With the recent defeat in the National League Divisional Series, the Chicago Cubs will live in infamy as a team that has gone 100 years without a championship, by far the longest in any sport.
To put this in perspective there are some remarkable inventions and accomplishments since the Cubs last won a championship, which was in 1908. Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and New Mexico became states. The TV was invented. There have been 40 Olympic Games.
To make matters worse, their cross-town rival, the Chicago White Sox, won the World Series in 2005, The Cardinals won a World Series in 2006, and the Astros have made the World Series, this all the while the Cubs haven’t been even to the World Series since WWII.
They are arguably the third most loved team in America, behind only the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, with fans all across the United States. They are constantly in the top three in road attendance. But you start to feel bad for the fans because they always believe this is the year and are ultimately left in depression.
There have been many close calls, but there have been excuses after excuse, or even some curses have been brought about.
In 2003, Cub fans ruined a guys life, that man is Steve Bartman. He attempted to catch a foul ball in the 2003 National League Championship Series. He reached over the fence and leftfielder Moises Alou was under the ball and setting up for the catch, but the ball bounced off of Bartman. Alou jumped around and complained to the umpire wanting fan interference, but it didn’t change a thing.
It was game 5, with the Cubs up 3-0 and the Florida Marlins proceeded to tie the game up in that inning. The blame was placed on Bartman, even though they could have been out of the inning with a potential inning ending double-play ball to shortstop, but Alex Gonzalez made an error on the play.
So instead of blaming the person responsible, Gonzalez, they blamed Bartman. Most of Chicago was after the guy and ruined his life; he was a life long Cub fan. But, the Cubs also blew that 3-1 lead in the series. They were five outs away and still had two games to clinch a trip to the World Series after that game.
Their best chance to go, besides the 2003 season, was this season. They had the most wins in the National League and were predicted by many experts to go all the way. But, yet again they left their fans hoping for more. There is no excuse for Cubbies faithful to place blame on this year, other than poor play in the playoffs.
It is getting to seem that the team is destine to never win another World Series. Maybe it is in the players heads by having to live up to Cub fan’s expectations. Maybe it is bad luck, but I know I don’t feel one bit sorry for Cub fans, who show an extreme lack of class towards other teams.
I speak for all Astros, Cardinals, Brewers, and White Sox fans, the biggest Cub rivals, in saying “here is to another 100 years.”
