  It's urlLink exxie's birthday today. So urlLink go tell her happy birthday. And read her blog too, she's funny. Anyway, I heard this joke once, before I lived in Chicago, about Chicagoans. It's one of those jokes that if you haven't lived in Chicago for at least a year before, you think is semi-amusing at best. If, like me, you then reflect on that joke after several yearly cycles in this city, you begin to see the real humour in it.
The joke goes like this: A Cubs fan dies and goes to Hell. After a while, Satan notices that the guy doesn't seem too bothered by the heat, so he turns it up a little bit. The Cubs fan shrugs to him self as says "it ain't so bad, it's just like a day in late June in Chicago". Satan isn't so pleased with that, so he turns up the heat again, and goes to check on the Cubs fan. The Cubs fan takes off his jacket and says "It ain't so bad, it's just like Chicago in July". Satan turns up the heat one more time, and is so mad when the cubs fan merely fans himself and says "It's just like Chicago in August", that Satan turns the heat all the way down to freezing.
The Cubs Fan drops to his knees and yells, "Oh My God! The Cubs won the World Series!". There's two things I like about this joke. One the reference to the extremes of temperature we here in Chicago experience. That damned summer heat and humidity makes walking down the street more like swimming down the street.. in a pool of sweat. The other thing is the reference to the perenially losing Cubs team.
The Cubs are such a Chicago institution (along with the White Sox), the lovable losers, the underdogs. For the first time in god knows how long, both the Cubs & the Sox are in first place in their division, and everybody is somewhat happy. Only "somewhat", because everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. People are surprised when the Cubs win, not the other way round. Anyway, what I think is actually cool, is the legend of the curse of the cubs. I got this from a urlLink Review on the Billy Goat Tavern, the bar that started it all.. As for the actual billygoat mentioned above, its notoriety does not end with the Billy Goat Tavern.
I wish it did. You see, the Chicago Cubs haven't been in the World Series since 1945, and haven't won one since 1908. Many attribute this misfortune to the "Curse of the Billy Goat. " The alleged curse was placed on the Cubs during the 1945 World Series by Billy Goat Sianis himself. Sianis happened to be a rabid Cubs fan and attempted to bring his goat, "Murphy," into game four. Murphy even had his own ticket.
As Sianis walked into Wrigley Field, the ushers prevented his entry, telling him that no goats were allowed. When Billy Goat asked for an appeal directly to owner P.K. Wrigley, P.K. told them to allow Billy Goat in but not Murphy. When Billy Goat asked why, they said, "Because the goat smells. " In retaliation, Sianis cast a "goat curse" over the Cubs by saying, "Cubs, they not gonna win anymore.
" Subsequently, the Tigers won the series and the Cubs have never been back. The Cubs' loss prompted Billy Goat to send a telegram to P.K. Wrigley asking, "Who smells now? " Billy Goat supposedly lifted the curse in 1969, but the Cubs blew a nine game lead that year to the lowly Mets, causing some to believe that the curse remains in place. Billy's nephew, Sam Sianis, now owns the tavern. To lift the "remnants" of the curse, Sam twice pulled up to Wrigley Field in 1972 and 1983, in a white limousine with a red carpet, a goat named "Socrates," and a sign that read, "All is forgiven.
Let me lead the Cubs to the pennant. Billy Goat. " Sam was denied entry by Cubs management both times. The curse was then lifted in 1984, when Cubs management finally relented and Sam brought the goat to opening day. The Cubs won the division, but lost to the Padres in the playoffs. Sam again brought the goat to Wrigley in 1994 after the Cubs lost their first 12 home games.
The Cubs won their next game, but the season was cut short due to the players' strike. The goat made its last appearance in 1998, a year that saw the Cubs win a wild card berth in the playoffs but then lose to Greg Maddux (former Cub) and the Braves. Because the Cubs continue to show occasional promise but always lose in the end, some still believe the hex remains in place. 
