Cubs Fans Go Wild as 108-Year Drought Ends

In Chicago, next year is here. At exactly 11:47pm local time Wednesday night, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series title that had eluded them for 108 years. Fans who packed bars to watch the games on television near Wrigley Field—neither of which existed back in 1908—erupted in cheers before swarming onto the streets just before midnight to celebrate in the shadows of the statues of Cubs greats Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and legendary announcer Harry Caray, the AP reports. As the game ended, the roar from inside the bars and the throngs of fans on the streets was deafening. The crowds inside and out sang "go, Cubs, go" at the top of their lungs.

As the celebration of the 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 progressed, thousands of fans poured into the streets leading away from Wrigley, many of them singing "We Are the Champions." Fans hugged each other, many of them crying, and took turns writing their names and words of congratulations in chalk on Wrigley's brick walls. Longtime Cubs fan Bob Newhart, who grew up in the Chicago area, tweeted: "The billy goat is dead!! As I've said, from the beginning, I'm getting too old for this!" The 87-year-old comedian was alluding to the curse allegedly placed on the team during the 1945 World Series by the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern after he was told his pet goat wasn't welcome at Wrigley. (More Chicago stories.)