Home Run Derby

The Cubs are on the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated. 

Oh No.

There’s been a lot said about the SI Cover Jinx  – it’s the kiss of death – athletes and teams who appear on it will inevitably fail.   You might believe in it, you might not.  But there’s definitely one team whose fortunes seem to crash after showing up on the cover. 

You guessed it – THE CHICAGO CUBS.  Since 1966, the Cubs have been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated nearly twenty times.  And if the Cubs have something at stake when they show up on the cover … bad things seem to happen. 

Especially if that appearance happens late in the season or (gasp) during the playoffs. 

Seeing as Aramis Ramirez and the Cubs are the pre-playoff SI Cover-boys again in 2008 … let’s take a look at the Cubs and the SI Jinx, starting in depth with the late-season appearances …

September 8, 1969

On September 8th, 1969, the Cubs were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and the Cubs and Mets were about to begin a two-game series at Shea Stadium – with the Cubs 84-56-1 and the Mets right on their well-clicked heels at 80-57, a mere 2.5 games back.

The SI Jinx took effect immediately.  Ron Santo (who was on the cover back in June) met the Black Cat in the on-deck circle at Shea on September 9th … and the Mets completed the short sweep, pulling within a half-game of the Cubs, who simply withered up and died.

The Cubs finished eight stinking games behind the Mets.

August 30, 1971

Cub pitcher Ferguson Jenkins had one of his best seasons in 1971 and he had helped keep the Cubs within striking distance of the Pirates through the Dog Days.

But being on the cover of Sports Illustrated in late August might have affected Fergie in early September, as he went 1-2 with a 3.99 ERA in 4 games from Sept 1 – Sept 14.  During that same span, the Cubs dropped 12 of 16 games. 

After the Cubs were all but officially eliminated, Jenkins went 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three complete games. 

September 24, 1984

It was 13 long years before the Cubs had another late-season appearance on the cover of SI.

Rick Sutcliffe led a charmed life for most of 1984.  Traded to the Cubs by Cleveland, the Red Baron won the NL Cy Young Award by unanimous vote (16-1, 2.69 ERA) and even with the Coverboy treatment right before the playoffs, he won the first game of the 1984 NLCS at Wrigley, throwing seven innings of two-hit ball and even hitting a Home Run himself. 

But in the seventh inning of the NLCS’ ultimate game 5 … The Jinx came home to roost.  

Sutcliffe gave up four runs to the Padres (aided by a ball which dribbled through Leon Durham’s legs at first base) … crushing the Cubs’ shot at a World Series berth.  Not coincidentally, Durham appeared on the cover of SI back in June 1984.

September 21, 1998

Sammy Sosa was in the heat of the Home Run race with Mark McGwire while his Cubs were contending for the playoffs (a la the NL Wildcard).  

The SI Cover appearance didn’t jinx Sammy and the Cubs in the regular season – Sammy hit 66 HR, 158 RBI, and was named the NL MVP while the Cubs barely made the playoffs via a one-game tiebreaker.  

But when the playoffs came … the bat of the NL’s MVP and RBI Leader up and disappeared.   Sosa hit a pathetic .182 with Zero HR or RBI and the Cubs scored a mere 4 runs as the Atlanta Braves swept the Cubs in three games in the NLDS.

October 13, 2003

Everything was coming up Cubbies. 

The Cubs had already won their first playoff series in 95 years (beating the Braves in 5 games in the NLDS) and now the Cubs were coming back to Chicago with a 3-2 NLCS lead over the Florida Marlins. 

On October 14, during Game 6, Mark Prior (who was on an SI cover back in July) had a 3-0 lead and was 5 outs away from pitching the Cubs to the Fall Classic.  But he couldn’t regain his composure after OF Moises Alou overreacted to a non-call of what Alou thought was fan interference on a foul ball and then after a botched double play ball.  The Cubs lost.

On October 15, during Game 7, SI Cover Boy Kerry Wood (who was on an SI cover back in July) gave up three runs in the top of the fifth inning, blowing a 5-3 lead.  The Marlins won their second NL pennant. 

Now, it should be noted that the Cubs did not appear on the Cover of Sports Illustrated in 1989 and they blew that playoff appearance too.  They just couldn’t fit Don Zimmer’s pot belly on the cover.  But when the Cubs are in the playoffs … whoever’s on the cover of SI seems to suffer in October.  So if the Cubs blow it … Aramis Ramirez

Here’s a few other memorable instances of the SI Jinx working against the Cubs …

February 28, 1966

In the offseason, the volatile Leo Durocher became manager of the Cubs.  At his press conference, Durocher said the following …

I am not the manager of an eighth place team.

Durocher was more soothsayer than he could have ever predicted. 

The Cubs finished 59-103 … which was good for tenth place in the ten-team National League and the Cubs became the first team to finish below the New York Mets in the standings.

June 30, 1969

The morning of June 30, 1969, the Cubs were simply on fire.  

Leo Durocher’s squad was 50-26-1 and held a 8.5 game lead over the New York Mets in the NL East.  They were quite possibly the most talented team the Cubs had ever assembled.  Spirits were high at Wrigley and Expectations might have been even higher.

But over the next two months, the Mets would trim 6 games off that lead, culminating with the Cubs’ next appearance on the cover of SI … which we talked about earlier.

June 11, 1984

The morning of June 11, the Cubs were 32-24 with a two-game lead over the Phillies. 

SI Cover boy Leon Durham was batting .333 with 11 Home Runs in 55 games.  After he appeared on the cover, he batted .245 with 12 HR in his next 82 games. 

The Cubs ended up clinching the NL East and their first postseason appearance in nearly five decades. The Cubs had all sorts of mojo working for them in 1984 … it seemed like nothing could stop them.

Until Rick Sutcliffe showed up on the cover in September.

April 5, 2004

Showing no remorse for jinxing the Cubs during the 2003 NLCS, Sports Illustrated predicted the Cubs would win the 2004 World Series and decided to feature Cubbie flamethrower Kerry Wood on the cover of their Baseball Preview issue. 

Not surprisingly, Wood spent nearly two months on the disabled list that season with a strained triceps. 

With nine games to go, the Cubs had a 2.5 game lead over the Houston Astros for the NL Wildcard playoff spot, but the Cubs fell apart and lost seven of their last nine games.  Kerry Wood lost two of those seven games.

May 5, 2008

How do you say SI Jinx in Japanese? 

The Cubs spent a lot of Yen in the offseason to land Japanese superstar Kosuke Fukudome, outbidding a few other interested MLB teams. 

And it was paying off early, as Home Run Derby’s favorite baseball name was everything the Cubs had ever wanted in a right fielder.  Jersey sales were great.  There were racist-themed knockoffs shirts and hats and bandannas everywhere.

But then Fukudome hit the Cover of SI in early May …

… and his numbers have bombed.   I’m sorry, was that too soon?

Tell me what you think … because I believe in the SI Jinx.  I didn’t even include the one with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior on the cover in mid-2003.

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 4:54 am and is filed under Cubs, Sports Illustrated. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.