For those of you from the Windy City, there has always been a bizarre, mystical connection between your town, baseball and food. The most notorious intersection between the three centers on a hex featuring Wrigley Field, the Cubs, a goat, and the legendary Billy Goat Tavern, made nationally famous by Saturday Night Live with it's "Cheese-boiger, Cheese-boiger, Cheese-boiger, No Fries, Chips, No Coke, Pepsi" skits. Ah, yes, the old Curse of the Billy Goat, which is still credited with keeping the Cubs down. Each time the Chicago Cubs fail to reach the World Series, the ol' Billy Goat hex is blamed.
But now, Cubs fans are determined to defeat the dreaded curse with a new intersection between Chicago, sports and food:
The Cubs came close to returning to the World Series for the first time since 1945 until the foul ball that deflected off Bartman during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series changed the course of local history too.
Some contend the Bartman ball has been overdone in local publicity campaigns and news coverage, but that will not stop it from simmering in a sauce pan next week at Harry Caray's. Grant DePorter, managing partner of Harry Caray's restaurant group, will stir it up again with plans to use the infamous ball to raise money for charity.
A year after blowing up the ball in an event that raised money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, the restaurant will soak the ball's remains in a vat of Budweiser and add other ingredients to make a "curse-ending sauce."
"At the urging of faithful Cubs fans, Harry Caray's will try once again to use the power of the ball to generate positive energy for the Cubs," DePorter said.
Yes, that's right. Cubs fans are going to eat a nasty baseball ragu in order to fend off a nasty curse put on their favorite team.
Frankly, I'd be more apt to just eat a Billy Goat.
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