a total understatement. These insufferable “The Cardinal Way”-touting, cargo shorts-wearing corncobs bug me like no other, and it’s partly because the Cardinals have been the thorn in my team’s side for as long as I can remember. (But it’s mostly because they all suck.)

@joshhterry | jterry@redeyechicago.com