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“The Billy Goat Curse” and 1945 World Series Photo Gallery
Click on any image below to see photos in full size:

 

From the Lighter Side…

The Infamous “Billy Goat Curse” Is Put On the Cubs, 79 Years Ago Today!

“Them’a Cubs…they ain’t ‘a gonna’ winna’ no more! They are now and a’ forever cursed! –Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, while being escorted out of Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series

And so the Cubs were cursed…

As your typically superstitious baseball fan, it’s only been in recent years that I’ve allowed myself to write about the “Billy Goat Curse.” That’s because it officially and forevermore ended in 2016 when the Cubs won the pennant and World Series after a 108-year drought. So I think it’s safe now. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story of the curse, here’s what happened:

Seventy-nine years ago today, October 6, 1945, Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant and owner of the “Billy Goat Tavern” located on Chicago’s North Side Lower Wacker Drive, bought two tickets to Game Four of the 1945 World Series. The second ticket was for his pet goat, Murphy. Not thinking anything was unusual, he showed up at Wrigley Field, expecting to be let in to watch the game with his pet Murphy seated next to him. After all, he bought the goat a ticket!

Sianis, a Cub fan, hoped the goat would bring the Cubs some good luck. He also hoped to use the publicity stunt to promote his gin mill, the Billy Goat Tavern. Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned. Wrigley Field’s Andy Frain ushers asked Sianis to leave because some fans were complaining about the goat’s foul odor. Actually, there are different versions of what actually happened. Some say he was allowed in, but Cub owner P.K. Wrigley ordered him to leave the goat outside the park.

Who knows what actually transpired on that fateful day? All we know is that Sianis was highly offended to have his beloved billy goat treated in such a disrespectful and humiliating manner; and so he did what any self-respecting pet owner would do: As he and Murphy were being rudely escorted from the premises, he bestowed the famous curse upon the team. The Cubs were up two games to one in the 1945 World Series at the time the curse was initiated, but ended up losing the Series in seven games.

But that’s not all…not by a long shot!

Who could have foreseen what fate had in store for the Cubs from that day forward? They experienced a complete and utter reversal of fortune. With the 1945 pennant, they had just completed a 15-year stretch that included five pennants (1929, ’32, ’35, ’38, ’45). For the next twenty years, throughout the remainder of the billy goat’s life, the Cubs would finish each season at fifth place or lower, establishing a pattern that would give birth to the term, “the Lovable Losers.”

Was the curse for real?

Think about this: From 1876 to 1945, the Cubs were one of the most successful franchises in baseball. They posted a 5475-4324 (.559) record, with 51 winning seasons, 16 first-place finishes, and 16 pennants. They won two World Series and six other pre-1900 championships in that span.

All this came to a screeching halt in Game Four of the 1945 World Series. For the next 57 years, they became a baseball laughing stock, going 4200-4874 (.466), with only 15 winning seasons, no pennants, and no World Series appearances. Great players such as Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams would never see the postseason. 

Over the years, Sianis’ family – Cub fans all – had attempted to lift the curse. Nephew Sam Sianis (seen here in the featured photo) had gone to Wrigley Field with a goat multiple times in hopes of breaking the curse, including Opening Day in 1984 and again in 1989, both years in which the Cubs won their division. Sam went again with a goat in 1998 for the Wild Card tie-breaker game, which the Cubs won. In 2008, a Greek Orthodox priest sought to end the curse during the 2008 playoffs, spraying holy water around the Cubs dugout to no avail.

As we all know, the Cubs wouldn’t win the pennant for another 71 years. The curse was finally broken on October 22, 2016, ironically on the 46th anniversary of the very day Billy Sianis passed away. On that memorable day, the Cubs defeated the Dodgers 5-0 in Game Six of the 2016 National League Championship Series. They then advanced to the World Series and defeated the Indians four games to three, including a dramatic 10-inning 8-7 win in Game Seven. The curse was finally over. Long-time Cub fans like me who had lived with this stupid curse all our lives were relieved and elated!

The Name “Murphy” Throughout Cubs’ History

The name “Murphy” has played a significant role in Cub history…and it’s not a good one. Given that the goat was named Murphy, it’s extremely ironic that in the 2015 National League Championship Series – a year before the curse was lifted – heroics by the Mets’ Daniel Murphy (the series MVP), almost single-highhandedly kept the Cubs out of the World Series. He finished the series batting .529 with four home runs.

But that’s not all:

• The owner of the Cubs the last time they won the World Series in 1908 was Charles Murphy.
• The 1969 Mets General Manager was Johnny Murphy and their announcer was Bob Murphy.
• The site of the 1984 NLCS where the Cubs lost to the Padres was Jack Murphy Stadium

I’m thankful that the curse was lifted in 2016. Let’s just hope Cub fans don’t have to wait 71 more years for another Cub pennant!

We’d love to hear what you think about this or any other related baseball history topic…please leave comments below.

Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Billy Goat Curse Wikipedia page.

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