Cubs fans have varied views of 'curse'

CHICAGO -- The ivy along the outfield wall at Wrigley Field was an uncharacteristic red during the Cubs' loss to the Florida Marlins last week. The rumors about the "Billy Goat Curse" have been flying around ever since. The Billy Goat Curse has roots back to the 1945 World Series, the last time the \nCubs were in the final series of the season. The goat was not allowed in the stadium as it was in previous years for good luck. The owner of the goat that put a curse on the Cubs said they would never be in the World Series again. Ever since that World Series, the Cubs have not returned to the famous event.\nBob King, a firefighter of 11 years stationed across from Wrigley Field, does not believe the curse caused the loss. \n"The curse had nothing to do with it, nothing to do with it whatsoever," he said. \nTom McQuillan has been a bartender at Murphy's Bar for 10 years and agrees the curse did not contributed to the loss.\n"I believe that we lost three games in a row, we should have won," he said.\nDavid Strauss, an IU graduate whose father is the owner of Sluggers Bar across from Wrigley Field, holds a different view on the curse causing the loss.\n"Part of me wants to say yes, but realistically probably not," he said.\nStrauss does not blame a single event for the loss.\n"I think that Dusty Baker was out-managed, (Mark) Prior did not have to throw a wild pitch and (Alex) Gonzalez did not have to drop that double-play ball," he said. \nHad Moises Alou caught the ball, Strauss said, the Cubs would have won. But King blames the Cubs and the Cubs alone for the loss.\n"They were in the position to take it all up three to one and you have your top two pitchers coming home and they just couldn't get it done," Strauss said.\nKing said that he believes the Cubs will do well next year because they have a good pitching staff. \n"They have a great pitching staff and if they keep some of the right players, I think they are going to do all right," he said.\nMcQuillan concurs with King's view that the Cubs having playoff experience is a good sign for next year.\n"If they keep things together and stay healthy, they can be pretty good," he said.\nKing said that he would do anything to reverse the curse at Wrigley.\n"These are all young, grown men that had nothing to do with the curse years ago," he said.\nWhen Struass was asked if the Cubs should do something to reverse the curse he replied with an optimistic answer.\n"They have brought goats in to Wrigley before," he said. "Everything that you could possibly think of to break the curse has been done. The bottom line is that there is no other solution to break the curse other than winning." \n-- Contact staff writer Mike Malik at mjmalik@indiana.edu.