Storyline: It’s better for all of us when the Cubs don’t reach the World Series. Tragedy strikes whenever they do. But tragedy struck my life. That’s why I’ve changed my attitude toward the Cubbies. Written by David Andrew Lloyd, Los Angeles.
As predicted in the file, Back to the Future, the Cubs actually have a shot at ending their curse in 2015.
Courtesy: octavarious.com
However, most people don’t know the true significance behind the curse. The following story explains the history – with a heart-warming twist at the end.
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Most people blame the goat (or Bartman) for the Cubs inability to reach the World Series, but the curse extends far deeper than most sports fans can imagine.
Whenever the Chicago Cubs reach the World Series, tragedy strikes.
Their last appearance was 1945, which Time Magazine called, “the year that changed everything,” as the destruction of Hiroshima ushered in the Atomic Age, radiation, and the threat of nuclear annihilation.
During the ‘30s the Cubs won three pennants, all of them occurring during Hitler’s rise to power. Hitler received his German citizenship in ’32 (a pennant year for the Cubs); Germany repudiated the Treaty of Versailles in ’35 (another pennant year); and the Nazis moved into Austria in ’38, making war inevitable (still another pennant year).
When the Cubs took the National League in 1929, the Stock Market crashed, which led to the Great Depression. 1918 was another war year … and another Chicago pennant. In 1910, the Cubs passed everyone in the league and Congress passed the Mann Act, prohibiting the transportation of women across state lines for immoral purposes. Opposing players were unable to compete at peak levels because they had trouble concentrating.
A fire at the Rhoads Opera House killed 170 people in 1908. That year the Cubs beat Ty Cobb and the Tigers to win the Series. There was the Financial Panic of 1907. And finally, in 1906, everyone should have seen the writing on the wall: the Cubs won it all and the world suffered through the San Francisco earthquake … and Typhoid Mary.
Growing up in Central Illinois, my brother Steve and I had to choose between the Cubs and the Cardinals. He picked Chicago. I selected the St. Louis and dedicated my life to keeping the curse alive.
Courtesy: cubbiesfan.com
In 1969, when the Cards floundered, I prayed for any other team besides the Cubs to win the pennant. But who knew it would be the lowly Mets? In 2003, while visiting Vegas, my brother slapped a receipt for his sports bet on the table and boasted: “It’s a lock. The Cubs are up by three, their ace is on the mound, and they only need to win one game.”
I cursed that ticket. Then my brother walked into the bar area to watch the game. The instant he crossed the threshold, Bartman made that fatal grab, sending the Cubs into their historic downward spiral.
My brother passed away earlier this year so, to me, his death has been the world’s greatest tragedy.
I realize I may be alone in that belief. But the Cubs surpassed my Cardinals in the playoffs this year.
So I shall lift the curse in honor of my brother (and Bartman), which grants the Cubs the ability to win it all.
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About The Author: David Andrew Lloyd is a screenwriter living in Studio City, CA. He is a die-hard Cardinals fan–living in denial after his team allowed the Red Sox to end their curse in 2004. David has written for USA Today, Advertising Age, and All-Time Baseball Greats; and he is the author of Brain Like Twain, a humorous book on the art of writing. David can be contacted at IKnowFunny@aol.com.
