Two Worlds

The Dallas/Fort Worth is home to over seven million people. SEVEN MILLION! The state in which I recently moved from is home to just over two and a half million. If the math is done correctly, that would mean that the two cities of Dallas and Forth Worth are nearly triple the population of my entire state of Arkansas. And while the state population is low, my city population is laughable, three thousand eight hundred. As small as that sounds, it was a large improvement from when I moved from a city that did not even put a population number beside the city sign. With all of that said, there are many opportunities in Dallas that are not present in Sheridan, AR.

DFW provides clubs, concerts, every restaurant imaginable, aquariums, malls, shopping centers, movie theatres, professional sports, and countless other forms of entertainment and fun. At SMU, it seems as though the day does not even begin until ten twelve at night. Clubbing, and parties will go until the wee hours in the morning. Six Flags is only twenty minutes away from campus, and they have every thrill ride imaginable. Not only is North Park mall available, but the Galleria is nationally known as well. The movie theatres are on every corner, so no matter how popular a movie is, there is always a ticket. Dallas is home to “America’s Team” in the Cowboys, along with the Mavericks, Rangers, and Stars. There is never a break from society and there is always something to participate in.

Sheridan, Arkansas is drastically different. Sheridan is home to two local sit-down restaurants, the Ice House and Big’s Bar-B-Que. There are no clubs, movie theatres, malls, or professional teams. For entertainment similar to Dallas, one must travel about an hour and a half. So for entertainment, we all go out to the woods. In the woods an individual can hunt, fish, climb trees, paintball, ride four-wheelers, and play hide-n-go-seek. There are family reunions every year that consists of fist fights and fish fry’s. The Rec-Center is home to the public pool and a public basketball court. On Friday nights, all of the young people will go out and ride four-wheelers and just sit around a camp fire watching stars. There was one “night ride” in which about forty-nine kids went along on four-wheelers. Everyone goes to the High School games, and the town will shut down if we have a good team. The greatest difference between the two forms of fun are that Dallas begins at eleven p.m., and Sheridan shuts down at ten p.m. When I come home from my girlfriend’s house, there would be maybe three cars on the streets, not three million.

100 Years and Counting 10-13-08

The Chicago Cubs finished the 2008 season with a record of 94-67. For those of you who do not follow baseball, 94 is the total number of wins and and 67 is the total number of losses. The Cubbies had the National League's best record and received the number one seed in the playoffs. The cubs played the weakest team in that qualified for the playoffs in the National League, the Dodgers. The team formerly know as the White Stockings even received home field advantage throughout the playoffs. On paper, this team should be on track for the World Series. However, there is one attribute that the Cubs posses that is not desired by any team in the MLB, a curse.

The Curse of the Billy Goat was brought upon the Cubs when man named Billy Sianis was told to leave the 1945 World Series because his pet goat was disrupting some fans. Billy did leave Wrigley Field, but not before he placed a curse on the Cubs. The curse has made its presence felt ever since 1945. In 1969, the Cubs blew a 8.5 game lead in August to the Mets and lose the division. In 1984 the Cubs lose a National League championship to the the Padres due to a ball going under the legs of their first baseman.(ESPN.com) In 2003, the Cubs were ahead in the National League Championship Series 3 games to 1. In the 8th inning there was a foul ball hit towards the left field foul line. Instead of Moises Alou making the third out with a catch, a fan by the name of
Steve Bartman leaned over the railing and caught the foul ball. The cubs would later lose the series and Bartman has disappeared from society. He has even turned down millions in interview request from major new companies.

The latest impact the curse has had on the Cubs was in the current postseason. The Dodgers swept the Cubs 3-0 . The number one team throughout the entire season was swept. The result was not lack of talent. One of the greatest hitters in the league, Alfonso Soriano, currently plays for Chicago. The pitching staff was un-hittable in 2008. Carlos Zambrono through a no-hitter only a month ago. There is only one logical explanation for the loss, a curse.

Will the curse ever be broken? How do you break the spell? Can the Cubs ever win in Wrigley? These question can only be answered with time. If you really someone really wants to know the answer, they better be ready for a long wait. The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908.