Watch out ‘Nats: Last year’s cosmic no. 108 for the Chicago Cubs is reincarnated
For those who laughed at Cubs’ superstition king Grant DePorter last year, he was laughing — and crying and celebrating — even harder all the way to the Cubs’ cosmic World Series bank. And, thankfully for the start of Game One against the Washington Nationals in a few minutes or so tonight, he’s got another prediction, this time around the number 113.
Let me explain.
I had the pleasure of interviewing DePorter, the author, 108 prophet and Harry Caray restaurants CEO, for a Washington Post story last year around goats and superstition and the like as the Cubs pursued their first World Series trophy in 108 years. Here’s what he told me (keep in mind this was well before the World Series):
DePorter believes this is the Cubs’ year — for reasons that include the team’s hitting prowess, enviable pitching rotation assembled by Cubs General Manager Theo Epstein, the presence of Zen master Manager Joe Maddon . . . and the cosmic power of the number 108. The number seems to pop up everywhere around the Cubs, DePorter said. It has been 108 years since the Cubs last won the World Series and the number 108 is cosmically important, a case he relates on the walls of the Harry Caray restaurant. Cubs pitcher Jake Arrietta is a practitioner of yoga, in which the number 108 is sacred. He recently invited The Plain White T’s band to perform at a Cubs rally. How many songs had they recorded? 108. And do you know how many stitches are in a baseball? The diameter of Stonehenge? Yep, eight more than a hundred.
Perhaps most telling of all, the Cubs’ World Series victory was foretold by the popular film “Back to the Future II.” The sequel is 108 minutes long.
“Really all the signs are saying it’s going to happen this year,” DePorter said.
No, this isn’t the 113th year, obviously, of any sort of drought or supposed curse. But the number 113 is one the Cubs can believe in. DePorter dropped me an email to explain why 108, 113 and the Cubs are entangled:
- This year is the 113th World Series.
- Cubs won the 2016 World Series on 11/3.
- Cubs have gone to the World Series 11 times and won 3.
- Cubs won back to back championships in 1908. The 1908 home opener was on the 113th day of the year.
- The Cubs won the 2016 World Series 113 years after the team was officially named the “Cubs”.
- First game ever played at Wrigley Field was on the 113th day of the year.
- The 113th US Congress celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Wrigley Field.
- The first US satellite launched into space circled the earth every 113 minutes and the first baseball game ever broadcast via satellite was a Cubs game.
- The first Cubs night game on 8/8/88 was the 113th Cubs season in the National League.
- In 2014, the Cubs announced they hired Joe Maddon as Cubs manager on 11/3. Earlier that season Joe was the 113th person ejected and set a MLB record on Game 113 for fastest team to strike out 1,000 batters.
- Joe’s first MLB meeting as Cubs manager was the “113th Winter Meetings”.
- Joe Maddon brought a cheetah to Wrigley. Cheetahs top speed is 113 kilometers per hour.
- Joe Maddon is the first person to bring music into the clubhouse since Sammy Sosa left the Cubs — Sosa was the only MLB player ever to hit 113 homeruns over 2 seasons twice.
- During the 2015 Wild Card game Jake Arrieta threw exactly 113pitches in a complete game win. Arrieta had the best 2nd half for any pitcher in baseball history. He struck out 113 batters and went on to win the 2015 NL Cy Young Award.
- 2015 NLDS clinching game, Kyle Schwarber’s epic home run that landed on top of the scoreboard went 113 mph.
- The biggest acquisition of 2016, Aroldis Chapman, was acquired by the Cubs 113 days after the season started.
- The All Star Game was held 113 days before game 7 of the World Series. First time in Cubs history a Cub is starting at every infield position.
- During the 2016 World Series, the Cubs stayed at the Cleveland Renaissance Marriot which is located in Zip code 44113
- The same day that the Cubs celebrated at the White House with President Obama, Cubs President Theo Epstein appeared on Episode #113 of former Obama top advisor David Axelrod’s CNN show.
- 113 days after Cubs won the World Series MLB announces the average raise given in baseball arbitration was 113 percent.
- The same day Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as the 113th U.S. Supreme Court Justice the Cubs raise their championship banner during their home opener, 113 weekdays after game 7 of the World Series.
- Joe Maddon tied strange things that happened with Zobrist and the Cubs to The Great American Eclipse — the total eclipse was 113 km wide and its longest duration was over the Cubs’ home state of Illinois
- The star Arcturus which means Bear Watcher or “Cubs Watcher” is113 times brighter than the sun. Light from Arcturus turned on the power to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair which also included the first MLB All Star Game.
- The numbers 113 and 108 surround the Cubs. This year is the 113th World Series but it is also the 108th World Series since the Cubs last won back to back championships.
- Last year would have been the 113th and 108th World Series except that 1994’s World Series was cancelled due to a strike shortened season that was only 113 games long that ended on 10/8 (day/month).
- Last year Joe Maddon raised the Cubs World Series Championship trophy on 11/3 at 1:08 am.
- The signs are pointing to a back to back championship again as the Cubs did 108 World Series ago.
I’ll add one: next Friday, 10/13, is Friday the 13th — the first game of the first League Championship Series. DePorter says: “Since the Magic Number 108 played out so well last year — I am doubling down on Magic Number 113 for this year. I don’t think Washington will like my list!”
If he’s doubling down, so will I. Who knows what it all means but I wouldn’t bet against the 108 prophet.
