Waiting Is The Hardest Part

So the pre-game show set the stage for a dramatic start to an incredible World Series that no one could have predicted back in April.  Launched by Tom Petty’s iconic song, Waiting is the Hardest Part, we see our nation’s oldest Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs fans jamming to what they believe is their victory anthem.  Could this be the year for Chicago or Cleveland?  You betcha!

Things got an early start in Chicago, where Harry Caray‘s opening before dawn. “The Rally will run from 4 a.m. until 10 a.m., with doors opening at 4 a.m. Breakfast will be available along with a special Happy Hour from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. (when the bar can legally serve alcohol) with $1.08 Budweiser drafts,” according to the legendary announcer’s pub’s website.  And they were there in force this morning, chanting with their W flags and cubs regalia.

As NPR reported on Tuesday, ”The Indians last won a World Series in 1948, and the Cubs haven’t won since 1908. Fans and sportswriters are positively buzzing with excitement.”Most of us have never lived on a planet where one of those teams is the champion of the baseball world,” ESPN writes. “So pardon us while we take a moment to get a vertigo prescription filled.”

And although the Cubs are favored to win the series, Cleveland has overcome a number of obstacles to find their way to this year’s Fall Classic.  ”The Indians have developed a reputation as “a bunch of grinders,” NPR’s Tom Goldman says. “They’ve overcome injuries to key players; they’ve won seven of their eight games in the postseason by an average margin of just two runs, so they’re not blowing people out — they’re winning with pitching, timely hitting, defense, base-stealing. They’re grinding.”

The game did not disappoint among the cheers, jeers and drama, as Indians took Game 1, 6-0 against the Cubs.  Corey Kluber started for the Indians, who won the American League pennant in five games over the Toronto Blue Jays and had nasty stuff again last night.  The Cubs couldn’t touch him, nor could they get to Andrew Miller.

Game Two of this dramatic tale is tonight at 7:08. Don’t miss it!

–Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof