World Champion Cubs | Chicago Cubs & Wrigley Field Fan Site

 

 

World Champion Cubs is a fan site dedicated to the Chicago Cubs, their championship teams of the past, and their century-long effort to bring another World Series title back to Wrigley Field.*

Wait 'til Next Year...

It was clear early on that 2011 was not going to be a championship season for the Cubs. Faithful Cubs fans continued to enjoy the remainder of the season on a game-to-game basis - but in hopes of a 2012 team that will be re-invented, re-invigorated and re-inspired by necessary changes at all levels of the organization.

After 102 seasons without a World Championship, and 65 years since playing in a World Series, fans will wait hopefully to see things change for the better next season.

 

Cubs Team Titles

  • 2 World Championships: 1907, 1908
  • 16 League Titles / Pennants: 1876, 1880-1882, 1885-1886, 1906-1908, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945
  • 3 Division Titles: 1984, 1989, 2003, 2007, 2008
  • 1 Wild Card Appearance: 1998

In their 10 post-season appearances from 1906 to 1945, the Cubs made it to the World Series every time - but won only twice. They have not won the World Series since 1908, or played in a World Series since 1945.

The Playoff Counter & "Eamus Catuli!"

Fans waiting for the Cubs' next World Series appearance are reminded of the Cubs' long-term playoff drought every time they look across Sheffield Avenue, behind Wrigley Field's right field bleachers. A playoff counter shows the number of years since they have reached each of the milestones above (updated for 2011):

Cubs Playoff Counter

Legend:
AC - ("Anno Catuli," or "In the Year of the Cubs.")
02 - number of years since the Cubs' last Division Championship (2008)
65 - number of years since the Cubs' last Pennant (1945)
102 - number of years since the Cubs' last World Series title (1908)

To the left of the counter, on the same building, you will also see the phrase "Eamus Catuli!" This roughly translates from Latin as "Let's Go Cubs!" (Catuli translates to "whelps", the nearest Latin equivalent of a cub).

The Curse of the Billy Goat

One of the many excuses offered for why the Cubs have failed to claim a World Series title in almost a full century is the famed "Curse of the Billy Goat."

As legend has it, Greek immigrant Billy Sianis (then-owner of the nearby Billy Goat Tavern, of SNL "cheezborger cheezborger / no pepsi, coke" fame) had tickets to game 4 of the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field. Sianis' companion for the game was...a goat...wearing a sign that read "We've got Detroit's goat." Sianis and his goat were admitted into the game, but were later ejected due to the goat's foul odor. Sianis, angry at being ejected, placed a curse on the Cubs, claiming they would never play in another World Series. Sianis died in 1970, but the curse apparently lives on, as the Cubs are still in the midst of the longest World Series title drought in MLB history.

World Series Title Drought

The Cubs' 102-year title drought (1908-2010) is the longest in MLB history - and the 2011 season doesn't appear to offer any hope for change...

Second on the all-time list is the Chicago White Sox, who ended their 88-year drought (1917-2005) with a World Series title in 2005. Third is the Boston Red Sox who went 86 years (1918-2004) before they broke their own "Curse of the Bambino."

The second longest active title drought is held by the Cleveland Indians, who have gone 62 years (1948) without a title.

Hall of Famers

The National Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes 45 Hall of Fame players, managers and executives related to the Cubs organization, dating back into the 1800's, when the team was still searching for its name. Before the Cubs became the Cubs, they were first named the White Stockings. (Sound familiar? This name was eventually adopted by Chicago's American League team.) Later they became the Colts, under the leadership of player/manager and Hall of Famer Adrian "Cap" Anson. And for a few forgettable seasons after losing Cap's leadership, they were actually referred to as the Chicago Orphans(!). They didn't become the Chicago Cubs until 1902, but the Hall of Fame recognizes inductees under all of these early team names to be part of the Cubs' storied history.

Some of the most memorable names on the Cub's Hall of Fame list include Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, Leo Durocher, Dennis Eckersley, Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams.

Retired Numbers

The Cubs have retired the numbers of six former players, who are all commemorated on pinstriped flags that fly from the foul poles at Wrigley Field:

  • Ron Santo
  • Ernie Banks
  • Ryne Sandberg
  • Billy Williams
  • Ferguson Jenkins
  • Greg Maddux

Of note: Jackie Robinson's number (42) was retired by Major League Baseball for ALL MLB clubs, although Robinson's number is not commemorated on a flag at Wrigley Field.

Ron Santo

Cubs fans were sad to hear of the passing of Ron Santo in December of 2010.

Santo was a nine-time All-Star who won five Gold Gloves as a power-hitting third baseman for the Cubs from 1960-1973. His career as a player ended in 1974, but he remained an active Cubs supporter and enthusiast, often referred to as the biggest Cubs fan of all time. He was a radio announcer for the Cubs from 1990 until his passing from diabetes-related complications in 2010, and was much beloved by both players and fans spanning many generations.

Santo and his fans dreamed about seeing three events before his passing: the Cubs retiring his number (#10), which happened in 2003; his induction into the Hall of Fame; and a Cubs World Series victory. Cubs fans of all ages are stil waiting for those last two...

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