Chicago Cubs News & Schedule: Can They Finally Beat the Curse to Win World Series? What is Billy the Goat Lore All About?
The Cubs fans are yearning for another World Series title. They have been in an agonizing wait for far too long. It's 107 years to be exact, going on its 108th year, but not if the team can win it all this 2016 season.
The last time the Illinois-based squad emerged as the Majors' ultimate winners date back in 1908 and they haven't been in a World Series for more than seven decades.
But, while it's never fun to be on the losing end most of the time, the concept of the Billy the Goat curse and just the thought of finally breaking it makes for a more interesting side story in the franchise's quest for glory.
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It's the lighter side of losing for the many Cubs Fans. For one, it's a whole lot easier to blame some goat than to go after your favorite team, detesting them for a disappointing finish that has been going on for quite a while.
The Chicago Cubs Are Back in the NLCS
The Cubs have a good chance of winning the World Series this year. They are the owners of the league's best record in the regular season. They have a pretty good lineup that has proven their mettle by winning a series-clinching game that was almost out of their hands.
They ended the Giant's even-year magic run with a dramatic comeback in the ninth inning of their NLDS game 4 to enter the NLCS. They are awaiting the winner of the other NLDS series between the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the right to earn the coveted pennant.
They have been to the NLCS for two consecutive years now. Last year, they were swept by the New York Mets, but the Cubs are hoping it's a different story this time. They are out to break the curse of Billy The Goat.
The Story Behind the Lore
So, what's the curse all about? While there have been a lot of variations in the minor details, the gist of the story tells the story of an aggrieved Cubs fan after he and his goat were booted out of the Wrigley Field.
During one fateful day in October of 1945, William Sianis of the Billy Goat Tavern purchased two tickets for the game 4 of the World Series at the Wrigley Field. One for him and another for his beloved goat named Murphy.
But, the officials at the stadium did not allow Sianis to enter with his goat with him. They reasoned out that the other fans were not happy about the odor from the goat.
Sianis took umbrage at this and, legend has it, that the man had placed a curse against the Cubs. He declared that the team won't win another World Series again.
At that time, the Cubs were up in the series, 2-1, against the visiting Detroit Tigers. The team went on to lose the finals and has since been deprived of another World Series appearance, much less a championship.
From then on, there were some infamous stories on how the team almost had their chances of getting into the World Series. But, it seems as though there was some forbidding mystical force that's keeping them away from it.
Chicago will play Game 1 of the NLCS series on Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Wrigley Field. The game will commence at 7PM CT and can be watched via FoxSports1.
The team is now as close as they have ever been to a World Series in a long while. And, the Cubs are hoping to get the better of one goat.
