As we get rolling down the comeback trail, I’m still thinking of comebacks. Not surprisingly, another memorable one pops in my head. How about when the Cubs were down 3-1 in the World Series against the Indians? That 2016 year was an unbelievable journey. The Cubs were one of the best teams all year. We had seen this movie before though, and the Cubs, inevitably would break our hearts. 1984 comes to mind, my first sports heartbreak; 2003 ranks up there as one of the worst pains ever caused by my teams. This time would be different, right? Well, as the Cubs started the postseason, I felt good. First the Giants… not without another comeback in Game 4 in San Francisco… down 3 runs in the 9th… put up a 4 spot… whew! Next up was the Dodgers. From the Miggy grand slam in Game 1 to the double play that put the Cubs back in the World Series for the first time since 1945, there was never a doubt… this was OUR year. Well, that got tested after going down 3-1 to the Tribe. No way… how… why… not again. Our faith was tested. After being burned so many times, how could we still believe? That’s just how it is, at least for Cubs fans, at least for me. So yeah, I was walking on the ledge… actually walking down an alley in my neighborhood the day before Game 5 with my dog before finding a penny sitting there… I picked it up… hell, we need all the luck we can get. I was doing my part! After the first 2 games in New York for a family wedding, I watched all the remaining playoff games from our condo, in the same spot on the couch, with a Cubs jersey on, and the same Cubs hat. At this point in the postseason, I had Cubs jerseys laid out all over the condo; my wife had to deal with it. I wasn’t going to change now. I’m staying the course. After all, going back to my first blog ever on this website, I talked about how it would have to be something crazy when the Cubs actually win it all. Welcome to crazy! Game 5 turned out to be the first World Series game won in Wrigley since 1945. To be specific, it was Game 6, October 8, 1945, against the Tigers, when the Cubs scored a run in the bottom of the 12th, to push that series to 7 games; it didn’t end well. We were losing in this one before Kris Bryant game us some life, hitting one into the left center field bleachers. Lester and Chapman pitched their asses off, and we would live to play another day. If we don’t complete the comeback, at least the Cubs gave the faithful, who turned out as always, paying record bucks to be there that night, one final thrill. But the Cubs weren’t done. Game 6 in Cleveland was a laugher until it wasn’t. Why bring in Chapman there? Anyways, Game 7 was the cherry on top of the crazy cake that we needed to eat to taste that ultimate glory… talk about a comeback, the wrong way. The Indians stormed back, putting me on life support, as I watched the Cubs blow a lead in Game 7 of the World Series. The rain delay… where I paced around my condo like a caged animal, on the phone with my brother was who right there with me… talk about tense times. And yes, finally, the 10th inning, where all the heartbreak from previous years was washed away, as we saw Bryant field that ball and Rizzo, thankfully as tall as he is, squeeze it at first. Yeah, that was a pretty sweet comeback…
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