Voice On Sports 10/22/15: Cubs, Curses, & More

By Robert Vincent
The Curse of Murphy…
OK. So maybe the Back to the Future prediction for the World Series was incorrect. As of right now, as I sit and write this column for you, faithful sports reader, The Mets are up 3-0 and the game is about to start. Odds are the Cubs ain’t making it to the World Series.

And Why?

Murphy. Murphy. Murphy.

What does Murphy have to do with anything? Well, let me tell you.

It all started in 1908. The Cubs had just won the World Series. They had a big party. Everyone was invited. Everyone but their owner, who was HATED by the entire team. So, when he found out, he got pretty mad and cursed the players (honestly, it happened.) His name? Charles Murphy.

Fast Forward to 1945. The Cubs were in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Billy Sianis was a life time Cubs fan and owner of a bar in Chicago. He was asked to leave the World Series because they would not let him bring his goat into Wrigley (we all know this story). His words: “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more!” That goat…his name…was Murphy.

It gets better: In 1969, when the Cubs and Mets met again for a trip to the World Series (which the Mets won), the announcer for the Mets was Bob MURPHY and the GM for the Mets, Johnny MURPHY. When the Cubs lost the NLCS in 1984, they did so in Jack MURPHY Stadium.

And the kicker? This year, the Mets’ hero? Daniel MURPHY.

Coincidence? I think not. I think there is an adage that states: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. That adage is called “Murphy’s Law”.

Eighteen
For the first 30 odd years of their existence, The Pittsburgh Steelers were terrible. Then, in the 1970’s, something happened. They hired Chuck Noll. He drafted names like “Mean” Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Jack Hamm, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambart, and on and on. During that decade, they won four championships.
Given, the 1980’s weren’t good for the Steelers. However, in the 1990’s, they hired Bill Cowler as head coach. In his first six seasons, Cowler took the team to three AFC Championship games and one Superbowl, losing to the Cowboys.

After ten years of winning, but not making it to the big game, Cowler took his team to Superbowl XL and beat Seattle for their fifth ring with Big Ben, Bettis and other big names. In three short years, yet another head coach Mike Tomlin took the Steelers to Superbowl XLIII and beat the Cardinals. This gave them their sixth Superbowl, which is the most of any team. They went three years later, and lost to the Packers. This was their eighth appearance, tied for most with the Cowboys and Patriots. They have hosted 11 Conference Championship games, which is more than any other team and played in 15 of those games, which is tied for first with the San Francisco 49ers. This makes them the 18th greatest sports franchise.

Bits and Pieces
In NFL action, look for The Giants, Colts and Falcons to get wins. The game to watch is Jets at Patriots and don’t be surprised if there is an upset.
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So, faithful sports reader, enjoy the weekend. Next week look for College Basketball Previews and #17. Until then, “Look like a woman, play like a man.”-Jan Stephenson, on golf.