Conversations with my Girlfriend... Ep. #3 (Not so Nerdy)

It has been a great many days since my last post.... Sadly, this means that many "Girlfriend Interactions" have gone undocumented, and for this I apologize.

I would claim that I will do better in the future, but the truth is, that I likely will not and I've learned to appropriately manage expectations.

On to the topic at hand: Baseball.

Just in case you're either living under a rock, or don't care about sports, or both.... The Chicago Cubs are in the World Series. This is kind of a big deal, because they are possibly, maybe, potentially... finally freeing themselves of the "Curse of the Billy Goat."

The Curse of the Billy Goat is the name of a sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise in 1945 by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. Because the odor of his pet goat, Murphy, was bothering other fans, Sianis was asked to leave Wrigley Field, the Cubs' home ballpark, during game four of the 1945 World Series.Outraged, Sianis allegedly declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more." The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to the Detroit Tigers, and have not won a World Series championship since 1908. After the incident with Sianis and Murphy, the Cubs did not play in the World Series for the next 71 years.

However, you must forgive me, as I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit.

This past Friday night, I suggested to my Girlfriend (Rita, remember?) that since we'd both had rather long weeks, that we go one of our neighborhood gastropubs for a quick dinner and a drink. She obliged and we headed to one of our local favorite spots: Cook and Shaker. We walked in the door, and opted to take a seat at the bar and proceeded to order a few beers and some food.... At which point, we noted that the TV above the bar was showing the World Series, and that is when the fun began:

Rita: Why is it such a big deal that the Cubs are in the World Series?

Me: Well, it's because of the fact that it's been like a million years since they've even been in one, let alone WON.

Rita: Why though?

Me: Because of the Curse of the Billy Goat.

(I then proceeded to explain what that was.)

Rita: Now that you mention that, I think I've heard about that somewhere... Baseball people are weird.

Me: Yeah, baseball is full of superstitions... Like, remember when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series not too long ago?

Rita: Yeah, people at work were freaking out about it.

Me: That's because of the Curse of the Bambino.

Rita: Who?

Me: The Bambino......

Rita: ...

Me: The GREAT Bambino?

Rita: ...

Me: The Sultan of Swat?

Rita: ...

Me: The Colossus of Clout?

Rita: ...

Me: BABE RUTH?!?!?!

Rita: Oh yeah, I just watched a documentary about him not long ago on PBS. He was the black guy right?

Me: No... That's Jackie Robinson.

I think the only thing left to say is: