Do You Believe in the Curse of the Billy Goat?

Do you believe in the Curse of the Billy Goat?

Surely you know the story. The Chicago Cubs, for more than the first half century of baseball, was a winning team. The Cubs, originally called the Chicago White Stockings, were established in 1876 as one of the eight inaugural teams of what became Major League Baseball. From 1876 to 1945, they had 51 winning seasons and won six of the first eleven National League Championship titles. They played in the World Series in 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945 and won in 1906 and 1908.

Then, during the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, William Siannis brought Murphy to Wrigley Field. Murphy was a billy goat, owned by Sianis, the Greek immigrant owner of the fabled Billy Goat Tavern. Sitting in his box seat, his pet goat at his side, having paraded Murphy around the field, enjoying Game 4, Siannis was approached by the ushers, who told him the goat had to leave. The orders came from Philip Knight Wrigley himself and the reason was that other fans had complained that the goat smelled.

Well, dah.

Leaving the ballpark with Murphy, Siannis proclaimed, “The Cubs will win here no more.”  And so the Cubs were cursed.

They lost the game and the World Series. And they have not made it to a World Series since. They folded in September, 1969 after they had led the Mets earlier in the season by more than eight games. They lost the National League Championship Series in 2003, when, five outs away from the World Series, they couldn’t hold it together after a fan knocked a foul ball out of Moises Alou’s grasp.

And now, 100 years after the Cubs last won a World Series, the Cubs are taking a couple of days off over the All-Star break.  At .600, they are tied for the best record in baseball.  They are in first place in the National League Central Division, a position they have held since May.  They sent eight players to the All-Star Game.  Since the White Sox are also in first place in their division, people are whispering about a subway series.

So, what now?  Will they stay healthy?  Will they stay in contention?  Will they go all the way and play in the World Series?  Will they WIN a World Series?

Or are they cursed?

I’m taking a poll. Please read the article, Chicago Cubs and the Curse of the Billy Goat, read the article. And vote. Do you believe in the Curse of the Billy Goat? Or is it just a lot of hooey?

Chicago Cubs Land Seven on the All-Star Team

I just published an article on HubPages giving short profiles of each of the seven Chicago Cubs players that have been selected for the All-Star Game.  Those guys are impressive, I must say. 

You can read Chicago Cubs Land Seven Players on the All-Star Team.  If you like it, please rate it or share it.

New Chicago Cubs Fan Site

Hey, there, Cubs Fans!

You own the best record in baseball.

You swept the series with the Sox.

It’s been 100 years.  The wheel has turned.  The World Series is due to come around again.

And we have a new Chicago Cubs Fan Site for you.  Visit our site to shop for Cubs tickets, Cubs jerseys for men, women and children, hats, posters and more.  Check out our site for the latest MLB news — our news feed will keep you informed.  And keep an eye on the site for new merchandise coming soon.

Are you into FB?  Visit our Facebook Page and become a fan.

Hope to see you on the site and the FB Page.

Watch Zambrano’s Gatorade Tantrum

When they call him the “Big Z,” they must be referring to his size, not his maturity.  Carlos Zambrano was removed from the game in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game when the Chicago Cubs were trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3.  None too happy with the turn of events, he took it out on inanimate objects, by turns kicking, stomping, pounding and tossing kegs of Gatorade, then flinging his hat.  The weird part is how little attention the bat boys were paying to the tantrum as it took place behind them.

The Dodgers won the game.  Watch the video.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 21, 2008

The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, 4-2. The teams are now split with one win each after the second game in a three-game series.

All six runs were scored on home runs. Aramis Ramirez ht a two-run homer in the top of the fourth to put the Cubs ahead 2-0. But then Hunter Pence hit a grand slam in the second half of the inning to bring the score to 4-2.

Cubs second-baseman Mark DeRosa is working on a hitting streak of eleven games, the longest of his career.

The Cubs are 28-18. They remain in first place in the National League Central Division, two games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and 2.5 over Houston.

The Astros are 26-21.

