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The Major League Baseball post season is set to begin next week with the “Wildcard” round. Of course, with the MLB one-game Wildcard being the hands down worst thing baseball has done in its history, we should thank our lucky stars the Texas Rangers won the AL West. The magic number is down to two for the Rangers to finish with the best record in the American League, giving them home field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the World Series where they could be destine to meet the Chicago Cubs.
Granted, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here, but how amazing would a Rangers vs. Cubs fall classic be? It’d be just that, classic. Texas has never won a championship despite appearing in the WS in back to back seasons in 2010 and 2011. The Cubs, well, if you know baseball you know their background. Cursed.
First, a brief look at the history of the Chicago Cubs curse of the Billy Goat and a curious case wondering if the Texas Rangers could have a Cruz curse. In 1945, a local bar owner named Billy Sianis, who ran Billy Goat Tavern, brought an actual goat to game four of the World Series where the Cubs were playing the Tigers. The goat smelled so bad, Sianis was asked to leave. The Cubs would go on to lose the series and the franchise never recovered. Of course, we know about Steve Bartman in 2003, stealing a foul ball from Moises Alou. That was followed by an error at short stop that allowed the Florida Marlins to beat the Cubs with the Marlins eventually winning the World Series. It’s been 108 years since the Cubs won the WS.
The Rangers recently won their 7th division title and are hoping they can fend off the Red Sox and Indians for the best record in the AL. In the Rangers first three post season appearances they were wiped out by the New York Yankees in the late 90’s. A decade later, the Rangers returned to the post season where they’d fall to the Giants in the 2010 World Series. Most Texas fans were just happy to be one of the final two teams left standing in 2010, but 2011 would be a different story. The Rangers were one out away from…you know what, let me stop right there. We all know that story. Just a horrible fluke or the start of a curse?
Of course, the Rangers being the team I support is reason number one why I want them to make and win the title. Playing the Cubs would make it a can’t-fail-moment. Something would have to give. Chicago will either seize the biggest chunk of baseball history since Boston in 2003 or the Rangers will make history by winning the club’s first ever title. Of course, this is all hypothetical, but I don’t believe there could possibly be a better championship series this season.