Fans Party Night And Day After Chicago Cubs' First World Series Victory Since 1908
CHICAGO (CBSNewYork/CBS Chicago) -- One of the most memorable games in World Series history transpired Wednesday night, as the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in a historic Game 7 for their first title in 108 years.
As CBS2's Otis Livingston reported, fans were still celebrating throughout the day on Thursday – near Wrigley Field and all around Chicago and the suburbs.
In 1908, a postage stamp was 2 cents, and a gallon of gas 11 cents. The first Model T cost $500, and a grandstand ticket to a World Series game cost just $1.50. And the venerable and historic Wrigley Field had not yet been built – the Cubs back then played at the West Side Grounds, on the site of what is now the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center.
But at Progressive Field in Cleveland, the Cubs won Game 7 8-7 in 10 innings and the longest drought in sports history was broken.
PHOTOS: Chicago Erupts In Joy As Cubs Win World Series
There were plenty of Cubs fans at the ballpark in Cleveland. But back home in Chicago, along Clark Street, Addison Street, Waveland Avenue and Sheffield Avenue bounding Wrigley Field – and plenty of other streets nearby – there were Cubbie faithful as far as the eye could see.
Coverage from CBS Chicago -- Roseanne Tellez reports:
The team bus rolled into Wrigley Field around 6:30 a.m. Players and their families reveled in the glory as first baseman Anthony Rizzo hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy high above his head.
And as the team arrived, many remembered the fans who were not able to see the historic moment with their own eyes.
"Really unbelievable. These guys are great. They really made the city for us, and they did it for our Grandma Jo too," Cubs fan Bill Pyrek told Susanna Song of WBBM-TV, CBS2 Chicago. "They're really great. They're really great – unbelievable. Tears are all over the place."
Coverage from CBS Chicago -- Susanna Song reports:
"We've waited so long for this, and now we finally get to celebrate!" he said.
In broad daylight on Thursday, people were still partying outside Wrigley Field. The title "Word Series Champions" – out of reach for so long – was plastered on the iconic Wrigley marquee.
"Crying and screaming – I mean, everyone in Chicago is exhausted," one woman said.
"It's a different world," one man with his infant daughter told WBBM-TV, CBS2's Lauren Victory. "The only team she's ever seen is a world champion."
Coverage from CBS Chicago -- Lauren Victory reports:
Some people also wrote names and left photos of people who didn't live to see the Cubs win it all, on a growing chalk memorial outside the ballpark. One woman invoked legendary Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, who passed away in 1998 and whom fans remember with reverent fondness.
"I think they were with Harry Caray last night and they were all working it for us," she told WBBM-TV, CBS2's Roseanne Tellez.
And President Barack Obama, the most famous Chicago White Sox fan, took time out to put the Cubs victory into perspective.
"The last time the Cubs had won, Thomas Edison was alive and they hadn't invented sliced bread yet," Obama said. "So you know, the expression, that's the greatest thing since sliced bread? This is actually, for Cubs fans, the greatest thing since sliced bread. I want to congratulate the Chicago Cubs."
The Cubs will have their world championship parade beginning at 10 a.m. Central time. It will head from Wrigley Field to Michigan Avenue and Oak Street at the mouth of the famous Magnificent Mile, and on to downtown Chicago.
The parade will end with a rally in Chicago's Grant Park.
Chicago Public Schools students will not have to play hooky, as Friday was already a scheduled day off.
