What does it mean to truly believe in something? To know that
no matter what your eyes see, your ears hear, your instincts insist, you
implore yourself to never, ever give in.
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. Even when that belief has led to disappointment and heartache time
and time and time again. When do you quit? When do you cave? When do you
decide youve finally had enough?These are the questions that have faced
fans of the Chicago Cubs for more than a century. Indeed, when do you
decide youve finally had enough? Eight years ago, on the 100th
anniversary of the Cubs last World Series championship, ESPN profiled 11
such fans -- one from every decade going back to 1908 -- to reveal both
the optimism and torture these die-hards have endured. At the same
time, theyve tried to understand why they keep coming back for more. And
when -- if ever -- the hope ends.With the Cubs playing in their first
World Series since 1945, were revisiting our cast to see how their love
for the Cubs has evolved and what the ride has been like with this 2016
team.Sadly, three members -- Richard Savage, Helen Keiling and Betty
Maute -- have since died. Savage made it to 105 but died in 2013.
Keiling was 95 when she passed in 2010. And Maute was 90 when she died
in 2014. But their love for the Cubs is still alive in the form of their
families. As each member of our cast said in 2008: Well wait. Well wait
for our parents, their parents and anyone else who has ever cheered for
the Cubbies. And when our time here runs out, our kids will wait for
us.Here are the stories of these 11 Cubs fans. Some who swear they never
lost hope, others who have had their hearts trampled enough that they
refuse to believe even this team will be the one to win the World
Series.Wrigley Fields2008: Age 7 | Ross Dettman for ESPN2016: Age 15 |
Alyssa Schukar for ESPNAs Cubs catcher Miguel Montero rounded the bases
after his pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 of the NLCS, Wrigley Fields sat
in his bedroom and played video games, somewhat annoyed at all the
noise his parents were making in the living room as they watched the
game. The boy was named after one of the most iconic stadiums in the
world, but hes not that big of a baseball fan.Its just kind of slow and
boring. I cant sit still that long, said Fields, a freshman at Lockport
High School in Chicagos southwest suburbs. I keep up with the team. I
know if theyve won or lost. With my name, I have no choice. But its not
like Im some rabid fan who lives on every pitch. Thats my dad. For me,
school, diving and video games. Thats my life.Still, Fields loves his
name. He chuckles when a substitute teacher stumbles during roll call or
when his name is announced at a diving meet and parents look around in
disbelief. Sure, kids might tease him occasionally, but with his
laid-back personality, he couldnt care less.Ive never had a day where I
havent liked it, he said. People learning my name for the first time is
honestly the best part of my day. Its the best ice breaker. And then
people try to talk to me about the game, and I just play it off like I
know what theyre talking about.Wrigleys mom, Kathy, who agreed to let
her husband, Jerry, name their first boy after the stadium, has
similarly grown to love it.Hes just Wrigley, she said. I dont even think
of him associated with the stadium most of the time. Its a name that is
as unique as he is.As for the World Series, Wrigley says hell be
watching. Sort of. He did manage to come out of his room when the Cubs
were two outs away from winning the pennant.I know how big of a deal
this would be, he says. I hope they do it.Anna Patras2008: Age 16 | Ross
Dettman for ESPN2016: Age 24 | Alyssa Schukar for ESPNTo say that Anna
Patras is still as passionate about the Cubs as she was in high school
would be an understatement. During the 2015 playoffs she nearly lost her
administrative assistant job as she traveled back and forth from
Minneapolis for as many games as she could, often taking 6 a.m.,
morning-after-the-game flights to be at her desk by 8. Looking back on
it now, probably not the wisest of decisions, she said. But I can get
blinded sometimes by all things Cubs.The 2016 run has been far better
