The Chicago Cubs and their history of misery
It’s the longest championship drought in professional sports – 102 years and counting – and it belongs to the Chicago Cubs.
It was 1908 was the last time the Cubs won the World Series. The President of the United States was Theodore Roosevelt and the Chicago Canal that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan was less than a decade old.
A lot has happened in the time since. There were two World Wars, Elvis Presley came and went and 19 U.S. presidents embraced the opportunity to call the White House home.
Neither the internet nor television had been invented the last time Cubs fans saw their team atop Major League Baseball – barely AM radio for that matter – and construction on the RMS Titanic was less than a year away.
Over the years there have been endless counts of renewed optimism and close calls for the Cubs and their fans and every time hope beckons, it’s been ripped out and thrown away.
In 1945, the Cubs made it to the World Series (to which they haven’t yet returned) only to once again find themselves the bridesmaid and not the bride.
That was the year that “The Curse of the Billy Goat” was allegedly cast, thanks to Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley ejecting Billy Sianis – a local tavern owner – for bringing his goat to the game, despite the fact that it technically had a ticket. As legend tells it, upon his ejection, Sianis declared, “The Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.”
He may have been right; they failed to even return to the postseason for 39 years.
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The 1984 season was shaping up to be a championship season for the Cubs, with a lineup that boasted the likes of Larry Bowa, Jody Davis, Leon “Bull” Durham and future Hall of Famer – and 1984 NL MVP – Ryne Sandberg. They won the NL East but soon lost to the San Diego Padres in the NLCS. Another promising year, another disappointment for the Cubs.
In 1989, Chicago saw another powerhouse team win the NL East only to fall short in the NLCS to the San Francisco Giants.
Despite a century of misery for the franchise, one thing has remained constant; a loyal fan base. It’s a fan base that grows every year and one seemingly forever loyal no matter how much losing they endure.
The “lovable losers” as they’ve come to be known, have a bond with their fans that runs deep in the hearts of those that stand behind them.
With the constant years of losing and repetitive disillusionment, one would think it would take its toll on the loyal fan, but that’s apparently not the case.
Ted Rea, a high school teacher in Dauphin, Manitoba has been a Cubs fan since his hometown got cable television and WGN broadcasted Cubs games. Rea can relate to the connection with his team.
“There is something about perpetually losing that brings out the passion in a fan,” he said. “I will never cheer for another team. I am a loyal fan, which can probably be said about any Cubs fan.”
Rea’s good friend and colleague, Jason Alf, also remains a devoted Cubs fan, since 1980. When asked about what it is that keeps him cheering for a team that continues to dish out nothing but disappointment, Alf had a similar answer.
“You just have to be loyal. I have never been one to jump on a bandwagon. You just have to hope,” Alf said. “I like to cheer for underdogs. Someday they will win it all and I will probably experience a feeling that Yankee fans cannot imagine.”
Alf also commented on what it is that keeps the group of Cubs fans staying so devoted to the “lovable losers.”
“It is a group of people that have gone through a tremendous amount of pain together for so many years; we can all relate. It’s like surviving a disaster with a group of people, you will always have a unique bond,” he said. “Obviously those are two very different things … but after all these years it is starting to become quite painful.”
Jordan Campbell, an 18-year-old high school senior from Algonquin, Illinois represents a new generation of sufferers.
“Being 18, my amount of suffering has not been as extreme as others. But you still feel the pain the same way.”
For Campbell, the most vivid and recent memory of what has become Cubs torture is perhaps the most famous of all: the Bartman incident.
In 2003, during Game 6 of the NLCS between the Cubs and Florida Marlins, Cubs left fielder, Moises Alou attempted to catch a foul ball near the stands. Cubs fan and Illinois native, Steve Bartman, reached for the foul ball and deflected it away from Alou, allowing the batter, Luis Castillo, to continue his at-bat. Castillo eventually walked and two batters later, Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez gaffed on what could have been an inning-ending double play.
The Marlins wound up scoring eight runs in the inning, and cruised to a victory. They went on to win Game 7, eliminating the Cubs from the playoffs and earning a trip to the World Series. For the Cubs and the fanatics, they were left with a big “what if?”
What was so painful at that moment, was the fact that the Cubs were up 3-0 in the game and 3-2 in the series. Had Alou caught the foul ball, the inning would have never unfolded the way it did, with the bases loaded and the Gonzalez error leading to a massive Marlins outburst.
In fact, most Cubs fans declare that, had Alou caught the ball, the Cubs most likely would have gone on to win the game and finally earned a trip back to the World Series.
When asked about the Bartman fiasco and whether it still causes Cubs fans to become nauseous, Campbell feels it’s in the past and it’s time to move on.
“The Bartman play is no longer a sore spot for the Cubs. By now, most fans have come to their senses,” he said.
Campbell is quick to point out that Bartman isn’t the real culprit in that particular game, but rather Cubs shortstop Gonzalez is the scapegoat.
“Bartman was never to blame, when on the following play Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez had an easy double play ball go through his legs and open the floodgates for the Marlins offense,” he said.
“Personally, it is comical. Because every season you anticipate some rarity that prevents the Cubs from winning the World Series.”
The past decade has seen some Major League ball clubs erase epic periods of championship drought by winning the World Series. Just this past season, the Giants were declared champions for the first time in their 56-year history. In 2005, the Cubs’ cross town rival Chicago White Sox won the World Series for the first time in 88 years.
And, of course, do not forget the Boston Red Sox who, in 2004, broke their long “Curse of the Bambino” and won the World Series; their first title in 86 years.
Based on the dramatic victories of other ball clubs that had many decades sandwiched in between championships, Cubs fans could solace in the fact that perhaps their time is coming to finally win a World Series. Different Cubs fans have different answers.
“I don’t think the Red Sox breaking the curse really affected my hopes of the Cubs winning because every year I hold on to that same hope that ‘this is going to be the year’,” admits Rea.
Campbell feels that the White Sox and Red Sox winning has added misery to the Cubs fans, but at the same time has helped the Chicago organization.
“If anything, the Red Sox and White Sox winning the world series only added to the disappointment. Especially because Chicago’s other team – the White Sox – won a title before the Cubs did. As for the Red Sox, after they won their second title in 2007, there was a sense from within the Cubs front office that they have to emulate what the Red Sox did,” he said.
“The Red Sox winning the World Series has set the blueprint for the Cubs. The Cubs have followed that blueprint, and it should payoff in 2012 when they have a handful of top prospects ready for the major leagues, and hopefully smart free agent investments.”
While these are but a few, Cubs fans around the world share similar thoughts and passion. They continue to experience years of bitter defeat, painstaking mishaps and countless feelings of emptiness from their ball club.
As Campbell points out, they may be starting to grow tired of it all.
“Every year there is optimism. The optimism results from Chicago being a big market. A big market team is supposed to be in contention everywhere, and the fans would take that stereotype to heart. However, this season the attendance is down at Wrigley Field. Many Cubs fans are tired of the current product, and don’t really care until there are drastic changes. The fans are quickly changing their sentiments.”
It would appear that this season does not hold the key to the Cubs unlocking a century of misery. In the midst of a season searching for answers the Cubs continue to sit near the bottom of the NL Central Division.
For Cubs devotees, reality may soon set in that the drought may climb to 103 years, barring a miracle.
Without one, it’s shaping up to be another year, just like all the others; miss the playoffs, spend countless hours debating what went wrong, dissect the free agent signings in the offseason and right around February, watch as buoyancy is restored.
The question will then be asked again, “Is this going to be the year the Cubs win the World Series?”
For Cubs fans, all they can do is wonder.
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