The circle of Chicago Cubs life led me to Gallagher Way on Wednesday afternoon to watch Craig Counsell’s team clinch a postseason spot on the big screen video board outside Wrigley Field.

A dozen or so others also made the trip out to the park, and let out a mini-roar when Cubs left fielder Ian Happ caught the final out of an 8-4 win in Pittsburgh, clinching a National League wild-card berth.

The first time the Cubs clinched a postseason spot in my lifetime was also in Pittsburgh, when I was answering phones on the Chicago Tribune’s city desk instead of chronicling their season.

It was Sept. 24, 1984, and the city was buzzing over the Cubs’ first trip to the playoffs in 39 years, which was made official by Rick Sutcliffe’s two-hit performance in a 4-1 win over the Pirates before a s

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