99 Years in the Desert (63 of them with a Billy Goat)

It would be a night that I would never forget, October 14th, 2003. The night that the Cubs would go to the World Series for the first time in 98 years. As Mike Mordecai flew out to left field for the 1st out of the 8th inning, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, knowing there were only 5 outs remaining to close out the NLCS. Several questions ran through my mind: How many Cubs banners would I place around the office to remind my co-workers which team was in the Fall Classic? Should I wake up my roommate and have a celebratory run to Taco Bell? Did I forget to iron my clothes? And then Luis Castillo popped a Mark Prior pitch foul towards the left field stands…

We all know what happens: Steve Bartman, the name known by all Cubs fans, gained his proverbial “15 minutes of fame” and attempted to catch a ball over the outstretched arms of Moises Alou. Alou misses the catch, the Marlins score 8 runs, and the Cubs wind up losing the Series to the newly energized Marlins. Ask any Cub fan and he or she will tell you that after Game 6 they knew it was over. Ask me, and I’ll tell you that night I ironed clothes for 3 hours straight, running through the Castillo pop-foul over and over in my mind. The next playoff appearance would be in 2007 as the Cubs faced the Arizona Diamondbacks, only to lose 3 straight and after the game 3 loss, get swept in front of a sold out crowd at Wrigley Field.

As the 2008 season is already into May, there comes a glimmer of hope for the haven between Clark and Addison. The Cubs put up an 8-2 homestand at Wrigley (the best since the 1970’s), and for now, the Cubs are fighting for the division lead. Is there optimism amongst the Cubs faithful? Or is this another “wait ’til next year”? The Cubs’ team batting average thus far is .284. The last time they collectively hit this well was in 1945, which ironically, was the last time they were in the World Series. You may be saying to yourself, “now Elwell, the season is too early along for such optimism”, but what if this were the year? If the Cubbies were to win the 2008 Fall Classic, it would mark the first time in 100 years since they last accomplished the feat.

In anticipation of a possible World Series win, here are a list of important historical milestones that have taken place since the Cubs last won the World Series:

Number of U.S. Presidents: 18 (Teddy Roosevelt was president during the last Cub’s World Series win)

Number of wars (U.S. participated): 8

Number of World Series won by Chicago White Sox: 2

Number of World Series won by St. Louis Cardinals: 10

Number of Cubs managers: 52

Attendance at Wrigley Field: over 125 million fans

Now do you get the picture? A couple of months ago I flew through Chicago O’Hare Airport and had to pay my respect at the Billy Goat Tavern in the airport. I ordered a Polish Sausage (pronounced Saaaaah-Sage) and said a little prayer, hoping that the ghost of William “Billy Goat” Sianis would be hearing this!