No more tears

I used to try to listen to the World Series on a little transistor radio during my annual hunting trip to the Missouri Breaks. Tucked into a down sleeping bag after a day spent stalking antelope and muleys, it wasn’t an easy task. I seldom managed to stay awake until the end of the game.

I had dozed off during game 6 of the 1986 Series when Boston first baseman Bill Buckner missed a routine ground ball in the 10th inning that allowed the New York Mets to score the winning run and tie the Series. The roar of the crowd woke me up.

More often I would awaken sometime during the night to the sound of static and turn off the radio, having no clue who won the game.

But it didn’t really matter because as much as I like baseball, my team was never playing.

At a very young age I hitched my wagon to the Chicago Cubs. I can’t remember why, but I never quit them nonetheless. And while I watched my friends root for the Cards, the Braves, the Yankees and even the Red Sox in the Fall Classic, until this year, I was always waiting until next year.

I was thrilled when the Cubs won the National League pennant this fall, but I didn’t actually expect them to win the World Series. I’ve followed them too long.

“C’mon,” I told myself, “they’re the Cubs. Maybe next year.”

But nevertheless, I wasn’t taking any chances. After Cleveland shut out Chicago in Game 1, I quit wearing my Cubs hat for the rest of the series. Not that I’m superstitious or anything, but I didn’t want my ill-fitting lid to be responsible for any more losses.

And even though I watched the Series on television in my living room instead of listening to it on the radio under the stars, I still had a hard time staying awake.

This time, however, I suspect it was due more to my 64 years, than to how hard I had hunted during the day, which is not nearly as hard as I used to hunt back in the day.

I’ll admit to shedding a tear when Kris Bryant fielded a soft infield grounder off Michael Martinez’ bat and fired the ball to Anthony Rizzo for the final out in the bottom of the 10th.

After 108 years of frustration for them and a lifetime for me, I watched my Cubbies win the World Series.

Now I can go to sleep.

Parker Heinlein is at

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