1969 – Mets comeback from 9.5 back
1984 – Leon Durham’s leg-trick
2003 – Bartman / Gonzalez muff
2004 – Hawkins homer
2008 – It’s gonna happen!
It’s been a rough 100 years for the lovable losers in blue pinstripes. If you follow the media and die-hard fans from Wrigleyville to Des Moines, you know they were supposed to win it all this year.
But baseball is finicky. 162, sometimes 163, games determine final placement into a quick series that requires a lot of talent and a bit of luck to win. Followed by a longer series and then the dance. A lot can happen in those 19 playoff games.
Let’s stick with luck here. When my friend Mike Cacciabondo told me the Sox were lucky in 2005, I took offense at first. But you know what, he was right – they did have some luck on their side. Luck plus solid defense, timely hitting and a playoff pitching dominance not seen in the major leagues since that year.
So while everyone from ESPN to Hillary Clinton knew the Cubs were going to win it all, I think we should follow the guise of one of the smartest managers in baseball, Mr. Lou Piniella: “nothing is shocking”, he said while referring to the Cubs in the postseason.
And with that, I bring you the curse of 2008: “It’s gonna happen”.
The slogan gave hope and was shouted with bravado from rooftops all around the shrine. Heck, even the Tribune publishing people decided to print a book about how it was going to happen, before it happened. But in reality, the guy who started this movement should be run out of town like Bartman. Not only for his curse, but also for using the Red Sox font to make his sign.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be proud of your team – we all should root for our favorite. It’s just that you shouldn’t count your chickens before the eggs hatch. It upsets the baseball gods, and they see everything.
Now, let’s go White Sox.
By my accounts, they were supposed to finish 3rd in the AL Central, so I’m just happy they’re still around for me to watch. (See how it works, Cubs fans?)
