The Curse of Fred Merkle has haunted the Chicago Cubs for many years. During the 1908 National League pennant race, the Cubs took advantage of a mistake by New York Giants\' rookie Fred Merkle. This served to give Chicago the title. They went on to win the World Series that year, but have yet to win another one.The Situation[edit] The Original GameIn 1908, the Cubs and Giants were in a fierce battle with each other for the National League pennant. The two teams played each other at the Polo Grounds in New York on September 23. It was a key matchup in the fight for the championship.The game was tied, 1-1, in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Giants had Moose McCormick on third base and Merkle on first with two outs. Al Bridwell was the batter. Bridwell hit a single into the outfield, scoring McCormick. The Giants had an apparent victory, setting off an emotional scene of fans running onto the field.As McCormick scored, Merkle turned and headed off the field without reaching second base. Cubs\' infielder Johnny Evers saw that Fred didn\'t touch the base. Through the crowd of happy Giants\' fans, Evers tried to get the ball in order to get the force out at second. Giants\' pitcher Joe McGinnity, seeing what Evers was up to, grabbed the ball and threw it far away. Anyway, Evers managed to come up with a ball and stepped on second base. Following the rules, umpire Hank O\'Day called Merkle out, cancelling the winning run. The game was declared a tie.[edit] The Replayed GameThe Cubs and Giants finished the regular season tied for first place in the National League. In order to decide the pennant (and a spot in the World Series), the teams had to replay the tie game on October 8. Chicago won, 4-2, to become the champions of the National League for the third straight year. New York was left without a title they thought was theirs.[edit] World Series of 1908The Cubs went into the World Series, where they defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 1 for their second consecutive world championship. This is the last World Series the Cubs have won - a Series in which they would not have been had they not taken advantage of Fred Merkle.
I thought the Cubs curse was the curse of the goat or something.
The Curse of Billy "The Goat" SianisMain article: Chicago Cubs futility theoriesThe Curse of the Billy Goat is a curse on the Chicago Cubs that was started in 1945. As the story goes, Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant (from Paleopyrgos, Greece[1]), who owned a nearby tavern (the now-famous Billy Goat Tavern), had two $7.20 box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, and decided to bring along his pet goat, Murphy (or Sinovia according to some references), which Sianis had restored to health when the goat had fallen off a truck and subsequently limped into his tavern. The goat wore a blanket with a sign pinned to it which read "We got Detroit\'s goat".[2] Sianis and the goat were allowed into Wrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened and led them off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets. At this point, Andy Frain (head of Wrigley Field\'s hired security company at the time), waved the goat\'s box-seat ticket in the air and proclaimed, "If he eats the ticket that would solve everything."[2] However, the goat did not. Before the game was over, it started to rain and Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley due to the objectionable odor of wet goat. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again because the Cubs organization had insulted his goat, and subsequently left the U.S. to vacation in his home in Greece.The Cubs lost Game 4 and eventually the 1945 World Series, prompting Sianis to write to Wrigley from Greece, saying, "Who stinks now?"
Our own DW has tickets to the last game of the season at Feway.
Quote from: Spacey;204392Our own DW has tickets to the last game of the season at Feway.indeed, i\'m hoping this rain stops.
Quote from: derickw;204446Quote from: Spacey;204392Our own DW has tickets to the last game of the season at Feway.indeed, i\'m hoping this rain stops.I hope it rains on your parade.
