The Chicago Cubs and the curse of Murphy

New York Mets' Daniel Murphy celebrates his home during the first inning of Game 1 of the National League baseball championship series against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, Oct. 17, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Elsa Garrison, Pool) — WASHINGTON — Curses are a silly thing that no rational, adult human being should believe to be true. That being said, there is perhaps no curse with as strong an evidentiary chain as the one that haunts the Chicago Cubs. And if that curse had a name, it would be 鈥淢urphy.鈥� Behold … (AP/Elsa Garrison)

Hmm...
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond)

All of the Murphys While Diamond admits his tweet is all in good fun, he does, after all, cover the Mets for The Wall Street Journal, and if we鈥檝e learned anything from Mets beat writers this year, it鈥檚 that . Anyway, let鈥檚 unpack the history of the Murphy curse while there鈥檚 still time for the Cubs to salvage Back to the Future II鈥檚 prediction. (AP Photo/Elsa Garrison, Pool) (AP/Elsa Garrison)

Sam Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, center, acknowledges the crowd along with his goat prior to the start of the National League playoff game between the Padres and the Cubs, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 1984, Chicago, Ill. Sianis and the goat were invited as guests of the Cubs, both begin issued tickets. The man on the right is unidentified. (AP Photo) — **The Curse of Murphy** The reason we鈥檙e talking about the name Murphy in the first place is the origin of the Cubs鈥� curse from 1945. Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game at Wrigley Field after bringing his pet goat, prompting him reading 鈥淵ou are going to lose this World Series and you are never going to win another World Series again.鈥� The Cubs have not been back to a World Series since. This is Sam Sianis, Billy’s nephew and later owner of the bar, seen with a different goat in 1984, unsuccessfully attempting to make amends. (AP Photo)

Atlanta Braves Dale Murphy (3) hits the winning home run in the bottom of the 10th inning with the bases loaded during Atlanta-Los Angeles action, Sept. 9, 1982, to give the Braves a 12-11 victory. (AP Photo/Roger Grigg) — **Baseball Murphys** According to Baseball Reference, there have been 43 players with the name Murphy in MLB history, including one known , who played a single game for the Boston Reds of the Union Association in 1884. Perhaps the most famous Murphy, Dale of the Atlanta Braves, batted .304 with a .367 lifetime on-base percentage against the Cubs, the highest such marks against any opponent in his career. While this is interesting for the minutiae-minded baseball folks, it seems insignificant compared to the other Murphys in the baseball registry. (AP Photo/Roger Grigg)

Here are some of the bulwarks of Connie Mack's team in 1913 when the Philadelphia Athletics beat the New York Giants in the World Series four games to one. From left: Rube Oldring, Eddie Murphy, Danny Murphy, Amos Strunk, and Jimmy Walsh. (AP Photo) — **The History of Daniel Murphy** In 1910, the Philadelphia Athletics squared off with the Cubs in Chicago鈥檚 first World Series appearance since 1908, the last time they won a title. Despite a second straight 104-win season, the Cubs were handled in just five games. Philadelphia鈥檚 star outfielder led the Athletics to victory, batting .400 with a series-high nine RBI over the five games, including the only home run by either club. His name? . He’s the one in the middle, grinning. (AP Photo)

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Josh Harrison (5) turns the double play forcing Chicago Cubs' Donnie Murphy (8) at second and getting Brian Bogusevic at first during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) — **The Cubs鈥� Daniel Murphy** There have only been two players named Murphy ever to play for the Cubs: Donnie Murphy (pictured) in 2013, and, yes, Danny Murphy from 1960-62 and 1969-70. The latter Murphy was something of a reverse Rick Ankiel, playing as an outfielder as a teenager, but lasting only parts of three seasons, over which he batted just .171. He returned as a pitcher and had some success out of the bullpen in his first year (2.01 ERA), but really struggled in his second and final season on the mound, walking more batters than he struck out and allowing 11 home runs in 80.2 innings. It seems that even when playing for the Cubs, the Murphys of the world aren鈥檛 able to help. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Jacksonville's Daniel Murphy, right, is congratulated by teammates after hitting an BRI double during an NCAA regional baseball game against Sacred Heart, Saturday, June 3, 2006, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Todd Bennett) — **Daniel Murphy and the Draft** Murphy was selected by the Mets out of Jacksonville University in the 13^th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. Only five players the Cubs selected that year ever even played in the Major Leagues, combining for just 8.1 career Wins Above Replacement (with Jeff Samardzija accounting for 7.3 of that total), fewer than Murphy鈥檚 12.5 WAR. Not a single player from that 2006 Chicago draft is even a part of the organization anymore. (AP Photo/Todd Bennett)

鈥楽hipping Up to Boston鈥� Murphy uses the song 鈥淪hipping Up to Boston鈥� by the Dropkick Murphys (get it?) as his walk-up song. He is hardly the only player to use the song, which was popularized by Jonathan Papelbon in 2007, when he helped the Red Sox win the World Series, later riding along with the band during the parade through Boston. However, when Papelbon signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies following the 2011 season, the band . That was the same time that then-Red Sox GM Theo Epstein left Boston to become the President of, yes, the Chicago Cubs. (AP Photo/Todd Bennett)

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