for her career, considering she received a promotion and transferred
this past summer to her companys Chicago office. Still, she has friends
who dont always get it when she drops everything - and, if needed,
anyone -- to be in Wrigley or at a Wrigley pub to watch the playoffs. To
me, its about the game, and that doesnt always sit well with everyone,
she says. And if I have a ticket -- even a single -- well, Im going to
go.Patras has also used her Cubs passion to raise more than $6,000 for
esophageal cancer research at the Mayo Clinic. The disease took both her
uncle and the father of her best friend. During last years playoffs,
she ran a half-marathon in a goat costume to raise donations, and this
year, when she won the Cubs lottery for playoff tickets, she auctioned
off a ticket to NLDS Game 2 with proceeds going to the Mayo Clinic. She
plans to watch every game of the World Series in Wrigleyville, except
one, which she will watch on the couch next to her grandmother, who is
81.Her and I are long overdue to watch the World Series together, she
said. I cant wait.Kurt Evans2008: Age 29 | Ross Dettman for ESPN2016:
Age 36 | Finn OHara for ESPNEight years ago, as the founder and writer
for Cubs blog Goat Riders of the Apocalypse, Kurt Evans knew without
question that the greatest moment of his life would come when the Cubs
eventually won the World Series. But then in 2010 he left his
high-pressure sales job to become a teacher. His creative energy for the
blog dwindled as he focused on the classroom. Four years later, he and
his wife welcomed their first son into the world. And now everything has
changed.I was totally wrong, Evans said. Becoming a dad will be the
greatest thing that ever happened to me.Evans still follows the team
closely, especially since Tom Ricketts bought the team and in 2011
brought in Theo Epstein to run the baseball operations department.If you
think about it, the real, true curse -- if there ever was a curse -- is
the curse of bad ownership, Evans said. Its pretty obvious thats what
held this team back for so long.The morning after the Cubs won the NLCS,
the Toronto resident connected with old Cubs friends and devoured as
many Cubs stories as he could find. And he thought about his son, who
wont have much of a choice in choosing a favorite baseball team.Hes
going to have a completely different Cubs experience than the one I had,
Evans said. Hes going to grow up with a Cubs team that is likely to be
competitive and interesting every year. And could maybe even win
multiple World Series. Its strange just to say that. But it couldnt make
me any happier.I was totally wrong. Becoming a dad will be the greatest
thing that ever happened to me.Kurtis EvansDavid Diaz2008: Age 32 |
Ross Dettman for ESPN2016: Age 40 | Alyssa Schukar for ESPNIn the top of
the ninth inning in Game 1 of the NLCS, former WBC world champion David
Diaz crossed his arms and legs in his bed and refused to move, hoping
to spark some sort of rally in a game in which the Cubs and Dodgers were
tied 3-3. And when three Cubs reached base and Miguel Montero hit a
grand slam, Diaz didnt budge until the game was over.My wife tried to
take my hand, and Im like, Leave me alone! Diaz said. I didnt move or
say anything else until the game was over. And then when the Cubs won I
finally told her, I thought it was me. I was the one making all this
happen.Its crazy, I know. But thats me and the Cubs -- anything I feel I
can do to help.Diaz retired from boxing in 2011 and now works as a real
estate agent in Chicago and trains youth fighters. Hes as passionate --
and superstitious -- about the Cubs as ever. Just as he was in 2008
when he was asked to enter a prefight press conference with Manny
Pacquiao alongside a goat. I was like, no way, Diaz said. I cant be
associated with some goat.Diaz, whose Realty of Chicago office is on the
citys South Side, doesnt mince words about his goal for the 2016 Cubs
team: I want the World Series. We want that belt. Im happy the Cubs are
doing great, but the ultimate prize is to finish No. 1. And then when it
is over, go out and do it again next year. Now that would be something
to shut everybody up from the South Side.Billy Corgan2008: Age 41 | Ross
