As the baseball post-season begins, fingers are crossed in Boston, Philadelphia, Anaheim, New York, Colorado and Arizona. In Chicago and Cleveland, however, the anti-jinx procedures are slightly more intense.
Fans of the Cubs and Indians are breaking out their lucky rabbit's feet, shiny pennies and other essential good luck charms. Why all of the superstitious measures? This year both teams look to break long-lived World Series droughts, and no one wants to be the one to jinx what might be the one chance either team will see in a while.
The Cubs are baseball's "lovable losers." They are the team with the longest time passed since their last championship. The Cubs last won the Fall Classic in 1908, making it 99 years since their last ticker-tape parade in the Windy City.
The Indians are not far behind with the second longest span of time since their last championship. 1948 was the last time Tribe fans saw their team celebrating.
The Cubs' drought is a more storied one. Many have heard of the "billy goat curse," an infamous story about a Cub fan that brought a goat into the 1945 World Series game and was forced to leave. The fan was so upset about being ejected that, it is said, he put a curse on the Cubs - the reason why they haven't won a series in several years. The Indians and their fans have felt the stomach-dropping feeling of loss more often, however.
The Cubs returned to the World Series in 1945, the only time following their win. The Indians have played to the end of the playoffs three times since 1948 - the last time when Cleveland made it to the seventh game with the Florida Marlins and lost.
Chicago fans may argue that the Steve Bartman incident in 2003 hurt more than anything Indians fans have endured. Bartman, a fan, interfered with a foul ball, costing the Cubbies an out in the eighth inning of game six of the National League Championship Series. The Cubs eventually lost the series to the Marlins.
Ending long droughts seems to be the trend lately. Both teams have an increased chance of ending their winless streaks. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox broke their championship droughts in the last three years. Neither of those teams had won a championship since the 1930s. Boston's dry spell dated all the way back to 1918.
It's not just the Cubs and Indians who are looking to win the World Series this year for the first time in a while. Neither the Philadelphia Phillies nor the Colorado Rockies have made it to the playoffs in 10 years.
Phillies fans still remember pitcher Mitch Williams giving up a series-winning home run to Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.
The Rockies have never won a World Series and have only been to the playoffs once. Colorado fans are hoping that this might be the year the team finally makes it out of the first round.
The other four teams that made it to the playoffs this year have won championships in more recent years. The Red Sox won in 2004. The Yankees won in 2000. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won in 2002 and the Arizona Diamondbacks won in 2001. Nevertheless, fans of these franchises would not be against another championship for their team.
In any event, this post-season, which began Wednesday, looks to be very exciting for fans of all the teams taking part.
