The Cubs are channelize back to the World Series for the first time since 1945 . They may not have won a World Series title in a very long clip ( as announcer Jack Brickhouse once said , " Any squad can have a bad century " ) , but during that dry spell theyhavebeen enrich the nomenclature of baseball . Here are nine phrases that trace back to the Cubs .
1. WRECKING CREW
The phrasal idiom “ wrack work party ” has a life outside of baseball game in salvage , euphony , andfootball , but in baseball game , according toThe Dickson Baseball Dictionary , it was first applied as a term for a chemical group of heavy hitters in reference to the 1912 Chicago Cubs .
2. TINKER TO EVERS TO CHANCE
In 1910,New York Evening Mailcolumnist Franklin P. Adams write a verse form called “ Baseball ’s Sad Lexicon ” about the dual - play damage the Cubs trio of shortstop Joe Tinker , second baseman Johnny Evers , and first baseman Frank Chance had visit on the Giants :
The phrase “ Tinker to Evers to Chance ” became a popular way to remark on any well - execute , coordinated achievement . For example , according to a 2010Chicago Tribunearticle , “ a 2003 question picture ad for Golden Globe - winnerThe Hours , asterisk Nicole Kidman , Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore , proclaims that ‘ Kidman to Meryl to Moore ' is ‘ the acting version of baseball game ’s fabled ' Tinker to Evers to Chance . ' ”
3. LET’S PLAY TWO
The beloved “ Mr. Cub ” Ernie Banks , known for his pollyannaish disposition , used to express his love of the game by saying “ It ’s a beautiful day for a ballgame . allow ’s play two . ” As Scott Simonsaidafter Banks died at the beginning of this year , “ It was a phrase he used to prompt himself and other players that whatever their complaint , they got to play a game for a living , and hear the cheers of stranger . It was a reminder to all of us to treasure animation and the prospect to have work that gives enjoyment to others . ”
4. BLEACHER BUM
The Dickson Baseball Dictionarydefines a bleacher bum as “ One of a horde of rumbustious , often shirtless sports fan who live the bleachers . ” In 1966 , a group of 10 devoted fans at Wrigley Field proudly announce themselves “ bleacher dirty dog , ” and their raving mad , inebriated antics became part of the drawing card of a day at the ballpark .
5. HOLY COW!
Long time sonny boy announcer Harry Caray was not the first to cry out “ Holy cow ! ” but all the same , he made it his own trademark cry . It ’s the title of his autobiography , where he explains that he civilize himself to say “ holy cow ” early in his vocation because “ it was the only exclaiming I could fall up with that did n’t imply profanity . ”
6. IT MIGHT BE, IT COULD BE, IT IS
Another Harry Carayism , the rising excitement of “ It might be … it could be … IT IS ! ” is the double-dyed send off for a dwelling run ball or any other triumph at the final stage of a tenseness - filled second .
7. WOO!
The single word “ woo ” does not come from Cubs baseball , but what we linguists might call “ the extensive ‘ woo ’ list building , ” perfected by superfan Ronnie “ Woo Woo ” Wickers , has undeniable cub pedigree . A typical example of the twist : “ Cubs , woo ! love life , woo ! young carnivore , woo ! We ’re issue one , woo ! baseball game , woo ! Cubs , woo ! ”
8. THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
This nickname had been applied to other ballparks in the honest-to-goodness days , but it only stuck to intimate , neighbourhood Wrigley Field .
9. I DON’T CARE WHO WINS, AS LONG AS IT’S THE CUBS
In the forties and ' 50s , Cubs announcer Bert Wilson would often wax rhapsodic about the beautiful weather or the wonderful atmosphere at the game and close with “ I do n’t worry who wins , as long as it ’s the Cubs . ” fan of other teams or pursuits have since used the phrase , substituting their own pick for the ending , but none has felt the emotion behind it as deeply or sincerely yours as a Cubs rooter .
