Did you ever wish that you could change the outcome of an important baseball game that your favorite team just lost? In the 1950s my team, the Brooklyn Dodgers always lost the World Series to the New York Yankees. The Series were exciting but the Yankees would always win and I had to wait until next year. My "next year" came when the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees in the 1955 World Series. In 1958 the Dodgers were taken out of Brooklyn and I knew that my team would never win the World Series again.
During the 1950s when the Dodgers were considered the power-house in the National League, they had little trouble beating the Chicago Cubs who year after year failed to win the NL Pennant. It didn't occur to me at the time but as the years passed it became obvious that the fans of the Chicago Cubs have gone 94 years since their Team last won a World Series and 57 years since they made a World Series appearance.
During the past 100 years, the Chicago Cubs have won Two World Series in nine tries.The Cubs lost their initial World Series appearance in 1906 to their cross-town rival, the Chicago White Sox. The next two years the fans at Wrigley Field had lots to cheer about as their Cubs won the World Series twice, beating The Detroit Tigers on both occasions.
The Cubs make six more World Series appearances from 1908-1945 and each time they failed to capture the Fall Classic. The Second World War was coming to a close when the Cubs played and lost to the Detroit Tigers. The seventh and deciding game of the Series was held at Wrigley Field on 10th Oct 1945 and before the Cubs got to bat in the bottom of the 1st Inning, the Tigers had a 5-0 lead. The Fans didn't have much to cheer about that day as the Tigers eventual won the game 9-3 and took the Series.
In 1984 it looked like the Cubs were going to finally make it as they won the first two games of the NLCS at Wrigley Field against the San Diego Padres but when the Series switched to San Diego, the Cubs lost three games in a row and their World Series hopes faded again. In 1989 and 1998 the Cubs made it to the play-off but could not advance as they made a quick exit.
Two Hall of Famers played for the Chicago Cubs during their futile attempt to get to the World Series. Ernie Banks (Mr. Cub) and Billy Williams (Sweet Swingin' Billy from Whistler) spent 19 and 16 years respectively with the team. Banks, an eleven-tine All-Star, played from 1953-1971, while Williams, a six-timee All-Star joined the team in 1959 and stayed until 1974. Ernie Bank's # 14 and Billy Williams' #16 are the only Uniform numbers retired by the Chicago Cubs team and yet neither Player enjoyed the thrill of playing in a World Series.
Just recently another Cub great Ryne Sandberg retired after 16 years with the Team and he didn't get to play in a World Series. At the present time Sammy Sosa, another definite Hall of Famer is slugging Home Runs and if the Cubs don't get some other Players to propel the Team into the World Series, then Sosa will be another person who will not get to play in the Big Show at the ennd of the season.
It's hard to imagine that the Chicago Cub fans would have to go so long without winning a World Series. Many Historic events have taken place since 1908. The Titanic went down in 1912, WWI and WW2, Pearl Harbor, Man on the Moon, President Kennedy's assassination and recently the Twin Towers collapse and still the Cubs are anxiously waiting for the next Baseball season to start.
If I had a wish.it would be for the Chicago Cubs fans. I would wish that their team wins next year and the 2003 World Series flag is raised high over the Ivy Outfield walls at Wrigley Field and proudly blows in the Windy City.
» Jim Keats is a recreational writer who likes baseball. I have submitted several items, two of which were published.
Also by Jim Keats
» Charlie Grimm Deserves To Be in the Hall of Fame
» There Was a Team in Brooklyn: An Ode to Brooklyn Fans
» More submissions
Posted October 25, 2002.
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