Their World Series drought dates to 1908, one of the longest in sports history, and there has been more heartbreak along the way than Heath or any other Cubs fan would care to remember.
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The Cubs take on the Cardinals on Friday night. After all, Miami is a sub-.500 team in the National League, so the Back to the Future Part II prediction won’t be precise even if the Cubs go on to erase 107 years of futility. Sianis howled as he and “Billy” were escorted out and despite being up two games to one against the Detroit Tigers at that moment, he turned out to be right. The Cubs are the team slapped with the “cursed” tag most often today, but the Boston Red Sox were stricken with it prior to 2004.
But this year has a different feel to it. There’s a new owner and new front office personnel calling the shots for Chicago and more young talent in the Friendly Confines than there has been in a long time.
Fast forward to the eighth inning – the Cubs are up 3-0 and five outs away from the World Series. Same goes for rookies Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell, as well as a few of the veterans in the lineup. And now, with one playoff win under their belts (the first in 12 years), the “future” seems an almost-reachable reality.
There are no otherworldly curses; but there is a psychological hurdle that every Cubs team must clear entering each season.
They began restocking the farm system, loading up on prospects, and this is the payoff.
Outside Wrigley Field on Monday afternoon, the famed marquee had the usual ads.
People expected a vast improvement for the Cubs this season, but not what they actually accomplished.
There is a belief that the Cubs are built to last, that this is not just a short window of contention.
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This much is certain. He’s like that rare substitute teacher who can calm chaos because everyone wants to hear what he has to say. “I think we like our chances”. Since 1945, this year’s 97 wins has been equaled only once, in 2008, when Sweet Lou Piniella was the manager.