Dettman for ESPN2016: Age 49Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan
politely declined a request to talk about his Cubs fandom, suggesting he
did not want to grant any Cubs-related interviews until after the World
Series. But Corgan has been seen during the playoffs at Harry Carays
restaurant and at Wrigley Field.Dr. Jordan Grafman2016: Age 65 | Alyssa
Schukar for ESPNIts been almost a decade since Dr. Jordan Grafman penned
a chapter in the book Your Brain on Cubs, and yet, despite his renowned
work as the director of brain injury research at the Rehabilitation
Institute of Chicago, his lifelong love for the Cubs is still one of the
things that brings him nationwide notoriety. Hes quoted regularly by
George Will, and this October, the interest has come in the form of
interview requests. Reporters from all over the country are eager to
listen to Grafman explain how the brain of the Cubs fan is
intellectually superior to that of any other team because of the mental
gymnastics it takes to support a perennial loser.Its not like this is
going to help my career or anything, but to be a fan about something
since you were young and have all these people ask your advice is kind
of fun, Grafman said.Although Grafmans love for the Cubs hasnt waned,
hes learned to no longer be driven by bottom-line results. He says he
doesnt care if the team wins the World Series. And he isnt kidding.I
know people are going to look twice at that, but this team is so much
fun to watch. I take so much joy in watching Javy [Baez] and [Jorge]
Soler and the younger guys. I just want to see them play longer and
longer. Of course, if they play longer than anyone else, theres a good
chance that means they will win it all. But to me that isnt
everything.Ronnie Woo-Woo Wickers2008: Age 67 | Ross Dettman for
ESPN2016: Age 75 | Alyssa Schukar for ESPNThere was a time when Ronnie
Woo-Woo couldnt sit still at Wrigley Field. When the most polarizing
Cubs fan would spend games scampering up and down the cement bleachers,
wooing all along the way. But those days are long gone. Wickers fell at
Wrigley on July 19, tearing the patellar tendon off of his kneecap,
prompting surgery and a lengthy rehab that caused him to miss all but
the last two games of the regular season. And even then, on subsequent
trips to Wrigley, hes worn a bulky knee brace and needed a walker to get
around.It was the first time Ive ever seen him at Wrigley Field where
you could see that sort of sadness on his face a bit, said his longtime
friend Janet Tabit. He used to be the one running up and down those
stairs cheering all the time. And that day we had to move to a different
part of the ballpark where he could be more comfortable. And you could
tell it bothered him.Just as frustrating in recent years has been the
fading of Wickers voice. Doctors have looked at his throat and vocal
chords and determined nothing is wrong. But the wear and tear of a
half-century of wooing for the Cubs has prompted his voice to come and
go.I try to get past it, Wickers said. People ask me to cheer, I give
them a woo. Sometimes its still there. But I promise if they win the
World Series, it will come back again. This team is in it to win it. And
when they do, thats all the medicine I will need.Bruce Ladd2008: Age 72
| Phil Ellsworth for ESPN2016: Age 80 | Justin Cook for ESPNWhen told
this October that he is the oldest living cast member from ESPNs
original No Love Lost feature in 2008, Bruce Ladd responded with his
typical honest, frank tone. Hot damn, Ladd joked. My mother always told
me I should accomplish something respectable in my life.The former
Washington, D.C., lobbyist confessed earlier this year that his
motivation in starting a Beltway-centric Cubs fan club, called the Emil
Verban Society, was based not on his love for the team but rather his
desire to grow his Rolodex and open some doors in Washington. It did
wonders for me, he said. By the time he stopped sending club newsletters
and put the operation on a permanent hiatus in 2010, Hillary Clinton,
Barack Obama, Dick Cheney and Antonin Scalia were all members.Ladd, now
80 and retired in North Carolina, has battled 30 years of heart disease
and multiple melanomas. Now he says his kidneys are giving him trouble.
