It is hard for me to imagine what it must feel like to be a Cub fan. For me, going 100 years with out winning a World Series is hard to fathom. I truly believe that a group of highly paid and highly trained professionals should be able to put together a season in which they not only reach the World Series, but actually come out on top of one as well.
The Chicago Cubs have the longest World Series drought in professional baseball, as well as the single longest championship drought in the three major American sports.
I’ve compiled a short list of some of the things that were going on in America when the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908: The ball signifying New Year’s Day dropped in New York City’s Times Square for the first time; the Grand Canyon was not yet a National Park; women were not allowed to smoke in public; Mother’s Day was observed for the first time; General Motors was founded, as well as Henry Ford’s first Model T; and William Taft was elected the 27th president of the United States.
Obviously, there is 100 years of history that the city of Chicago has witnessed since the Cubs were the last team standing, which for me raises the question: How in the world do they still have a fan base? Clearly, it takes a strong individual to show up and support a team that statistically is bound to lose, but even the most strong-hearted people can lose hope at some point.
So what is it that makes the Chicago Cubs fall short year in and year out? Well, some say that it is “The Billy Goat curse,” which refers to the Cubs 1945 World Series game at Wrigley Field, when Cubs owner Billy Sianis was kicked out of the game because his pet goat’s odor was bothering other fans. Outraged, he declared, “Them Cubs, they aren’t gonna win no more!”
The “curse” has gained widespread attention throughout the baseball world over the years, but it has never been more relevant to me than in the 2003 National League Division Series when the Cubs hosted the Florida Marlins.
The series is undoubtedly remembered for the play Steve Bartman made in the eighth inning of Game 6. Who is Steve Bartman, you might be wondering?
Well, he did not play for either team; in fact, he was merely a fan sitting along the wall in the left field stands. With the Cubs up 3-0, Marlin shortstop Luis Castillo hit a long foul ball down the left-field line to Cubs veteran outfielder Moises Alou. Alou looked to have the play made until Bartman made a play of his own. Bartman reached over the fence and attempted to catch the foul ball, which prevented Alou from doing just that. Castillo was then able to stay in the batters’ box and was later granted a base-on-balls by Cub pitcher Mark Prior.
The Cubs were unable to recover from the incident and gave up eight runs before the inning was over. They went on to lose the game as well as the series, and the Marlins went on to win the World Series, defeating the New York Yankees in six games.
While I am not a superstitious individual, I have always believed that baseball is a game of superstitions. Never stepping on the chalk-line, eating specific pre-game meals, the type of sunflower seeds you chew and even what to do with your batting gloves after you’ve reached first base. The curse is a baseball superstition, and it is as real as any of them.
The talent is unquestionably there, but with the Billy Sianis and the Steve Bartmans of the world working against them, it seems they may never reach their ultimate goal.
This year, the Cubs are yet again the preseason National League favorites and with Lou Pinella back at the helm, anything is possible. And if 2009 is not the year for the Cubbies, then Cub-faithful will again have to fall back on their most popular slogan:
“There’s always next year.”
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