HR0715 LRB093 21431 HSS 48179 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION
2     WHEREAS, Chicago's National League Ball Club has been a
3 part of the city's fabric for over a century, playing
4 continuously in one city longer than any other baseball
5 franchise; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Known back then as the Chicago White Stockings,
7 the team played their first game on April 25, 1876, and went on
8 to win the National League Championship that year; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The nickname "Chicago Cubs" was officially
10 adopted in 1907, at a time when the Cubs fielded some of their
11 best teams ever, and some of the best teams in the history of
12 baseball; and
 
13     WHEREAS, During their tenure as Chicago's most popular
14 sports franchise and one of the most storied in all of major
15 league professional sports, the Cubs have fielded some of the
16 best players in the history of the game; from the famous
17 "Tinker to Evers to Chance" trio that recorded the game's
18 first-ever double play in the 1902 season, to "Mr. Cub" Ernie
19 Banks to Ron Santo, who redefined the term "sports hero" both
20 on and off the field, to "Slammin" Sammy Sosa; and
 
21     WHEREAS, The Cubs popularity on the field was equaled by
22 that of their legendary broadcasters in the booth, Jack
23 Brickhouse and Harry Caray, who made the phrases "Hey Hey!" and
24 "Holy Cow!" an integral part of the city's vocabulary; and
 
25     WHEREAS, In the 1907 and 1908 seasons, the Chicago Cubs
26 became the first team to win back-to-back World Series; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Since that time, fate has not been kind to our
28 beloved Cubs, denying them even a single postseason series
29 victory between 1945 and 2003; and
 

 

 

HR0715 - 2 - LRB093 21431 HSS 48179 r

1     WHEREAS, For almost six decades, Cubs fans have been forced
2 to endure heartache and dashed hopes to an extent unknown by
3 fans of any other sports team on this planet; and
 
4     WHEREAS, The defeat of the Atlanta Braves in five games in
5 the 2003 playoffs marked the end of that cruel and unjust 58
6 year streak; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The residents of the proud city of Chicago
8 recognize that a certain foul ball that shall remain nameless
9 was not the beginning of the end, but rather was a mere detour
10 on the Cubs return to glory; and
 
11     WHEREAS, A new day has dawned in Chicago, and hope has
12 returned to the bricks and ivy that are belovedly known as the
13 "Friendly Confines"; therefore, be it
 
14     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that as
16 of today, February 27th, 2004, the Cubs Curse shall be no more
17 and that "next year" has finally arrived; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That the Chicago Cubs and their fans across the
19 country and around the world can look forward to many future
20 winning seasons.