Kris Bryant celebrates as the Cubs clinch their first World Series win in 108 years D
CHAPTER 1 AMERICA’S PASTIME Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant started smiling as soon as the ground ball was hit his way Even as he fielded the ball and threw to first base Bryant was grinning A moment later so was every Cubs fan in America Bryant’s throw with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning gave the Cubs the World Series championship after a wait of 108 years On the rainy night of November 2 2016 they pulled off an 8 7 victory over the Indians in Game 7 at Cleveland’s Progressive Field The extra inning added even more drama to one of baseball’s most long-awaited stories The Cubs last World Series championship had come in 1908 Generations of fans had gone their entire lives without seeing their
beloved Cubbies win the big one While baseball flourished and evolved through two world wars 18 US presidents and the dawning of a new century the Cubs were baseball’s franchise of futility Some said they were cursed At long last Cubs fans could share their joy with parents grandparents and even long departed loved ones Outside the Cubs Wrigley Field one fan had dedicated a brick to his grandfather It read In heaven and still waiting The day after the Cubs victory he added the words Not anymore I’m just so happy for Cubs fans over the last 108 years generations some still here some not said Cubs general manager Theo Epstein They were all here tonight Everybody who’s ever put on a Cubs uniform this is for you The Cubs story in 2016 was special but it’s just a part of the game’s rich history More than any other sport baseball’s roots run deep in American culture For most of the 20th
century baseball was the nation’s favorite professional sport In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge called baseball our national game Former US president Herbert Hoover once said Next to religion baseball has furnished a greater impact on American life than any other institution During World War II 1939 1945 President Franklin D Roosevelt asked Major League Baseball MLB to keep playing to take Americans minds off the war The game has been a favorite subject of movies and books from Field of Dreams to Moneyball Standouts such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio had more star power than actors and entertainers Baseball’s language is universal Success is a home run Failure is a strikeout Change is a constant in America but baseball has been a consistent thread joining the 19th 20th and 21st centuries That’s not to say baseball never changes though The sport’s popularity grew in parts of the
