Yes, it happened.
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.
I have been a life long fan. As a very...very...young girl I remember watching Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams. Those were good days. Daytime baseball at Wrigley. Jack Brickhouse.
"Hey Hey!" flashing on the television screen every time there was a home run.
Now I know "Go Cubs Go" is the song of the day, but I'll always be a "Hey, Hey, Holy Mackerel" girl. No doubt about it.
Then there were some lean years until the mid 80s. Harry Caray. Holy Cow. Dustin to Sandberg to Grace.
I went to Mesa for spring training- have a baseball signed by Rick Sutcliffe, Keith Moreland, Leon Durham, Jody Davis, Scott Sanderson. They came close. The NLCS against the Padres. Dang that Steve Garvey. Then Leon Durham...Well. It wasn't meant to be.
1988. 8/8/88 to be precise. The first night game at Wrigley. Gone were the days of playing every day under a sweltering humid afternoon in Chicago. Well, it was supposed to be 8/8/88. In typical Cubs fashion, the game was rained out in the fourth inning by a powerful thunderstorm. So 8/9/88 was the first official night game. Not as catchy, but what can you do.
They flirted with greatness over the ensuing years- came close but never quite pulled it off.
Then along came the Ricketts. Die hard Cubs fans themselves, they were dedicated to turning the Lovable Losers into contenders.
And they did it. Brought on Theo Epstein. Then Joe Maddon.
They did it.
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series. They were down but never out. There were so many times I thought it was over. Again in typical Cubs fashion, I nearly gave up. Shut off the television.
So happy I didn't. Every time it looked like it was over, they rallied. These were a Chicago Cubs unlike any other. A Chicago Cubs team who didn't give up. They played their game. Opposite field hits. Stolen bases. Suicide squeezes.
Yes they did it. They won it all. Celebrated the win in Cleveland. Came home for a parade and rally that attracted the largest non-religious, non-funereal gathering in human history.
Well deserved I'd say. A once in a lifetime opportunity. I know- sports geeks say the Cubs could have many World Series victories in their immediate future.
We'll see. I'm a Cubs fan after all.