And it is still a full century since the Cubs last won a World Series.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 20, 2008

The Chicago Cubs, of all teams, have the second best record in baseball.  At .622, they are behind only the Arizona Diamondbacks at .636.  They continued their winning ways by defeating the Houston Astros 7-2 Monday night. 

Chicago catcher Geovany Soto, who may be headed to the All Star Game this year, hit what should have been ruled an automatic home run.  There seems to be a magic yellow line on the center field wall of Minute Maid Park, where the Astros play.  If a ball hits the wall to the right of the line, it’s an automatic home run.  And according to the replay, the ball hit on the right of the line.  But the umpire ruled that the ball hit on the line, and called it in play.   So Soto just kept running the bases until he got to home plate.  And he turned an incorrect call  into an inside-the-park homer, scoring behind Aramis Ramirez and Kosuke Fukudome who had preceded him on base.

Among sports writers on the internet, Soto’s inside-the-park home run inspired a flurry of how-hot-was-it?-like stats:

• It was the first disputed home run since Sunday night, when New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado’s hit was first ruled a home run, then reversed and called a long foul before the replay showed that the original call had been correct.  But of course by then Delgado had been robbed.
• It was the first inside-the-park home run for a catcher since July 21, 2007, when Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer hit one against the Los Angeles Angels.
• It was the first inside-the-park home run for a National League catcher since August 29, 2005, when Arizona Diamonds catcher Kelly Stinnett hit one against the San Diego Padres.
• It was the first inside-the-park home run by a Cubs catcher since June 17, 1959, when Cal Neeman hit one against the Pittsburg Pirates.
• It was the first inside-the-park home run by any Cubs player since August 26, 2007, when Derrek Lee hit one against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• It was the third inside-the-park home run in Minute Maid Park history.

Meanwhile, back to the game . . . Jim Edmonds, who recently joined the Cubs after being released by the Padres, robbed Hunter Pence of an extra-base hit, running up the hill deep in center with his back to home plate to make a spectacular catch.  Edmonds, who won the Gold Glove eight times, was a star for the rival St. Louis Cardinals for many years.  Many Cubs fans were not happy to see him join the team.  But if he keeps playing like he has since joining the team, some fans may change their minds. 

To watch the video of that famous home run and Edmond’s catch, click here, then click on the little icon of the movie camera in the upper left hand corner.

The game put an end to Lance Berkman’s 17-game hitting streak.  Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly extended his winning streak to four games.

The Cubs are in first place in the National League Central Division, two games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and, after last night, 3.5 games ahead of the Astros.  It has been 100 years since the Chicago Cubs last won the World Series.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 19, 2008

At 27-17, the Chicago Cubs have the second best record in baseball.  Only the Arizona Diamondbacks, with a record of 28-16, trump them.  The Cubs are now sitting pretty in first place in the National League Central Division, 2.0 games ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals and 2.5 games ahead of the third place Houston Astros.  

Chicago is coming off a 10-game homestand in which they picked up eight wins.  They won two of the three games in the series they just finished with the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing their record against Pittsburgh to 8-1.  Pittsburgh had gone into the series with a 8-2 record for the 10 games immediately preceding the Cubs series.

Alfonso Soriano has been playing strong in the last several games. The Cubs left-fielder had a rough April, including a two-week stint on the disabled list with a strained right calf.  But he has had 21 hits in his last 40 at-bats, bringing his season batting average up to .296.  He also has 10 home runs and 26 runs batted in for the season.

The Cubs are heading into a three-game series against the Houston Astros in Houston today.  The Astros are 25-20 for the season and have just chalked up seven wins in a 10-game road trip.  Although surging after their 10-game home series, the Cubs have lost seven of their last 10 road games.

And it has been 100 years since the Cubs last won a World Series.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 16, 2008

Ryan Dempster came within two outs of a complete game Thursday as he led the Chicago Cubs to a 4-0 shut-out of the San Diego Padres.  The Cubs took three games out of the four-game series with the Padres and have won six of their last seven.