And hes learned over the years not to expect too much from his favorite
baseball team. Not even this year.I know the answer should be, Oh yes,
we are going to win the World Series. But honestly, my expectations were
lowered a long time ago, he said. Im not looking to win the World
Series this year. Why would I possibly think that? There is 108 years of
history saying that isnt going to happen.The number of times we have
been in the playoffs the last 20 years? If you look at it, honestly, its
just more false hope. The Cubs love it. The fans love it. Its good for
the bottom line. But honestly I dont have any expectations.Im not
looking to win the World Series this year. Why would I possibly think
that? There is 108 years of history saying that isnt going to
happen.Bruce LaddBetty Maute2008: Age 84 | Ross Dettman for ESPN2016:
Family of Betty Maute | Alyssa Schukar for ESPNOn the night the Cubs won
the National League pennant, all three of Betty Mautes children, six of
her seven grandchildren and all six of her great-grandchildren gathered
together to watch the game. Just the way she would have wanted it.
Grandson Brian Maute, who attended a Cubs game with his grandma every
summer from the time he was 4 years old until she died, wore the Betty
#7 jersey she used to wear all the time. And when the Cubs turned the
final 6-4-3 double play to beat the Dodgers, it was understandably
emotional.There were a few tears in the room, of course, Brian said. The
Cubs were such a big part of her life. Shes the matriarch of why we all
became big Cubs fans. And we just couldnt help but think how she would
have been so super-excited. On absolute cloud nine.Before Betty died in
2014, her grandson says she was excited about the hiring of Theo Epstein
and the direction the club was headed.Of course, wed love it for her to
be here to see this - she would have adored this team and the way they
play and carry themselves, Brian said. But she had 90 years of Cubs
fandom in her life. It was a great life. So its hard to be too upset. We
will just have to celebrate for her.Helen Keiling2008: Age 93 | Ross
Dettman for ESPNWith each Cubs victory during the playoffs, Leslie
Keiling hasnt found herself smiling. Her mother, Helen, died in 2010,
but she was such a fanatical Cubs fan that when she was alive, Leslie
would read her the Cubs articles in the newspaper each morning.Weve said
it so many times this year, Leslie said. When they nailed the division,
when they beat the Giants and then the Dodgers. If only Mom was here.
If only Dad was here. Were far from the only ones. Thats what this is
about for so many people. We have a grandma or someone wishing they
could see this team.The 2016 Cubs, Leslie says, would have been one of
her mothers favorites.
She hated all the showboaters like Sammy Sosa, Leslie said. But this
team, they are such gentlemen. Everyone who knows my mom always says
that -- she would have loved these guys. Like the way [Anthony] Rizzo
apologized to the umpire in Los Angeles? She would have been so giddy
about what theyve done and the gentlemen they are.Richard Savage2008:
Age 100 | Ross Dettman for ESPNRichard Savage photographed in 2008 in
Chicago, Ill. He died in 2013 at age 105.Andrew HancockAfter 107 seasons
and more than 15,000 games there is no fan base that has ever been more
tortured. The question is whether or not this is the year it finally
comes to an end. Far less for the hyper teenagers or always believing
die-hards in their 20s and 30s and more so for their parents,
grandparents and great parents. For loving the Cubs is something that is
passed down from one generation to the next, with the promise to never
give up. Because someday, it will happen.
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.
Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado
Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the
best 10-game start in team history.
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.Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a
scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey
tournament.
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.
R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a
franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night
over the Los Angeles Kings.
San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker left Monday nights 97-96
win over the Milwaukee Bucks with a knee injury that coach Gregg
Popovich said could keep him out for an extended period.On Tuesday, the
Spurs announced it was a left knee contusion and that Parker wouldnt
play Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.Parker, 34, had
started after missing the previous two games with a thigh contusion.He
had six points and five assists in 18 minutes beffore limping off with
about nine minutes left in the third quarter after falling hard to the
floor and appearing to grab at his left knee.
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Parker stayed on the bench for the rest of the night. Hes averaging 9.7
points and 4.3 assists in his 16th season.Information from The
Associated Press was used in this report.
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