CARTOON: “Cubs Kill The Goat”

From Clay Jones on his political cartoon “Cubs Kill The Goat,” how the Cubs won the World Series, and yay sports

I recently read that one’s first memory can be as early from two years of age if something traumatic happened. Sure enough, mine is. It’s from waking up in a hospital in Louisiana when I was two. My second memory is from a few years later, around the age of five. It’s the Chicago Cubs.

I was living in Elgin, Illinois, and the Cubs were on TV. I don’t remember if I decided or was told I was a Cubs fan. I just remember always being a Cubs fan. I was a Cubs fan before I knew the names of other teams. I hate drawing Pearly Gates cartoons, and one wasn’t required here, but this might be the only time in my career where I’m really happy to draw St. Peter and the Pearly Gates. RIP, Goat.

Legend has it that a curse was placed upon the Chicago Cubs after someone was kicked out of Wrigley Field for bringing along a goat. Seriously, people. If you can’t find a goatsitter, watch the game at home. Whether curses are real or not, the Cubs had not won a World Series since 1908. The Chicago Cubs are world champions. What?

Did Hell freeze over? A lot of political cartoonists drew that last week. Does this mean it’s the end of times? Armageddon is near? Trump will be elected? Crazier things have happened. Matthew McConaughey has an Oscar for Christ’s sake. But no. While it’s not the end of days, this World Series does tell us Clinton will be elected. Huh?

Every time a World Series has gone to seven games in a presidential election year, the winning league coincided with which party wins the White House. Each time the American League has won, the Republicans won the White House, and each time the National League takes it, the White House goes to the Democrats. So to all you Trump supporters cheering on the Cubs last night, HA HA!

It was an exciting series between two well deserving teams. If Cleveland had been playing anyone else besides the Cubs, I would have rooted for them, but they had to play my Cubs. Of course a victory in this series wasn’t going to come easy and without testing every fan’s nerves.

Seven games. Cleveland was up 3–1. The Cubs came back and took it to the seventh game and taking the trophy by winning three games in a row, the last two in Cleveland. Naturally the last game was a nail-biter. The Cubs started the game with a solo home run by their lead off hitter. They were up 6 at one point, and then Cleveland came back and eventually tied in the eighth inning. During the ninth inning, because nothing comes easy, there was a rain delay. The goat didn’t want to die quietly.

Finally in the 10th inning, the Cubs scored two more runs. Then Cleveland scored one more, and after the last out the Cubs were world champs. Finally. And then I had to go home and draw a cartoon.

Rest in piece, you nasty old goat. We might have lost a bit of the mystique by acquiring a world crown, but I don’t think anyone in Wrigleyville is gonna complain about that. We’re not gonna miss the goat.

The goat was ba-a-a-a-a-ad.

I hope my late grandfather (wherever he is because he was kinda racist) was watching tonight. I hope my mom was watching too. They both had taken me to Wrigley when I was a kid and would have been overjoyed with this win. My son and older brother both contacted me minutes after the victory. It’s a family thing.

The World Series trophy is finally going back to sweet home Chicago.

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