The End of the Billy Goat Curse

I try not to buy too much into curses, superstition, and luck however I do enjoy folklore. I figured since the Chicago Cubs have now brought an end to their 108 year drought it was a fitting time to discuss one of the greatest curses in sports history; The Curse of the Billy Goat. While only a superstition, to many Cubs fans this curse was the root cause to their many many many years of suffering.

The Legend of the Curse

The Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 against the New York Giants thanks to an infamous baserunning mistake by Fred Merkle, known as Merkle's Boner. Some Cubs fans believe the curse came after this game since they had won the championship off of a mistake. However although they did not win a championship they remained a good team throughout the next 30 years appearing in the World Series 6 more times. However a new curse around in the 1940s which would become one of the most popular curses in sports, the Curse of the Billy Goat.

Just like any classic folktale the origins of the Billy Goat Curse are disputed and there is no actual historical evidence of whether it happened or not. However the story arose from an instance in 1945, the last time the Chicago Cubs were in the World Series. William Sianis, was a local Greek bar owner, who had opened a bar called the Billy Goat Tavern. He was known for his eccentric behavior as a means to increase business.

William "Billy Goat" saw the 1945 World Series as the perfect opportunity to market his bar while cheering for the Cubs. In doing so he brought his goat to game 4 at Wrigley Field where the Cubs were facing the Detroit Tigers. However he was stopped by the Wrigley ushers who would not allow his pet goat into the stadium stating that the goat smelled too much. At that point William made a great scene in front of many, loudly declaring that the Cubs will never win a World Series again. He took his act a step further by writing a letter to the owner of the Cubs, Philp K Wrigley, that the Cubs would never win again for disrespecting his goat. Following this exchange, the Cubs would go on to lose the World Series to the Tigers, at which point William declared it was the Cubs who stank and not his goat.

The Longest Drought in Baseball

Following their loss at the 1945 World Series, the Cubs would embark on a 71 year period without making it to the World Series. It did not take long for journalists to recall the incident as a good explanation as to why the Cubs continued to lose. One of the more popular of these journalists was Mike Royko who published numerous articles in the 70s for the Chicago Sun Times about the Billy Goat Curse. Looking back however this was most likely a ploy to increase sales for both the Billy Goat Tavern as well as the Chicago Sun Times. Nonetheless it became a household legend throughout Chicago as to why the Cubs could not make it to the World Series.

Before his death in 1969, William Sianis claimed the curse had been lifted, however the Cubs continued to lose over the next few decades. In 1984 under the new ownership of the Tribune Company, the goat was welcomed into the stadium for the season opener. That season the Cubs made it to the playoffs for the first time in nearly 30 years. In the NLCS matchup against the San Diego Padres they were only 8 eights away from going to the World Series when a routine groundball went thru the legs of first baseman, Leon Durham. The Padres would then go on to win the remaining games in the series, eliminating the Cubs. It appeared the curse was still as alive as ever.

The Cubs continued their losing ways for years after however did make it to the playoffs a few more times. In 1989 they made it to the NLCS yet lost to the Giants; in 1998 they had a very good season led by their homerun superstar Sammy Sosa however they were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.   

One of the most infamous references to the Billy Goat curse came in the 2003 NLCS against the Florida Marlins. I remember this one quite well since I was a freshmen in high school and Cubs fever was everywhere. The Cubs were having a very hot season led by their incredible starting pitchers of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. It was game 6 when the curse made it's greatest appearance yet. The Cubs were ahead 3 to 2 games on the Marlins, up by 3 runs, in the top of the 8th, and were only 5 outs away from going to the World Series. When a fly ball was hit towards the right field, Moises Alou appeared to have the catch yet was suddenly interfered with by a fan reaching for the ball. That poor fan, Steve Bartman, went down into Cubs folklore as the turning point in that series. The Cubs would go on to lose that game as well as the next one which eliminated them. It was one of the most heartbreaking events in sports I have ever witnessed. After that it was easy to understand how the curse had become more believable. 

Following that heartbreaking loss, the Cubs went on to have several more terrible seasons. In 2007 and 2008 they strung together two more playoff appearances yet loss both times in the NLDS first to the Diamondbacks then to the Dodgers. They had several more losing seasons, and the Tribune Company later sold the franchise the Rickets, which finally paved the way for new light.

The End of the Curse

It was first in 2015 that the Cubs appeared as a credible contender. They had a completely new look under the management of Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon. The young team made an impressive run into the playoffs, defeating the Pirates in the Wild Card, defeating the Cardinals in the NLDS, yet getting swept in the NLCS against the Mets. However at that point many Cubs fans felt a hope that had not felt in almost a lifetime. That for once the team was actually very talented and would be back for years to come. 

And sure enough the following year the Chicago Cubs had the best record in baseball and went on to win the World Series against the Cleveland Indians in dramatic fashion. In game 7, the curse would not go down without a fight and made one final dramatic appearance in the top of 8th sending the game into extra innings. However this extra drama, only made the story all the sweeter as the Cubs were able to overcome the final obstacles. After 108 years without a championship, and 71 years without even appearing, the Cubs had finally brought an end to all curses. And now one can only hope that they will continue their winning ways long into the foreseeable future.