This Week's 'The List' -- Baseball Curses
Oct. 19, 2003 -- — A weekly feature on This Week.
Funnies
Our Sunday funnies consider America's most-wanted baseball fan, who went into hiding after some fellow Chicago Cubs fans blamed his bid to catch a foul ball for their team's loss to the Florida Marlins in the National League Championship Series.
In the other playoff series, the New York Yankees eventually defeated the Boston Red Sox after a brawl-filled third game. Neither the Red Sox nor the Cubs have won a World Series in more than eight decades.
The Late Show with David Letterman:
David Letterman: "How about that Cubs game last night? Did you folks see the Cubs game? The Cubs have not been to the World Series in uh, a thousand years. And last night they're beating the Florida Marlins three to nothing and all of the sudden, there's one out, and then there's this foul ball, and you saw it and they say that a kid might have prevented Moises Alou from making the catch. Well, the Cubs are furious, you know, they're enraged; they're so angry. They wanted the opportunity to blow the game on their own."
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn:
Craig Kilborn: "I want to talk about the debacle on Saturday at Fenway. Did you guys see the game between the Yankees and the Red Sox? … Here's the pitch, a little high, he freaked out, benches clear. And you're gonna see, uh, [Pedro] Martinez, who's 31 years old, tossing Don Zimmer, who's 72, to the ground. Seventy-two years old! Even more embarrassing for Pedro Martinez: His throwdown of Zimmer was clocked at just 34 miles per hour."
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno:
Jay Leno: "I'm not a huge baseball fan, but this is exciting. This is exciting, these playoffs. Here's a question: What do Cubs fans have in common with Arnold Schwarzenegger? They should learn to keep their hands to themselves."
The Late Show with David Letterman:
David Letterman: "And then, security hussled the guy outta Wrigley Field. And the Bush administration believes now that he is hiding in the mountainous region between the Afghanistan and Pakistani border."
Voices
When it comes to the Cubs' defeat, Sen. Dick Durban, D-Ill., decided mere prose wouldn't do justice. So he read a poem, as well.
Durbin:
America we thank you,For loving the Cubs,For cheering our long shots,In your living rooms and pubs.
Now in our despair,There's one thing to say,Spring training is only,Four months away.
Next spring when the green,Is back on the vinesCubs fans will pour intoThe friendly confines.
America, don't give up,Don't falter, don't grieve,If you wanna be a Cub fan,You gotta believe.