Hey fellow Die Hard Cubs fans. Do you remember Oct. 7, 1984? If you don’t, let me tell you about it.
On Oct 6, a college buddy of mine called to tell he had 2 tickets to the Bears vs Saints game the next day and asked if I’d like to join him. Of course I said yes. Walter Payton was less than 100 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record, and there was no way I was going to pass up the chance to see him make history. We went to the game and sure enough, Walter rushed for a buck fifty and set the record, and the Bears crushed the Saints 20 to 7. We left the game a little early to beat the traffic, because the Cubs were playing Game 5 of the National League championship series against the Padres in San Diego. The series was only 5 games in those days, so this was the deciding game. The Cubs should have had home field advantage and played Game 5 at home, but since there were no lights in Wrigley Field, NBC forced the league to play the game in San Diego. We listened to the radio on the way to my apartment and the Cubs were cruising, leading by 3 – 0 at the end of 5 innings. Rick Sutcliffe, the Cubs ace, was dealing. My buddy and I turned on the TV to watch the 6th inning, and what we were bragging would be the greatest day in Chicago sports history turned into another Die Hard experience. We watched Ryne Sandberg duck under a grounder, Leon Durham let another squirt between his legs, and the Padres ran off 6 runs in the next 2 innings and snatched the pennant.
For those of you too young to remember that day, be glad. For those of you who do
remember, you know Joy cannot be truly appreciated without Pain. You know why so
many people cried in 2016. You know why I couldn’t watch it live, only on tape. I
remember Oct. 7, 1984.
