www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 8, 2015 | 22 T Tall tales of baseball, billy goats, and the Toronto Blue Jays his is a story as old as time. At the very least, it's a story as old as me, and -- as my kids assure -- I'm about as old as time itself. The story begins at a kitchen table. I never saw this particular table and I barely got to know the man sitting at the table before he passed away. But my mother ensured that I knew the story by rote of how that man -- her father, a sportswriter nicknamed Bleacher Bill, even though his actual name was James -- would sit at that table and listen to static-infused Chicago Cubs baseball games on the radio. He'd fuss and dget and anxiously re up That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor match after match to relight his pipe, his emotions undulating with the announcer's voice, and with the fate and folly of his hapless, hopeless Cubs. Alas, in 1945, those very Cubs threatened to erase their reputation as the game's lovable losers. They made it into the World Series, a series they may well have won if not for Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, and Billy's pet goat, Murphy. As the story goes, Sianis brought Murphy with him to Wrigley Field to watch Game 4 of the series against the Tigers. The goat, amazingly enough, was welcomed in the park. That is, until a brief rain fell, soaking Murphy and making him smell like, well, a wet goat, at which point ballpark security ushered the malodorous animal out of the stadium. At which point a livid Sianis placed a curse on the Cubs. The Cubs lost the series, my grandfather nearly lost his mind, and The Curse Of The Billy Goat continues today. The comic kicker? After the series, Sianis wrote the Cubs, asking: "Who stinks now?" My mother used to always say that, by rights (and by DNA), I should be a Cub fan. But.... Another story my mother loved to tell was about how, when she was giving birth to me, she was also giving the business to the doctor set to catch me, informing him in no uncertain terms see Old on p.29 Day, Evening and Weekend Classes Beginner to Advanced · Ages 2 ½ yrs to Adult Performing and Visual Arts School Register Now · Art In Mixed Media, Oils and Watercolours · MusIc in All Instruments · Voice RcM Music Exams · Drama · Musical Theatre · DANcE · Ballet · Pointe · contemporary · Tumbling · Lyrical · Jazz · Hip Hop · Tap · Latin · Acro · stretch and strength · cardio · Fitness Training MARCH BREAK & SUMMER CAMPS small class sizes · camera Viewing of All studios · Family-Focused scheduling · Annual Musical Productions · specialty Workshops STUDIO PAVAS 905-403-9435 1-2301 Royal Windsor Dr., Mississauga www.studiopavas.com info@studiopavas.com DOUBLE SAVINGS EVENT Fall SAVE BIG during our BIGGEST event of the year! R0013465844 25 + 25 % OFF + qsiwindows.com % OFF 0% Interest on All Water Treatment Equipment LIMITED TIME OFFER All Softeners, All Iron Removal Systems, All UV Units, All R/O Units! Receive 50 FREE litres of U Fill Water and we'll also give you a FREE jug to transport your water! ening p p a H WATER DEpOT hAS A Now! 0% InTEREST EVEnT NEW CUSTOMER OFFER: 2251 WESTOAK TRAIL BLVD., UNIT#1 (905) 257.9257 · Email: oakvillewaterdepot@yahoo.ca Call for details ails FALL DEALS!! nbhtech.ca COMPUTERS, CELL PHONE Accessories & Repair Panasonic KX-TG443C O.A.C.** Reg. $79.99 Samsung 32" TV UN32J5205AF Reg. $ 99 **Offer not applicable on basement window or storm door purchases. Offers not Valid on Martin wood window and door products. **Offers valid only on purchases made between September 1st to September 30th 2015. **No interest and no payment for one full year based on maximum volume discounts with minimum down payments required, Dundas St. E., Unit D10, Oakville 905.257.1647 380 (@ Trafalgar Rd., Canadian Tire Plaza) X $ 39 99 Reg. $79.99 X $ 49 99 $362 X 269