Curse of the Billy Goat

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The Curse of the Billy Goat is an urban legend concerning various regular-season and postseason woes of the Chicago Cubs, a Major League Baseball team. It explains the Cubs not even reaching the World Series since 1945.

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[edit] The Curse of "Billy The Goat" Sianis

Main article: Chicago Cubs futility theories

The Curse of the Billy Goat is a curse on the Chicago Cubs that was started in 1945. As the story goes, Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant (from Paleopyrgos, Greece[1]), who owned a nearby tavern (the now-famous Billy Goat Tavern), had two $7.20 box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, and decided to bring along his pet goat, Murphy (or Sinovia according to some references), which Sianis had restored to health when the goat had fallen off a truck and subsequently limped into his tavern. The goat wore a blanket with a sign pinned to it which read "We got Detroit's goat".[2] Sianis and the goat were allowed into Wrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened and led them off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets. At this point, Andy Frain (head of Wrigley Field's hired security company at the time), waved the goat's box-seat ticket in the air and proclaimed, "If he eats the ticket that would solve everything."[2] However, the goat did not. Before the game was over, it started to rain and Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley due to the animal's objectionable odor of wet goat. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again because the Cubs organization had insulted his goat, and subsequently left the U.S. to vacation in his home in Greece.

The Cubs lost Game 4 and eventually the 1945 World Series, prompting Sianis to write to Wrigley from Greece, saying, "Who stinks now?" Following a third-place finish in the National League in 1946, the Cubs would finish in the league's second division for the next 20 consecutive years. This streak finally ended in 1967, the year after Leo Durocher became the Cub's manager. Since that time, the supposedly cursed Cubs have not won a National League pennant or played in a World Series – the longest pennant drought in Major League history. Sianis died in 1970.

[edit] Attempts to break the curse

Sam Sianis, nephew of Billy Sianis, has been brought out on the field with a goat multiple times in attempts to break the curse: on Opening Day in 1984 and 1989 (the Cubs won the division both years), in 1994 to stop a home losing streak, and in 1998 for the wild card play-in game (which the Cubs won).[3]

A group of Cubs fans headed to Houston in 2003 with a Billy Goat named "Virgil Homer" and attempted to gain entrance to Minute Maid Park. After they were denied entrance, they unfurled a scroll and read a verse proclaiming they were "reversing the curse". Houston faded down the stretch allowing the Cubs to win the division that year. The Cubs came within 5 outs of the World Series in 2003, until a fan, Steve Bartman attempted to catch a foul ball, interfering with Moises Alou, who appeared in position to make the play. However, a crucial error by Alex Gonzales later in the inning prevented an inning-ending double play. The Marlins went on to score 8 runs in the inning, to lead 8-3. The Cubs lost that game and the next game to the Florida Marlins, who went on to win the World Series.

Before the 2004 season the Steve Bartman ball was ceremonially destroyed at Harry Caray's Restaurant in Chicago.

In another bizarre twist, it was reported that a butchered goat was hanged from the Harry Caray statue on October 3, 2007, but the Sun-Times noted: "If the prankster intended to reverse the supposed billy goat curse with the stunt, it doesn't appear to have worked."[4] However, the Cubs did win the NL central title in 2007.

[edit] The cure

According to three interviews with Sam Sianis, William Sianis' nephew-in-law, the Curse of the famed Billy Goat can only be dispelled by the Chicago Cubs organization by showing a true sincere fondness for goats, allowing them into Wrigley Field because they like them, and not simply for publicity reasons.[5]

[edit] Former Cubs who won a World Series title elsewhere

Another factor that may play a role in the curse is the number of players who won World Series titles after leaving the Cubs. These players include Andy Pafko (who, coincidentally, played in the 1945 World Series as a Cub), Gene Baker, Smoky Burgess, Don Hoak, Dale Long, Lou Brock (whose first title was in 1964 after a mid-season trade to the St. Louis Cardinals), Lou Johnson, Jim Brewer, Moe Drabowsky, Don Cardwell, Ken Holtzman, Billy North, Bill Madlock, Manny Trillo, Rick Monday, Burt Hooton, Bruce Sutter, Willie Hernández, Joe Niekro, Dennis Eckersley, Joe Carter, Greg Maddux, Joe Girardi, Glenallen Hill (after his second stint with the Cubs; his title came in 2000 after he'd been traded in mid-season), Luis Gonzalez, Mike Morgan, Mark Grace, Mark Bellhorn and Bill Mueller. Dontrelle Willis and Jon Garland were traded as minor leaguers.

