We had all the makings of of being a MLB champion. Destiny seemed to be on our side. I distinctly remember where I was during game one of the National League playoff game against the San Diego Padres. I had to figure out how I was going to follow the game, since I was in school and they didn't seem to want to stop class to watch a baseball game. I ran the cord of a walk-man up the sleeve of my jean jacket, and kept the radio in the hidden inside pocket. Innocently I leaned over to the right side of the desk as if it was just another boring day in class. I tilted my head and rested my ear up against the palm of my hand with the listening piece waiting for my anticipating ear. It worked beautifully. How, I made it through 4 different classrooms during game #1 and was never discovered is beyond me.
Game #1 the Cubs could do absolutely no wrong. Led by their ace in Rick Sutcliffe, the Cubs went on to crush the padres 13-0. Sutcliffe only surrendered 2 hits over 7 innings while the offense gave him plenty of run support, mashing 5 homeruns. Gary Mathews led the home run onslaught hitting two dingers, while Bob Dernier, Ron Cey, and Rick Sutcliffe each had one of their own.
I went home from school on cloud #9. Sleep was hard to come to me that night, as I pondered game #2's pitching matchups and probable lineup cards. The Cubs won game #2, leaving the beloved Cubs within one single game of the World Series. How could we lose? We still had our two best pitchers available to pitch in the next three games. How could we lose all three?
Well, just as all Cub fans know, the Cubs don't just play against another teams players. They play against a long history of losing, black cats crossing their paths, a curse from a goat, freak improbable mishaps, and a whole slue of baseball gods determined to forbid the Cub players or their fans from feeling just a moment of true bliss. Old men and women, along with their grandchildren, gathered around the television for game #5. It turned out to be a game that is forever burned into my brain. Years later, I don't have to research too many stats, pitchers on the the mound, or mishaps by inning. It is as if it happened just yesterday.
My next posting, I will go into painful detail about the deciding game #5 of the 1984 NLCS playoffs. If your old enough to remember where you were or any memories of this deciding game feel free to post a comment. If your too young to remember, then I hope you can just come away with some sort of understanding how devastating it truly felt to be a true blue Chicago Cubs baseball fan that day. Painful losses, and unfulfilled expectations come with the territory to being ANY sports fan, but the Cubs took us fans to an entirely different level. Still we patiently wait, just the same. 1984 Cubs Baseball Jersey
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