Will this be the year the Chicago Cubs finally break the Billy Goat curse?
Everyone knows that San Francisco won its first world championship the same year the Giants signed Todd Wellemeyer to a free agent contract. Sure, they dumped his sorry ass a few months later, but still.
Now the Cubbies, who haven't won a World Series since 1908, are hoping some of that Wellemeyer Magic will wear off on them next. The team signed the right hander to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal on Tuesday, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
Wellemeyer, 32, can earn $800,000 plus another $400K in incentives.
The Billy Goat curse was supposedly placed on the "Lovable Losers" in 1945 when Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field because his pet goat's odor was bothering other fans. As the story goes, Sianis was outraged and declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more."
The Cubs have tried everything from hanging a butchered goat on a Harry Caray statue to bringing in priests to break the curse, with no luck. Now, they're bringing in Wellemeyer.
Like Sianis' goat, Wellemeyer stinks to high heaven.
Last year, he went 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 58.2 innings for the Giants before the eventual-world champs waived him on Aug. 17. Madison Bumgarner ended up claiming the fifth starter's spot in the Giants' rotation.
It was the Cubs who first drafted Wellemeyer in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He showed some promise in the minor leagues, striking out more than a batter per inning and reaching the majors in 2003 (his fourth pro season) where he pitched for the big league club before they traded him to the Florida Marlins in 2005.
Everyone knows that San Francisco won its first world championship the same year the Giants signed Todd Wellemeyer to a free agent contract. Sure, they dumped his sorry ass a few months later, but still.
Now the Cubbies, who haven't won a World Series since 1908, are hoping some of that Wellemeyer Magic will wear off on them next. The team signed the right hander to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal on Tuesday, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.
Wellemeyer, 32, can earn $800,000 plus another $400K in incentives.
The Billy Goat curse was supposedly placed on the "Lovable Losers" in 1945 when Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field because his pet goat's odor was bothering other fans. As the story goes, Sianis was outraged and declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more."
The Cubs have tried everything from hanging a butchered goat on a Harry Caray statue to bringing in priests to break the curse, with no luck. Now, they're bringing in Wellemeyer.
Like Sianis' goat, Wellemeyer stinks to high heaven.
Last year, he went 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 58.2 innings for the Giants before the eventual-world champs waived him on Aug. 17. Madison Bumgarner ended up claiming the fifth starter's spot in the Giants' rotation.
It was the Cubs who first drafted Wellemeyer in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He showed some promise in the minor leagues, striking out more than a batter per inning and reaching the majors in 2003 (his fourth pro season) where he pitched for the big league club before they traded him to the Florida Marlins in 2005.
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