Cubs have been waiting decades for this moment

CHICAGO — The party was as big and boisterous as you’d expect.

Streets shut down. Bars packed. The smell of cigars in the air. Fans staying at Wrigley Field for hours, unable to tear themselves away. The Chicago Cubs right there with them, taking their party from the champagne-soaked clubhouse back onto the field, determined to soak up every bit of this historic night.

Hey, after waiting 71 years for this party, you better believe the Cubs and their fans were going to enjoy every minute of the merriment.

And then some. 

“Oh, I am so, so happy,” said Ed Kopterski, a delighted grin on his face and look of wonderment in his eyes as he watched the Cubs accept the trophy as NL Champions on Saturday night.

“It’s just an incredible feeling to see the Cubbies going to the World Series again,” said Kopterski, who was five months old the last time the Cubs won the NL pennant and wore a T-shirt with the slogan, “Just One Before I Die” throughout the playoffs.

“Just phenomenal.”

Yes, baseball’s lovable losers, the team “next year” always skipped, are in the World Series for the first time since 1945.

Think about that.

The last time the Cubs played in a World Series, Alaska and Hawaii weren’t yet states. The NFL as we know it didn’t exist – heck, the AFL wouldn’t even begin play for another 15 years! Televisions were a rarity, and what few there were were black and white.

As for the last time the Cubs celebrated a World Series title, you have to go back 108 years for that. When the Cubs talk about a lifetime of disappointment and despair, it’s not an exaggeration. It’s a simple fact, passed along from one generation to the next.

Doug Sands knows his kids, 10-year-old son Rylan and 7-year-old daughter Ashlyn, won’t understand the magnitude of what they saw Saturday night until they’re a little older. But Sands knew his father would, the two of them having listened to Cubs games on the radio when he was growing up. 

So with his kids beside him and Wrigley Field rocking to the sounds of “Go Cubs, Go,” Sands pulled out his phone and called his father.  

“To have this happen is amazing,” Sands said. “You always have that doubt, but you hope it will happen in your lifetime.”   

Cubs shut out Dodgers, advance to first World Series since 1945

The faith of the Cubs and their fans has been tested mightily over this last century, and it wasn’t just the decade upon decade’s worth of losing seasons. Whether it was a billy goat, black cat or booted ball, if the Cubs weren’t actually cursed it sure felt like it. 

Meanwhile, every other team in the city had its moment. The Bulls, the Bears, the Blackhawks, even the White Sox – Cubs fans watched them all celebrate at least one title while wondering if it was ever going to be their turn.

It got to the point where a championship on the North Side of Chicago had become like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster: rumored to exist but never actually seen.

So it was a rare euphoria that swept the city the last few days. Fans were camped out at sunrise Saturday in hopes of scoring one of the extra tickets. By mid-afternoon, there were lines outside every bar and traffic around the ballpark had slowed to a crawl before police finally gave up and shut the streets down.

Believe it: Cubs are in the World Series, as generations rejoice at Wrigley

When the game finally began, Wrigley shook with anticipation with every big play the Cubs made. When Yasiel Puig grounded into a double play to end the game, the venerable old ballpark erupted and fans outside let loose with a roar that swept across the city.

Fans hugged and high-fived. The “W” flag was raised and tears of joy fell.  

“It’s like having our kids all over again,” Nick Susong said, his voice catching. “We’ve waited a long time for this.”

And this, the Cubs and their fans hope, is only the start. The World Series begins Tuesday in Cleveland and, even as they celebrated, the Cubs were already talking about getting those next four wins. 

“Hey, this feels good about we’re not done. It doesn’t feel like we’re done. We’ve got another series,” Ricketts said. “It’s great and we’ll have a beer and a little champagne, but then it’s back to work.” 

Because as much fun as this party was, the next bash is going to be even better. 

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Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour. 

Gallery: Cubs win the pennant