It still doesn't feel real…

Wednesday November 2, 2016 is a day that will forever be engrained in my memory.

It is the day the unthinkable happened.

After 108 years of agony, the Chicago Cubs finally broke a long-standing “curse,” whatever the fuck that means, and captured a World Series title.

When I woke up that Wednesday morning, it was the first time in years that I felt genuinely excited about the World Series or baseball in general. This game was huge.

The Cubs had battled back down from a 3-1 deficit and I remember reading the columns and hearing the annoying voices of ESPN, Fox, etc. about how the Cubs were done. Many wrote them off just like they did when they were only down 2-1 in the NLCS. Stupid idiots.

I wondered, are these people even paying attention? I don’t know about any of you, but to me, the series didn’t feel like it was over when they were down 3-1. In my heart, I felt like if any team could pull this out, it was the Cubs. History says otherwise, but when the going gets tough, this Cubs team answers the call. Throughout the season, they had plenty of games where they came from behind. This didn’t feel any different. They always looked poised, even in defeat.

To all the ass clowns who wrote them off…

I know hindsight is 20/20 and this is easy to say now, but choke on a drumstick you piss stains.

Unfortunately, I missed the start of the game, but I hurried to the watch party with some friends. One of them is a massive Cubs fan. He has a “C” on his arm for goodness sake. His parents are huge fans as well. To them, this was similar to how I personally felt about a Saints Superbowl.

For the record, I have always said I would trade three Saints Superbowls for one Cubs World Series…worth it.

I walked in to that house and one pitch later, Javier Baez dropped a bomb in the 5th inning. I was immediately greeted with a hug and a shot of Captain Morgan by my friend because what the fuck are friends for, right? It was awesome.

I assume for those of you reading this, you probably watched the game so no need to take you through a detailed play-by-play of what happened. If you did watch, it goes without saying that the game was an emotional roller coaster for any fan of either team. From the Cubs hot start, to a meltdown that let the Cleveland Indians climb their way back, to a rain delay, to extra innings…what more can you ask for in a World Series game 7?

I, for one, kept my fingers crossed that this was it…the Cubs year.

I recorded a video of the last play of the game. That dribbler down the third base line in which Kris Bryant made a clean throw to Anthony Rizzo at first and the 10 or so people in the room went ape shit. It was awesome. Beer and Captain turned into Champagne. This was a fucking celebration. Tears turned to laughter. Laughter turned into loud obnoxious cheering. 

The Cubs winning is great for baseball. I have never seen so many people on my Facebook feed and the message boards actually give two shits about baseball, but this year they did. 108 years of history were on the line. This was a groundbreaking event. The TV ratings and ticket prices speak for themselves in terms of how big of an event this was.

Game 7 finished with a 25.2 TV rating, destroying game 7 of the 2016 NBA finals by over six points. It was the most watched baseball game in the last 25 years, my lifetime. It wasn’t just Chicago rooting for the Cubbies, it was most of the country.

I woke up the next morning and had to remind myself that the Cubs actually won the World Series. I remember brushing my teeth and getting emotional thinking about everything I saw the night before. The Cubs are no longer the “bless your heart” of Major League Baseball. No one is feeling sorry after Wednesday. 

I won’t sit here and pretend that I am a die hard Cubs fan because I am not. I don’t want to take that title away from my close friends nor the people of Chicago. Some fans died waiting for this to happen, so that wouldn’t feel right.

But I am a sports fan above all. I want to see what is best for the game and the best product imaginable. Cubs winning is amazing for baseball and something I have waited 25 years to see.

This sports fan felt the emotion. Felt the joy. Felt the relief of the fans who have waited for this for a long time when Bryant threw it to Rizzo for the final out. I got all of that on November 2, 2016.

Pinch me because this doesn’t feel real. GO CUBBIES!!