1 A BILLY GOAT CURSES THE CUBS William Billy Goat Sianis had an idea The Chicago Cubs were playing in the 1945 World Series And Sianis a local restaurant owner had a lucky goat named Murphy So he decided to bring the lucky pet to Game 4 at Wrigley Field Not everybody was thrilled Sianis Not everybody was thrilled Sianis and Murphy were stopped at the and Murphy were stopped at the gate No goats allowed Offended gate No goats allowed Offended Sianis cursed Sianis cursed the team right the team right then He declared the Cubs would never win a World Series unless the goat was allowed in Wrigley Field The Cubs had been one of baseball’s better teams Since then however the Cubs have won just two playoff series and one wild-card game They haven’t been back to the game They haven’t been back to the World Series either World Series either Anyone who questions The Curse of Anyone who questions The Curse of the Billy Goat needs to look no the Billy Goat needs to look no 4 The Cubs The Cubs refused to let a refused to let a billy goat attend billy goat attend the 1945 World the 1945 World Series Series
Cubs outfielder Moises Alou and a fan go for the same foul ball in the 2003 NLCS further than the 2003 playoffs The Cubs hosted the Florida Marlins in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series NLCS A win would move the Cubs to the World Series They even had a 3 0 lead in the top of the eighth Then things went awry The Marlins Luis Castillo hit a foul ball toward the left field stands Cubs outfielder Moises Alou went to the wall to try to catch the ball Instead a Cubs fan got in the way The ball fell into the stands Florida went on to score eight runs in the inning win the game and then win Game 7 It was the closest the Cubs had gotten since 1945 THINK ABOUT IT This curse is an example of a superstition That is a belief in something that could be magic or not natural Do you believe the curse is real Even if it’s not real how might it affect the players and fans 5 2 World Series wins for the Cubs They won in 1907 and 1908 The Cubs won 10 National League NL pennants from 1906 to 1945 From 1876 to 1945 the Cubs had a winning percentage of 559 From 1946 through 2014 the Cubs had a winning percentage of just 467
2 MR CUB SAYS LET’S PLAY TWO Ernie Banks spent his entire career from 1953 to 1971 with the Cubs Not many of those seasons were great The Cubs had a winning record in just six of Banks’s seasons They never made the postseason Yet Banks always showed up excited to play It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame he’d say Let’s play two That dedication and enthusiasm has earned Mr Cub a special place in the hearts of many fans Ernie Banks in 1971 6
Ernie Banks turns a double play against the St Louis Cardinals Banks began his career in the Negro Leagues Major League Baseball MLB teams refused to sign black players for many years Jackie Robinson became the first black major leaguer in 1947 Banks became the Cubs first black player in 1953 He proved to be one of the best After beginning as a shortstop Banks later moved to first base He was a star at both positions Banks won two NL Most Valuable Player MVP Awards He hit at least 40 home runs four seasons in a row Plus he was an 11-time All-Star It was little surprise when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1977 Yet Banks was more than a baseball star to many Cubs fans He was a gracious ambassador for the team and the city Long after retiring the cheerful Banks could still be found engaging with fans around Chicago 512 Career home runs for Ernie Banks Banks’s 2,528 career games is the most in Cubs history Banks became the first NL player to win back to-back MVP Awards which he did in 1958 and 1959 The Cubs retired Banks’s No 14 jersey 7
