by Stanley Phillips (Author)
Murphy: Billy Goat Curse - Or, how the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series
(This short story can also be found in Sports Legends)
"Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." In 1945, when Frain's army of ushers heard those infamous words, they had no idea that Murphy, 'the goat, ' placed the curse on the Cubs and not his owner Billy Sianis.
By 2016, the Chicago Cubs had not been to a World Series since 1945. Some say it was due to the "Billy Goat Curse." Unbeknownst to them, the only way for the curse to be lifted was for someone to apologize to Murphy for being tossed out of Wrigley Field during the fourth game of the 1945 Fall Classic.
Even those who might fantasize about the curse being waged over a silly insult to a goat couldn't have imagined there was no way to break the hex. Murphy had been dead for many years, and why would anyone apologize to a dead goat?
Thankfully, someone in the great somewhere took pity on the poor Cub fans' plight. In the spirit of "Fair Play," Murphy, armed with the power of speech, is forced to leave his place of rest to return to the world of the living. He is to lift the curse in time to allow the Cubs during the Fall Classic. Otherwise, he will never return to his place of rest.
Problems arise when Murphy declares he will not lift the curse unless he gets an apology. Forced to return to Earth, Murphy goes to the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago to enlist earthly assistance. There, he meets Daniel, a troubled young man who doesn't know how to better himself.
Right from the start, Murphy and Daniel butt heads, much to the distress of Sara, the young man's wife. Thinking her husband has gone mad, she leaves him, hoping he will straighten himself out. She has no idea that Murphy is not an ordinary goat.
In the end, Murphy and Daniel work out their differences to arrive at a happy conclusion for all concerned in this delightful tale.
Number of Pages: 128
Dimensions: 0.27 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: March 09, 2022
