'Murphy' Curse Strikes Cubs Yet Again

The curse of the Billy Goat may be talked about most in Chicago, but a curse regarding the word “Murphy” may hold more weight.

Even though perhaps the most popular bar in Wrigleyville is named “Murphy’s Bleachers,” the word is not something any Cubs fan wants to hear right now. Daniel Murphy of the New York Mets just blasted the Cubs during the 4-game NLCS sweep that concluded Wednesday. In the series, Murphy went 9-for-17, hit four home runs (one in every game), scored six times and drove in another six.

But it turns out - as pointed out by the New York Daily News - that this is just the latest in a string of events over the last 100+ years where the name ‘Murphy’ has haunted the Cubs.

The last time the Cubs won the World Series was 1908. Their owner then was Charles Murphy, who some believe changed the team’s fortunes when he “got sore over being snubbed for a celebration dinner with songwriter George M. Cohan,” according to the Daily News.

The infamous goat not allowed inside Wrigley Field as the team was competing in their most recent World Series in 1945? His name was Murphy.

Even before this week, Cub fans everywhere had disdained the Mets because of the 1969 season, in which the Cubs held a large lead in the National League East only to blow it in the final months as the Mets passed them by in the standings en route to an improbable World Series win. The Mets general manager that year was Johnny Murphy and broadcaster was Bob Murphy.

Bob’s brother, Jack Murphy, was the namesake of the San Diego Padres home ballpark in 1984, when the team from San Diego came back to beat the Cubs in the National League Championship Series three games to two. All three Padres’ wins came at Jack Murphy Stadium.

While there are no plans to change the name of the popular bar at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield, if you do believe in curses, you may want to start a petition.