CUB CRUELTY BILLY GOAT s there really such a thing as a curse How about a hex or a jinx It all depends on your perspective In sports some teams just seem to keep losing big games in unusual ways Their fans might think there is more at work than just bad luck Others might believe the repeated letdowns are simply due to bad decisions and obvious mistakes But one thing is certain These so called curses make good stories What better place to start than in Chicago The Cubs are one of baseball's most beloved teams Their roots on the city's north side trace back to the late 1800s The Cubs still play in a brick walled ballpark built in 1914 Going to a game at Wrigley Field is one Sam Sianis Billy s nephew waves to the Wrigley Field crowd before a 1984 playoff game
The Cubs tried to break the curse again in 2003 by inviting another goat to Wrigley Field of baseball's most charming experiences But it was not so fun for a restaurant owner named Billy Sianis on October 6
The Cubs were playing the Detroit Tigers in the World Series Chicago won two of the first three games in Detroit Sianis bought tickets to Game 4 One ticket was for him The other was for his pet goat Sianis thought the animal would bring good luck However its smell caused a big problem Sianis was told the goat could not stay He was angry According to some accounts of the dispute Sianis cursed the team He declared that the Cubs would never win a World Series as long as his goat was not allowed in The Cubs went on to lose the World Series in seven games Numerous attempts have been made to lift the curse The team invited Sianis's nephew Sam to bring a goat to Wrigley Field for other playoff games But through 2014 the Cubs had not been back to the World Series Facts are facts of course as a doubter might argue The last time the Cubs won the World Series was 1908 That was 37 years before Billy Sianis and his goat showed up at Wrigley
