The Cubs MUST Win the World Series

History was made at Wrigley Field on Saturday night as the Chicago Cubs won the National League pennant against the Dodgers, and are headed to their first World Series in the last 71 years.  For long suffering Cubs fans in Chicago and all over the country, it was a moment which they will relish for the rest of their lives.

Let's face it, Cubs fans have endured incredible heartbreak over the years, more so than any other franchise in MLB as they have come close to getting back to the World Series on a few occasions, but as any Cubs fan can tell you, "wait till next year"  has become an all too familiar expression in Chicago.

The simple fact that the franchise hasn't been to the World Series since 1945 means that only so many people have ever actually seen the "loveable losers"  in the Fall Classic, and it would be a valid statement to say that virtually no one was alive in 1908, the last time the team actually won it all.  There is no question that what happened on Saturday night in Chicago was magical as the Cubs actually advanced to the World Series; it will forever be a moment frozen in time in the Windy City.  It is something that myself and countless other fans of the franchise thought would never happen.

An organization that was plagued in the past by the curse of the Billy Goat and Steve Bartman, can finally put all of that nonsense to rest as they have made it to back to the World Series, proving that the team was indeed capable of making a return trip, but didn't have what it took in the past.  This team has accomplished what other Cubs' teams in years past could have only dreamed of.

This pennant is also for the numerous Cubs' players who never experienced this such as,  Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, Billy Williams, Sammy Sosa, Gabby Hartnett, Fergie Jenkins, Kerry Wood, and of course famous broadcaster Harry Caray.

This trip to the World Series is also for the countless Cubs fans who never saw their team make it this far, on a personal note it is for my late Stepfather Nick, my dear friends Smitty and Lester who are also no longer with us, my 5th grade teacher Mrs. Barth in Chicago, who loved her Cubbies so much, I still remember how devastated she was in 1989 when they lost to the Giants in the NLCS.  It is for my 94 year old Grandma Connie, she actually remembers the last time the Cubs made a World Series appearance, but obviously has never seen them win a championship.  I have been going to Cubs games at Wrigley Field since 1989, and will never forget the first time I saw a game there at the age of 10.  It is without question, one of the greatest ballparks to watch a baseball game in the country.

Now the Cubs will play the Cleveland Indians in a dream matchup beginning on Tuesday night, Cleveland hasn't won it all since 1948 and their last World Series appearance was in 1997.   Many Cubs fans are happy to just be back in the World Series, but as far as I'm concerned, that in itself isn't enough.  Yes it is a tremendous accomplishment for this franchise to be back, however, if they don't win their first championship in 108 years, it will be a disappointment.

Let's face it, once you are in the championship round of any sport, it is imperative to win it all, who knows when or if you'll ever make it back again.  The 2016 Chicago Cubs are clearly the best team in baseball this season, they won 103 games, but if they don't win the World Series, they like so many other great teams that fell short when it mattered most, will be forgotten.  But this is the Cubs we're talking about, and their devoted fans are happy to just be back in the Fall Classic, now they must take the final step and win.

Don't forget that you can listen to each game of the World Series on 600 ESPN El Paso.