Page 38 - 200710 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October 2007

38 The goat, the curse, the Cubs 38 The goat, the curse, the Cubs The goat, the curse and in Cubs lore, it is plausible. Even if it is a Weird Things You Weird Things You The goat, the curse and the Cubs completely false belief, that belief can bring Would Never Know the Cubs Would Never Know something about. I think it's counterproductive for the Chicago media to keep playing that ....But Do Now ....But Do Now BY STEVE HANLON song." BY STEVE HANLON Crete psychic Irene Hughes believes in curses. The 87-year-old Cubs fan believes the A shrimp's heart is in its head. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL alignment of the planets could have influenced the goat, which in turn influenced a baseball The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said Dave Pishkur looked around from his front-row seat down the left-field line at team, which in turn influenced generations of to be the toughest tongue twister in the English fans. The position of Saturn, she said, hasn't language. Wrigley Field. It was Oct. 14, 2003. The Andrean baseball coach and lifelong Cubs fan helped the Cubbies. But help is on the way. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two "They're going into a great cycle," was amazed by what he saw and what it said Hughes said. "I don't think they're going to get rats could have over a million descendants. about the fragile psyche of Cubdom. to the World Series this year. But they're close. Chicago led Florida three games to two. Next year is their year. In 2008 they will win it Wearing headphones for just an hour will There was one out in the eighth inning and all. The planets have moved to allow this to increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times. Mark Prior led 3-0, with a three-hitter going happen. When this happens, the goat will die." while facing Juan Castillo. Pishkur took one If the government has no knowledge of aliens, long look around the ballpark and took it all in. Complete Cubs coverage then why does Title 14,Section 1211 of the "There were signs all over the place," Pishkur said. "And I bet one in five said The Cubs' Rich Hill to take the mound Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16 1969 , make it illegal for U.S. citizens to something about 'The Curse.'" today as he attempts to stave off elimination, have any contact with extraterrestrials or their This voodoo curse which was allegedly cast at Wrigley at Game 4 of the 1945 World plus George Castle's take on the NLDS. B8 vehicles? Series. William Sianis said the Cubs would History of a curse In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman never get back to the World Series because the somewhere. tavern owner was asked to leave because his Here is a brief history of the Curse of the goat, sitting next to him, smelled. The Cubs lost Billy Goat that's haunted the Cubs for 62 years. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows to the Tigers that year, and they haven't been back since. 1945: William "Billy Goat" Sianis took why. "I don't believe in it," Pishkur said. "We took a picture of the scoreboard with one out in his goat "Murphy" to Game 4 of the World 23% of all photocopier faults world-wide are Series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs led Detroit caused by people sitting on them and the eighth. We were going to take a picture after two games to one. Sianis paraded Murphy photocopying their butts. each out. We never took another one." around the field with a sign hanging that said, The infamous fingers of Steve Bartman helped the Marlins score eight runs, on their "We Got Detroit's Goat." The local tavern If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If owner gave two tickets and they watched the you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a way to the World Series and championship. And game until Cubs owner P.K. Wrigley ordered blood vessel in your head or neck and die. Chicago just believed that they were cursed by the baseball gods. Or that blasted barnyard the two to leave because of the animal's smell. In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of Sianis said the Cubs would never get back to the creature. Series again. And after the Tigers won Game 7, 80 years, no one reported a single case wher e As the Cubs ready themselves for today's must-win Division Series Game 3 at he sent a telegram to Wrigley which asked, an ostrich buried its head in the sand. "Who stinks now?" Wrigley against Arizona, the fans -- with visions More than 50% of the people in the world have of black cats, a guy with headphones and 1969: The Cubs owned a nine and a half never made or received a telephone call. grounders rifling through the legs of sure- game lead over the Mets in August. But on Sept. handed infielders -- will nervously hope against 9 at Shea Stadium, a black cat ran onto the field In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy hope, wondering if curses do exist in the world. Or, if they do just for Cubs fans. and hissed at Ron Santo, who was in the on- than all of the world's nuclear weapons deck circle. The Cubs went 8-17 in September, combined. Purdue professor of communication Glenn Sparks specializes in the effects of mass losing to the World Champion Mets by eight Thirty-five percent of the people who use games. It was, and still is, one of baseball's media on the paranormal. He doesn't believe in greatest collapses in history. personal ads for dating are already married. curses. But he is a lifelong Cubs fan. "I've studied the role that the media 1984: The Cubs took a 2-0 lead over San plays in things like this," Sparks said. "If the Diego in the NLCS, but back in California the The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was Chicago media brings up the goat every time the goat was Steve Garvey's fist in the air and Leon built, engineers failed to take into account the Cubs lose, it becomes difficult for the fans. If stories are written about the goat, (Steve Durham's glove. The Padres won three straight weight of all the books that would occupy the building. to get to the Series. Bartman) or the black cat, then people have to work to convince themselves this doesn't really 2003: After beating Atlanta in the Our eyes are always the same size from birth, exist. Division Series, the Cubs stormed to a 3-1 lead but our nose and ears never stop growing. "And for Cubs fans, that's difficult." over Florida. In Game 6 at Wrigley, the Cubs Chicago's National League team hasn't won a World Series since 1908. Making it more were five outs away from breaking the curse. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the Leading 3-0, Mark Prior induced Juan Castillo difficult is the Red Sox breaking the Curse of to fly to left. Left fielder Moises Alou leaped keyboard. the Bambino in 2004. Now, Cubs fans feel like toward the sky near the bricks. Steve Bartman, they're on an island all by themselves. And as who was in Aisle 4, Row 8 and Seat 113, stuck If Barbie were life-size, her measurements close playoff games go into the later innings, a his hand out and hit the ball away from Alou. A would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, sense gloom can permeate all of Wrigleyville. walk was followed by a grounder was booted by two inches tall. Sparks believes that is a plausible explanation of what happened in 2003. shortstop Alex Gonzalez's legs. The Marlins Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza scored eight in the inning on their way to the "The energy of the crowd, in this case negative, can affect the players on the field," championship. every day. Now, that’s what I call a real Baseball / Sparks said. "For something that runs this deep Sports Curse! [] Thanks Mom!