Dempster, 5-1, struck out 12 and retired 15 straight batters.  He permitted 6 hits and 1 walk, throwing 115 pitches before he started to get in trouble in the ninth inning. 

With runners on first and third, Kerry Wood stepped in to relieve Dempster and got his eighth save in his past 11 chances.

The losing pitcher was former Cubs hero Greg Maddux, who allowed all four runs on eleven hits in his 4-1/3 innings.  Maddux won his 350th game last weekend.

Jim Edmonds made his first appearance for the Cubs against the team that released him last week.  Playing center field, he got one hit in four at-bats and struck out once.  Edmonds, who had been a thorn in the side of Cubs fans when he played with the St. Louis Cardinals, signed with the Cubs five days after being released from the Padres.

The Padres struck out 14 times Wednesday and 15 times the day before.

The Padres, who at 15-27 have the worst record in baseball, are in last place in the National League West Division, 11.5 behind the Diamondbacks.  The Cubs, at 25-16, are in first place in the National League Central Division, 1.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros.  The Astros have slipped ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second place spot.

And it has been a century since the Cubs last won a World Series championship.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 15, 2008

The Chicago Cubs remain in first place in the National League Central Division after Wednesday night’s 8-5 win over the San Diego Padres.  The Cubs, 24-16, are one game ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals.  The Padres are in last place in the National League West Division, 10.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks.  The Padres, 15-26, have the worst record in baseball.

This week’s buzz among the Cubs is the imminent arrival of Jim Edmonds.  The veteran outfielder, a former St. Louis Cardinals star, was signed by the Cubs less than a week after being released by the Padres.  He is expected to take the field for the Cubs for Thursday’s game, the fourth and last in a series against the team that let him go.  He and the rest of the Cubs will be facing former Chicago pitching ace Greg Maddux in that game.  The Big Leagues are a small world.

The Cubs have optioned Felix Pie to Triple-A Iowa to make room for Edmonds.

During spring training, Edmonds injured his right calf and he started the season on the disabled list.  Since coming back to active status, his batting average has been a life-time low .178, with one home run and six RBI’s.  This year’s stats are well below his total career numbers of a .286 batting average with 363 home runs and 1,127 RBI’s.  Edmonds, who is not expected to play every day, brings a left-handed bat to a largely right-handed Cubs line-up.

When he was a star for the Cardinals, Cubs fans and some players developed some animosity towards him.  The Chicago Tribune reports a ChicagoSports.com survey that found 13.9% of respondents were against signing Edmonds precisely because he used to play for the Cards.  And there was the 2004 game in which tempers flared between Edmonds and his new teammate, pitcher Carlos Zambrano.  In that game, Edmonds hit a home run off the Big Z and, instead of hustling around the bases, stood at home plate to watch the ball sail over the fence.  An irate Zambrano heckled him as he finally ran the bases.  Later in the game, Zambrano hit Edmonds with a pitch and was ejected from the game.

But if Edmonds generated animosity from Cubs players and fans, it was because he was good.  The four-time All-Star has 32 career home runs against the Cubs, 17 of them at Wrigley.  He has won the Gold Glove eight times.  He is 68th on the list of top home run hitters and has hit 30 or more home runs in five seasons.  And he assisted the Cards in their 2006 Word Series championship.

At 37, his best playing years are probably behind him.  But he probably still has some contributions to make.  We’ll see how it goes with the Cubs.

Chicago Cubs Watch — May 14, 2008

Despite Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the team with the worst record in baseball, the Chicago Cubs remain in first place in the National League Central Division.  

San Diego Padres pitcher Shawn Estes won his first game since September 9, 2005, battling back from a 3-0 deficit after the third inning.  Khalil Greene’s fourth inning three-run homer and Jody Gerut’s run-scoring double put the Padres ahead for the game.

The Padres are in last place in the National League West with a 15-25 record, 9.5 games behind first-place Arizona.  At 23-16, the Cubs are one game ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals.  It has been a century since the Cubs won a World Series.