The Midwest’s lovable losers aren’t losers anymore. With their victory Sunday, the Chicago Cubs claimed the National League Division Series, giving their legions of fans something they’ve never felt before.

And what a great feeling it is.

Cubs fans, many of whom live far beyond the north side of Chicago, have been waiting for this day all their lives. Their beloved Cubbies have been to the postseason a grand total of 10 times in the past 100 years, and before this Sunday hadn’t won a series since 1908, when they won the World Series. The Cubs of 2003 must win eight more games before they can assume that title, but the exhilaration is already palpable, even 350 miles away here in Ames.

Iowa State is without a doubt caught in Cubs fever — during games last week, the campus absolutely buzzed with excitement. Walking through dorm halls, it seemed as though every TV was tuned to the Cubbies, and that every resident was living or dying with each at-bat. Ames isn’t an anomaly, either. Even with half a dozen teams in the region, the Cubs are the Midwest’s team. They carry our hopes against the traditional winners on the coasts.

The Cubs’ victory over the Atlanta Braves was a wonderful thing for all Midwesterners. Our region, in sports as well as the real world, is often maligned by the population centers of the Coasts — we’re seen as the, quiet, simple folks who can’t compete with their fast-paced lifestyle and big money. But when Kerry Wood went into Turner Field in Atlanta and came away with two victories, he struck a blow to that belief. In sinking the Braves, he sprung a leak in the idea of East Coast superiority.

There is still much work to be done before that idea is capsized, however. The Cubs open the NL Championship Series tonight against the Florida Marlins. If they win four against them, they play for the greatest prize, the one that has eluded the team and its fans for 95 years.

For this ultimate prize, we, the team and region united, will likely play the ultimate opponent, the first city to Chi-town’s second and the antithesis of Midwestern values: the New York Yankees.

Regardless of what happens, whether the Cubbies bow out to the Marlins or capture the World Series, we’ll still have our pride. No matter the outcome of the next two weeks, we’ll still proudly wear a lowercase red “C” on our hats, and a bear cub on our sleeves. We’ll still drink our beer from Milwaukee and St. Louis and drive our cars from Detroit. Win or lose, we’ll still come to Wrigley Field and cheer for the team that represents everything the Midwest stands for.

And we’ll do it for another 95 years if we have to.