It’s Sukkot, so ideally you’ll be spending your weekend eating traditional stuffed foods in a $10,000 sukkah.
Sad news everybody: Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein isn’t planning to run for president of the United States in 2020. “I do expect to be here the whole time,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “But it’s also a long life, and there probably are other things I want to try out at some point.”
It was the third game of the Giants-Cubs National League playoffs, going into extra innings. The winner of the best-of-seven series, which the Cubs led 2-1, would go on to the World Series. All of Chicago was watching that Wednesday evening, October 10, praying for the Cubs’ first World Series appearance since 1945 — but for one hardworking municipal leader toiling late into the night.
The celebration was already in progress when the Chicago Cubs arrived back home at Wrigley Field at 6 AM Thursday morning following their historic World Series victory over Cleveland. There was already a crowd to greet them. Or, rather, there was still a crowd to greet them: The fans who had gathered outside the ballpark to watch the score on the marquee had stayed to celebrate all night long.
If at first you don’t succeed — wrap, wrap again.
A home run by a Cleveland Indians slugger might point to the World Series outcome. What he did afterwards might point to American Jewry’s future.
“Go, Cubs, Go” is more than a song. It’s a tribute to performer Steve Goodman, composer of the iconic song, “City of New Orleans, and one of the most devoted Cubs fans of all time. Goodman, a Chicago singer and songwriter, died tragically of leukemia in 1984 at the age of 36, just 11 days before he was scheduled to sing the national anthem at the Cubs’ first-ever appearance in the National League playoffs. It’s also a testament to Goodman’s particular sense of humor.
We all know not to believe in curses or superstition, but during this baseball season in Chicago, the Cubs have taught skeptics to trust in the power of magical thinking.
A certain generation of Midwestern Jewish boys will always have a special attachment Ken Holtzman. Though his near-contemporary and fellow southpaw Sandy Koufax had the more dazzling career—and pitched his perfect game against the Cubs—it was Holtzman who had the most victories of any Jewish pitcher (174) in Major League Baseball history.
A certain generation of Midwestern Jewish boys will always have a special attachment Ken Holtzman. Though his near-contemporary and fellow southpaw Sandy Koufax had the more dazzling career—and pitched his perfect game against the Cubs—it was Holtzman who had the most victories of any Jewish pitcher (174) in Major League Baseball history.