My old friend Yogi Berra would have been proud of the resurgence
in baseball interest built around the two teams with the longest streaks
without winning the World Series, the Cubs at 108 years and Indians at 68
years.
Yogi once said,
"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up
someplace else."
Well the Cubs knew where they were going from the beginning
of the season and the result would be ending the losing streak. From start to finish of the long season, they
were the best team in baseball, but they were saddled with a 108-year curse.
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| 1906 Cubs who lost World Series then won in 1907 and 1908 |
Tonight, in one of the greatest championship games in World
Series history, they proved to be the blue collar, hard working, and dedicated
team they foresaw. There were no
superstars on the Cubs. Many other teams
paid their players much more.
Some said the kids on the team were too young, and that the
older players were too old. Yet here
they sit, World Champions. Heroes were a
dime a dozen in this epic classic. The
Cubs surged ahead, then, the Indians slowly chopped away at the lead until they
finally tied it in the bottom of the eighth inning.
When no one scored in the ninth it was in to extra innings
but not before a rain delay that pushed the end time to 1 AM. Finally, the Cubs scrapped back with two runs
in the top of the tenth, only to have the Indians score one and have the
winning run at bat.
The roller coaster of a game left everyone exhausted and
even on the final out the Cub player slipped on the wet field before managing
to throw the last Indian batter out with the tying run heading for home.
Both coaches, Joe Maddon of the Cubs and Terry Francona of
the Indians, were exceptional, beloved by their players, and generated the
enthusiasm usually found before the players become professionals and the
measure of success was how much money one made.
Not these teams.
For one night, America united in watching the kind
of World Series not found since the 1950's when the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers,
and New York Giants dominated the game. Not even ads from the two candidates for
president could distract the millions glued to their television sets.
I knew the night would be special right from the start when these
working class teams had no entertainment superstar sing the national anthem. Instead, they announced a group of musicians
from the Chicago Symphony would play the anthem, but the crowd must sing. It was a moving patriotic tribute to the people
of this country and the thousands of fans sand their hearts out.
Thank you Cubs and Indians for reminding us what made America great,
the unsung heroes, the work ethic to be the best, the camaraderie of the
players, the attitude of not giving up on your dream, and the faith they had in
each other.
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