On Wednesday, November 2, I sat on my boyfriend’s couch, tv on and laptop in hand. It was game seven of the World Series and I had homework. The series was tied three games to three games. I was so excited, I wanted to see the Cubs win.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Chicago Cubs or unfamiliar with baseball, the Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908. That losing streak, the longest drought in the history of any North American sport, was due to the “Curse of the Billy Goat.”
The curse was placed in 1945 when the Cubs were playing the Detroit Tigers in the 1945 World Series. William Sianis, a local bar owner and Cubs fan, had brought his pet goat, Murphy, to the game. Fans around William and Murphy kept complaining about the goat’s smell so Sianis was asked to leave. Aggravated, Sianis swore, “them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more!” And they didn’t. The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series and didn’t make another appearance for seventy-one years.
I tried to work on my essay and psychology assignments, but the game was too good. Even my boyfriend, who isn’t really a baseball fan was getting pulled into it. Around the sixth or seventh inning I had to go home; the Cubs were winning, six runs to three.
At home, my family was gathered around the tv. That was when it got interesting. The Cleveland Indians scored three runs in the eighth, matching the Cubs’ lead. A scoreless ninth led to extra innings. My family and I were on the edge of our seats. Then, there was a rain delay. The game felt like it was taking forever. My boyfriend, Seth, who was still watching at home, was texting me, “I can’t handle all this stress.”
After the tarp was removed, Chicago scored twice, and only let the Indians score once. I watched Kris Bryant field an easy ground-out with a smile on my face – it was over.
Cubs win. My dad cheered, sporting the Cubs shirt he’d been wearing all week. The players on tv hugged and cried and jumped on top of each other. Even though the Cubs aren’t my favorite team, I was ecstatic for them, their 108-year drought was over.
Games like that one make me wonder how people don’t like baseball, I truly believe it’s the best sport in the world.
