I wanted to write this post during the middle of the post-season playoffs, but I found myself too nervous to jinx the Cubs’ chances of making history! I grew up watching the Cubbies and was lucky enough to make it to a few games at the magical “friendly confines” of Wrigley Field before we moved to Texas in 2001. My grandfather was a huge Cubs fan, and I remember spending hours in front of the TV with my grandpa and my dad, learning all there is to know about baseball. Some people find baseball tiresome to watch, but there was something about the Cubs that kept me, and millions of others like me watching season after season. Who didn’t love watching the Home Run chase between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire? Sure, there was cheating galore on both sides- but it still made for some captivating baseball. When we moved to Texas, I decorated my high school locker with Cubs memorabilia and still had a childhood dream of “getting married at Wrigley Field.” 
After I met Tony, another lifelong Cubs fan, we attended a crosstown rivalry game at Wrigley against the Chicago White Sox. The Cubs lost of course, but it was truly magical to be back at Wrigley Field. Watching the wind blow against the water of Lake Michigan from the historic ballpark seats yet again, was truly something special. I told Tony about my childhood dream of “getting married at Wrigley,” and we had a good laugh about it. And that sweet man remembered that well- proposing in front of that historic ballpark on St. Patrick’s Day, 2012.
So what is it about the Cubs? How do you still love them despite over 100 years of losing? You keep watching because of the belief that some day all of the losing will end. You can’t hear about the Cubs and not hear something about the dreaded “curse” or the goat that all die-hard fans fear. These fans believe and love with such intensity, despite over 100 years of failed attempts to get anywhere close to the World Series. Some years the Cubs were actually a good team, battling their way to win their division. Loyal fans would begin to get their hopes up, only to have them dashed during the first round of the playoffs. Inevitably in the crowd, there would be a handmade sign that read, “there’s always next year.”
But 2016 felt a little bit different. The hashtag #wearegood was true. The Cubs were undeniably the best team in Major League Baseball for the first time in over a century. Tee-shirts saying “I ain’t afraid of no goat” and “Hope 2016” were produced this year. Fans dared to believe that 2016 was the year that the curse would be broken and the Cubs would win it all. And they did.
But… in typical Chicago Cubs fashion, every out, every hit, and every inning was agonizing to watch. The Cubs faced elimination for three straight games leading up to Game 7 of the World Series. Cubs fans everywhere breathed a small sigh of relief when the Cubs were up 5-1 during the game that would make them World Series Champions. And just as many Cubs fans feared, the team began to unravel with each inning that followed. Tony and I sat in disbelief and doubt when the Indians tied the game 6-6. “How did they blow this lead?” The momentum was in favor of Cleveland after that- we could feel it through the television screen. The Cubs team, and fans began to lose HOPE. And then? Extra innings and a heaven-sent rain delay to give the team a chance to regroup. And fiercely prayed for hits from Zobrist, and another from Montero put the Cubs up 8-6. Even in the bottom of the 10th inning, with two outs, the Cubs managed to give up another run, and Cubs fans everywhere doubted again. A routine ground ball came next, with #Bryzzo (I mean what professional baseball players are actually as nice as they are cute?) ending the game and sending the 2016 Chicago Cubs into the history books.
In our house, there was screaming followed by tears. The tears just flowed. Weeks of agonizing late-night game watching had ended, and despite 100 years of history, curses and goats, the Cubs had won. Years of watching the Cubs lose year after year, had finally come to an end. “The best fans in baseball” got to celebrate the biggest “W” of their lives. And it was epic.
Somewhere during this post-season, I got it into my head that if I could truly believe that the Cubs could win the World Series, then I could truly believe that someday I could have a child. The years of agony and disappointment and “there’s always next year” felt very similar to the disappointments that we have faced on our journey this year. And I think that that’s what made this world series so remarkable. People everywhere, Cubs fans or not, were gifted a renewed sense of HOPE. People saw that believing in something so outlandish could actually come to be. People witnessed a team who battled staggering adversity to the very end. Some say that adversity only makes you stronger, or that adversity makes the victory that much sweeter. Similarly, “The pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the JOY that’s coming.” (Romans 8:18) Christmas season is right around the corner- and what better season to be reminded about having a “child-like faith” to believe? Whether it’s God, Santa, or perfectly-timed white weather or all of the above, we are reminded to be light-hearted and just believe.
So no matter what your “curse” is, what “goat” lies in your path, or how many years of failure surround you in your journey, remember that there is HOPE. Remember to believe. It can take so much energy to do so, but in the end, there is BRYZZO! (okay, I’m done.)
