The Chicago Cubs would rather the 2016 World Series be a “no-goat zone,” but two Cleveland Indians fans aren’t having any of that.
Alan Mancuso and his daughter, Rachel, brought two goats to Progressive Field on Sunday in the hopes of extending the effects of one of sports’ longest-running hexes: The Curse of the Billy Goat.
Legend has it that Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, and his goat went to Wrigley Field with tickets to watch Game 4 of the 1945 World Series but were turned away because the pet was smelly.
“Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” Sianis angrily declared.
The Curse of the Billy Goat was born that day, and the Cubs just now are playing in the World Series for the first time since. They haven’t won the Fall Classic since 1908.
With this in mind, the Mancusos took two of their three pet goats on a walk around Progressive Field, and Cleveland residents seemed to love it.
“Everyone was really excited that I did it,” Alan Mancuso told Cleveland.com’s Karen Farkas on Monday. “Especially those that know about the curse.”
“This was to razz our friends in Chicago,” said Mancuso, who also has long been a Cubs fan.
The Mancusos certainly accomplished the first step of their World Series mission. The Indians, Sianis and his goat now must finish the job for the sake of sports superstitions everywhere.
Game 1 will start at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday. But the head games already have begun.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