[edit] Former Cubs cursing other teams

Main article: Ex-Cubs Factor

Conversely, the "Ex-Cubs Factor" seemed to plague many a post-season qualifier that had too many former Cubs. This theory reached its zenith in 1990, when the factor "predicted" that the Oakland Athletics were "doomed" in that year's World Series, and the A's were swept by the Cincinnati Reds in a stunning upset (coincidentally, then Reds manager, Lou Pinella, is now the Chicago Cubs manager) . In the 2001 World Series, however, the Arizona Diamondbacks faced the Yankees with three ex-Cubs on their roster, and not only won the Series in dramatic fashion, but won it on a rally started by Mark Grace, an ex-Cub, effectively discrediting the "Ex-Cubs" theory.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, who was blamed for Boston's 1986 World Series loss after a routine ground ball rolled through his legs, was also a former Cub. It has been recently uncovered that at the time of the play (and in many other instances), Buckner was wearing an old and tattered Chicago Cubs batting glove under his fielding glove.

Former Cub pitcher Mike Krukow (who went on to play for the San Francisco Giants and is currently a broadcaster for them) is alleged to be the source of the legendary "Krukow Kurse". The "Krukow Kurse" is used to explain the Giants' fifty-plus year failure to win the World Series while in San Francisco. Before the start of each season, Krukow states his usual optimistic prediction- during his radio show-that the Giants have a chance to ultimately win the World Series. Once Krukow stops making such preseason predictions- says the legend- the Giants will, in fact, win the World Series.

Another former Cub, Mitch Williams, also suffered from the World Series heartbreak in 1993, when he gave up a legendary walk-off home run to Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning of Game 6, handing the World Championship to Toronto. Williams would then play for the Houston Astros, who missed a possible chance to win the NL pennant due to the 1994 strike. Coincidentally, Carter was also a former Cub, but he and Williams had not been teammates in Chicago.

[edit] Other sports curses

See also: Sports-related curses
  • The other "cursed" team in Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox, also came within five outs of reaching the 2003 World Series. The following season, however, the Red Sox were able to first defeat the Yankees after falling three games behind, and then sweep the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series as well as the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series. For more details, see Curse of the Bambino.
  • The Cubs' crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox were under the "Curse of the Black Sox" before breaking it by beating the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series, one year after the Red Sox's victory.
  • In addition, all of the sports teams of Philadelphia have been characterized as being under a curse since the mid 1980s; for more details on this subject, see Curse of Billy Penn.
  • Similar to Philadelphia's dilemma, all sports teams based in Houston have been characterized as being under a curse or experiencing bad luck when being close to a championship since the 1960s. This bad luck ended in the mid-90s with two consecutive NBA championship wins by the Houston Rockets. Although due to recent failures of Houston teams some say their misfortunes may have returned.
  • Japanese baseball team Hanshin Tigers is said to suffer from the Curse of the Colonel.
  • San Diego is among the most cursed cities in sports in that not one professional or collegiate team from the city or county has won a championship since the San Diego Chargers winning the AFL Championship in 1963. Additionally, other teams that have played in San Diego, such as the San Diego Rockets and San Diego Clippers have not won any championships (at least while located there). Both NBA teams have lasted a short time and have since moved to other cities respectively.
  • In 1958 Bobby Layne was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is rumored that he cursed the Lions by saying, "They won't win again for 50 years" The Lions have had only 1 playoff win since 1958.
  • The Brooklyn Dodgers have won one world series in all their time in New York, while the New York Baseball Giants have won five world series. Since both teams moved to California, the Dodgers have won five, while the Giants have not won a title despite three world series attempts in 1962, 1989, and 2002. The Dodgers, however, have not won a NLCS since 1988, the last time they won a World Series.

[edit] Other cultural references

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ *"The Curse of The Billy Goat". February 27, 2004. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
  2. ^ a b *"Da Curse of the Billy Goat...The Chicago Cubs, Pennant Races and Curses" - Chapter 1 - Enter the Goat. Retrieved October 18, 2006
  3. ^ World Famous Billy Goat Tavern & Grill - Our History
  4. ^ Toomey, Shamus. "Dead goat hung from Harry statue", Chicago Sun-Times, October 6, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-06. 
  5. ^ *Article "The Curse of The Billy Goat". February 27, 2004. Retrieved on October 18, 2006.
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