Some Notable Facts About The Chicago Cubs Franchise

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The Chicago Cubs are the subject of a long and interesting space in baseball, which has served as a canvass where a lot of interesting things are painted and fondly remembered by many. Here are a few notable facts about this well-loved baseball franchise.

1. The Cubs are one of two Major League teams from Chicago, thanks to a very strong baseball talents base that the windy city seems to attract. The other team, the Chicago White Sox, are members of the American League (AL) Central division.

2. The Cubs won back-to-back World Series championships in 1907 and 1908, making them the first Major League team to play in three consecutive World Series competitions. They are also the first to win it twice.

3. The Cubs have not won the World Series in 107 years, and they have not won in the National League in 70 years. These are widely regarded as "droughts" in Major League Baseball as even non-Cub fans can’t wait to see the franchise rise to success once again.

4. The Cubs are known as "the North Siders", a reference to the location of Wrigley Field. On the other hand, the White Sox have their home ballpark located on the South Side.

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5. The franchise’s official Mascot is a young bear cub named Clark. Before that, the unofficial mascot associated with the Cubs was a fan by the name of Ronnie “Woo-woo” Wickers, whose cheers were always punctuated with an exclamatory “Woo!”.

6. A popular term celebrated among die-hard fans, "White flag time at Wrigley!", was coined by former play-by-play broadcaster Chip Caray, which means the Cubs have decidedly won the ballgame.

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The 71-Year-Old 'Curse Of The Billy Goat'

It was Oct. 6, 1945. The Chicago Cubs were about to face the Detroit Tigers in the World Series that they were leading two games to one. The Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 as the second of back-to-back championships. The team and its fans were feeling pretty optimistic that they could win just two more games to claim the title.

Fans were coming in droves to the Wrigley Field, the Cubs’ home ballpark. One of those who were striding in was Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant who owned a local watering hole named Billy Goat Tavern.

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People called him “Billy Goat,” and it was a nickname he was quite fond of. Not just because he grew a goatee, but because he adopted a pet goat named Murphy. He even had a ticket to bring in Murphy to the game.

What happened that day to Sianis and his goat will forever live in the Cubs’ lore – that is until the Cubs win a World Series.

There are various versions of what exactly transpired; either Sianis and Murphy denied entry to the ballpark or they were kicked out due to goat’s unpleasant odor. Feeling insulted, Sianis placed a curse on the franchise, “The Cubs ain’t gonna win no more!”

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The Cubs ultimately lost the 1945 World Series and had failed to play in one since then. Whether the curse is true or not, once the Cubs go back to the World Series, Wrigley Field will not have enough seats for the fans.

My name is David Berkowitz and I am a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. If you want to read more about the ball club, connect with me on Google+.