Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series Champions

Hey kids,

It feels really good to write that.  I honestly never thought I would see the day come when the Cubs won the pennant, let alone won the World Series.  After all the misery, all the waiting and all the chants of “wait ’til next year” the day finally came.  I’m still having a difficult time believing it really happened.

I have been to many games at Wrigley Field.  I have seen the Cubs play on the road in Colorado, Miami, St Petersburg and Cincinnati.  I’ve seen them play in Spring Training, but until this season I had never seen them play in the World Series.

It was a fascinating series for many reasons.  The one that I find most telling is that both the Indians and the Cubs were only able to manage winning one game at home.  The Indians won game one in Cleveland and the Cubs won game five in Chicago.  The road team won every other game.

When the Cubs were down 3-1 going into game five I was a little nervous, but not overly concerned.  I knew that if they could win that game they had an excellent chance of winning the final two in Cleveland.  A daunting task to be sure and something that had not happened since the 1979 Pirates came back from 3-1 down by winning game five at home and the last two games at Baltimore.  And I am sorry I had to bring that up Aunt Naomi and Uncle John.  Very sorry.

Ben Zobrist, who is from Eureka, Ill was the MVP.  Donna and I both went to college in Eureka and the town was just a few miles away from my home in Washington.  It is entirely possible that at some point our paths crossed, although Ben would have been a child at the time and I would have likely ignored him as much as he would have ignored me, I am sure we met at some point.  Hey Ben, I am a little short of cash right now.  Think you could find it in your heart to share a few bucks with me?  Thanks.

I remember the days when we live in Illinois.  I was not particular fond of anything that involved t hat state because I was so pissed that my family moved me there away from my friends and the only home I had ever known.  I did not have many friends so during the summer I would spend my afternoons watching the Cubs on WGN.  I’d eat lunch, watch Bozo’s Circus and then live from Wrigley Field I would see the Cubs play and generally lose every afternoon.

Jack Brickhouse was the Cubs announcer at the time and I always felt bad for him after he retired.  You see, Brickhouse retired after the 1981 season and was replaced with the huge personality that was Harry Caray.  It was almost as if Brickhouse was a forgotten man and I was in the minority of people that preferred him to Harry.  I am sorry that neither one of them ever got to see the Cubs win it all.  Brickhouse and Caray both died in 1998.

I was thinking of that 1984 team.  I remember watching the Sandberg Game on June 23, 1984 and thinking that there was something special happening that season.  Lo and behold the Cubs won their division and took a 2-0 lead against the Padres in the NLCS, which at that time was a best of five.  It was off to California to win just one game.  They lost three straight.  I can still see the lead slip away as the ball went under the glove and through the legs of Leon Durham in game five.

Then I thought of the 2003 team.  The team that was up 3-1 over the Marlins and having three chances to win one game.  Again they lost three straight including the last two at home.  I remember the Bartman game like it was yesterday, but not exactly for the nightmare of that game.  It was my birthday, for one, and second it was the first World Series I would ever get to enjoy with Adam, who was about six weeks old at the time.  I remember lying on the couch and Adam was asleep on my chest.  Donna asked if I wanted her to take him and I said no.  I was happier than I had ever been.  Well, at least until the eighth inning.

2007 and 2008 I saw the Cubs get swept right out in the first round.  Last year the hated Mets swept them in the NLCS, but 2016 was the year.  It will be the year I will remember forever for finally seeing the Cubs win it all.  And the fact that it was one on such dramatic fashion made it even better.  Less than a week later my world would come crashing down as I learned that there are at least 61 million people in this country so stupid that they would vote for an orange pile of shit for president.  As I said previously, I have no respect for any of them.  I feel like a man without a country and am hoping to be deported to Canada.  At least I still have the Cubs.  I can go see them play in Toronto.

Namaste