Cubs win, is the headline today. The ghosts of the past have been exorcised as the Chicago Cubs have won the National League pennant and they are going to the World Series!

No, this is not a misprint the Cubs are actually going to the World Series. The lowly Cubs have done it. It is not like they have not had good teams in the past, but in a way they have been like the best man at a wedding, always close but never a groom.

Ernie Banks would be very happy today. He was a great ambassador for baseball, always ready to play two, always with a smile on his face. He had wonderful team mates such as Ron Santo and Billy Williams. He would be proud that the Cubs have finally made it to the show, the World Series of baseball. It is a shame that he did not live to see it.

The last time the Chicago Cubs were in a world series was 1945. 45′ was the last of the war years, with many teams suffering from a lack of talent because many of our best players were serving in the military. You had to love the Cubs that year as they had a player named Peanuts, Peanuts Lowrey. Charlie Grimm was the manager. You had to be a bit grim to manage the Cubbies. Andy Pafko led the team in home runs with 12, and the star of the team was Stan Hack who led the team in runs scored with 110.

You have to go way, way back to 1906, to find a winning world series team for the Chicago Cubs. They had the legendary infield of Tinkers to Evers to Chance. It was so long ago, it is doubtful that we have anyone alive who actually saw that team play.

So, in a way, America has adopted the Cubs as our team. We like underdogs, and the Cubs have been underdogs for way too long. Their team this year is not an underdog. Management has built a young and strong team who won the most games of any team this year. They will play another team that has rarely seen success in Cleveland.

It has always been wait until next year for the Cubs. Well, next year has come and this years version of the Cubs will become the stuff of legends. Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and others have led the way, while their pitching staff has been excellent with Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, John Lester and John Lackey leading a strong staff for the ultimate victory. They have earned the right to represent the National League in the World Series.

Good Luck Cubbies!