And now for my beloved Cubbies! 108 years and Lovable Losers no more! I had the privilege of attending Game 3 (thanks Pops!), the first World Series game played in the venerable stadium in 71 years. If I thought the place was electric for Phish in June, it was absolutely buzzing for the World Series. Although we lost a heartbreaker 1-0, I will always cherish the memory of that day – going into work and receiving a call about 9 AM from my Pops, saying he had stumbled into a pair of tickets, hustling home and then coming back to the city, rolling on the “L” train north, and walking into that stadium nearly three hours before gametime (I’ve never done that before and probably never will again) to take in the sights and sounds of a World Series game actually being played there for the first time in over seven decades. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one I will always treasure, especially being able to share it with my Pops.
After the following night, when the Cubs went down 3-1 in the series, I, like most Cubs fans, felt that familiar creeping disappointment and crushing heartbreak around the corner. But this team was different – a tough-as-nails squad that never doubted each other or the outcome, they rallied for three straight wins, culminating in a tense, coronary-inducing Game 7 thriller, perhaps the best Game 7 ever in a World Series considering the stakes. I was a block from Wrigley Field at a friend’s apartment when they won, and the scene was pure pandemonium, but also one of unbridled joy. We subsequently waded through the crowd around the stadium after and I have never seen a crowd so elated in my life. It was pure bliss! So thank you Cubs – thank you Rizz, KB, Grandpa Rossy, Javy, Addison, Miggy, Dexter, Zobrist, Jake, Lester, Kyle – thank you for ending the drought, for finally bringing the title home to Chicago, and bringing happiness to all of us long-suffering Cubs fans, thank you! Hopefully this is just the start. So time to let Eddie V sing it best . . .