@Randem

I proudly wore my Cubs jersey in public today. And I accessorized it will a lovely brown bag.

Some people will blame Piniella for pulling Zambrano too early in game 1, but I think that’s misplaced. The reason they’re saying that is because Marmol gift wrapped two runs, and if Zambrano hadn’t been pulled, Marmol wouldn’t have been in there. But let’s be realistic - Marmol had an unreal ERA for most of the year, and he decided to fall apart at the end.

But the real choke happened in game two. After Lilly’s meltdown on the mound, the message was sent. The team deflated right on the spot. It was reminiscent of the deflation they dealt themselves after the Bartman incident, only this time there was no fan to be a, ahem, scapegoat. They can only blame themselves.

Still, there’s reason to have heart. Lou Piniella came to Chicago and took a team that finished the previous season in last place to the playoffs. Another year or two with him at the helm should be long enough for the team to build that bond that carries a team to a championship.

So repeat after me, Chicago. “Oh well. Maybe next year.”

The Lovable Losers have been doing a lot of winning this year, and Cubs fans have been hearing “Go, Cubs, Go” to their hearts’ content. There is a little bit of history behind the song that I find interesting.

“Go, Cubs, Go” was written by Chicago folk legend Steve Goodman — two-time Grammy winner, and perhaps most well-known for his song “City of New Orleans”.

Goodman was a die-hard Cubs fan. Literally. He was born after the Curse of the Billy Goat, and died of leukemia at the age of 36. The Cubs never played a single playoff game in his entire lifetime.

But in 1984, they were playoff-bound, and Goodman was asked to sing the national anthem for their first post-season game. He never got to see it. Goodman died eleven days earlier, and Jimmy Buffett filled in, dedicating the song to Goodman.

Now, I will always think of Goodman when I hear his song sung after a Cubs victory. He was a real die-hard fan. And some of his ashes were scattered at Wrigley Field.

Baseball season’s underway
Well you better get ready for a brand new day
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
They’re singing …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
They got the power, they got the speed
To be the best in the National League
Well this is the year and the Cubs are real
So come on down to Wrigley Field.
We’re singing now …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.
Baseball time is here again
You can catch it all on WGN
So stamp your feet and clap your hands
Chicago Cubs got the greatest fans.
You’re singing now …
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today
Go, Cubs, go
Go, Cubs, go
Hey, Chicago, what do you say
The Cubs are gonna win today.

With a 3.5 game lead and only 6 games left to play, the Chicago Cubs would have to have a meltdown of chaotic proportions to lose their division. Not that it isn’t possible…

Popular opinion among Cubs fans — myself included — is that they’re always great, or at least close to it, so it might come as a surprise (it did to me) that this will be only the fourth time that the Cubs finish in first place since the Billy Goat curse in 1945.

From 1876-1945, the Cubs were one of the dominant franchises in baseball. During that period of 69 years they posted an incredible 51 winning seasons, finishing in first place 16 times, appearing in 10 World Series and winning two of them.

That was before October 6, 1945. Game four of the World Series against the Tigers, and the Cubs led the series 2-1. “Billy Goat” Sianis bought two tickets to the game, one for him and one for his pet goat, Murphy. Wrigley denied the goat entrance and Sianis cursed the team.

In the 61 years since the Curse of the Billy Goat, they have had only 15 winning seasons, and finished in first place only 3 times. They have neither won nor even appeared in the World Series. They haven’t even won a Pennant.

This year, they’re staring at first place. The bullpen is looking good and the big bats have finally woken up. And with Lou Piniella at the helm, the team occasionally even looks like they know what they’re doing.

Over the years, the Sianis family has claimed the curse lifted. Will this be their year?