The curse began during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series, when Billy Sianis and his pet goat, named Murphy, were ejected from Wrigley Field. Irate of how he and his pet were being treated he proclaimed,
“The Cubs ain’t going to win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as a goat is not allowed in Wrigley field.”
A die-hard Cubs Fan must view the curse as the commencement of a battle. A curse you cannot simply patronize, as the new owners tried to do by allowing Billy and his pet goat walk Wrigley Field in 1984. Nope, the Padres swept them. It was going to take more than the Goat walking on the field.
The Cubs needed to quit worrying about the goat and recognize the Archer’s Paradox; then and only then would they find out what it takes to hit what they were aiming for.
The World Series!
What the Cubs needed is a Near-WIN!
I tend to believe it was Steve Bartman incident, who, in 2003, created the necessary Near-Win for the Cubs and their loyal fans to overcome the Curse of the Goat. It was almost a forgone conclusion the Cubs were heading to the World Series. They had a 3-2 game lead in the NLCS, and were ahead 3-0 with only 5 outs away in the 4th and deciding game when… You guessed it; the Curse of the Goat reared its ugly head. Steve Bartman, the lifelong Cubs fan, excitedly reached over the fence and took what would have been the second out from the glove of Cub Moises Alou.
As they say, it was all downhill from there. The Marlins put up 8 runs, and what many believe, stole game six, resurrected the Curse of the Goat, going on to win the seventh game thereby eliminating the Cubs from where everyone thought they would be; playing in the World Series!
So close! Just 5 outs away and yet they lose. Perhaps this NLCS loss was the shock they needed to understand just how close they came and provide them the knowledge of what it takes to get there.
The “What” Sarah Lewis describes as “Embracing A Near Win,” to finally end the curse?
So why did it take 13 years [2003 to 2016] to figure it out? Maybe “Embracing a Near Win” hurts so much, we tend to lose sight of the fact that baseball is a mental game and allow emotion to interfere with our decision-making. So much so, a fan paid $113,824.16 for the Steve Bartman ball only to destroy it on 06 February 2004.
Let’s be honest, the Cub’s 25 Man Roster is “The What” that finally ended the Curse of the Goat!
Pitchers:
| Carl Edwards Jr. | Kyle Hendricks | Jon Lester | Travis Wood | Mike Montgomery |
| John Lackey | Pedro Strop | Jake Arrieta | Justin Grimm | Aroldis Chapman |
| Hector Rondon |
Positional Players:
| Tommy La Stella | David Ross | Albert Almora Jr. | Chris Coghlan | Javier Baez |
| Kris Bryant | Ben Zobrist | Jason Heyward | Dexter Fowler | Addison Russell |
| Wilson Contreras | Anthony Rizzo | Miguel Montero | Jorge Soler |
Now I must admit I did find it interesting, or is it a coincidence, the Cubs clinched the National League Pennant [22 Oct 2016] on the same day Billy Sianis passed away [22 Oct 1970]?
Ah who cares, after waiting 71 years to get to the World Series, I am guessing all these loyal Cub Fans agree with Sarah Lewis in saying, “Completion is the goal, but we hope it isn’t the end.”
Until next blog, remember they did let a goat back on Wrigley Field,
Al McCormick
