The oldest generation is known as a suspicious bunch. On Saturday, however, the entire nation watched Dorothy — the white-haired woman in the front row at Wrigley Field — embrace a complete stranger, without an ounce of cynicism. Her Cubbie-blue shirt said it all: “Just Once Before I Die.”
When the Chicago Cubs clinched their first World Series berth in 71 years, emotional reactions ran the gamut for members of Cubs Nation. Many cheered, some cried, and a few just sat in speechless wonderment. As for me, I managed to do some of all three in the span of 45 seconds.
To say this was a longtime coming would be the understatement of the century — a century which has not seen a Chicago Cubs World Series title. In fact, the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908.
In general, those 108 years have been marked by a billy goat, bleacher bums, and a lot of Old Style for the pain. For each Cubs fan, however, the tale is much more personal.
Most every memory of my childhood is interwoven with the voices of Pat Hughes and Ron Santo filtering throughout my home, as my brothers and I tuned every single radio we owned to the broadcast. This continued into my high-school days, when I would turn off the game on TV, grab a radio, and climb onto the roof on a thick July night, just to be alone with my thoughts and listen to the final outs of a West-Coast game. It’s a near-religious experience.
Others, like Dorothy, are now sitting in the front row, experiencing something they only wish their late-loved-ones could be a part of.
“I just wish my brothers were alive to see this… They loved the Cubs. And my father did, too, but they’re all dead now. This old lady is still livin’,” she told Fox Sports.
You see, Cubs baseball is a tradition, with the pain passed from generation to generation. In the last five years, however, generations have come together to watch the Cubs ascend the ranks, season by season.
Now, fans are witnessing a World Series with more storylines than can be followed: the breakout of Javier Baez, the return of Kyle Schwarber, the long-overdue forgiveness of Steve Bartman, the breaking of a curse.
We get to witness history, as this group of young, charismatic players puts an entire city on its back, striving to give it something that it has only dreamt of.
So here is my advice: Cubs fans, enjoy this ride. Our contemporaries would have paid good money to be in our shoes. To everyone else, cheer alongside us; this bandwagon has plenty of room on the back. After all, we all want Dorothy to witness this “just once” before she dies.