Commentary: Yo, Cubs, win World Series for Steve Goodman

By Patrick Carmody

Even though I was born and raised in Philadelphia, home of the Phillies, who have more losses than any other sports franchise, I'm rooting for the Cubs this World Series. I'm doing this not because of Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, or manager Joe Maddon of Hazleton, or Bill Murray, or the unfortunate Steve Bartman (the guy blamed for the Cubs' failure to get into the World Series in 2003). I'm a Cubs fan this fall because of Steve Goodman.

Who's Goodman? He's the musician who wrote "The City of New Orleans" and the author of the Cubs' fight song "Go Cubs Go."

I was introduced to Goodman in 1980. My father had died suddenly that year and his death at 57 was a shock. He was the type of Phillies fan who could recreate for me the 1964 collapse, game by game. That fall of 1980 proved especially bittersweet as he missed his beloved Phillies win their first championship after 97 years of futility.

I was living in Washington, D.C., at the time and stayed mostly housebound after his death. When a female friend asked me to go out on her last night in town, I reluctantly agreed. We wandered to a bar called the Bayou, where Goodman was listed on the marquee. As I waited in line for tickets, I asked people next to me which of Goodman's two shows we should attend. A little guy standing off to the side enthusiastically said, "If I were you, I'd see both shows. The guy's amazing!"

My friend had to leave early so we went to the first show. When the concert started, staring at me from the stage, with a big grin on his face, was the same little guy. The show was one of the finest I've ever seen. At the end, Goodman told the owner, "These two can stick around for the next show." My friend had to leave, but, chivalrous to the end, I stayed.

The later show, except for a few songs, was a different set. It included "My Old Man," a song he had written about his deceased father. One stanza was:

And oh the fights we had

When my brother and I got him mad;

He'd get all boiled up and he'd start to shout

And I knew what was coming so I tuned him out.

And now the old man's gone, and I'd give all I own

To hear what he said when I wasn't listening

To my old man.

After that song, I was a fan for life.

Unfortunately, Goodman was living on borrowed time. He had been diagnosed with leukemia at age 20 and crammed 16 years of glorious music and goodwill in, all the while with a death sentence hanging over his head.

In the summer of 1984, the Cubs were in first place and Chicago was going nuts. They hadn't won the World Series since 1908. Goodman was in the news because he wrote their theme song, "Go Cubs Go," that summer at the request of the Cubs' radio broadcast partner. He had previously written "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request," but Dallas Green, the Cubs' general manager at the time, considered it too depressing to play at Wrigley Field. I can't imagine why. In the song, a dying Cub fan asks

Do they still play the blues in Chicago

When baseball season rolls around?

The song describes the Cubs as "the doormat of the National League," and refers to Wrigley "as "their ivy-covered burial ground." The dying fan is Goodman and he asks his friends at his funeral to build a fire of Louisville Slugger baseball bats and toss his coffin in. Goodman ends the song by telling them not to feel sorry for him:

I've got season's tickets to watch the Angels now . . .

But you the living, you're stuck here with the Cubs

So it's me that feels sorry for you.

In 1984, the Cubs made the playoffs and Goodman was scheduled to sing the National Anthem before their first playoff game. But he died shortly before that. The Cubs, of course, lost that year. As they have in each succeeding year.

I feel for the Indians who, in 1997, were three outs from the title in Game 7 but lost to the Florida Marlins in extra innings. Cleveland hasn't won the World Series since 1948. But LeBron James gave the city an NBA title this year.

So I'm rooting for Chicago. And every time I hear fans singing "Go Cubs Go," I'll get chills thinking of one very charming Cubs' fan who deserves to finally have his dying request granted.

Patrick Carmody lives in West Chester. patrick.carmody@verizon.net