Heartbreak of the 1969 Cubs-(Part 1)

Two days after Neal Armstrong took “a giant leap for mankind” and made footprints on the moon in July of 1969, I got out of the US Army and made my own footprints at O’Hare Airport near my suburban Chicago home. Something was different-the Chicago Cubs were in first place! There was excitement with talk of a World Series at Wrigley Field. Crazy talk-the Cubs in a World Series!??

 

Could it even be possible? The thought of my hero Ernie Banks, who was a great short stop and now sporting a first base mitt, playing in the World Series? Dare I dream it? The Cubs spent 155 days in first place that year, all the way up to the middle of September. It had been 24-years since the Cubs went to a Series and 61-years since they won it. Then BAM!! Reality set in-along with the “Amazing Mets”…

Related posts:

1. Heartbreak of the 1969 Cubs-(Part 2)
2. 200 is Cubs “Next Year”…
3. Chicago White Sox-1959
4. A Week into Spring Training
5. Are the ‘Experts’ Usually Right?