Monday Musings: Who can possibly root against Bill Murray?

Looking ahead, it's possible that the more casual Toronto Blue Jays fans could be a little conflicted during the 2016 World Series.

The rabid ones aren't going to care about what I write here. Nor will the Blue Jay haters; They've also already made up their minds.

But for those of a certain age and whose support of the scrappy, sometimes loveable, sometimes annoying, centre of the universe, telecom giant subsidiary is a little more flexible, a possible series match-up against the Chicago Cubs could be cause for some mixed emotions.

What about Bill?

Bill Murray, that rascally charmer, beloved purveyor of the absurd, is rooting for the Chicago Cubs, his lifelong sporting crush. He's been in the stands at Wrigley, whooping it up over the first two games of the Cubs series against San Francisco, basking in Chicago's first two triumphs like a little boy at his first ever ball game.

Who doesn't love Bill Murray?

Sure, the Blue Jays are Canada's team and all, with their blue as prevalent right now as pumpkin-spiced anything - and that's saying something - and it is hard not to get swept up in the excitement of it all if you're a baseball fan north of the 49th.

But, it's Bill Murray, folks. Lovable, wonderful, gift to us all Bill Murray, whose quirky good humour and eccentric, sly demeanor have been delighting us for decades. Groundhog Day. Ghostbusters. Caddyshack. Stripes. Eminently likeable, Murray has some of us attaching a least a little sentimentality to the Cubs because of his presence at Wrigley. I mean, look at that face. How can you resist wanting what Bill wants?

Rooting for his favourite team, a team that hasn't won it all in his lifetime, or any others (is there a 108-year-old Cubs fan out there somewhere?), Murray is the anti- Odor. If Rougned was the poster boy for Texas Ranger hatred in the ALDS, Murray can't possibly be the lightning rod of ill will if the Jays and Cubbies meet in a couple of weeks.

We love Bill Murray, it's fairly universal. But just how deep is that love? On one hand, root for the Blue Jays; everybody's doing it. But that might also be rooting to break Bill Murray's heart and that is akin to rooting for the sight of a young boy's lemonade stand being demolished by a wind storm.

If Bill Murray's team is losing and he rises slowly and silently, like Glenn Close did in "The Natural," damn well trying to will a home run off the bat of Kris Bryant, who can resist the urge to stand with him?

If it comes down to Chicago and Toronto in the World series, who you gonna cheer?

I'm betting the universal love for Bill goes only so far.